Olympic class The " Olympic " - class hospital ship was a class of starship in service with Starfleet during the late 24th century . History . The " Olympic " - class served the Federation as early as the 2370s . ( ) " In an alternate future , the " Olympic " - class was utilized primarily for medical emergencies . " ( ) Technical data . Physical arrangement . The " Olympic " - class featured a primary section - engineering section - warp nacelle layout common to most Starfleet vessels . However , unlike most Starfleet vessels , the " Olympic " - class featured a spherical primary hull , similar in outward appearance to the 22nd century . Its deflector dish was incorporated into the lower forward quarter of the primary hull and was more of a strip than the more traditional shape . Its impulse engine s were located on the upper third of the aft hull . A large shuttlebay was situated on the middle upper dorsal section of the secondary hull . ( ) Primary systems . In an alternate future timeline , the " Olympic " - class was equipped with sensor s and defensive system s that were very limited , leaving the ship to be no match for the weapons of the Klingon attack cruisers of that era . In addition , it was capable of at least warp 13 . ( ) Interior design . The " Olympic " had at least two transporter room s , and quarters were located on deck 5 . Appendices . Background information . In an interview with Michael Okuda in " " , it was stated , and shown on his computer - generated dedication plaque , that the USS " Pasteur " was of the " Hope " - class , named after the WWII hospital ship . It was later revealed , in the , that the name " " Hope " - class " had only existed in an early version of the plaque , and was later renamed as " Olympic " - class . This designation was taken from Bill George having originally named the " Pasteur " as the USS " Olympic " . An image of the " Olympic " - class , drawn by Doug Drexler for use in the " Encyclopedia " , which first appeared on an okudagram in " All Good Things . . . " , also later appeared on a background bridge monitor in . Design and studio model . Roots of the " Olympic " - class ' design were laid down when Bill George , over a multitude of years as he grew up , became fixated by one of the earliest design concepts that Matt Jefferies created for the original " Enterprise " , which George saw in the reference book " The Making of Star Trek " ( pp . 81 - 82 ) ; the defining characteristic of this form of the original " Star Trek " vehicle was that it had a massive spherical primary hull , which Jefferies seriously considered at the time as he deemed the sphere the best possible pressure vessel for use in a vacuum , but eventually dispensed of as being " too bulky " . ( ) While serving as a visual effects art director at Industrial Light & Magic ( ILM ) , Bill George suspected that a similar - looking ship might make a nice addition to the final season of and he contacted Michael Okuda to investigate this possibility . Okuda responded by expressing that TNG ' s production staffers required a starship that was contemporary to the " Enterprise " - D while still having a unique design . This led George to submit blueprints he did of a ship that was suitably contemporary and had a spherical primary hull . Explaining his thought processes , George has stated on his design , " " When I came up with the design for the " Excelsior " first seen in my thought was , " What if the " Enterprise " had been designed in Japan ? " I was very much into Japanese industrial design at the time and tried to put that style into it . My own analysis is that the original U . S . S . " Enterprise " was Art Deco , and the " Enterprise " was Art Nouveau , so then the " Excelsior " would be post - modern . When I designed and built the " Pasteur " ( constructed at home , like my Star Wars " Y - Wing " ) , I used a similar idea . I had seen a sketch in " The Making of Star Trek " years ago of a design idea for the " Enterprise " that had a spherical primary hull . I thought that if that version had been built , what would the " next generation " update look like ? That was the genesis of that design . " " ( " Sci - fi & fantasy modeller " , Volume 20 , p . 82 ) Though Okuda was initially noncommittal about whether the craft would be used on the show , he commented that doing so was a possibility . Bill George , who was formerly an ILM model maker , thereafter worked on the weekends to build a full - fledged studio model based on his artwork . He constructed the miniature around the same time as ILM began working on . ( " The Making of the Trek Films " , UK ed . , p . 167 ) " " Bill made the model in his spare time as a labor of love , " " Visual Effects Producer Dan Curry noted . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 25 , No . 6 / Vol . 26 , No . 1 , p . 64 ) The model was constructed out of traditional materials wood and styrene , George ' s modeling materials of choice , with customized neon tubes for internal lighting . In the for " All Good Things . . . " , the " Pasteur " is described as " a small and sleek vessel with the 24th century equivalent of " markings . " However , the model Bill George had built was used for the ship . " " [ He ] called us up to ask if we would like to use it , " " stated Dan Curry . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 25 , No . 6 / Vol . 26 , No . 1 , p . 64 ) George himself continued , " " Producer Peter Lauritson ended up renting it from me . " " ( " The Making of the Trek Films " , UK ed . , p . 167 ) Normally , the series ' policy forbade accepting unsolicited models . However , due to extreme time pressures at the time of production on " All Good Things . . . " , Lauritson got dispensation in this one instance . ( " " , 3rd ed . , p . 303 ) The " Olympic " - class model has the distinction of being one of only two studio models that were neither commissioned by the studio nor designed or built by " Star Trek " s own production team ( the other one being the Promellian battle cruiser } . Save for the name change from George ' s original designation of the model as the USS " Olympic " ( NCC - 58925 ) to its ultimately used one as the USS " Pasteur " ( NCC - 58925 ) – though its original name would be retained as class designation – virtually no other modifications , aside from the application of three double - snaked decals on the sphere ( incorrectly however , as the single - snaked symbol is the appropriate one for medicine ) , were necessary before shooting the of the " Olympic " - class miniature at Image G . The fact that George had not envisioned his model as a medical vessel , also explained the renaming to " Pasteur " after the famed French microbiologist , . Several production staffers were pleased that Bill George ' s model was selected to represent the " Olympic " - class . " " That was really thrilling to see that used , " " enthused George , " " and I was really proud that it was the spherical primary hull that harkened back to that really early design . " " ( " The Making of the Trek Films " , UK ed . , p . 167 ) Dan Curry remarked , " " Bill ' s model was perfect for the " Pasteur " , because the spherical front would hold more beds than a sleeker shape like the " Enterprise " . It ' s a very stately , peaceful looking ship which is exactly what we needed . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 25 , No . 6 / Vol . 26 , No . 1 , p . 64 ) Now a bona - fide screen - used " Star Trek " production item , the model was returned to George who to date still owns his creation . While the model was still residing at Image G , Mike Okuda made use of the opportunity to take a beauty shot of the model for the " Pasteur " entry inclusion in his " Encyclopedia " where the model made its second public appearance in the 1997 second and subsequent 1999 third edition , albeit that only a very small version of the picture was reproduced . Years later , in 2011 , it was reproduced in its full glory in and on the cover of Volume 20 of the UK " Sci - fi & fantasy modeller " magazine on the occasion of an interview conducted with Bill George .