Protostar Class

Protostar Class
Affiliation:	Federation Starfleet
Service Period:	24th - 25th Centuries
Dimensions
Length:	139 meters
Width:	52 meters
Height:	25 meters
Mass:	67,500 metric tons
Specifications
Decks:	6
Crew:	40 personnel
Speed:	Warp 9.99 Protowarp (First Generation) Quantum Slipstream Drive (Second Generation)
Armament:	Phaser Arrays Pulse Cannons Torpedo Launchers
Defenses:	Shields
Auxiliary craft:	Starfleet Shuttlecraft

Overview

In 2363 the Federation Science Council commissioned Starfleet Command to begin work on designing a less resource intensive exploratory craft to supplement the new Galaxy Class. Tasking the miracle workers of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers with this monumental task, they did not fail to disappoint. Several designs were produced through this operational directive, but none were as innovative as the proposed Protostar Class Starship.

The Protostar Class was intended to serve as a long-range exploratory vessel at nearly a fraction the size of its larger Galaxy Class cousins. The design was intended to be able to travel large distances under its own support and conduct scientific and survey missions of distant, unexplored regions. Designed with automation in mind - the Protostar would be able to rely on automated defensive systems as one requirement of the design brief - the ship would feature a crew of no more than 40 people when complete. While the Protostar was merely a dream of its designers at the time, with the discovery of the Jenolan Dyson Sphere in 2369 and the return of the U.S.S. Voyager from the Delta Quadrant in 2377 the Protostar became a reality in 2380.

Capabilities

Consisting of a general profile similar to the Nova Class Starship, the Protostar Class consists of a diamond shaped primary hull and cylindrical engineering section. While the Protostar's dual Warp Core propulsion system is among the fastest within the Federation, the ship has been equipped with an experimental Protostar Drive. Based upon work pioneered by researchers at the Jenolan Dyson Sphere, the Protostar Drive (which is also known as Gravimetric Protostar Containment) utilizes a protostar to power an incredible reaction within the vessel's propulsion core that, in addition to generating massive amounts of energy, can propel the ship incredible distances in a short period of time. When activated, a third nacelle deploys from the engineering section of the of the ship while the two Variable Geometry Warp Nacelles angle into a lower position.

Featuring an enhanced tactical array comprising Phasers, Pulse Cannons, and Torpedoes, the Protostar Class is unlike other Starfleet craft in that the Navigational Deflector is installed on the ventral surface of the primary hull rather than on the forward quarter of the engineering hull. In the deflector's traditional housing, a large exterior door grants access to a combination Cargo/Shuttle Bay that features an industrial replicator housing capable of producing equipment (including vehicles) for use by the crew. When conducting atmospheric operations or when landed on the surface of a planet, this combination Cargo/Shuttlebay is the primary form of entry to the Protostar in place of the Transporter Room or airlocks.

Space aboard the Protostar Class is at a premium due to the vessel's size and crew share spartan accommodations. The turbolift network is basic, requiring the majority of transit between decks to occur via staircase. Crew share accommodations within a large, communal bunk room that has bedding for the entire crew with only the Captain having a private room. To assist with training the Protostar has been outfitted with an EXEO Holographic Computer Core Module. This experimental technology allows the Protostar to utilize holographic equipment in place of traditional workstations and even can be used to generate holographic crewmembers. Protostar Class vessels assigned to Starfleet Academy are commonly outfitted with a holographic training advisor, based upon Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway, designed to offer advice and maintain the ship's lower-level functions.

Refits and Variants

Due to the significant amount of resources necessary to successfully build even a single Protostar Drive, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers has developed a Protostar Class variant that incorporates a Quantum Slipstream Drive in place of a Protostar Drive.

Mission Profiles

Technical Testbed, Pathfinder and Reconnaissance Operations, Scientific and Survey Operations. Pathfinder Class vessels are nimble vessels that are ideal for short-term missions away from the borders of the Federation. Despite their relative small size and usage by Starfleet Academy, the command crews of these vessels are typically veteran personnel.

Naming Conventions

Similar to their Nova Class cousins, members of the Protostar Class share the names of astronomical terms from throughout the worlds of the United Federation of Planets and from historic astronomers.

Notable Starships

U.S.S. Protostar, Class Prototype U.S.S. Protostar