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Yeah, Bernd did way too much work on this article. He had footnotes, people. Footnotes! Therefore, you must bow down to this article.
No diagrams with this one.
Canon (Sources: on-screen evidence, Encyclopedias, Fact Files, various reference photos)
Images: Top, side, front schematics (original and refitted), screen captures, studio models, dedication plaque, bridge)
History: With a length of 467m1 the Excelsior class is considerably larger than the preceding ships of the Constitution class. The prototype, USS Excelsior NX-2000, was built by the San Francisco Fleet Yards and commissioned at stardate 8105.5. The ship was scheduled for the first test flights by 2285. At that time the Excelsior was equipped with an experimental transwarp drive, a new propulsion technology supposed to overcome the limitations of conventional warp drive. The transwarp drive, however, was removed prior to 2291, along with some other modifications to the ship, and the registry was changed to NCC-2000. Countless ships of the Excelsior class have been built over a period of several decades, and the class is still the backbone of Starfleet as of 2375. The ships are used for scientific/exploration missions as well as for combat.
Variants: 1. Original (NX-2000) version, transwarp drive, 467m, large bridge module, round front end of the stern shuttlebay 2. Series version (NCC-2000), conventional warp drive, 467m, small bridge module, angular front end of the stern shuttlebay 3. Refitted version (NCC-1701-B), conventional warp drive, 469m2, additional saucer impulse engines, Bussard collectors3, additional fin at the nacelle rear end, secondary hull extended around the deflector dish The refitted version was in service as of 2295, however, most of the ships subsequently built are of the original type.
Specs: Ship type: Heavy cruiser4 Dimensions: length 467m (original), 469m (refit), width 188m, height 80m General structure: saucer5, neck, engineering hull, warp nacelles on pylons Shuttlebays: one at the stern, one in the recessed part of the engineering hull6 Armament: 2x2 photon torpedo tubes in the neck, facing forward, 2 tubes on the stern underside, facing backward; 2x5x2 phaser domes on the saucer Propulsion: Two warp nacelles mounted on pylons, aligned with the saucer; one center impulse engine and two flanking engines at the saucer rear end (original version), plus two impulse engines in separate housings (refitted version); 4 blocks of thrusters in the saucer rim
Design family: The USS Curry employs Excelsior class saucer and engineering hull together with Miranda class nacelles. The USS Centaur has an Excelsior saucer, no engineering hull and modified nacelles.7
Ship list: USS Al-Batani NCC-42995 (ST Encyclopedia 2, Omnipedia, VOY: "Caretaker") USS Berlin NCC-14232 (ST Encyclopedia, Fact Files, TNG: "Angel One") USS Cairo NCC-42136 (ST Encyclopedia, Fact Files, TNG: "Chain of Command, Part I", disappeared on patrol of the Romulan Neutral Zone, possibly destroyed, DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight") USS Charleston NCC-42285 (ST Encyclopedia, Fact Files, TNG: "The Neutral Zone") USS Crazy Horse NCC-50446 (ST Encyclopedia 2, Fact Files, TNG: "Descent", TNG: "The Pegasus")8 USS Crockett NCC-38955 (Omnipedia, Fact Files, DS9: "Paradise") USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B, refit, (Fact Files, ST Encyclopedia 2, ST:G) USS Excelsior NX-2000 (Fact Files, ST Encyclopedia, ST:TSFS, ST:TVH), NCC-2000 (Fact Files, ST Encyclopedia, ST:TUC) USS Fearless NCC-14598 (ST Encyclopedia, Fact Files, TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before", TNG: "Tapestry") USS Gorkon NCC-40521 (ST Encyclopedia, Fact Files, TNG: "Descent") USS Grissom NCC-42857, destroyed by Jem'Hadar, (Omnipedia, Fact Files, TNG: "The Most Toys", DS9: "Field of Fire")9 USS Hood NCC-42296 (ST Encyclopedia, Fact Files, TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", TNG: "Tin Man", TNG: "The Defector", TNG: "Allegiance", TNG: "Redemption, Part II", DS9 "Tears of the Prophets") USS Intrepid NCC-38907 (ST Encyclopedia, Fact Files, TNG: "Sins of the Father", TNG: "Family") USS Lakota NCC-42768, refit, (ST Encyclopedia 2, Fact Files, DS9: "Homefront", DS9: "Paradise Lost") USS Lexington NCC-14427 (Fact Files, TNG: "Thine Own Self") USS Livingston NCC-34099 (Omnipedia, Fact Files, DS9: "Invasive Procedures") USS Malinche NCC-38997 (ST Encyclopedia 2, Fact Files, DS9: "For the Uniform") USS Melbourne NCC-6204310, destroyed at Wolf 359, (TNG:"11001001", TNG: "Best of Both Worlds, Part II", DS9: "Emissary") USS Okinawa NCC-13958 (ST Encyclopedia 2, DS9: "Paradise Lost") USS Potemkin NCC-18253 (Omnipedia, ST Encyclopedia, Fact files, TNG: "Peak Performance", TNG: "Legacy", TNG: "Ethics", TNG: "Second Chances", DS9 "You Are Cordially Invited") USS Repulse NCC-2544 (ST Encyclpedia, Fact files, TNG: "The Child", TNG: "Unnatural Selection") USS Roosevelt NCC-2573 (ST Encyclopedia 2, VOY: "Unity") USS Tecumseh NCC-14934 (ST Encyclopedia 2, DS9: "Nor the Battle To the Strong") USS Valley Forge NCC-43305, destroyed by Cardassian orbital weapons platform, (DS9: "Tears of the Prophets") (Name unknown) NCC-42111 (DS9: "A Time to Stand")
Speculation
Transwarp: There is no canon information on the principle of transwarp. It is often suggested that transwarp is a deeeper subspace domain that further alleviates FTL propulsion at speeds beyond Warp 9 (new scale). In this region the power expenditure of conventional subspace propulsion rises strongly and finally gets infinite at Warp 10. However, no drive system, transwarp or not, will ever be capable of achieving infinite speed, unlike what has been shown in VOY: "Threshold". A transwarp drive is a propulsion technology that takes advantage of this lower subspace domain, so it is a generic term rather than a specific technology. Different transwarp drive systems have been implemented or conceived. The Excelsior transwarp seems to have failed and, moreover, turned out a dead end because starships still use conventional warp drive 90 years later. The most probable reasons could be that transwarp did not exhibit the desired (and simulated) performance or was found to be connected with unpredicted risks. Transwarp technology is also used by the Borg in TNG: "Descent", and it is improbable that this is the same principle as the Excelsior transwarp. The Voth are another race with a transwarp drive (VOY: "Distant Origin"). Finally, the quantum slipstream drive is a technology akin to Borg transwarp (VOY: "Hope and Fear", VOY: "Timeless").
Refit: Two different versions of the Excelsior class have been developed in the years from 2285 to 2291 and 2295, respectively. The original Excelsior NX-2000 was retrofitted to normal warp drive some time between 2285 and 2291 when Capt. Sulu left for his mission in the Beta Quadrant. This was not much time for developing a conventional warp drive, drawing plans, doing simulations and finally rebuilding the ship, considering that the construction period of a prototype starship takes several years and the whole development time may even last two decades (STTNG Technical Manual). Nevertheless a second new version of the Excelsior class was being developed in parallel and the first ship11, USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B, was launched as soon as 2295. This seems like a waste of time and engineering capacities. A reasonable explanation is that Starfleet was in urgent need of new ships, and after the bad experience with the failed Excelsior experiment two engineering teams were in charge of reworking the Excelsior class. The question remains why almost all 24th century Excelsior starships have the same outer appearance as the original Excelsior. This would indicate the Enterprise-B version was not successful and its construction abandoned. The Lakota, however, is a refit Excelsior class again (after 80 years). A possible explanation is that Enterprise-B type ships are being built in parallel to the Excelsior NCC-2000 version, however, in smaller numbers. Owing to the fact they have been developed by different engineering crews, they could have considerably different capabilities, suited for different purposes, so Starfleet needs both of them.
Lifetime: A common question about the Excelsior class is why single ships like the USS Repulse NCC-2544 have been in service for more than 80 years, while many newer ships of other classes have been decommissioned after only four decades. Another related question is why new Excelsior class ships have been built as late as in the 2330�s and 2340�s (NCC-4xxxx numbers), not taking into account the USS Melbourne with its debatable NCC-6xxxx registry, whereas there is no sign that the production of the newer Ambassador class has lasted as long. Both questions can be answered in that the Excelsior must have proven to be a very reliable and easy to upgrade design. Moreover, upgrades are alleviated and made worth while due to the large number of Excelsior class ships, probably the most common ship type of the fleet. A ship class with fewer members will not undergo so many modifications and will therefore vanish more quickly. The fact, however, that Ambassador class ships are not built or refitted anymore does not necessarily mean they are outdated. The Ambassador with its basic structure is definitely more advanced than a basic Excelsior class ship, and it could be mainly economic reasons why the Excelsior is the preferred design. Anyway, there is no evidence the Ambassador was ever meant as a direct Excelsior successor, so a direct comparison is mere speculation.
1The DS9 Technical Manual lists the Excelsior as 511m long, however, this figure is not trustworthy since some other ship sizes are scaled up as well in this book. 2Fact Files: 467m, but the additional fin makes this version definitely longer. 3There is no hard evidence the original version does not have Bussard collectors, however, they are visible only on the refitted Excelsior. 4The DS9 Technical Manual calls the Excelsior class an explorer, the same category as the considerably larger Galaxy and Nebula classes. The other ships depicted in this book are classified according to their sizes (heavy cruiser, medium cruiser) and not to their purposes, so the Excelsior as an explorer does not fit into the scheme. Moreover, there is on-screen evidence that the larger Ambassador class is a heavy cruiser (TNG: "Conspiracy"). 5The novelization of ST:G features a (simulated) saucer separation, but the scene is not in the movie, so there is no sign the saucer separation is actually possible. 6The latter could be a cargo bay as well, anyway, it is accessible from outside. 7The DS9 Technical Manual also depicts a version with two Excelsior top halves glued together and three warp nacelles, which will hopefully never be spotted on screen. 8This ship was originally supposed to be a Cheyenne class (ST Encyclopedia 1), but was clearly shown as Excelsior class in TNG: "The Pegasus". 9The destruction of the USS Grissom was mentioned in DS9: "Field of Fire". There is no reason why it should not be the Excelsior class ship, and once the scientific equipment is removed there is definitely enough room for the mentioned 1250 persons on board. 10The Melbourne was first supposed to be a Nebula class ship, before actually the Excelsior class model was used for the Wolf 359 battle scene in DS9: "The Emissary", thus the high number. 11It is not confirmed that the E-B is actually the first ship of her sub-class, however, this asumption is reasonable, considering the extremely tight development schedule.
Conjecture
Zephram Cochrane conceived the first theory about a deeper subspace domain, nowadays known as "transwarp", as soon as in the 2070's. He postulated that subspace were composed of different layers, each layer having the same properties relative to the layer above as has the uppermost subspace level (i.e. the known subspace) to normal space. One impact of his theory was that even with conventional warp drive a part of the warp field would always extend into deeper subspace domains, and this could be indirectly determined by a slight deviation of the warp drive power expenditure from the predicted value at a certain warp factor. Unfortunately the sensor equipment to measure subspace field stress was not precise enough and, moreover, speeds at which the effect would show up significantly could not be reached at that time. This is why Cochrane's theory remained a theoretical possibility for almost a century, and was not supported by most contemporary scientists. Nevertheless the aging warp flight pioneer spent more than two decades on Alpha Centauri refining his theory, until he eventually disappeared in 2117.
Cochrane's theory was eventually proven in 2264 when scientists on the Daedalus class starship USS Eagle NCC-175 measured a power difference of -0.014% at Warp 4.2 compared to the expected expenditure, owing to a minute amount of power flowing to the lower subspace level, where it resulted in a further mass reduction as well as a propulsive effect. This discovery was the incentive for an extensive research program with the goal to make intentional use of this power saving. Subspace physicists and starship engineers were aware of the fact that the power required to achieve and sustain high warp speeds well beyond Warp 7 would be beyond the capabilities of conventional warp coils and warp cores. In order to further promote the project, the name "transwarp (I)" was conceived for the uppermost of the lower subspace domains, while the subsequent domains were named "transwarp II" and so on.
A technical solution to take advantage of the transwarp domain was not discovered until the year 2221 when the Yoyodyne Corporation presented their Mark II transwarp coil. At that time, however, no suited starship was available as a testbed. Moreover, Starfleet was sceptical about the new technology, since the device, despite the obvious energy savings at high speeds, required more power input at lower speeds. At first the Mark II coil was therefore tested on Yoyodyne's Lunar Test Area, creating a static, non-propulsive warp field. It took another five years until finally a ship was fitted with the new propulsion system, the USS Amsterdam NCC-1495. The experiment utterly failed, when the warp core overloaded just after reaching Warp 1. Luckily the ejection system worked, and the ship and crew were not harmed. Further experiments with a new warp core could not convince Starfleet Command, and starship development focussed on the development of new high-performance conventional warp drives, as in the Constitution class, for instance.
In the 2260's, however, it became clear that the conventional warp drive had finally arrived at its upper performance limit. Constitution class starships were able to achieve a cruising speed of Warp 6, and the planned upgrade of this class would not be likely to further increase the ship's speed. Higher speeds were possible, but the energy expenditure and the stress to the system components was enormous. Moreover, the creation of multiple warp field layers (each of them corresponding to one warp factor) was difficult, because not only the speed, but also the adjustment and control efforts would rise roughly with the third power. On the other hand, transwarp was efficient only in the range above Warp 6. The solution was to combine the concepts in that each nacelle was fitted with both conventional and Yoyodyne's to be developed Mark IV transwarp coils in an alternating arrangement. This is the basic concept of the Transwarp Development Project on which work officially began at San Francisco Fleet Yards in 2267.
While Starfleet Command was quick to assign the hull number NX-2000 to the new ship, its name was in dispute at first. Scientists and fleet yards personnel voted for "USS Cochrane" to honor the warp flight pioneer. Starfleet Command, however, objected that a ship with this name was already in service (and not supposed to be retired soon) and large ships usually would not be named after scientists. It was an employee at Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco who, without authorization by his superiors, suddenly started naming the new ship "Excelsior" in official communications, and eventually all sides agreed to this name.
Apart from the novel propulsion principle the Excelsior was supposed to be 50% longer and to have more than twice the internal volume of a Constitution class ship. The basic hull design was finished in 2269. Subsequently the main systems of the ship, including impulse engines, computer core, SIF, IDF, sensors and weapons were simulated and designed. The Excelsior was to be fitted with special scientific equipment for measuring quantities like the power system efficiency and warp field strength, with an option to install standard equipment in a possible series version. The development of the energy and propulsion systems imposed a delay on the project several times. These components required no less than eight design and review cycles of which four had not been originally scheduled. Finally, in 2274, the design was frozen and ready to undergo a complete simulation of all systems. At that time a second engineering crew had already started to plan the construction process and prepare the construction facility.
One main prototype ship, the USS Excelsior NCC-2000, was built in advance. The first components were assembled at the fleet yards in 2275. Another two ships, the USS Capitol NCC-2116 and the USS Tirpitz NCC-2117 were being built with fourteen months delay to the Excelsior. These ships were supposed to test the efficiency of the construction process and, after their completion, to serve as backup ships and gather reference data. The spaceframe of the Excelsior was completed by 2277, together with one of the the computer cores, the main deflector and part of the habitat modules. The warp nacelles and Mark IV transwarp coils were assembled at Yoyodyne's Earth orbit facility, along with most part of the warp power generation and distribution system, and transferred to San Francisco Fleet Yards in 2278. In the following two years, these components along with the impulse and weapon systems were installed and the first hull plates were attached. The power systems were first tested in 2279, still, at only 2% of their nominal output. With the shuttlebays, transporters, main sensor systems, SIF and IDF finished, the so-called "non-essential" components were installed from 2280, including the rest of the hull plates, most of the habitat modules, secondary power conduits, computer sub-systems and turbolifts. Although 20% of the internal modules were still missing, the construction of the Excelsior was officially declared finished in 2282 and the ship was launched from the construction facility.
Captain Styles was assigned command of the ship during its test phase. The ship was scheduled for complete hardware tests, including full impulse flights and shakedown tests, while work on controlling the warp/transwarp propulsion system was still going on. Actually, the ship spent more time in the Earth Spacedock than in space during that period. In 2284, Captain Styles announced that the ship was now ready for the first warp flight, and the head of the construction project approved of it. Captain Montgomery Scott was assigned chief engineer of the ship. Although Scott had not been directly involved in the construction process, Starfleet Command expected that the expertise of a skilled starship engineer would help to find solutions the construction team had no thought of. Captain Kirk's hijacking of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 required the first warp flight of the Excelsior to take place earlier than scheduled. Scott, however, reluctant to fit into his new position and eager to help his comrades, sabotaged the warp drive, so that the Excelsior could not reach warp, let alone transwarp speed.
Four days later the problem had been fixed, and the Excelsior achieved Warp 6 outside the solar system, thereby proving she was spaceworthy. Transwarp was first tested two months later, and the speed was increased up to Warp 9 in the subsequent flights. The energy saving compared to normal warp drive was 30%. So far the transwarp drive was a success. After only six months in service, however, the efficiency of the transwarp coils had dropped by more than 10%. Further research yielded the explanation that the deep subspace field led to an accumulation of verteron particles inside the verterium cortenide warp field coil. An excessive verteron flow had been predicted, however, the effect of the inherent material impurity had been underestimated. This enabled a chain reaction: verteron particles get trapped in the material impurities, and their presence attracts even more particles, leading to discontinuities in the crystalline structure and finally to microfractures. In the following two years, while material scientists tried to improve the warp coil manufacturing process and thereby the material quality, warp system engineers worked on a procedure to purge the warp coils. It turned out that once a warp coil was affected, it was not possible to completely recover its original efficiency, and even a stationary maintenance could only repair up to 50% of the damage. This is why Starfleet decided to give up the Excelsior project in 2287.
The USS Capitol and USS Tirpitz had never been completed because of the problems with the Excelsior, and these two ships were first retrofitted to normal warp drive by swapping the transwarp coils with conventional ones and by several changes to the power system. Moreover, the shuttlebay maintenance area was rebuilt and a smaller bridge module was installed that better served the every-day use of the ship. The Excelsior followed in 2289, although warp field scientists had demanded that at least this ship should be preserved as a testbed for new, improved transwarp coils. The ship was re-commissioned in 2290, now with the registry NCC-2000, and began a two-year exploration mission in the Beta Quadrant under the command of Captain Hikaru Sulu in 2291. Sulu stayed in command for another ten years, until he retired. The Excelsior was refitted in 2311, 2335 and 2359 so as to fulfill Starfleet technical standards. The ship is still in the service as of 2375, with the seventh Captain in command. As part of Starfleet�s Ninth Fleet the ship took damage in several major battles, and it is scheduled to be decommissioned.
The ships of the Improved Excelsior class, beginning with the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B, were built at the same time when the three ships of the original design were being retrofitted to conventional warp drive. The latter ship type was likely to be discontinued, however, the permanent problems with the Improved Excelsior's impulse engines and the fact that another design for a heavy cruiser would not be available within the next ten years led to the decision that further ships of the original design should be built. At that time no one was aware that the retrofitted Excelsior, despite being a hastily (re-)designed ship, should become the most successful ship design of Starfleet and its primary workhorse for more than five decades. One reason for the continuous success is that the Excelsior is a very robust design, created for the needs of testing propulsion systems under enormous stress. Moreover, the long design period allowed to take special care of the ship's basic components which still comply with Starfleet standards after 90 years.
12 more Excelsior class ships were ordered in 2294, with minor changes to the warp power system, another 17 ships in 2297. High-volume batches followed in the next four decades. The Ambassador class was regarded by their designers as a multi-purpose ship and possible replacement for the Excelsior, however, Starfleet was of the opinion that the well-established and easy to upgrade Excelsior would suit the every-day needs of the fleet better. In 2341, Starfleet Command finally decided that the production of the Excelsor class should be discontinued in favor of more recent designs. Along with a number of new ship classes, Starfleet had revived the Improved Excelsior design, now called Excelsior II, which was likely to be built for three or more decades. The emerging conflict with the Cardassians, however, required more robust ships. This is why Starfleet ordered the construction of further Excelsior I ships whose weapon systems were upgraded to Type IX phasers and high-yield photon torpedoes. Production of these ships continued until 2248. Finally, a last batch was built in 2353, including the USS Melbourne NCC-62043. A total of 629 Excelsior class I ships were built, 98 were decommissioned, 145 destroyed (112 of which in the recent Dominion War), 386 are still in service.
Although no ships have been newly commissioned since, production of Excelsior spare parts and complete hull sections is going on. This allows Starfleet to extend the lifetime of Excelsior class ships beyond the originally scheduled 80 years. In the late 2360�s Utopia Planitia developed a rebuilding program for aged Excelsior class ships in the course of which complete sections of the starship may be replaced. While this procedure was often criticised in the beginning with the argument that resources would be wasted for soon-to-be-retired ships, it payed in the Dominion War, since battle-damaged ships could be repaired in no time.
SPECIFICATIONS: Category: Heavy cruiser Dimensions: length 467m, width 188m, height 80m Decks: 25 Crew: 300 Starfleet plus 80 civilian engineers (transwarp testbed), 800 (retrofitted) Maximum capacity: 10,000 General structure: saucer, neck, engineering hull, warp nacelles on pylons Shuttlebays: one at the stern, one in the recessed part of the engineering hull Armament: 2x2 photon torpedo tubes in the neck, facing forward, 2 tubes on the stern underside, facing backward; 2x5x2 Type VIII phaser domes on the saucer (original), Type IX (2250 refit) Warp propulsion: M/ARA, two warp nacelles mounted on pylons, aligned with the saucer; Yoyodyne Mark IV transwarp coils plus YWC-5549 warp coils (transwarp testbed), YWC-5549-A warp coils (retrofitted), YWC-5549-D warp coils (since 2323) Impulse propulsion: one center impulse engine YPS-7750 and 2x2 flanking engines YPS-7750 at the saucer rear end Mass: 1,950,000 metric tons Computer system: LCARS Expected duration: 80 years Time between resupply: 5 years Time between refit: 25 years
-------------------- "Kirito? I killed a thing and now it says I have XPs! Is that bad? Am I dying?"
-Asuna, Episode 2, Sword Art Online Abridged
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