Undoubtedly the undisputed champion of design longevity, the Miranda Class is one of the strongest holdovers from the 23rd century with a design surviving multiple upgrades and new integrations over the years.
Initially designed for scientific missions, as well as being used for border patrol, the Miranda Class was first launched in the 2260’s with a streamlined design mirroring the Constitution Class. A simplified saucer with underslung nacelles, the Miranda was also incredibly adaptable. The original variant included a rollbar on top of the rear of the extended saucer with a dual torpedo launcher.
Other variations included having no weapons module, some replacing it with a mounted sensor pod, and side-mounted sensor equipment among other changes the modular design would allow.
Shuttle and cargo bays were installed in the elongated bulk of the rear saucer with large doors leading to these bays on either side of the impulse engines. Aside from the rollbar variants tactical module, regular defences included three dual phaser banks on each side of the saucer with the ability to add more defensive weaponry in the same method as the modular mission specific pods.
Initially the bridge module mirrored the standard 23rd century design, with only minor differences form the Constitution class of the era. However later iterations of the bridge module would be modernised to the standard of the time; such as the USS Saratoga which included two large consoles either side of the Captains chair as well as split flight and operation consoles similar to the Galaxy Class of the era.
Other bridge modules would vary from the simplistic design of the USS Langtree’s bridge to the complex multi-level module used on the US Brattain. Main Engineering was more standardised, set between the two shuttle bays surrounding the warp core stretched between decks two and six.
The adaptable and versatile nature of the class would see it’s production last well into the 24th century. Miranda Class ships were even used in the Dominion War as both escorts as well as on the front lines in various conflicts including the final battle at Cardassia Prime.
Measuring just 233 meters in overall length, the Miranda is a nimble little ship that, thanks to it’s small size, is able to be manned by just 20-30 officers and crew by the 24th century though it can house up to two hundred dependant on mission profile.
First introduced in 1984’s Wrath of Khan as the USS Reliant, the Miranda Class was the first instance of a Starfleet ship that wasn’t a Constitution Class and the first ship in Trek to be designed since the Klingon Battlecruiser was built. Designed and constructed at Industrial Light & Magic under the supervision of Steve Gawley, the Reliant solidified the saucer section as a Starfleet identifier and used several elements from the studio’s Enterprise model to build a smaller, less bulky model in order to showcase it as the ‘lesser’ ship as well as make filming more practical than the hero ship.
Taking four months to build, Paramount got more than their moneys worth from the model which would appear again in The Voyage Home as the adrift USS Saratoga and find itself repurposed for multiple Starships in the Next Generation era from another Saratoga, this time a ship at Wolf-359, to other iterations including an extensive refit to become the Soyuz Class USS Bozeman in TNG’s Cause and Effect. Eventually the model would be retired for digital assets in Deep Space Nine and feature in multiple front line battles against he Dominion. The Digital models final appearance was in Voyagers Endgame where a Miranda Class was among the home fleet, though a final model was built for the Starfleet Museum in Star Trek Picard.
It’s physical arrangement has been copied many times over in both official and fan works. By the 254th century the class had finally been phased out after a hundred and forty years of being in production. The model was replaced by the Reliant Class design which first featured in Star Trek Online before artist Thomas Marrone was drafted in to bring the ship to live action alongside some of the games other popular designs.
Despite being replaced by a fully up to date new model in the Reliant Class, the Miranda is still the longest reigning and functional Starship designs used throughout Starfleet history and remains one of the most reliant adaptable structures
About the author
A Fistful of Next Generations
When Paramount was up for sale, everything was on pause., Now things are a little different with new owners, a shake up and a new future ahead. Since the merger everyone with a keyboard has had their idea of what could come next in the Star Trek Universe to tempt Skydance into the next part of the legacy. So we figured.... why not look at a list of ideas too? The Archers Someone's getting their PR out there along with their pitch as the Archer idea seems to have been picked up everywhere with fans who once decried Enterprise clamouring for more Archer! Though Archer's story ended on Enterprise with the formal formation of the Federation, the history of the shows that came after confirmed the 'beta canon' of his next adventures as President of the Federation. With Enterprise ending […]
[Retro Review] The Thaw: Voyager Season 2, Episode 23
On another distraction from flying in a straight line back to Earth, Voyager finds a world thats been wiped out by natural disaster. But there are survivors; a small group cryogenically frozen in a controlled system designed to wake them up when the coast was clear. Nineteen years later, they're trapped, asleep within the machine... Four years past their scheduled release date, there's been no breakdown, no malfunction. Yet five of the inhabitants are dead, the rest all very much alive and locked into a computer stimulation keeping them in a dream-world state. Bringing them on board the ship, Janeway is told that they can't just switch the machine off as it'll cause irreversible brain damage. But just like dialling into the Matrix, Voyager can plug into the redundant status chambers and hack their way in to talk to the […]
All You Need Is Love; New Life and New Civilisations. Strange New Worlds S3E9 Review
Following from Through the Lens of Time, Dr Korby is following the trail of the Vezda all the way to Skygowan; a world that worships the evil aliens found buried in a hidden temple. But the Vezda Scotty captured in the transporter buffer after possessing Ensign Gamble survived, escaped and is now fully reconstructed leading the planet and about to unleash hell throughout the galaxy. And of course, it's up to the Enterprise to find out how, why and chase down the demon to save the day. Writers:Dana Horgan & Davy Perez Director:Marja Vrvilo There's something quite nice about the idea of this episode. Strange New Worlds has leaned on retelling the 23rd century era for a lot of it's main hooks, whether that be revisiting the Gorn, Vulcan romance or going to the length of an alternate history […]
[Retro Review] Death Wish: Voyager Season 2, Episode 12
Discovering a comet that looks a little bit funky on the sensors, Voyager quickly learn that it's not just any rock floating through space, but a prison. Accidentally releasing a shunned Q (not that one, another one!), they learn that the Continuum had exiled and imprisoned him for casting aside immortality, seeing it as a punishment, and trying to end his existence. With Q (still not that one) now released by Voyager, Q (yes, that one!) pops by to put Q (the other one) back in his box, causing a unique call for asylum that puts Janeway in the centre of a Q Conflict (Qonflict?). John de Lancie's Q had been a regular on the Next Generation. Whether just being annoying because he was bored or giving Picard unnecessarily complex lessons in self awareness, he became a bit of a […]
Girls Gorn Wild; Terrarium. Strange New Worlds S3E9 Review
There's weird stuff going on in an uncharted region of space, and the Enterprise needs a closer look. To figure out why gravity waves are being especially weird, the crew strip down a shuttle to make it light as possible, and keep the crew levels down to one pilot: Erica Ortegas. But all their caution isn't enough as a wormhole appears out of nowhere and sucks the the shuttle into a dangerous, far sway hellscape from which there is no escape. Writers: Alan B McElroyDirector: Andrew Coutts Erica Ortegas is one of the most under utilised characters in Strange New Worlds. Giving the sarcasm and being the annoying one who argues – a point they hammered home is a family trait earlier this season – she's often laid out as a star pilot and war hero, but the most focuses […]
Highly Illogical; Four And A Half Vulcans. Strange New Worlds S3E8 Review
When a local planet is in trouble, it's Enterprise to the rescue. Or usually would be, but it's a pre-warp civilisation and the no contact rule applies. But there's a loophole. The planet Tezarr runs on an energy system gifted by Vulcan explorers way before the Federation existed and now it's breaking down. Starfleet can't help, but Vulcan's barged their way onto the planet before those rules were made. They just need a few Vulcans to help... Writers: Dana Horgon & Henry Alonzo Myers Director: Jordan Canning One of the earliest released details for Season 3 was 'The Vulcan Episode' that would introduce the crew to Vulcan Logic the hard way. The set up for all of this is a little shaky. The pre-warp Tezzar planet has high levels of tech outside warp drive and with no Vulcans on […]
Related
[Ships of the Line] The Pathfinder
Building upon the discoveries and experiences of Voyager's unplanned trip through the Delta Quadrant, the Pathfinder class is the first line of starships designed specifically for the Delta Quadrant. Less a replacement for the Intrepid and more of a specialised offshoot, the Pathfinder was conceived for a return to the Delta Quadrant with a ship and crew prepared for what to expect. [Image Note: Pathfinder Class model by Thomas Marrone. Screencap taken in Star Trek Online with Sovereign Refit Livery.] After being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, the USS Voyager returned to Earth in 2378 with a little intervention from their future selves, Borg transwarp conduits and enough technology from the future that would drive Temporal Investigations to insanity. Between the new technologies brought in by Admiral Janeway to the discoveries and modifications applied to the ship throughout it's isolated […]
[Ships of the Line] The Ambassador Class
A stepping stone between two pivotal design era's, the Ambassador Class was introduced by the 2320's as a replacement for the Excelsior and Constellation lines before being itself replaced with the larger and more adaptable Galaxy Class. Constructed during a time of cautious optimism in the decades following the original Khitomer conference and relative silence from the Romulan Empire. Strong and sturdy in it's nature, the Ambassador line were installed as a key front line heavy cruiser as a deterrent against enemies of the Federation to take advantage of the relative peace of the early 24th century. Traditional in it's layout, the design process was more drawn out than most and included several variations in style and layout before a more solid and simple base was produced for the final model which included a traditional secondary hull linking back to […]
[Ships of the Line] Dauntless Class (2380’s)
In 2374 the crew of Voyager, stranded in the Delta Quadrant were given a life line; an advanced Starship complete with slipstream drive that would reduce the time of their journey back to Earth form decades to months. Appearing alongside an introduction form Starfleet, the Dauntless appeared to be the next step of Starship evolution. Until they realised it was all a lie – an alien ship dressed up as a Federation ship in a revenge plot that would have led the all to their deaths. Despite the truth being revealed, Voyager's crew had extensively studied the Dauntless and would later try and apply some of the research in an abandoned mission. Once they did return home, thanks to the Borg transwarp network, the Dauntless research was handed over to Starfleets R&D division to reverse engineer their findings and create […]
Relay Recap: July 2024
All Features Universe Categories Fleet Alert Comms GORN GIRL recap; july 2025 Picking up on the Season 2 cliff-hanger, Strange New Worlds returned to our screens this month to find Captain Pike and his crew on the edge of war with the Gorn as Season 3 was finally released!Exploring new worlds and new problems, the Enterprise crew are back in action on Paramount Plus and we're keeping ourselves up to date with weekly episode discussion threads on our FB Continuing Mission Group & Weekly episode reviews from Admin ! Explore... Episode Reviews Spoilers Group ACROSS THE UNIVERSE As we look back on Pike's adventures on the Enterprise in the prequel series, Paramount also gave us a look at whats to come next as Entertainment Weekly and SDCC's Star Trek Universe panel gave us a sneak peek at the reopening of […]
[Ships of the Line] The Excelsior II
When it comes to exploring the final frontier, Starfleet has been widely experimental in it's design philosophy and thanks to a galaxy rich with resources – and possibly, yeah, overcoming capitalist ideals – is never shy on supplies to try out new ideas or unload a whole new line of ships for specific mission types or general experimentation. Still, while designs and ideas rotate on a regular basis to bring the specialist ships such as the Protostar or Defiant Classes, the core fleet is always held together with standard builds that can last for decades. In approaching a rebuild of the fleet to incorporate new ideas, new technologies, and new lessons learned from an ever increasing range of new and more powerful enemies to Federation ideals, Starfleet's engineers sometimes go back to the well and lean on old classics that […]
[Ships of the Line] The Einstein Class / Kelvin Type
A relic of one of Starfleet's lost experimental era's, the Einstein Class was in service into the 2230's as a replacement for the Daedalus explorers. Going back to a more traditional saucer for the ships primary hull, a core feature of Starfleet's first exploration vessels, the NX Class, it was a larger and chunkier configuration to allow more internal for an adaptable range of mission specifications. Similar to standard scout ship designs, such as the USS Archer, the Einstein featured a singular warp nacelle protruding below the wide saucer housing two semi circular dual warp coils powered by four reactors allowing the vessel to reach warp 7 speeds with it's base early 23rd century configuration. While similar designs had limited and condensed warp drive housing, the Einstein hosted a secondary hull connected above the saucer via a thick spine; the […]
