In the late 24th century, on the eve of what was going to be one of the darkest times in Starfleet’s long and decorated history, a briefing was put out for a new generation of long-range exploration-oriented starships. Even though the briefing was not for a ship specifically built for combat, it was to be able to defend itself in times of need much like the Constitution Class explorer in the prior century. Its primary mission was going to be long-range and long-term multipurpose exploration in uncharted space. Thus, the Luna Class Development Project was initiated in 2369 and originally pushed forward because of the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole.

Originally the Luna Class was to explore the Gamma Quadrant and the vessel was armed accordingly. The new quantum torpedoes and the most powerful phaser arrays available were added to the design. The project was spearheaded by Dr. (Commander) Xin Ra-Havreil, a theoretical engineer at Utopia Planitia. Field testing of the USS Luna, the prototype, began in 2372 in the Alpha Quadrant with production to pick up shortly after. However, contact with the Dominion stopped the project cold as resources were allocated to more combat-oriented designs.

After the Dominion War was over in 2375, Dr. Ra-Havreil correctly judged that the Federation would slowly revert back to her peaceful exploration of the cosmos. In light of this, she went back to try and push the Luna Class Development Project ahead once again. The initial design was revisited and updated with the newest advancements in technology for a ship of her class. Even though the original primary mission was to have been advance exploration of the Gamma Quadrant, the Luna Class ships instead became the main exploratory vessel for Starfleet. The original run of 12 vessels was completed by the end of 2379, with Captain William Riker taking command of the USS Titan.

When launched, the Luna Class explorers either included or improved upon the latest in Starfleet technology when it came to exploration and scientific advancement. Not including the latest advancements in warp propulsion, impulse propulsion and computer interfaces and technology, the Luna Class also employed a dedicated senor pod housed above the main part of the ship. Thanks to the advances and adjustments made to her warp drive, the Luna Class of starships is extremely fast and has incredible endurance for a ship of her size. Even though not primarily a combat vessel, a Luna Class starship carries Type XII phaser arrays as well as two torpedo launchers capable of firing the complete range of torpedoes available in Starfleet.

In a departure from some contemporary designs, the Luna Class only has one shuttlebay, and that is at the extreme aft. The shuttlebay houses the usual assortment of shuttles and runabouts for scientific as well as cargo applications. There is also a mid-sized captain’s skiff directly in front of the main deflector dish, on the saucer section. It is always at the commanding officer’s disposal.

The most distinguishable item of the Luna Class is her unmanned sensor pod. Much akin to the swappable “pods” used on other Starfleet vessels, a Luna Class vessel houses a good portion of her advanced sensors and scientific equipment in this unmanned pod, increasing sensor range, resolution and accuracy in every way while also allowing more usable space for science labs and living space aboard the main portion of the vessel. The sensor pod is not easily swappable and requires the support of a starbase or repair facility if major changes are to be made. The sensor pod also houses three dedicated probe launchers and is used as a testbed for new probe technologies and ideas.

The Luna Class has been developed to be the Constitution Class for the late 24th and early 25th centuries.

Note: The sensor pod is usually unmanned, however it can be manned for close monitoring of experiments, probes and sensor data.

Specifications

Category Explorer
Duration 100 years
Resupply 7 years
Refit 14 years
Personnel
Officers 76
Crew 250
Marines 16
Passengers 50
Speed
Cruising Speed Warp 8.7
Maximum Speed Warp 9.8
Emergency Speed Warp 9.998 (for 18 hours)
Dimensions
Length 450m
Width 208m
Height 80m
Decks 18
Auxiliary Craft
Shuttlebays 1
Runabouts Captain`s Yacht – Sovereign Runabout: 1
Delta Flyer Runabout: 1
Shuttles Type 11 Shuttle: 5
Type 18 Shuttlepod: 2
Transports Argo Transport: 1
Workpods Brunel Workpod: 1
Armament
Defensive Systems Ablative Armour
External Defensive Systems Point Defense Batteries: 8
Shielding Systems Auto-Modulating Shields
Metaphasic Shielding
Regenerative Shielding
Phasers Type XII Array: 5
Torpedos Pulse-Fire Torpedo Launcher: 2
– Photon Torpedoes: 143
– Quantum Torpedoes: 95
– Polaron Torpedo: 12

Deck Listing

Deck Description
1 Sensor Pod – A Level: Probe Launch Tubes 1-3, Primary and Secondary Sensor Arrays, Scientific Analysis center (unmanned)
2 Sensor Pod – B Level: Pod section life support control
3 Deck 1: Main Bridge, CO’s Ready Room, Observation Lounge
4 Deck 2: XO’s Office, Chief of the Boats’ Office, Officer’s Quarters, Holodecks 1-2, Astrometrics Laboratory, Upper Phaser Array
5 Deck 3: Crew Quarters, Holodeck 3, Arboretum, Ship’s Lounge, Main Mess Hall
6 Deck 4: Crew Quarters, Holodecks 5-6, Diplomatic Facilities, Chief Diplomatic Officer’s Office, Transporter Room One
7 Deck 5: Computer Core Level One, Ship Operations Centre, Primary Power Distribution Systems, Chief Operations Officer’s Office, Upper Shuttlebay, Chief Flight Control Officer’s Office, Crew Quarters, Captain’s Yacht
8 Deck 6: Computer Core Level Two, Shuttlebay, Industrial Replicator 1, Shuttle Repair Bay, Primary Forward Phaser Array, Secondary Command Processors
9 Deck 7: Computer Core Level Three, Sickbay, Chief Medical Officer’s Office, Medical Laboratories 1-3, Isolation Ward, Operating Theatre, Transporter rooms 2-3, Secondary Life Support, Life Support Isolation sub-systems
10 Deck 8: Computer Core Level Four Chief Tactical / Security Officer’s Office, Security Centre, Armoury, Torpedo Storage, Torpedo Launchers 1-2, Secondary Forward Phaser Array, Rear Phaser Array, Transporter Room 4
11 Deck 9: Computer Core Level Five, Chief Science Officer’s Office, Science Labs 1-7, Secondary sensor Array, Environmental Systems Control
12 Deck 10: Science Labs 7-10, Hazardous Materials Lab, Deflector Control, Anti-matter Generator, Anti-matter storage, Primary Command Processors, Secondary Computer Core, Level One, Secondary Power Distribution Systems, Marine CO’s Office, Marine Armoury
13 Deck 11: Quartermasters’ Stores, Cargo Bays 1-8, Cargo Transporters 1-8, Secondary Computer Core, Level Two, Industrial Replicators 2-4, Hydroponics Bay
14 Deck 12: Primary Shield Generators, Fusion Reactors, Primary Life Support, Tractor Array Assembly, Communications Array, Secondary Computer Core, Level Three
15 Deck 13: Main Engineering (Upper), Fusion Reactors, Warp Nacelle Access, Secondary Computer Core, Level Four
16 Deck 14: Main Engineering (Central), Chief Engineering Officer’s Office, Tertiary Command Processors, Secondary Computer Core, Level Five
17 Deck 15: Main Engineering (Lower), Secondary Shield Generators, Impulse Assembly, Thruster Assembly, Thruster Fuel Storage Tank
18 Deck 16: Lower Phaser Array, Waste Management, Warp Core Ejection System, Deuterium Storage Tanks

Ships of the Line

  • USS Ardeshir
  • USS Harbinger
  • USS Rook
  • USS Wolff
  • USS Pico