Century Cruiser Project

The **Century Cruiser Project**, commonly referred to as **Project Galaxy**, was a Starfleet starship development project begun in the early 24th century to design a cruiser with Nan operational lifetime of at least 100 years. The culminating product of the project was the *Galaxy*-class, the first of which was commissioned in 2359, with additional vessels launching in subsequent years. The project continued until the Dominion War as further refinements were made to the *Galaxy* and other CCP designs throughout the 2360s.

## History

As technological advances were quickly aging the *Excelsior*-class in the early 24th century, the Advanced Starship Design Bureau (ASDB) initiated a plan for the next generation of Starfleet vessels. Even as the *Ambassador*-class was finalized and moved to production in the 2310s, work had already begun on the design that would technologically leapfrog it. The Bureau was working around the idea of the "Century Cruiser," a design they hoped would act as the mainstay of the fleet for the next 100 years. Engineers found that each major design principle of the project, which would eventually become the *Galaxy*-class, would need decades of testing to ensure viability and reliability. These principles would be applied to smaller scale designs and evaluated over the course of each class' service.

Some on the Federation Council felt that designing and constructing vessels purely as a testbed was a waste of manpower and resources. To alleviate these concerns, Starfleet Command tasked its engineers to design classes that would pioneer elements of the project but could also be put into active service.

### *Springfield*-class

The first design to come from the project was named the *Springfield*-class. It was designed to test multiple elements, such as a new ovular primary hull that was designed to improve warp field dynamics. The saucer was also designed to have a more efficient glide ratio and stability for saucer separation at warp speeds, although the *Springfield*-class itself was not designed with that capability.

In order for the Century Cruiser to last a full 100 years, engineers knew that the design would need to be modular in nature. The *Springfield*-class bore a mission pod at the upper aft of the primary hull that was interchangeable depending on mission need. Options were a pod with advanced sensors and laboratories for exploration assignments; another pod with a large shuttlebay and vast cargo capacity for transportation needs; and a third pod with additional launch tubes, sensors, and tactical systems for defensive patrol duties.

Launched in 2323, the class proved successful in practical use while also verifying the success of the new primary hull design. The deflector array and Baikonur LN-88 nacelle design failed to meet desired goals. Vessels of the class saw use in deep space exploration and patrol missions, but continued advances in technology made them obsolete by the 2370s. A few *Springfield*-classes remained in service during the Dominion War, mostly for defense of inner worlds, but all were decommissioned at the end of the war in 2375.

### *New Orleans*-class

As the design of the *Springfield*-class neared completion, a split occurred in the opinions of engineers in the ASDB. Some felt that a new nacelle design being developed by the Cochrane Institute of Alpha Centauri would be a better fit than what was being included on the *Springfield*. The project leader created a new team with the dissident engineers and challenged them to create their own design.

Retaining the oval-shaped primary hull, the team then designed a new secondary hull and deflector dish, while also integrating the Cochrane Type 6B3 Linear Warp Drive Nacelles. Dubbed the *New Orleans*-class, this new design also incorporated three modular pods that were a smaller size than the single attachment of the *Springfield*-class. Two of the outboard pods were located on the dorsal aft section of the primary hull with the third attached on the ventral centerline of the secondary hull.

The *New Orleans* design would in many ways be the closest to the final Century Cruiser design and proved to be a great success in its own right. Originally launched in 2325, Starfleet would continue to operate vessels of the class into the 25th century.

### *Challenger*-class

The third design of the project, the *Challenger*-class was developed as a secondary test of the Cochrane Institute nacelle design, this time the Type 7A1, with a new Yoyodyne 35L Class 11E Matter/Anti-Matter Reaction Assembly and power systems. A vertical arrangement was also used for nacelle pylons to determine whether the orientation would improve warp field efficiency and stability with the new nacelle type.

This vertical arrangement had previously been used on the *Akula*-class starting in the late 2270s, and had proven to be a very successful design using the angular Type 71 nacelle. The orientation did not prove as efficient as hoped using, but the updated nacelle model, new warp core, and power systems were a success.

Lacking the modularity of the *Springfield* and *New Orleans*-classes, the *Challenger*-class was not seen as a great leap forward of the Century Cruiser Project. Few vessels of the design were constructed as there were multiple other designs already in use that fit the same mission profile and the *Challenger* design brought little more to the table. The last vessel of the class, the USS *Buran*, was destroyed in 2367, ending the limited service of the *Challenger* design.

### *Niagara*-class

When two *Ambassador*-class vessels, the USS *Niagara* and USS *Princeton*, came in for scheduled overhauls they were instead slated for a refit using elements from the Century Cruiser Project. The intent was to see how well elements of the project could be integrated into older vessels when due for maintenance and upgrades. A triangular nacelle arrangement was required to create a proper and safe warp field, as the *Niagara* had not been designed from the ground-up to accommodate the Cochrane Type 7A1 nacelles.

Overall, the design proved a failure and no additional *Ambassador*-class vessels were refit to *Niagara* specifications. The primary outcome of this endeavor was the understanding that new designs, instead of refits, would be needed in order to more-widely take advantage of project developments.

The USS *Niagara* was eventually decommissioned and components were repurposed to speed-up construction of *Freedom*-class vessels. The USS *Princeton* was lost at the Battle of Wolf 359.

### *Freedom*-class

Though not designed as part of the project, many elements developed for the Century Cruiser were implemented into the *Freedom*-class. The new class was inspired by the 23rd century *Einstein* and *Saladin*-classes, which only had a single warp nacelle. The design was intended as an economical alternative to larger, multipurpose vessels. Construction of the first three space frames were accelerated by repurposing the Cochrane Type 7A1 nacelles and other minor components from the decommissioned USS *Niagara*. The three launched in late 2358 and were tasked with light exploration and planetary survey missions.

### *Galaxy*-class

Though not the final product of the Century Cruiser Project, the *Galaxy*-class was its intended outcome. It made use of the ovular primary hull concept, the Cochrane nacelle type, and large, internal modular ability. By the time that construction was underway on the class prototype, the Cochrane Institute had improved upon the new nacelle and the Type 7A3 model was used on the USS *Galaxy*.

### *Nebula*-class

The *Miranda*-class had complimented the *Constitution*-class heavy cruiser in being an economical alternative, costing around 50 percent of the resources while offering 60 to 80 percent of the capabilities. This supplementary class was considered very successful and the ASDB wished to continue the paradigm in the Century Cruiser Project. The projected costs of the final design were expected to be steep; much steeper than the *Constitution*, *Excelsior*, or *Ambassador-*classes had been in their day, so a design that could fulfill the role of a cheaper-but-effective complement was of no small significance. Christened the *Nebula*-class, the starships used many elements of the *Galaxy*-class, including using the same saucer and nacelles designs. The lead ship was fully commissioned in 2361.

In late 2366, a *Nebula*-class vessel soon to leave the shipyard, the USS *Melbourne*, was specially fitted with an experimental nacelle pod to test whether improvements from the LF-41 nacelle could be as successful in a scaled-down size. Designated the LF-42, these smaller nacelles were designed in the hope that the project’s nacelle design could be adapted across the fleet.

The *Melbourne* was nearing its launch when Starfleet Command ordered all available ships to intercept a Borg Collective vessel headed towards Earth. Running on a skeleton crew, the *Nebula*-class vessel sprinted towards Wolf 359 with thirty-eight other starships, including the *Excelsior*-class USS *Melbourne* that it was intended to replace in active service. Both starships *Melbourne* were destroyed in the ensuing battle. The aftermath and the discovery that current warp drive designs were damaging subspace caused a significant shift in Starfleet’s design programs and the LF-42 nacelles never entered trials again.

### *Cheyenne*-class

Like the *Freedom*-class before it, the *Cheyenne*-class was inspired by an older design while using many elements from the Century Cruiser Project. The class incorporated the project’s primary hull design, but used updated the Baikonur LN-88-B nacelles over the Cochrane model piloted on the *New Orleans*-class. This was due to many *Springfield*-class vessels being decommissioned at the time and the practicality of refurbishing their nacelles over adapting the new nacelle design for quad pairing. Vessels of the class began entering service in 2364.

## 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