Gondola class

## SPACECRAFT CLASS

The ***Gondola*-class** was a type spacecraft initially designed as a support craft for Starfleet's *Sovereign*-class starships, where it berthed in a special docking port on the ventral side of the primary hull. The craft entered service with the *Sovereign*-class in 2371 as the captain's yacht.

## History

The stirring success of the *Danube*-class inspired engineers at the San Francisco Fleet Yards to apply concepts from the runabout into the integrated craft for the *Sovereign*-class. Traditionally, captain's yachts had been intended as short-range executive shuttlecraft, but the new *Gondola* design turned the yacht into a more versatile craft. Designated the VAR-1, officers quickly came to appreciate the expanded capabilities of the craft. The design was soon modified for assignments without a dedicated birth and was designated the VAR-1/B. The primary difference between it and the A model was removal of the adjustable nacelle pylons for fixed mounts, akin to those on more traditional Starfleet shuttlecraft.

Eventually moving beyond its initial purpose, *Gondola*-class vessels would serve as executive shuttlecraft assigned to large Starfleet vessels into the 25th century.

## Technical specifications

### Variants

Due to the wide and extended use of the *Gondola*-class, small changes were made to the design to accommodate new technological developments. Those variants attached to starship's without a dedicated berth, abandoned the hinged nacelle pylons for static mounts more akin to shuttlecraft of the era. By 2405, the class was on its seventh variant.

## Appendices

### Connections

**Project groups:** **Union Station** (*Geneva* • *Concorde* • *Presidio*) • **Century Cruiser** (*Springfield* • *New Orleans* • *Challenger* • *Niagara* • *Freedom II* • *Galaxy* • *Nebula* • *Cheyenne*) • **Multi-Mission explorers** (*Brigid* • *Esquiline* • *Palatine*) • **Deep Shadow** (*Eclipse* • *Phantom* • *Scryer*) • **Miracle Worker** (*Scott* • *Daystrom* • *Tucker* • *Gagarin*) • **Aeronaut** (*Mercury* • *Ajax* • *Icarus* • *Shran*)

**Other named classes:** *Aegian* • *Aerie* • *Akula* • *Atlas* • *California* • *Centaur* • *Challenger* • *Cheyenne* • *Constellation* • *Constitution III* • *Crossfield* • *Curry* • *Daedalus* • *Dauntless* • *Excelsior II* • *Freedom II* • *Gemini* • *Glenn* • *Guardian* • *Inquiry* • *Iwo Jima* • *Jupiter* • *Lexington* • *Niagara* • *Obena* • *Okinawa* • *Parliament* • *Perseus* • *Pioneer* • *Ranger* • *Sagan* • *Solanae* • *Springfield* • *Turing* • *Ulysses*

**Auxiliary craft:** *Aero* • Class C • Class F • *Danube* • *Flyer* • ***Gondola*** • *Kodai* • *Mollard* • *Peregrine* • *Selenic* • Type 4 • Type 5 • Type 6 (Type 6A • Type 6S) • Type 7 • Type 8 • Type 9 (Type 9A) • Type 10 • Type 11 • Type 14 • Type 17 • Type 19 • *Valkyrie* • *Venture* • *Waverider* • *Yellowstone*

**Leadership:** Commander-in-chief • Joint Chiefs • Chief of Starfleet External Affairs • Chief of Starfleet Operations • Chief of Starfleet Research and Exploration • Chief of Starfleet Tactical

**Agencies:** Operations (Engineering • Judicial • Materiel Supply • Mission Operations • Personnel Management • Records Service • Shipyards Operations • Starbase Operations) • Research & Exploration (Science • Medical) • External Affairs • Tactical (Intelligence • Security • MACO)

**Notable units:** Ktarn Fleet • Task Force 77

**Facilities:** Deep Space K-7 • Deep Space K-13 • Deep Space 9 • Masamichi Array • Starbase 45-Keepsake • Starbase 82-Maat • Starbase 234-Beskerm • Starbase 247-Vershina

**Agencies:** Starfleet • Diplomatic Corps • Department of Temporal Investigations • Federation Security Agency

**Facilities:** 40 Eridani A Starfleet Construction Yards • Antares Ship Yards • Beta Antares Ship Yards • Copernicus Ship Yards • Laikan Starfleet Shipyards • McKinley Station • Memory Project • New Aberdeen Shipyards • Proxima Maintenance Yards • Salazaar Shipyards • San Francisco Fleet Yards • TL-9139 Starfleet Maintenance Yards • Tranquility Base • Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards

### Sources consulted

* Captain's Yacht article at the *Star Trek Online Wiki*.
* Captain's yacht article at *Memory Alpha*.
* Type 6A captain's yacht article at *Memory Alpha*.
* Captain's yacht article at *Memory Beta*.
* *Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection* issue 75: "USS *Enterprise* NCC-1701-E Captain's Yacht."