Prometheus class The " Prometheus " - class was a highly classified Federation starship designed for deep - space tactical assignments . It was one of the most advanced Starfleet vessels in operation during the later half of the 24th century . History . The class prototype , the , was launched from the Beta Antares Ship Yards in the Antares sector on stardate 50749 . 5 . At the time of its launch , the " Prometheus " was so highly classified that only four people in all of Starfleet were trained to operate the prototype . ( ) " In an alternate timeline , vessels of the Prometheus - class were among the Federation fleet that engaged the forces of the Sphere - Builder s during the Battle of Procyon V in the 26th century . " ( ) Technical data . Propulsion system . The warp drive of the " Prometheus " - class made the ships of this class faster than any other starship in the fleet at the time in the mid 2370s . The warp drive was capable of maintaining speeds exceeding warp 9 . 9 . ( ) Defensive systems . The " Prometheus " - class was designed with an unprecedented level of automation , and , combined with its advanced tactical systems , was one of the most powerful combat ships in the Alpha Quadrant . The primary battle systems on board the " Prometheus " included regenerative shielding , ablative hull armor , phaser s , and photon torpedo es . A unique feature included in the " Prometheus " design was the multi - vector assault mode , which allowed the ship to split into three semi - independent sections that could each deliver massive force against an enemy target . All three sections were warp - capable . In this mode , the " Prometheus " could easily disable a at warp , or a on the field of battle . ( ) While other starship classes had similar capabilities , such as the with its saucer separation feature , generally the saucer section of such classes had no warp drive and limited weaponry . ( ) Additional systems . In addition to standard automation systems , the " Prometheus " - class design also featured holoemitter s on every deck , which allowed the ship ' s Emergency Medical Hologram ( Mark II ) to access all areas of the ship ( most EMHs were confined to sickbay only ) . Primary controls for the ventilation system were located in Jefferies tube 17 , which was located five decks up from sickbay . ( ) Interior design . Main bridge . The fact that the " Prometheus " - class was mainly designed for combat was reflected in the design of its bridge . The bridge was designed with efficiency in mind , providing the commanding officer with visual access to all major stations when seated in the command chair . Directly in front of the captain ' s chair , sunken down with three steps , was the location of the conn station on the port side and another station to starboard , combined in one large console . The latter was used to activate multi - vector assault mode and assess the status of ship systems , among other tasks . Both officers shared an unobstructed view of the main viewscreen with the commanding officer . All other stations were mounted against the wall , running around the entire length of the room . Directly aft of the captain ' s chair was the master systems display , with ops and tactical stations to starboard and port , respectively . To the captain ' s left and right , beyond these stations , were doors that may have provided access to the turbolift system . Further forward still , on either side of the main view screen , were two more stations , which also faced away from the center of the bridge . The starboard one displayed the same graphics as a typical engineering station of the era and provided an alarm when a warp core breach was imminent . Such an accident could quickly be prevented using this station as well . ( ) Appendices . Background information . The " Prometheus " - class was designed by " Star Trek : Voyager " senior illustrator Rick Sternbach and rendered as a CGI model by Foundation Imaging . The " Prometheus " - class interiors were designed by " Voyager " production designer Richard James , using re - dressed portions of the re - created bridge that James had made for , the sickbay , and a number of new sets . One year later , the bridge set went on to again be redressed , for the . Maximum speed . ↑ Dialogue in " Message in a Bottle " suggests that warp 9 . 9 , at which the " Prometheus " was traveling , was too fast for any other ship in Starfleet to catch up with before the ship crossed into the neutral zone . This interpretation is confirmed in . According to " " , however the actual maximum speed of the " Prometheus " - class was warp 9 . 99 , which corresponds more closely with the idea of the " Prometheus " being the fastest ship in the fleet , since the " Intrepid " - class had been previously established as a ship capable of warp 9 . 975 . Size . Rick Sternbach notes that the " " Prometheus " would come in at roughly 1 , 360 feet ( 414 meters ) in length " . ( ) A length of 414 meters was also shown on a page from an Eden FX manual . ( ) Apocrypha . In the series of novels " Avatar , Book One " and " Book Two " , a " Prometheus " - class starship named USS " Cerberus " served as Admiral William Ross ' s personal flagship , replacing the . In the game " Star Trek Online " , the class is categorized as an " advanced escort " , with sister classes named " Cerberus " , " Hephaestus " , and " Phoenix " . When the class was initially added to the game , it did not feature multi - vector assault mode . This was added at a later date via a " multi - vector assault module " console and also included an alternate ship configuration .