Universe : | Prime Timeline |
Affiliation : | Federation |
Class Name : | Oberth Class |
Type : | Science Vessel1 |
Unit Run : |
USS Olympia - Destroyed2 plus 2,174 others built in total. 1,049 have been lost in all. NAR 188343 SS Vico - Destroyed4 NCC 190023 USS Yosemite5 - Active6 NCC 31600 USS Bonestell3 - Destroyed7 NCC 503313 USS Biko8 - Active NCC 53847 USS Pegasus - Destroyed9 NCC 539113 USS Tsiolkovsky - Destroyed10 NCC 5931811 USS Cochrane12 - Active NCC 599833 USS Raman - Destroyed13 NCC 602 USS Oberth14 - Retired NCC 6233 USS Copernicus15 - Retired NCC 638 USS Grissom - Destroyed1 |
Commissioned : | 2269 - 2338, class remains in service |
Dimensions : | Length : 150.81 m16 Beam : 87 m Height : 41 m17 Decks : 12 |
Mass : | 94,000 metric tons |
Crew : | 8010 |
Armament : |
2 x Type IV phaser bank, total output 3,500 TeraWatts 1 x Probe/photon launcher equivalent to standard photon torpedo tube with 25 rounds |
Defence Systems : | Standard shield system, total capacity 243,000 TeraJoules Standard Duranium Single hull. Standard level Structural Integrity Field |
Warp Speeds (TNG scale) : |
Normal Cruise : 4 Maximum Cruise : 5 Maximum Rated : 5.8 for 12 hours. |
Strength Indices : (Galaxy class = 1,000) |
Beam Firepower : 70 Torpedo Firepower : 125 Weapon Range and Accuracy : 95 Shield Strength : 90 Hull Armour : 10 Speed : 183 Combat Manoeuvrability : 9,500 |
Overall Strength Index : | 116 |
Diplomatic Capability : | 2 |
Expected Hull Life : | 100 |
Refit Cycle : | Minor : 1 year Standard : 1 years Major : 20 years |
The exploratory nature of the Oberth class mission meant that they would frequently discover new alien species, but their small size and limited crew numbers meant that they had a very limited diplomatic capability. Although they did occasionally engage in first contact procedures, it was more usual that an Oberth would make an initial assessment without revealing itself before reporting back to Starfleet and allowing larger vessels to make the actual contact.
Over the decades of their service the Oberth's have been produced in and upgraded to over twenty different variations. Early changes are limited to the sensor and laboratory resources, but the later models introduced improved crew facilities such as larger quarters and replicator systems, made possible by reduced crew numbers due to further automation. In the 2340's all units received new phaser banks - although the peaceful nature of the Oberth class is emphasized by the irony that this change was necessitated by new safety standards introduced for phaser equipment, and that the resultant changes actually lowered the ships phaser power by nearly 10%!
The Galaxy class was initially planned to replace the Oberth class in service, but Starfleets recent move toward smaller starship designs has led to a stay of execution for the class. They are now expected to remain in service at least until the beginning of the next century.
Canon source | Backstage source | Novel source | DITL speculation |
# | Series | Season | Source | Comment |
1 | Star Trek III : The Search for Spock | |||
2 | DS9 | 6 | The Sound of Her Voice | |
3 | Star Trek Encyclopedia | |||
4 | TNG | 5 | Hero Worship | |
5 | TNG | 6 | Realm of Fear | |
6 | DS9 | 2 | Whispers | |
7 | DS9 | 1 | Emissary | |
8 | TNG | 6 | A Fistful of Datas | |
9 | TNG | 7 | The Pegasus | |
10 | TNG | 1 | The Naked Now | |
11 | TNG | 4 | The Drumhead | |
12 | TNG | 4 | Half a Life | |
13 | TNG | 7 | Interface | |
14 | Star Trek VI : The Undiscovered Country | |||
15 | Star Trek IV : The Voyage Home | |||
16 | Calculated from the diagram comparing the Daedalus, Oberth, Miranda, and Intrepid class ships ('show resource' entry under Starships). Picture assumed to be to scale, and Intrepid class assumed to be 343 metres long. | |||
17 | ||||
18 | Star Trek : The Magazine |
Film: | Star Trek III : The Search for Spock |
Series : | DS9 Season 6 (Disc 7) |
Episode : | The Sound of Her Voice |
Book : | Star Trek Encyclopedia |
Series : | TNG Season 5 (Disc 3) |
Episode : | Hero Worship |
Series : | TNG Season 6 (Disc 1) |
Episode : | Realm of Fear |
Series : | DS9 Season 2 (Disc 4) |
Episode : | Whispers |
Series : | DS9 Season 1 (Disc 1) |
Episode : | Emissary |
Series : | TNG Season 6 (Disc 2) |
Episode : | A Fistful of Datas |
Series : | TNG Season 7 (Disc 3) |
Episode : | The Pegasus |
Series : | TNG Season 1 (Disc 1) |
Episode : | The Naked Now |
Series : | TNG Season 4 (Disc 5) |
Episode : | The Drumhead |
Series : | TNG Season 4 (Disc 5) |
Episode : | Half a Life |
Series : | TNG Season 7 (Disc 1) |
Episode : | Interface |
Film: | Star Trek VI : The Undiscovered Country |
Film: | Star Trek IV : The Voyage Home |
Comment : | Calculated from the diagram comparing the Daedalus, Oberth, Miranda, and Intrepid class ships ('show resource' entry under Starships). Picture assumed to be to scale, and Intrepid class assumed to be 343 metres long. |
Source : | Star Trek : The Magazine |
The idea that the Galaxy class was to replace the Oberth comes from the Tech Manual (page 1), but I thought I'd give these ships a stay of execution since we've seen a couple of them around during TNG.
Although many fans seem to love the big, heavy-combat starships - and I do too - the Oberths probably better represent the ideals of the Federation than almost any other class.
© Graham & Ian Kennedy | Page views : 68,443 | Last updated : 31 Jul 2004 |