General Overview

The Eclipse Class is a class of Heavy Explorer utilized by the United Federation of Planet’s Starfleet. Intended to supersede the Galaxy Class as the Federation Flagship, development of the Eclipse class was primarily a result of the growing rise of hostilities in the late 24th Century impacting the safety and security of the Federation. Initial design briefs called for a total purchase of 150 vessels of this type to represent each of the member worlds of the United Federation of Planets; however, due to the massive resource cost associated with construction of members of the class, only five vessels were produced in total, including the prototype and one vessel representing each of the four founding worlds.

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History

Background

While efforts to bring the Eclipse to life would not reach fruition until 2395, the initial design brief can trace its origin to the reconstruction period following the Battle of Wolf 359. Following the devastating conflict in which 39 starships were lost in combat against a single Borg cube, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers partnered with Starfleet Tactical to devise a new vessel that could serve as a military command ship in future hostile engagements. Rather than focus critical resources on the development of a new class of vessel, the workgroup opted instead to focus efforts on reconfiguring the Sovereign Class to fulfil this mission brief. While such theories got the ball rolling on the development of the next generation explorer, relegating efforts to create such a vessel to theoretical papers.

Soon afterward, Starfleet had a devastating first contact with the Gamma Quadrant’s Dominion. Under the direction of Admiral James Leyton of Starfleet Security, the Corps of Engineers revisited plans for a new generation of military oriented exploration vessel. This design initiative led to the creation of the venerable Excalibur and Odyssey; however, Admiral Leyton set his focus on another even larger vessel to represent the “larger than life” nature of the Federation. After Leyton was arrested for orchestrating a Starfleet coup of the Federation government, all work was immediately cancelled until the outbreak of the Dominion War. While the war would lead to the production of Century, Excalibur, Odyssey, and Sovereign Classes, the Eclipse herself remained cancelled due to the resource costs that would be needed for her construction as the largest vessel in Starfleet during a time of conflict with all design records placed into storage at Utopia Planitia.

Work with the Eclipse would be revisited following the return of the Federation Starship Voyager in 2378. While many of the technologies brought back by Voyager were deemed classified, the Federation Council and Starfleet Command could not ignore the benefits provided by the Quantum Slipstream Drive that had been encountered during Voyager’s journey. Starfleet immediately began work replicating the Starship Dauntless – an alien craft that had been modified to resemble a Federation vessel – and the unique Spirit Class. Starfleet Command envisioned a series of capital class vessels to further incorporate the technology and design briefs were submitted for the Vesta Class and, later, considerations were made to revisit the Eclipse as a heavy capital vessel; however, Starfleet would order that the Odyssey also undergo experimental upgrade to incorporate this technology. As work began on the Vesta evidence was found that the Romulan star would supernova within the 2380s and lead to the destruction of the Romulan homeworld. In an emergency authorization bill devised by the Federation Council ordered Starfleet to begin development of an armada of passenger transports to aid with the evacuation of the Romulan citizenry. This paused further work on the Eclipse.

Starfleet design edicts would take another major blow on April 5, 2385, following the horrific attack by a group of reprogrammed synthetic labor units upon the Utopia Planitia Shipyards. The Mars Defense Perimeter was hacked by the rogue synthetics and turned against the planet Mars and the orbiting shipyards. The carpet bombing of the surface served to ignite the flammable vapors in the stratosphere and caused massive damage to the planet's infrastructure, killing 92,143 total people in the attack. With the loss of their largest shipyard and synthetic labor force, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers cancelled all pending projects. Construction contracts for future starships would also be reallocated to other shipbuilding facilities, limiting the Federation’s dependence upon one shipyard over another. Additionally, due to the decision to pause assistance to the Romulans in the evacuation of their homeworld and growing strain between the Federation/Klingon Eclipse, the Federation Council ordered a refocused effort to build smaller, mission-specific, and resource efficient designs with a common architecture.

In 2399 the Federation would reach a tipping point at the Battle of Coppelius when the duplicity of the Romulan Zhat Vash was discovered – which included learning that they had infiltrated the upper echelons of Starfleet itself. After a brief confrontation in which the Romulan Free State withdrew their vessels, the Federation reviewed its policies and overturned many of their existing edicts regarding their place in the galaxy. Starfleet, which had become more of a strategic and defensive organization in the years since the Attack on Mars, was directed to resume galactic exploration efforts with a new flagship class leading the way. This would lead to the rebirth of the Eclipse.

Design

The Eclipse Class Heavy Explorer was designed to serve as a successor to the Galaxy Class as the primary exploration and flagship vessel of Starfleet as many of the older exploration vessels of the previous century faced decommissioning. The initial design brief called for a vessel that would embrace the classic hallmarks and durable nature of previous generations of Starfleet vessels; essentially, Starfleet Command wanted a design that would be as much a work of art as it was a representative of the United Federation of Planets and its history. Further, the Federation Council wanted a vessel that could operate away from Federation support for a decade or longer. Despite being a newer design, the Eclipse would also incorporate many of the design improvements discovered during the trials of the Luna, Odyssey, and Vesta classes including improvements in weapons and material handling, implementation of a new propulsion plant design requiring fewer people to operate and maintain, along with improved sensor systems. Many of these technologies would incorporate lessons learned from technologies reverse engineered by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers from the Borg Cube Artifact. Additional design responsibilities would include:

• Conduct long-range, deep-space exploration assignments away from Federation and Starfleet support.

• Represent the United Federation of Planets and its ideals during peacetime presence missions, supporting diplomatic efforts while executing Federation policy and procedure in frontier regions.

• Provide Command and Control of assigned United Federation of Planets and allied forces.

• Establish tactical superiority and maintain control of designated airspace.

• Oversee Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

• Serve as a replacement for the Galaxy Class Starship as Starfleet’s primary exploration vessel.

Nonetheless, every proposed design abandoned the feel of the past for the modern design ethics and more a weapon of war than exploration. Additionally, many theorists expressed concern that the design brief as requested would lead to a vessel that was resource heavy in an era where the Federation would be better served by producing mission specific vehicles instead of a robust starship.

Facing cancellation, the Eclipse Class was saved almost by accident when a Starfleet Corps of Engineers Team at Deep Space 12 submitted design plans for a replacement for the aging California Class Light Explorer. Known as the Pennsylvania Class, the design was rejected for a secondary support role in Starfleet but was forwarded by Commodore Dazad Targaryen for consideration for the Eclipse Class. The blueprints were modified by the Eclipse’s Design Team to meet the requirements of the design brief and to better fulfil the political and psychological design requirements intended for the Eclipse to properly project the power, strength, and status of the Federation within the galaxy. It was also hoped that the sheer size of the ship would frighten potential opponents into a less hostile stance – similar to how the starships of the Romulan Star Empire utilized their frightening bulk to strike fear into the hearts of others.

To accommodate concerns that the resource cost would cripple most shipyards, the Federation Council reduced their order from 150 ships to a mere 5 with each vessel, aside from the prototype, representing a founding member of the Federation. Construction of the vessel was ordered with a planned delivery date in early 2420.

Construction

Construction of the Eclipse Class would begin in 2403 at San Francisco Fleet Yards. Much of the construction was to be completed in secret due to the position that the Eclipse would have within the Federation when launched as its new flagship vessel. Briefly, due to it being home to the winning design, the Maelstrom Shipyards were considered for construction, but Starfleet Security could not guarantee security at this frontier location. The Corps of Engineers later chose the Sol System for construction due to its presence at the heart of the Federation and the ability for Starfleet Security to closely safeguard construction efforts. Nonetheless, this would prove impractical as the San Francisco Yards proved unable to provide the infrastructure to be the sole home of the Eclipse. After review, it was agreed that construction of the remaining vessels would occur away from Sol, beginning at Beta Antares, followed by 40 Eridani A, Tellar Prime, and Andoria within the following years.

One of the first priorities of the design, due to its size, was to find methods to speed construction while maintaining quality. Large industrial replicator units were built and installed in the drydocks used for Eclipse's construction to assist with reducing construction time; however, with growing antagonism throughout the Beta Quadrant, Starfleet wanted to get their new flagship launched to help project the power of the Federation in the face of opposition. A solution came from the previous decade as the Beta Antares Shipyards had pioneered modular construction techniques while working on the Inquiry Class. Entire sections of the vessel would be preconstructed with their decks, plumbing, and electrical equipment fitted before the hull itself was completed. Once constructed, the sections would be merged. This modular construction ethos would improve overall efficiency, reduce resources needed, and ultimately save years in construction time.

As construction began it was soon found that the design would be incapable of handling the diverse mission profiles as, essentially, the Corps of Engineers put too many eggs into one basket. Eclipse had many weapons and defensive systems for missions where she was standing in for the Federation in hotspots, but her engines and sensor systems were to be equally powerful so that she could be effective in her exploratory duties. Many of these systems and their components were still theoretical during the development stages when they were tapped for use in the ship’s construction. This led to design changes occurring even at the drydock as construction work was being completed, and more than one instance where months of work had to be scrapped and restarted due to simulations indicating some level of failure.

Resource delivery became another issue. An entire allocation of Duranium Alloy was lost while underway from the Qualor System when Nausicaan pirates raided a freighter convoy transporting the load, leading to a six-month delay and a destabilized timetable. Soon after it was determined that substandard composite was used in the creation of the warp coils and, while undergoing power up tests while attached to the drydock, the coils blew out causing structural damage to occur along the nacelle's superstructure. Work to repair those components resulted in a delay of eight months that was compounded when the units were connected to the Stardrive section and powered up for the first time.

Initially design specifications intended for the Eclipse to be powered by a Quantum Slipstream Drive; however, consideration was also given to installing an experimental Proto Drive for usage as a rapid response vessel. Early tests indicated that the Eclipse would not be able to successfully incorporate the components of the Proto Drive into a workable model. Further, the Federation Council expressed concerns regarding their new flagship class incorporating such untested propulsion technologies and ordered a traditional Warp Drive be installed. Retrofitting of the existing modules to accommodate this classic system resulted in several delays as the Warp Drive was prepared. While the power levels were within acceptable limits as set forth by the initial design brief, they were at the minimum levels of the spectrum as the new equipment utilized in the nacelles was barely compatible with the Warp Drive System selected. It was determined that when all shipboard systems were brought online the Warp Core would become overwhelmed and the ship would lose power, resulting in entire decks and their systems being shut-down to maintain other critical systems. Analysis of the data provided by the Eclipse's computers, the construction yards, and sensor scans revealed several conflicting results; nevertheless, the problem resulted in the core assembly design having to be returned to the Theoretical Propulsion Group for complete redesign in effort to develop a new power core (the design of the core itself, however, was a success when attached to several new starship designs and refits).

Starfleet Command called for hearings into the Eclipse Class and whether continued resources should be allocated to the Project or it be cancelled outright and the built units scrapped. During hearings, the Klingon Empire announced that they had annexed several star systems near Federation Space. At the behest of the President of the United Federation of Planets, Starfleet Command opted to continue development of the existing class under tighter restrictions for development and a revised timetable. While work was being conducted by the Theoretical Propulsion Group, construction continued on the Starship Eclipse herself in the hopes of getting the physical structure ahead to compensate for the system-based delays. The experimental Navigational Deflectors (both Main and Secondary) and Long-Range Sensor Telescopes were the next components to be installed in the structure. Computer Systems were also installed around this time and assisted in sharing command and control roles aboard the different sections. The Computer Core – an experimental Positronic Computer System with Isolinear backups – requires ten separate cores but allows Eclipse to accomplish complex calculations that overtaxed other vessels. As work was being finalized on the Power Cores for the Eclipse, the ship's offensive systems were installed.

After three years of design and construction, a new power system was completed and was installed on the prototype for testing. A combination of the traditional Warp Drive requested by the Federation Council and the advanced Quantum Slipstream Drive, tests found that the Saucer Module featured a power surplus while the Stardrive maintained a dangerous shortage of energy. Making matters worse, the defensive systems - which consumed the most power - and the sensor pallets had just begun installation. This created severe problems and derailed all current work on the ship to focus on this growing problem. The Theoretical Propulsion Group was forced to return to their drawing board once more to create a new power system and the construction was perilously close to its deadline. Further, the sensors – refitted designs of those used on the Luna and Sagan Classes – had been greatly enhanced to allow for detailed, highly sensitive long-term research without significant impact to other shipboard operations. Several of the upgraded pallets, though, were created using substandard lenses which could provide faulty readings during high resolution scans. This required the removal and reworking of these pieces of equipment due to the reduced sensitivity. The Corp of Engineers completed installation of the defensive shields, making the necessity of the new Warp Core even more apparent as the new Starfleet High Intensity Energy Level Deflection System, aka S.H.I.E.L.D.S., were tested. The multi-layered shields of the Eclipse had built in redundancies to allow the replacement of lost shields during combat; although, all available energy was quickly expended, and half the ship lost power within minutes of activation. Political pressures were coming into play as a change in military policy within the Federation Council had shifted focus again with the cooling of relations between the primary galactic powers and the restoration of the Khitomer Alliance.

The Theoretical Propulsion Group had achieved their answer though: the Coaxial Warp Drive. The Coaxial Drive technology had been prototyped in the 23rd Century by theorist Bendes Kettaract and would allow for a using vessel to travel at incredible speeds with power to spare. During testing, however, a devastating accident occurred that destroyed subspace and led to the technology being abandoned due to safety concerns. While the Corps of Engineers and the Theoretical Propulsion Group had never been able to build a working model, the Federation Starship Voyager had directly interacted with and observed a vehicle utilizing this technology while trapped in the Delta Quadrant. Using lessons learned during this first contact, the Corps of Engineers were able to work closely with Commander Vorik, who had served on the Voyager, to build a working prototype. The designs retrieved by Voyager were further enhanced through the usage of Khitomer Alliance technologies, specifically components that had been devised by the Romulan Republic to help regulate their artificial quantum singularity propulsion matrix. Nonetheless, this experimental technology would still be in opposition to the design edict of the Federation Council. With the support of Starfleet Command, the Federation Council was successfully lobbied to allow the Eclipse to be fitted with the prototype Coaxial Warp Drive while tests were run aboard the Odyssey Class Enterprise-F. While the Enterprise was lost under classified means it was the judgment of the Corps of Engineers, the Judge Advocate General's Office, and Starfleet Command that neither the Coaxial Drive nor negligence on the part of the Enterprise's crew led to the vessel’s destruction. Under the direction of Federation Secretary of Defense Dazad Targaryen, his son – Commodore Willian Targaryen – was assigned to oversee the final construction of the Eclipse.

Support and Auxiliary systems were quickly installed utilizing replication construction technology. One of the most ingenious additions was the inclusion of an automated repair system reverse engineered from a captured Dominion Battlecruiser and supplemented by research from the Borg Cube Artifact. Holographic emitters were also placed on every deck so that emergency holographic programs could be permitted access to any location aboard the ship. The final component installed was the Eclipse’s advanced communications array. Attached to the Long-Range Sensor Antennae, the Eclipse's Communications Array would be capable of reaching distances beyond even the most advanced communications satellites and, as needed, could supplement communications relay stations in processing and distributing subspace communications. Additional resources based upon technologies derived from the Khitomer Alliance were also incorporated into the new Starship Eclipse to promote the new relationship of many of the members.

Construction of the prototype – the USS Eclipse – was completed on Stardate 93183.0 and was launched from San Francisco Fleet Yard for testing. Due to the loss of the Starship Enterprise while testing technologies to be incorporated on the vessel the prototype Eclipse was renamed Enterprise in honor of the lost vessel.

First of Class Design Changes and Design Differences within the Class

While the design of each of the five vessels are slightly different, Starfleet considers all five vessels as part of a single Eclipse Class. Local construction methodologies have influenced the development process at several locations and have included greater ordnance protection for the USS Kumari, more advanced sensor systems for the D’Kyr due to it being built at Vulcan, and the USS Pralim having been constructed with a high-strength, but low-alloy Duranium composite common in Tellarite vessels. Aside from the prototype, the computational speed of the Positronic Matrix Computer Cores has been enhanced by converting the interlink sequencer to an asynchronous mode of operation, removing the performance constraint created by virtue of having space between positronic links and allowing for greater automation. Later refits replaced the standard Impulse Engines with new Hyperimpulse Engines to further augment the ship’s power profile; however, they have not been fully integrated to all vessels yet. Only the prototype is fitted with two Coaxial Warp Drives, the other vessels of the class are fitted with a single Coaxial Core and a combination Quantum Slipstream/Warp Drive.

As construction of Eclipse progressed at San Francisco Fleet Yards, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers discovered many complex first-of-class type design changes which were used to update the design specifications before the construction of the remaining vessels of its class as each successor design was one year behind its predecessor. Primarily, the design changes related to the computer, propulsion, and sensor systems of the ship which required electrical, wiring, and other changes within the vessel even during and post shakedown. Many of the challenges emerged from the Coaxial Drive and the reverse engineered Borg technologies used in construction. Nevertheless, the Corps of Engineers had anticipated additional design changes and many of these 47,000 changes were programmed into the construction schedule early on—a result of the government's decision to introduce improvements to the ship's warfare systems during construction. Despite this, the Eclipse frequently faced the threat of termination.

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Technical Data

Physical Arrangement

The Eclipse Class is 2,015 meters long, 585 meters wide, and has a height of 165 meters. The Eclipse herself has a standard crew complement of 2,250 persons, with a maximum evacuation capacity of 45,000 persons; however, later Eclipse Class ships are more automated than the prototype and can function with only a handful of personnel aboard. The ship is primarily constructed of a Duranium/Tritanium composite with an ablative armor enhanced outer defensive hull.

The design included two hull sections: an ovoid-shaped primary hull, and a secondary hull housing the ship's primary engines. These sections have been designed to employ a separation system with both sections being fully equipped for independent operations. In a reverse of standard operations, both sections of the ship are fully rated for combat while separated and both sections can use faster. Due to the modularity of its design, the Eclipse Class has a highly configurable inner hull that can be customized to meet diverse mission profiles. Phaser Arrays and Torpedo Launchers are located on the hull at strategic locations to maximize offensive ability.

Despite its massive size, the Eclipse Class is capable of atmospheric entry and planetary landing for the entire ship or either section when operating in separated flight mode. The vessel incorporates antigravity generators and impulse thrusters that are strategically placed at the mass and stress points on the ventral hull to better aid in planetfall.

Command and Control Systems

Operational Control for the Eclipse Class was provided by the Main Bridge located on Deck One of the ship. The Main Bridge is outfitted to oversee and control all shipboard functions and maintains active workstations for each member of the Senior Staff and all Department Heads. Primary workstations include the Captain’s Chair – located in the center of the Bridge – with the Flight Control Console (which oversees spaceflight operations) and Operations (which coordinates all shipboard operations) directly ahead. A large viewscreen sits at the front of the bridge offering holographic overlays that display data to assist with operations. Other workstations include a tactical workstation to control weapons and defenses, science stations to monitor sensor data and experiments, and engineering workstations monitoring shipboard systems. In the event of the Main Bridge losing function, control can be relegated to the Battle Bridge.

The main computer systems aboard the Eclipse Class have heavily reference the works of Doctors Noonien Soong, Bruce Maddox, and Agnes Jurati to produce a fully functional positronic matrix based artificial neural network computer system; however, backup servers are available utilizing traditional isolinear circuitry. Each matrix can store eight hundred quadrillion bits (100 petabytes) of memory and a base linear computational speed of roughly sixty trillion operations per second. The Positronic Matrix consists of 10 Computer Cores – six in the Primary Hull and four in the Secondary, but each section can be considered fully operational with a single functional core. Further, due to the enhanced nature of the positronic components, the core structure utilized on vessels of the Eclipse class are a fraction of the size of traditional bio-neural and isolinear cores.

Due to the Positronic Matrix Computer Core each vessel of the Eclipse Class has been outfitted with an Artificial Intelligence Monitoring System, also known as AIMS. The AIMS system is an advanced artificial intelligence capable of billions of different tasks at once and is instrumental in the regulation of shipboard functions aboard the Eclipse Class starship including the automated repair programs. Due to several operational missteps during the service lifetime of the AIMS program, Starfleet Command and the Federation Council agreed to discontinue the integration of artificial intelligence with Federation vessels in 2430. Existing vessels supporting this software would be scheduled to have a traditional Library Computer Access and Retrieval System installed at their next refit.

Upgrades

On later Eclipse Class vessels the computational speed of the Positronic Matrix Computer Cores has been enhanced by converting the interlink sequencer to an asynchronous mode of operation, removing the performance constraints of the original model used aboard the prototype. This allows for near instantaneous computation in some instances by the main computer of a starship. Nonetheless, Starfleet has been unable to replicate this on the initial prototype and further work on this issue will be conducted during future refit.

Propulsion Systems

Primary faster than light propulsion for the Eclipse Class is provided by the vessel’s Coaxial Warp Drive, which can be used to travel at conventional warp speeds, slipstream speeds, or coaxial speeds if needed. Coaxial Warp operates similarly to a standard Warp Drive by first creating a standard warp field and then further manipulating that field to fold space itself by drawing in subatomic particles and reconfiguring their internal geometries. The process utilizes antineutrinos as a catalyst for the space-folding process and then creates a neutrino envelope around the vessel, using tetrahedral Boronite/Dilithium quartz in the Coaxial Core to focus and amplify the space-folding process for travel. The entire process generates incredible amounts of power in the process, more than a conventional Warp Drive could generate in an entire year. Just like with any warp drive the vessel can set their travel speed with the maximum observed speed being 10 light-years per minute.

The process is not without risk as any craft too close to the vessel when the drive is engaged can be victim to significant structural damage and, due to the Drive operating like a Folded Space Transporter under the Elway Theorem, the crew can experience nausea and other illnesses while travelling at Coaxial speeds. Coaxial Warp Drives are also prone to overload due to particle instability that can cause the system to malfunction and lose integrity. In the event of a catastrophic system failure the vessel utilizing the Drive will be destroyed and would collapse subspace for a range of up to 1 billion kilometers from the point of detonation. A polaric modulator can be used to dilute the particle stream as it enters the coaxial core, similar in nature to a carburetor utilized in automobiles, or a symmetric warp field can sometimes force stability in the drive. A chromoelectric field or pulse can be used to disable the system as a final method to stop the failure. Initial designs incorporated advanced flow regulators designed by the Romulan Republic for the management of their Artificial Quantum Singularity Cores; however, rogue elements of the Tal’Shiar would later utilize these components in an effort to overload and destroy the Enterprise while it was on assignment. This necessitated the components being taken offline, increasing the risk of using the Coaxial Drive until an alternative could be found.

Standard members of the Eclipse Class are fitted with a single Coaxial Drive and a Quantum Slipstream Drive. The Quantum Slipstream Drive operates by routing energy through the main deflector dish of a starship to create a quantum field around the vessel, breaking through the quantum barrier. This creates a tunnel through subspace that a vessel can enter to travel incredible distances in a short period of time – and cross the entire galaxy in as few as 10 days. Slipstream was not without risk as, to maintain the slipstream, the phase variance of the quantum field had to be constantly adjusted or the slipstream would collapse and violently throw the ship back into normal space. Both propulsion systems offer the ability to travel at conventional warp velocities.

Four Impulse Engines have been installed in the Eclipse Class with two located in the Primary Hull and two in the Stardrive. The Impulse Engines are used primarily for sublight travel and have been further augmented through the installation of Impulse Thrusters in place of the traditional Reaction Control System Thrusters. These enhancements increase the turn rate for members of the Eclipse Class, allowing for quicker turns, and generate their own energy to augment the vessel’s power supply.

In an emergency the propulsion core can be ejected from the ship as a last resort measure to protect the ship and crew. Typically, ejection is ordered by the Captain or Chief Engineer; however, any three members of the Senior Staff can order ejection if the Captain or Engineer are unavailable. The Engine Core would then be ejected from the ship through an ejection port built into the ship’s hull, with magnetic rails inside the channel accelerating the core to force it away from the ship. If the core stabilized it could later be recovered and reinstalled without the need of external intervention.

Upgrades

Due to enhanced relations with the Khitomer Alliance, Starfleet was able to incorporate nontraditional technologies in the Eclipse design. This has allowed for the creation of Hyperimpulse Engines, an experimental form of Impulse Propulsion designed to overcome the relativistic problems that a starship may experience as it comes closer to the speed of light. Eclipse Class ships can travel at higher sublight speeds while not experiencing the time dilation effect that plagued older vessels attempting this. Due to the high-power costs associated with the usage of a Hyper Impulse Drive the technology is not yet in wide use in Starfleet and is only being installed in selected vessels on an as needed basis.

As previously mentioned the usage of Khitomer Alliance technologies has not been without risk. Advanced flow regulators, on loan from the Romulan Republic, were utilized in the construction of the Coaxial Drive. These regulators were designed to help manage the reactions of the Romulan Artificial Quantum Singularity Drive and helped to increase the safety margins of the Coaxial Drive by augmenting the work of the polaric modulator to dilute the particle stream. Rogue Romulan elements were able to remotely connect to these flow regulators and initiate an overload the Coaxial Drive aboard Enterprise. The Engineering team was able to prevent the overload; however, this necessitated removal of the components to prevent further risk. The Starfleet Corps of Engineers, upon thorough analysis of the technology, was able to develop their own version of the regulator in secret and incorporate into the next generation core design. While not as efficient as the Romulan originated components, the new Core operates within a suitable safety margin.

Initial design briefs called for the Eclipse Class to be fitted with a Proto Drive assembly similar to the design utilized by the Protostar Class; however, simulations indicated that the system would not be compatible with the Eclipse Class long-term. Nonetheless, Starfleet Command commissioned the Starfleet Corps of Engineers to investigate the potential inclusion of the Proto Drive on the Eclipse Class through an upcoming refit. Early plans call for the prototype engine to be tested aboard the Starship Pralim in its 2430 refit. If successful work will occur to transfer the design to other Eclipse Class ships in the future.

Scientific Systems

As the successor to the Galaxy Class, the Eclipse and its sister ships have been designed to support a wide assortment of scientific missions both internal and external to the ship. The ship has expansive onboard science labs and can support over 500 discrete scientific missions at any given time depending upon mission profile. For external operations, the Eclipse was outfitted with the latest sensor pallets, probes and telescopes which could collect comprehensive data from several light-years away from the ship, with overall sensor efficiency exceeding those of the Luna and Sagan Classes. The vessel’s Multidimensional Wave-Function Analysis Module allows the ship to detect subspace and temporal phenomena prior to it endangering the ship with the internal Chroniton Integrator allowing the vessel to obtain sensor readings from several seconds in the future, aiding in high-speed travel. Like its predecessor, the Eclipse frequently has departmental conflicts between the various science disciplines requiring careful allocation of shipboard resources.

Tactical Systems

Due to the Federation’s design brief calling for the Eclipse to serve as a front-line command vessel, the ship has been equipped with enhanced weaponry compared to her predecessors. In her default configuration the Eclipse is outfitted with Phaser Arrays located at strategic points across the body of the vessel, allowing for full coverage of the vessel’s airspace. Due to the enhanced energy generation capabilities of her design, Eclipse incorporates the strongest spaceborne Phaser weapons currently in use by Starfleet with discharge equivalency to a Phaser Cannon. Each Phaser array can fire multiple beams from the same emitter. The ship is also fitted with Tractor Beam emitters.

The Eclipse Class has been outfitted with Pulse and Rapid-Fire Torpedo Launchers capable of firing multiple torpedoes overwhelm enemy combatants. Primary torpedoes available to the ship include standard Photon and Quantum Torpedoes; however, the Eclipse can be outfitted with Polaron and Tachyon Torpedoes as secondary weapons depending upon mission profile. While not as plentiful as their Photon and Quantum cousins, the Polaron Torpedoes are deadly weapons based on captured Dominion Technology that can bypass an opponent’s shields to impact the hull directly while the Tachyon Torpedoes help to disable an enemy’s power systems.

Primary defense for the Eclipse Class is provided by the ship’s deflector shield array. Emitted from a localized antenna (such as the Deflector Dish) or from a network of emitters, shields operate by creating layers of spatial distortion, containing a high concentration of gravitons, around the user that can be used to absorb the energy of an incoming weapon or deflect away a hazard. Currently, the ships of the Eclipse Class employ an advanced shield system known as the Starfleet High Intensity Energy Level Deflection System, or more affectionately known as S.H.I.E.L.D.S. Supported by the vessel’s Quantum Field Focus Controller – allowing the Eclipse to maintain shields while using its enhanced propulsion systems – the system generates a series of energy fields around the ship to defend it. The outer layer is a multiphasic shield bubble that protects the ship from spaceborne threats. The central layer is a compressed, regenerative shield bubble that absorbs the energy from enemy attacks and uses it to repower the shields as they lose power in an attack. The inner layer, and the last line of defense, is a hull conformal covariant shield that distorts enemy target locks and conventional weapons have difficulty penetrating. Below the shields a layer of ablative armor provides a last-ditch effort to protect the ship from harm.

For situations in which the Eclipse is facing overwhelming odds, Starfleet Command has ordered that the vessel be outfitted with Fortress Mode. Created for outposts and employed during the Dominion War aboard the Typhon Class, Fortress Mode is an operational mode in which a Starship redirects all available power to weapons and defensive systems to enhance its tactical profile. When activated the Eclipse will deploy additional turret-based Phasers from emplacements upon the hull and all available energy is transferred to maintain these weapons and shields. While this makes the ship an even more formidable opponent the power transfer makes the vessel unable to travel faster than a tenth impulse and prevents warp field generation. Additionally, Fortress Mode cannot be immediately disengaged, preventing retreat as a viable option.

Upgrades

Eclipse Class vessels can be refitted to incorporate Masking Circuitry based upon information acquired by Voyager during its sojourn across the Delta Quadrant. While not the same as a Cloaking Device, Masking Circuitry is an enhanced electronic countermeasure system that limits the sensor profile of a vessel, making detection of a vessel nearly impossible through traditional methodologies while at range. While limiting the electronic profile of the vessel, the ship will in no way lose its appearance and will still be visible and detectable at close range.

As an upgrade to the AIMS system, Starfleet Tactical has been able to successfully implement a Point Defense Phaser system for use on the Eclipse Class. Originally conceived as part of the Strategic Defense Initiative on Earth and explored heavily during the Dominion War, during Fortress Mode the Point Defense Phaser software can automatically target incoming projectiles before they can damage the vessel. With the decision to remove artificial intelligence from Starfleet vessels the future of the Point Defense Phaser system is in jeopardy.

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Crew Support

The Eclipse Class, as a Federation Flagship, does have multiple provisions available to accommodate the inclusion of the immediate family of personnel aboard the ships of the class, whether they are Starfleet or civilian; nevertheless, Starfleet has allowed the provision of civilians aboard vessels to be under the discretion of the Captain.

Cabins

Located throughout both the Saucer and Stardrive modules, cabins aboard the Eclipse Class were among the best appointed in Starfleet and were highly modular so that they could be reconfigured into a larger or smaller cabin as needed. Cabins could be configured to meet the environmental needs of their users and accommodations for pets were available aboard the ship.

Among the quarters aboard the ship were:

• Standard crew quarters: The smallest quarters aboard the Eclipse, they included a living area, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Junior Officers would be assigned their own cabin; however, most enlisted personnel would share a cabin with bunks used in the bedroom.

• Officers' quarters: Moderately sized, these quarters contained a living area, a bedroom, and a bathroom area are available to Officers aboard the ship.

• Senior quarters: The largest general quarters, Senior quarters are larger versions of the Officer’s quarters and feature a living area, work area, bedroom, and a bathroom. VIP and diplomatic quarters share the same layout.

• Executive quarters: The Executive quarters are a specialized apartment that have the largest number of rooms available with a large living area, a dining room, four private rooms, and two bathrooms. These cabins are exclusive to the Enterprise in its role as Starfleet One.

Conference/Educational Facilities

The Eclipse Class has been designed to be an instrument of Federation policy and, as such, has been specifically appointed to represent the Federation in the galactic community. In addition to a series of small conference rooms with seating for 20, the Eclipse Class has comprehensive accommodations for conferences and other educational efforts. The ship had five seminar halls capable of holding up to 1,000 attendees each. 100 briefing rooms, each capable of holding 50 people, are also available. Additionally, 25 classrooms capable of serving 30 attendees are available and can be configured as needed.

Unlike other members of the Eclipse Class, when the U.S.S. Enterprise was requisitioned to serve as Starfleet One the ship was fitted with an extensive recreation of the Federation Council Chamber and the Presidential Office at the Palais de la Concord on Earth. Offices and cabins for the President’s staff have been integrated with priority encrypted links to Federation Headquarters.

Medical Facilities

Unlike most vessels, the primary sickbay aboard the Eclipse Class is in the Stardrive Section and incorporates a clinic, counseling office, dental clinic, emergency room, and surgical bays with recovery wards. Most treatments were provided in the clinic, a general-purpose compartment used for crew physicals, appointments, and generalized medical treatment. Private rooms were also available, and several laboratories support the medical team. Sickbay aboard the Eclipse has a full range of specialists and equipment available at all hours and can accommodate over 1,000 unique patients per day. Sophisticated sensor arrays were built into every biobed, giving comprehensive patient information in seconds. A secondary sickbay capable of treating 500 unique patients per day is located in the Primary Hull. Medical services aboard the Eclipse are supplemented using both the Long-Term and Emergency Medical Holographic Program, specialized holoprograms assisting in the treating of injury and illnesses.

Recreation Facilities

Primarily, the social center of the Eclipse Class was the Forward Lounge located at the forward-most section of the Primary Hull. With various names, the Forward Lounge was like an old-fashioned bar on Earth and provided opportunities for dining, drinking, and recreation. The Forward Lounge aboard the Eclipse Class has a built-in kitchen for real food (but also nearby replicators), a fully stocked bar containing both alcoholic and syntheholic beverages, and games including chess, darts, pool, and the like. Holosuites are accessible from the bar, allowing patrons to reserve time. The primary draw were the large, panoramic windows that permitted an unobstructed view of what lay ahead of the ships. For those not wishing to take part in the informal lounge atmosphere, traditional mess halls were also available throughout the ship with a large mess hall located directly beneath the main shuttlebay and facing aft. The Captain also had a private dining room forward of the Main Bridge on Deck One.

In addition to the Holosuites near the Forward Lounge, Holodecks were located throughout the ship that could be requisitioned for personal use, drawing power from the secondary power generators. A large gymnasium was available for the crew to use that was outfitted with recreational equipment for a variety of sports and training activities. Crew and passengers had access to a full-service salon, library, and a theatre that could be used to view live (or holographic) plays or concerts.

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Cargo and Transport

Cargo Bays

Eclipse Class Starships are outfitted with Cargo Bays in both the Primary and Secondary Hulls of the vessel and feature 50 total cargo bays offering 1,750,000 cubic meters of storage space. Among the equipment in the Cargo Bays were anti-grav units, Cargo Transporters, and some are also outfitted with Industrial Replicators. Several Cargo Bays also provide direct access to the exterior hull as needed for loading and offloading of cargo.

Shuttlebays

Eclipse Class vessels are equipped with six shuttlebays with two in the Primary Hull and four located in the Stardrive Section. The Main Shuttlebay is along the aft portion of the saucer module and was the primary entrance for shuttles visiting an Eclipse Class vessel. Among the largest areas aboard the ship, this Shuttlebay can accommodate runabouts and larger shuttlecrafts with ease. Shuttlebay 2 (also known as the Docking Bay), opens on the ventral side of the Saucer Section and stores the garrison ship for the Eclipse Class. Located along the port and starboard sides of the Engineering Hull, Shuttlebays 3 and 4, adjacent to the primary sickbay complex in the stardrive, store specialized shuttles and vehicle replicators while Shuttlebays 5 and 6 face aft. 600 escape pods are available for evacuation in an emergency.

Transporter Rooms

Located throughout the Eclipse Class, the ship has been outfitted with 32 Transporter Rooms capable of transporting up to 7 persons both to and from the ship at a time as well as 32 emergency transporter rooms capable of beaming persons off the ship only. Each Sickbay Complex has its own dedicated Transporter Rooms. The Transporter Operator would work from a console directly parallel to the Transporter Chamber. A small equipment locker was built into each Transporter Room wall. A specialized medical transporter is available in the Main Sickbay complex that can be used to complete medical procedures.

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Ships Commissioned

• U.S.S. Enterprise (formerly U.S.S. Eclipse)

• U.S.S. Phoenix

• U.S.S. D’Kyr

• U.S.S. Pralim

• U.S.S. Kumari