Excelsior class

## SPACECRAFT CLASS

A Mark II variant

The ***Excelsior*-class**, later ***Excelsior I*-class**, was a type of spacecraft developed by Starfleet in the late 23rd century. It was designed around a transwarp drive that proved to be a failure, but the solid design would still serve as the backbone of Starfleet well into the 24th century.

## History

Development of the *Excelsior*-class began shortly after the conclusion of the First Federation-Klingon War. Starfleet Command saw a need to drastically update the fleet to better defend the United Federation of Planets. The experimental USS *Repulse* was a top-secret testbed for various technologies that would be implemented in various designs in the following decades, eventually culminating in the *Excelsior* design.

## Technical specifications

### Physical arrangement

The class was designed with the ability to reversibly separate the primary and secondary hulls in what was called saucer separation, often truncated sau-sep. In this maneuver, the saucer would disconnect near the top of the stardrive neck. The concept was that in dangerous or emergency situations, non-essential personnel could be evacuated to the saucer and the secondary hull could be commanded from the battle bridge. In order to serve on the bridge of an *Excelsior*-class vessel, officers had to pass the Saucer Separation Clearance exam.

### Deck plan

The following was the standard internal layout for *Excelsior*-class starships.

 2
 4
 5
 7
 14
 15
 25

## Variant

### Mark II

While remaining true to the original *Excelsior* design, designers of the Mark II variant added several modifications to the basic hull, including the addition of a second pair of impulse engines, an expanded scoop surrounding the deflector dish, and the addition and removal of a number of fins located on the saucer and nacelles. The first vessel built under this new configuration was the USS *Enterprise*-B.

The following was the standard internal layout for Mark II vessels.

 2
 7
 10
 15
 19

## Derivatives

#### *Obena*

As Starfleet worked to rebuild after the tumultuous events of the 2370s, new designs were sought to replace the dated *Excelsiors*. Inspired by the older vessels, the new *Obena*-class was developed with a similar visual profile while taking advantage of the technological breakthroughs of the Sternbach/Jaeger era.

#### *Resolute*

Although the *Excelsior*-class had been a successful participant in the Fleet Modernization Program since the Dominion War, Starfleet engineers saw a need to revisit the design in the early 25th century. The *Resolute*-class was the culmination of significant technological advances and 25th century design principles in the century-old *Excelsior*.

## Gallery

The USS *Repulse*, the experimental testbed that inspired the *Excelsior* design.The USS *Berlin*, a Mark II variant of the class.
## 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

* Excelsior class article at *Memory Alpha*.
* Excelsior class article at *Memory Beta*.
* Excelsior class article at the *Star Trek Online Wiki*.
* *Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection* issue 08: "U.S.S. *Excelsior* NCC-2000."
* *Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection* issue 40: "U.S.S. *Enterprise* NCC-1701-B."
* *Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection* special issue "U.S.S. *Excelsior* NCC-2000."
* *Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection* special issue "U.S.S. *Enterprise* NCC-1701-B."
* *Star Trek Adventures - Core Rulebook* by Modiphius Entertainment.
* *Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Core Game Book* by Last Unicorn Games.
* *Star Trek Roleplaying Game: Starships* by Decipher, Inc.
* Size of the Excelsior Class article at *Ex Astris Scientia*.
* Excelsior Memorial Museum at Starfleet Heritage and History Command.

### Footnotes

1. ↑ Derived from MSD created by Lee Arundel.
2. ↑ Derived from "Excelsior class decks" article at *Memory Alpha.*