Galaxy Class Description/History.

The Galaxy class has served with distinction in Starfleet since it was introduced over 25 years ago with the commissioning of the U.S.S. Galaxy. Developed to replace the successful yet rare Ambassador class starships, the design process began in earnest in the early 2340s and proceeded at pace until the fortuitous signing of the Khitomer Accord between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire, bringing an end to decades of increasing hostilities. With the prospect of a devastating war with the ferocious Klingons diminished, more time was allowed the Galaxy's planners to refine their designs. Unlike the Ambassador, which some claimed had been militarized over its short life span and some others believed to have been Starfleet over-reaching itself, the Galaxy would be primarily a vessel of peaceful exploration. Its sheer gargantuan size, not even rivaled by the previously giant Ambassador, would allow the ship's designers a latitude only dreamed of before the peace, so much so that they were able to include an amazing 800,000 square meters of mission customizable spaces, allowing the Galaxy's multitudinous roles a flexibility and longevity previously only ever experienced on starbases. The Galaxy employed a number of technological advances originally pioneered on other classes. For example, its burst fire torpedo launchers, while original for all intents and purposes, were heavily based on the launchers of the New Orleans, themselves prototypes of the technology. Unlike the Nebula - introduced shortly before the Galaxy and equipped with similar technologies - the Galaxy's torpedo systems were not plagued with the initial production glitches inherent in its smaller counterpart's design and could each, when used to their maximum capacity, fire ten torpedoes at a time. Indeed, the Galaxy received so many gifts, as it were, from the hard work done in designing other classes that many firmly believed the time between "conception to perfection" - the lead engineer's phrase - would have been increased by a factor of at least two if not for the "prototypes" already in production. The new deflector dish framework, designed for the New Orleans but first implemented on the Steamrunner, was perhaps the most obvious structural feature shared by the new lineage, exceeded only by the elliptical saucer section found on many of Starfleet's latest designs. This pattern of employing design characteristics and technologies first tested on other ships was so beneficial that, for the first time in recent history, Starfleet's engineers were able to take the basics for granted and work on realizing the full potential of the raw resources and technologies they had available. No prototype systems, no theoretical advances, just things Starfleet knew worked and could be improved for what certain people in Starfleet Command were beginning to call "the finest ship ever built". Of course, the Galaxy itself took a full five years between launch and commissioning to iron out the kinks. Systems, while proven elsewhere, were being honed to new levels of refinement. Moreover, there were some structural issues relating to the Galaxy's large size. Testing at high warp speeds revealed several unexpected stress planes forming in various locations across the ship, including the neck and, in particular, the stern. While the possibility of redrawing the affected areas of the ship's hull to better suit its unique warp characteristics was never ignored, it was never really on the table either. As such, Starfleet spent some time correcting the problem by introducing large and sturdy supports, not unlike a spine, that could better absorb the stresses being placed on the vessel. Enough time was given to the Galaxy - and the Nebula, for the two classes were designed in tandem - for the proper development of the type X phaser array. While the type X had been installed on starbases and large land-based facilities before then, the equipment involved had never been compact enough to allow its mounting on a spaceborne vessel. As such, fears in the mid-2340s that the class would be introduced with merely an updated type IX variant were put to rest, resulting in an impressive fire power unequalled by any Starfleet ship then in service and few since. When it was first launched in 2357, the U.S.S. Galaxy was the largest and most advanced ship in the Federation. The most impressive of advancements this ship brought about was the ability to separate its main body from the saucer section and reattach without the assistance of a starbase facility, an ability later successfully incorporated in such starship classes as the Prometheus. Separated by a connecting neck - essentially, the greatest single structural difference between the Galaxy and the Nebula with the possible exception of the latter's mission pod - the ship's saucer section could move at impulse speeds under its own power, acting as a large and very well armed life pod in the event of a cataclysmic warp core breach or a readily foreseen combat situation in which the lives of civilians could be lost. Of the original production run, most starships of the Galaxy class were designed and built at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards at Mars, Sol IV, but perhaps the ship that served with the most distinction was the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. Other ships of the class that have served well are the U.S.S. Galaxy, which took part in Operation Return and the first Battle of Chin'Toka during the Dominion War, and the U.S.S. Venture, leading several task forces during the war with the Klingons and later the Dominion during the early 2370s. Major changes to the Galaxy class since its introduction in 2357 ranged from propulsion to tactical systems. A new warp core provided the ships of the class with an increase in speed from warp 9.6 to warp 9.9, ongoing advances in scientific and exploratory technology provided the Galaxy with constant sensory upgrades and its shields were refitted to better counter the phased polaron weaponry used to such devastating effect against a member of the class, the U.S.S. Odyssey. Other improvements owing to wartime requirements were the addition of two phaser arrays, one each on the dorsal surfaces of the Galaxy's warp nacelles. The first true multi-role starship design in over a century, Galaxy class starships function as deep space explorers capable of operating independently for several years. Extensive sensor capabilities and laboratory facilities, as well as diverse crews, allow the Galaxy class to engage in a wide range of scientific research. As the foremost ship in the mid-24th century, the class was intended to project Federation influence throughout the alpha quadrant and beyond. When pressed, the class also makes an effective weapons platform for deployment into hostile areas of space. In 2372 an upgrade project was begun for the Galaxy class. New technology pioneered on the Intrepid class starships, such as a computer system based on bioneural gel packs, was introduced successfully for the Galaxy class. Additional phaser strips were added to the dorsal surface of both nacelles, critically increasing phaser coverage to the top rear, the most vulnerable approach vector for the Galaxy class. Engine performance was also enhanced, increasing the standard cruising velocity from warp six to warp seven and the maximum sustained velocity to warp 9.7, allowing the Galaxy class to keep pace with faster fleet movements, though the most recent additions to the fleet, due to their hull geometry, are still faster. Pioneered on the Prometheus class, Starfleet decided to start fitting out all vessels with holographic emitters in all parts of the ship, allowing the EMH to be used everywhere. The Galaxy class profited from this upgrade. Armor plating was improved in critical sections and a second shield generator was added to equip the vessel with regenerative shield capacity. Altogether, the combat performance of the Galaxy class was increased by fifteen percent without a loss to any of her other capabilities. The Dominion war put a stop to the upgrades to the Galaxy class, other ships had to be made combat ready for Starfleet to be able to face the large fleets the Dominion sent against them. After the war's end the Galaxy class refit project was resumed and by 2380 all Galaxy class starships had been upgraded. Starfleet tried to upgrade the Galaxy class with a third nacelle and a phaser cannon with similar performance to that of the Negh'Var's disruptor cannons but was denied the funding' instead the Excalibur class starships were built to provide the firepower and speed needed for such missions.