Universe : | Prime Timeline |
Affiliation : | Federation |
Class Name : | Centaur Class |
Type : | Frigate |
Unit Run : |
NCC 42043 USS Centaur1 - Active plus 402 others built in total. 100 have been lost in all. |
Commissioned : | 2325 - 2342, class remains in service |
Dimensions : | Length : 381.87 m2 Beam : 230 m Height : 58.54 m Decks : 10 |
Mass : | 870,0003 metric tons |
Crew : | 3153 |
Armament : |
93 x Type VIII phaser bank3, total output 2,500 TeraWatts 44 x 2nd class photon torpedo tube5 with 50 rounds |
Defence Systems : | Standard shield system, total capacity 270,000 TeraJoules Standard Duranium Single hull. Standard level Structural Integrity Field |
Warp Speeds (TNG scale) : |
Normal Cruise : 6 Maximum Cruise : 8.5 Maximum Rated : 9.6 for 123 hours. |
Strength Indices : (Galaxy class = 1,000) |
Beam Firepower : 50 Torpedo Firepower : 250 Weapon Range and Accuracy : 125 Shield Strength : 100 Hull Armour : 10 Speed : 1,000 Combat Manoeuvrability : 4,410 |
Overall Strength Index : | 200 |
Diplomatic Capability : | 2 |
Expected Hull Life : | 50 |
Refit Cycle : | Minor : 1 year Standard : 1 years Major : 25 years |
The hull form of the Centaur clearly shows the ship to be a contemporary of the Excelsior/Ambassador generation. Her nacelles are large for a ship of this size, a feature she shares with the Excelsior. She is equipped with phaser banks rather than arrays6 - Starfleet has attempted to refit the Centaur class with phaser arrays several times during their life span, but has consistently been refused the necessary resources. The Centaur is equipped with four torpedo tubes, two forward and two aft, and a limited stock of reloads.
The Centaur has proved popular with her crews, but these ships are now nearing the end of their service lives and are due to begin retirement. However, the Centaur class have been heavily involved in the Dominion war. It is therefore unlikely that any of these ships will actually be retired prior to the end of the war, unless serious age related problems begin to appear.
Canon source | Backstage source | Novel source | DITL speculation |
# | Series | Season | Source | Comment |
1 | DS9 | 6 | A Time to Stand | |
2 | Star Trek Deep Space Nine Technical Manual | Stated on page 156. This is the size we would expect if the saucer section matches that of a standard Excelsior in size; however, the DS9 TM figures for height and beam do not match those calculated from scale diagrams using this length. | ||
3 | Star Trek Deep Space Nine Technical Manual | |||
4 | Production drawing | |||
5 | ||||
6 | Visible on the shooting model |
Series : | DS9 Season 6 (Disc 1) |
Episode : | A Time to Stand |
Book : | Star Trek Deep Space Nine Technical Manual |
Comment : | Stated on page 156. This is the size we would expect if the saucer section matches that of a standard Excelsior in size; however, the DS9 TM figures for height and beam do not match those calculated from scale diagrams using this length. |
Book : | Star Trek Deep Space Nine Technical Manual |
Source : | Production drawing |
Source : | Visible on the shooting model |
There are apparently relatively few Centaur class ships in service, judging by the fact that we have only ever seen one of them. My assumption is that the Miranda just happened to hit a near-perfect balance of cost, capability, and longevity that the Centaur missed slightly. In the real world, there do seem to be designs that outlast just about everything else going - the B52, the Phantom, the DC-3, etc.
© Graham & Ian Kennedy | Page views : 62,911 | Last updated : 2 Jan 2009 |