USS Pegasus

# *Oberth* class

The ***Oberth* class** is a small Federation starship used primarily by Starfleet and civilian scientists alike, as a scout class and science vessel, from the late-23rd to the late-24th century.

## General overview

Pegasus was decommissioned in 2422 to be used as a training ship of Starfleet Academy. It's Last commanding Officer was Commander Athena de Seine.

## History

In service by the 2280s, the *Oberth* class was designed and used almost exclusively for the study of astronomical phenomena, including data gathering missions on stars and planets, well into the 2360s. By the latter half of the 2360s, these vessels also served in a number of other capacities, such as transports and supply ships.

In 2358, the *Oberth*-class USS *Pegasus* served as a prototype for testing advanced starship technologies. The *Pegasus* was outfitted with an experimental engine and new weapon systems, some of which were used in the designs for *Galaxy*-class starships. In addition to this, the *Pegasus* was the test bed for an illegal Federation cloaking device.

The Federation continued to construct *Oberth*-class starships as late as 2363, at such locations as the USSR's Baikonur Cosmodrome.

*Oberth*-class starships also participated in both the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2366 and the Battle of Sector 001 in 2373.

The *Oberth*-class was still in service by 2374 during the Dominion War, but did not see large scale deployments in major engagements as the vessel was never designed for combat.

## Technical data

The *Oberth* class had a standard crew complement of eighty, but was capable of operating with a minimum crew complement of five.

### Physical arrangement

Master systems display, profile

Master systems display, overview

The *Oberth*-class design was atypical among Federation starships of the time. The outboard plan of the *Oberth*'s design incorporated a unique split hull design, with an upper primary hull that was composed mainly of the saucer section, which was mounted onto a rear extension that mounted the impulse drive, and warp drive nacelles to either side to the saucer. The secondary hull was connected to the primary hull at the nacelles by reinforced pylons. The secondary hull itself was oblong in shape. (*Star Trek III: The Search for Spock*, etc.) In all, the *Oberth* contained thirteen decks.

Design features of the secondary hull included a docking port located on the port side of the hull.

### Defensive systems

More suited for science missions than combat missions, the *Oberth*-class had minimal defensive systems. They were tactically inferior to such enemy vessels as the Klingon Bird-of-Prey and the Borg cube.

The weapon systems of the *Oberth*-class included a forward phaser bank.

As a science vessel, the *Oberth*-class was designed with specialized shields, which allowed them to push through gravitational wavefronts. In conjunction with this feature, the interior bulkheads were composed of victurium alloy to better facilitate shielding.

### Auxiliary craft

*Oberth*-class starships were equipped with escape pods, stowing a minimum complement of two on board a vessel with a crew of five. These escape pods were capable of transporting at least nine personnel at once.

## Interior design

### Main bridge

Located on Deck 1 of the saucer section, the bridge housed the ship's command center.

Located in the front was the viewscreen, with side-by-side navigator and helm consoles, which were positioned opposite to the arrangement found aboard *Constitution*-class starships. The captain's chair was directly aft of the aforementioned stations.

At the rear of the bridge was a single turbolift entryway. The primary stations, which were located at either side of the captain's chair, included a primary science station to port with secondary stations trailing along the wall towards the back of the bridge. Along the starboard side of the bridge was the communications station.

The bridge layout during the 24th century included an emergency hatch set in the bulkhead, which could be used to escape from the bridge, into space, during an emergency situation.

Forward port section of the *Grissom* bridge

Communications station, located on the starboard section of the *Grissom* bridge

Bridge with a blown emergency hatch

*The bridge of the* Grissom *was a redress of the bridge of the USS* Enterprise*, altered only slightly to reflect the smaller size of the class. Among the more notable changes were the reupholstered chairs and the placement of the center console.*

*The bridge of the* Tsiolkovsky *was described in the script simply as a "small bridge". The set was only a partial construction, containing a few chairs and consoles, dominated by the view of the open emergency hatch.*
*Oberth*

### Corridors

Because of its small size, many of the corridors doubled as auxiliary access points to various parts of the ship.

The anteroom, just outside the bridge, was located at the end of a corridor. This section contained a viewscreen-monitor and the ship's dedication plaque.

### Main engineering

Engineering was located in the center of the ship, being the location of the ship's warp drive chamber and impulse engine controls.

### Science and service sections

The *Oberth*-class was equipped with numerous science labs dedicated to scientific study.

One section, located on deck 4 in the saucer section, was a corridor-like chamber that contained a couple of science consoles and adjacent monitors against the wall. Access to the computer core could be interfaced via an ODN junction located below the science consoles. The computer core itself was located on deck 13, inside the secondary hull.

Another section, known as science ops, contained multiple computer consoles and a personnel transporter pad.

### Accommodations

Crew quarters found aboard the *Oberth*-class were not unlike those found aboard other Federation starships. They included a main living area with an attached bedroom and adjacent bathroom.