ACTD - Advanced Starship Design Bureau

Advanced Technical Specifications for the Sovereign-Class Production Vehicle

1.0 Sovereign-Class Introduction
1.1 Mission Objectives
1.2 Design Statistics
1.3 General Overview
1.4 Construction History

2.0 Command Systems
2.1 Main Bridge
2.2 Main Engineering
2.3 Tactical Department

3.0 Tactical Systems
3.1 Phasers
3.2 Torpedo Launchers
3.3 Deflector Shields
3.4 Ablative Armor

4.0 Computer Systems
4.1 Computer Core

5.0 Propulsion Systems
5.1 Warp Propulsion System
5.2 Impulse Propulsion System
5.3 Reaction Control System

6.0 Utilities and Auxiliary Systems
6.1 Navigational Deflector
6.2 Tractor Beam
6.3 Transporter Systems
6.4 Communications

7.0 Science and Remote Sensing Systems
7.1 Sensor Systems
7.2 Tactical Sensors
7.3 Stellar Cartography
7.4 Science Labs
7.5 Probes

8.0 Crew Support Systems
8.1 Medical Systems
8.2 Crew Quarters Systems
8.3 Recreational Systems
8.4 Ten-Forward

9.0 Auxiliary Spacecraft Systems
9.1 Shuttlebays
9.2 Shuttlecraft
9.3 Captain's Yacht

10.0 Flight Operations
10.1 Mission Types
10.2 Operating Modes
10.3 Separated Flight Mode
10.4 Landing Mode
10.5 Maintenance

11.0 Emergency Operations
11.1 Emergency Medical Operations
11.2 Lifeboats
11.3 Rescue and Evac Operations

Appendix A - Variant Designations

Appendix B - Basic Technical Specifications

Appendix C - Deck Layout

Appendix D - Author's Notes

Appendix E - Credits and Copyright Information

Pursuant to Starfleet Exploration Directives 902.3 & 914.5, Starfleet Defense Directives 138.6, 141.1 & 154.7, and Federation Security Council General Policy, the following objectives have been established for an Sovereign Class Starship:

Length: 685 meters
Width: 224 meters
Height: 88 meters
Weight: 3,255,000 metric tons
Cargo capacity: 58,299 metric tons

Hull: Duranium-tritanium composite with micro-fiber reinforced ablative armor.
Number of Decks: 24 total, 22 habitable.

Editor's Note: History written by Steve Mallory - based on information found in Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek Technical Manual, Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, Star Trek: Deep Space 9 Technical Manual, and Star Trek: The Magazine. The style of the history is based on histories presented in the Startrek Spaceflight Chronology by Stan Goldstein, Fred Goldstein, and Rick Sternbach. Please keep in mind that this is a history developed based on canon information presented in various sources and filled in with logical conjecture.

The Sovereign Project was one of three main forays into the field of new defensive technologies initially intended for use against the Borg. The prototype, U.S.S. Sovereign (NX-75000) was still in the design phase during the Battle of Wolf 359, and began its actual space-trials in 2369.

Initial production of the Sovereign class began at the ASDB Integration Facility, Utopia Planitia, Mars, with final compartmentalization at the San Francisco Fleet Yards, Earth, where it continues to this day. Long term production plans are estimated to include both the Antares Fleet Yards, Antares IV and the New Aberdeen Fleet Yard, Aldebaran, but as of yet, are not included in the Sovereign production plans.

Heavily armed, the design philosophy for the Sovereign class was shaped by the discovery of the Borg. The Sovereign Project attempted to push the envelope as far as possible when it came to computer power, shielding, armament and systems capabilities. The Sovereign Class vessel combines the creature comforts associated with the larger Galaxy-class vessels with the tactical power of the new Prometheus Class. Two forward and Two aft rapid fire torpedo launch systems are coupled with twelve type-XII advanced phaser emitters. The type-XII phaser arrays are the most powerful phaser systems to be installed aboard a Federation Starship to date, capable of delivery crippling blows to enemy shields and armor. The only drawback to the Sovereign is its slightly slower warp drive engines, forcing the ship to struggle to keep up with the newer, Intrepid and Galaxy-class starships.

Project Sovereign was born out of sheer necessity and the stark reality of impending Borg invasion. As the reports and intelligence gathered by the Enterprise-D were studied and applied, Starfleet came to the humbling conclusion that its grand fleet may be no match for the massive Borg cubes. While the threat was full of dark portent, Starfleet decided to tackle the problem behind closed doors. Several projects were born or modified due to the threat of an impending Borg attack: Project's Norway and Steamrunner were revamped in large part due to the Borg threat, along with the birth of the now infamous Defiant and Prometheus Projects.

Analysis of the Borg weapons system, particularly the tractor and cutting beams, illustrated the limitations of Starfleet shielding. The fixed-frequency, symmetrical oscillating subspace graviton field common to starships of the Starfleet proved to be a severe limitation in combat against the ever-adapting Borg. Starships had to constantly randomize their shield frequency in order to affect a reliable defense, which in the heat of combat proved to be difficult at best - at least in readings gathered in the Enterprise-D's initial encounter with the Borg. Krups Defense Systems, a manufacturer of photon torpedo casings, proposed a new type of shield system. This shield system would automatically and constantly shift its nutation and frequency based on the frequency of the attacking vessel's weaponry. Each time the enemy attacked the shield, it would shift and match the opposing weapons frequency and nutation, regenerating its power load to the maximum available for defense. This system, known as Project: Valkyrie, was still in the initial design stages when Project Sovereign was launched. So impressed was Starfleet Command that they signed a specialized product development agreement with Krups for a modern shield system based on the prototypes in the Valkyrie project. So successful was the Valkyrie Project that all starships constructed or refit since 2370 have had this technology integrated into their shield systems.

Another advancement in shielding, developed by Seinar Fleet Systems, was the concept of Regenerative Shielding. Designed with the Borg in mind, the newly developed Regenerative Shielding was seen as a major step forward in the development of defensive technologies, given the Borg Threat and the newly recognized Dominion threat. The concept behind Regenerative Shielding was to not only constantly shift the nutation and frequency of the shield while engaged, but also to constantly and completely re-initialize the shield grid, maintaining maximum coverage with maximum protective power during combat situations. This would be accomplished with a redundant system of shield generators - when one particular portion of the grid fell below acceptable levels, back-up generators would immediately activate and strengthen the damaged portion of the grid. When the primary generators rebuilt the shields to standard operating levels, the back-up generators would immediately switch to hot-standby until the shield grid was attacked again. This straightforward concept was never deployed due to the tremendous power requirements to maintain such protection. Seeing the inherent benefit of a starship designed to utilize Regenerative Shielding, Starfleet requested a full grid of generators, 30 shield generators in total, to be constructed for testing by the ASDB. SFS delivered the first thirty shield generators in 2364, where they were stored at Utopia Planitia until completion of the Sovereign hull. Due to space and, of course, power restrictions, only 26 of the original 30 generators were deployed in the original Sovereign hull.

Due to the speed at which the shields and phasers would have to retask themselves, a new generation of computing technology was introduced with the Intrepid Class - the Bio-Neural Gel Pack Computer technology. Based on the synaptic firing of neurons within the brain, the Bio-Neural Gel-based system was by far the fastest computer ever devised by Starfleet, giving the ship-board computers unprecedented computing speeds. The heart of the BNG is a packet of neural clusters, grown copies of strands similar to those found in the brains of sentient beings. These clusters give the ship’s computer ‘instinctive’ data processing and routing ability as well as allowing the ship’s computer to utilize ‘fuzzy logic’ to speed up probability calculations much as a living, breathing entity would. Given the tremendous processing needs that the Regenerative and Rotating Shield system required, Project Sovereign decided to utilize the BNGP system for the Sovereign class, a quick upgrade over the standard Isolinear Computer Cores.

The first Sovereign hull, NX-75000, began gamma welding in 2366 with its hull provisioned and prepared for deep space trials by the end of the year. Venerable Earth company, General Electric, was commissioned to create a high-efficiency, ultra-high output warp core for the Sovereign Class. Up until that point, GE had produced warp cores for such workhorse vessels as the Sydney, Oberth and Anteras Class starships, whose warp cores were known for their reliability, low maintenance requirements and ease of repairs. By the end of 2366, GE had a working trail warp core, the Class 6 M/ARA chamber and power distribution system. The M/ARA was loaded and initialized by January 2367, with all systems brought online and successful start-up sequence initiated from Utopia Planitia's Computer Core. In 2367, the U.S.S. Sovereign - escorted by the U.S.S. Appalachia (NCC-52136) and the U.S.S. Firebrand (NCC-68723) left Utopia Planitia for warp trials from the Sol System to Proxima Centauri and back. During the engagement at Wolf 359, Starfleet considered pulling the Sovereign out of drydock, but cooler heads prevailed - the weapons and shielding hadn't been properly tested.

Initial testing of the Warp Drive proved extremely disappointing, with power loads far exceeding the core's rating, the U.S.S. Sovereign achieved a maximum attainable speed of Warp 5, with a cruising speed of only Warp 3. Design Engineers, along with GE Warp Core Specialists determined that the Regenerative Shielding was the primary culprit, along with the new primary Deflector Array, in causing the massive power losses during alert situations. Further, unforeseen flaws in the interaction between the Regenerative Shield System and the new Navigational Deflector Array and its Gravimetric Generators produced unstable phase variations that placed the entire vessel at risk from micro-meteor collisions. The U.S.S. Sovereign returned to Utopia Planitia without having reaching Proxima Centauri under warp power.

The impulse engines proved to be on the shining successes of Project Sovereign. Given the propensity of the Borg to engage targets at sublight speeds, Project Sovereign called upon the propulsion firm known as Terminal Velocity, to design her Impulse Engine system. The requirements were steep - a set of impulse engines that could effectively propel the vessel at maximum impulse maneuverability with a 50% loss of propulsion. Several designs, including doubling up the number of impulse plants from stock designs - such as those produced by HighMPact Propulsion - resulted in reduced maneuverability and, worse than that, decreased power for systems that drew upon the Impulse engine's fusion plants for power. Terminal Velocity had built several impulse power plants for Starfleet, including those used aboard the Constellation Class, Freedom Class, and based on the success of the Sovereign class, would be used by Project Prometheus. Testing of the Impulse Engine system showed that, for a large vessel, the Sovereign class was surprisingly nimble without the tendency of over steer as seen in much smaller vessels such as the Norway class - a small victory that, unfortunately, was lost in the failure of the GE Warp propulsion system.

In search for a solution for failings in their Warp Core and M/ARA power system, Team Sovereign attempted to integrate other warp core designs, including Consolidated Fusion's Type VII Core (then used in Ambassador and Merced-class starships) and the latest designs from the Theoretical Propulsion Group's M/ARA chamber (used in Galaxy, Nebula and New Orleans-class starships), but each proved lacking in raw power. The only successes Team Sovereign was able to produce was actually removing the specialized shield generators and replacing them with standard Galaxy class generators, while also removing the specialized deflector and sensor array suites, replacing them with decommissioned Ambassador class arrays and generators. By the end of 2367, the U.S.S. Sovereign was able to maintain a more reasonable Warp 9.8 maximum attainable speed. While this proved the viability of the design at high warp speeds, she lacked the advancements that Starfleet demanded of the hull.

Further, because of the looming possibility of open hostilities with the Dominion, a total redesign of the Regenerative Shielding system with the express purpose of deploying the new system aboard every Federation starship was called for and, a year later, tested aboard another anti-Borg prototype starship - U.S.S. Prometheus NX-74913. The same shield generators originally developed by SFS for the U.S.S. Sovereign were delivered to Project Prometheus for space trials. Despite losing the vessel temporarily to Romulan threat forces, the vessel was recaptured and - unexpectedly - had its shields tested under true combat conditions. The regenerative shield system proved to work admirably with standard deflector systems, and a request for additional testing on existing spaceframes was called for by Starfleet Command.

General Electric went back to the drawing boards on their Class 6 Warp Core. Noting the severe loss of power thanks to the system power requirements of the Sovereign class, GE Propulsion designed an entirely new M/ARA chamber for the Sovereign class. As the Class 6 was based on existing designs, notably those used in the Olympic class, GE scrapped the design and built one from the ground up. Assigning two teams to develop the Core, GE hoped that friendly competition between the two teams would produce a more efficient and aggressive design than previously conceived. Their design teams did not disappoint; design team two, dubbed the Class 8 Core team, finished their project first and initial testing and simulations were extremely promising. Designed to be used exclusively with Bio-Neural Gel Pack based computers, their new design relied on the speed and computing power of these new systems to maintain maximum operational efficiency. After over a year of design and preproduction, the new M/ARA - named the Class 8, was delivered to Utopia Planitia for final integration. The Type 7 would go on to see deployment in the Defiant Project.

By this time, however, Starfleet issued an order for two Sovereign-class starships, using more conventional systems, to be produced. As the U.S.S. Sovereign continued to serve as a design reference and test-bed for these new systems, two hulls were laid - the U.S.S. Ark Royal and her sister ship, the U.S.S. Monarchy. Construction of these vessels began in 2369, with both hulls being produced at San Francisco Fleet Yards, using conventional materials and equipment. With the successful testing and deployment of Ablative Hull components aboard the Defiant Class in 2370, Starfleet Command requested the addition of these protective elements to the Sovereign Class hull. This third layer of protection would secure the Sovereign class would be leading the first line of defense against the Borg in any further incursions, and would push the launch of the Sovereign class back by a year to 2373.

The first Sovereign-class starship commissioned, originally U.S.S. Ark Royal with registry number NCC-75633, was decommissioned and then commissioned U.S.S. Enterprise with the registry NCC-1701-E after the loss of the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) in the Veridian system, and launched in 2373. By the time the Enterprise was launched, a newer and more powerful warp core has been developed and field tested by General Electric, the Class 8, which lifted the power restrictions of the old Class 6 core that was originally developed for the U.S.S. Sovereign (see above). Her sister ship, the U.S.S. Monarchy, was launched three months later and has served with distinction with the 5th Fleet through the duration of the Dominion conflict. Currently, all Sovereign-class starships utilize all technologies originally developed during and for Project Sovereign.

The most continued disappointment with the Sovereign class continues to be its highest sustainable speed. The Sovereign hull, space-frame, and warp drive system rates a maximum speed of Warp 9.9. While the new Class 8 warp core did provide more than enough power to maintain the vessels, and being extremely reliable and - compared to other vessels of its size - low maintenance, the core did lack high-end power. GE engineers believe this to be a result of the tremendous power requirements of the Sovereign class.

There are currently a limited number of Sovereign-class starships in service, with more in production at a a select few fleet yards. At present, one Sovereign-class vessel is nearing completion at the San Francisco Fleet Yards, Earth.

General Overview: Primary operational control of the Sovereign class is provided by the Main Bridge, located at the top of the primary hull. It is located on Deck 1. The Main Bridge directly supervises all primary mission operations (with the exception of the Flight Bay and assorted craft) and coordinates all departmental activities.

The Main Bridge is an ejectable module, allowing for a wider variety in mission parameters.

Layout: The primary Bridge configuration of the new Sovereign class is slowly becoming one of the standard bridge designs for fleetwide application in newer starships. The central area of the Main Bridge provides seating and information displays for the Captain and two other officers. The Captain’s Chair is raised from the rest of the Bridge Officers, to that of the Surrounding level which includes Tactical and Operations. The two Officer seats are equipped with fully programmable consoles for a variety of uses.

Directly fore of the command area is the Flight Control Officer, who faces the main viewer. The FCO is equipped with a console that proceeds around at a ninety degree angle.

To the port side of the Flight Officer, also facing the main viewer, is the Operations manager's console - which is identical in size and design to the Helm station. The Operations Panel, due to the tremendous amount of sensitive information found there, has security protocols as stringent as the TAC consoles.

At the very front of the bridge chamber is a large viewscreen. This main viewer performs all the standard duties expected of it. However, the viewscreen is not always activated like most other starships. It is a full Holographic display, that can be activated upon request. When the screen is not active, a standard bulkhead is present. This addition was made into the Sovereign class, so that Star-Field syndrome among Bridge officers would be stopped. Too many officers became hypnotized during warp.

Aft and to the left of the command area is an elevated platform on which is located the tactical/security control station (comprised of two consoles, one for tactical, and one for security, located directly fore of tactical and to the right of the Helm station). These consoles are to the right side of the Captain’s Chair, no longer in the direct middle.

To the Captain's right, behind Tactical One, is the Mission-Operations section of the bridge. Located here are three additional, fully-programmable multi-mission consoles. Facing out toward the view screen is the Tactical I and Security I stations.

Against the starboard side walls of the main bridge are the consoles for Sciences along with others that are programmable for a multitude of functions. There are two Science consoles with Science 2 being a fully programmable multi-mission Console. Science I, which is the primary science console, has priority links to Conn, Ops, Computers, and Tactical. The Science I console is located directly to the Captain's left.

Science II is the ASO's (Assistant Science Officer's) console, which can be used by any personnel. Science II has access to all science, navigational, sensor, and communications systems. Science II can be configured to operate in tandem with Science I, although security links and all other non-science data is withheld from Science II. Science II usually works independently of Science I, and is located to the starboard of the main station.

Located against the aft wall of the bridge is a large master systems display monitor, similar to the one in main engineering. All relative ship information (such as damage, power distribution, etc.) is displayed on the cutaway image of the vessel. This monitor can be used to direct ship operations and can be configured for limited flight control if necessary. Also located against the aft wall of the main bridge is the large engineering console. This has a smaller cutaway diagram of the vessel, which displays all engineering-relevant data and shows warp fields and engine output. This console also has priority links to the computers, the WPS (Warp Propulsion System), the IPS (Impulse Propulsion System), navigation, SIF, and IDF. Although usually unattended, the Chief Engineer can bring this console to full Enable mode by entering voice codes and undergoing a retinal scan. Directly aft of this console is the Engineering II console, which is fully programmable to run any Secondary Console function, including Sciences, Medical, Operations, Limited Helm control, or Security.

This console, as does every console on the bridge, also has the hand-input sub-console for use in setting the auto-Destruct of vessel. The auto-destruct sequence follows Standard Starfleet security procedures which can be accessed via any secured Memory Alpha ODN connection.

There are two turbolifts on the bridge that can handle normal transit around the Sovereign class. There is also an emergency ladder that connects the bridge to Deck three. There is also one door, on the aft platform of the bridge, that leads to the Conference Room, which is directly aft of the Main Bridge. Other connected rooms to the Main Bridge include the Captain's Ready Room.

There are no escape pods connected to the bridge. Pods are located on all decks below Deck three. For more information on the Lifeboats, please refer to section 11.2 of these specifications. Two pods are reserved for the top four officers in the chain of command on the Sovereign Class, because they are the last four to leave the ship. These are located on Deck two. As the number of experienced Captains dwindles in Starfleet, the notion of a Captain going down with his ship has been abolished. If the ship is abandoned, the top four officers in the chain of command will wait until everyone else is off the ship, opt to arm the auto-Destruct (not always necessary, but there if needed), and then leave in the two escape pods.

Located on Deck 16, Main Engineering is the ‘heart’ of the ship, comparable to the bridge as the ‘brain’. It has access to almost all systems aboard the starship, and manages repairs, power flow, and general maintenance. Thanks to upgrades in computer technology, the staff needed to monitor and upkeep the major systems of a Sovereign-class starship are proportionately smaller than other vessels of its size.

Entrance to the primary engineering spaces is provided by two large blast doors, a pair each deck on decks 15 and 16, that can be closed for internal or external security reasons, as well as in case of emergencies.

Just inside of the doors on deck 16 - Main Engineering - is an observation area where technicians monitor various systems of the ship. Also in that area, is a floor-mounted situational display similar to the Master Systems Display found on the Bridge. Affectionately referred to as the ‘pool table’, the Chief Engineer can use the display to more easily get a broad view of the situation with just a glance.

Directly behind the MSD is the warp core and main control systems. Circular in shape, the room is an outgrowth of the Galaxy class design, but exceedingly functional to save space inside the ship. Usable consoles are mounted on every piece of ‘real estate’ around the circumference of the room and provide primary control access for the engineers and technicians. Additionally, there are numerous ladders and access panels to Jefferies tubes, leading throughout the starship - the Sovereign class being the first series of starship to take full advantage of these access spaces for more than extraordinary maintenance. The technical complexity of the starship dictates the use of these spaces to maintain peak efficiency and affect proper repairs.

Off to the starboard side of Main Engineering is the Chief Engineer’s Office, which is equipped with a diagnostics table, assembly and repair equipment, a small replicator, and a personal use console with built-in private viewscreen.

In the center of Main Engineering is the Matter/Anti-Matter Assembly (M/ARA). This is where primary power for the ship is generated inside the Matter/Anti-Matter Reaction Chamber (M/ARC). This system is checked on a regular basis due to its importance to the ship. Access to the warp core is restricted, with a front port to get to the Dilithium matrix as well as an over side port for access to the warp plasma conduits.

A second tier rings the second level of Main Engineering on deck 15. Two ladders on the opposite ends of the catwalk provide access. Controls for the various Fusion Power Plants, along with the Impulse Engines, are monitored from this deck.

Damage Control Teams are mustered here, as well as internal ship maintenance teams. Numerous consoles and replicators line this section, serving as auxiliary consoles for Main Engineering, along with providing engineering research space and secondary computer core support.

Access to the Jefferies Tubes is provided in various places on both the first and second tier Engineering spaces.

Typical crew compliment in Main Engineering consists of thirty engineers and fifty technicians of various grades. During Red or Yellow Alert, that number is increased.

This multi-room department is located in a Restricted area on deck 8. Within it are the entrances to the phaser range, the Brig, the auxiliary weapon control room and to the Ship's Secondary Armory, as well as the Chief Tactical Officer's office. Given the nature of the Sovereign class, the tactical department facilities is larger than most starships of its size. Not only do the Department Offices include additional office space for security staff, but they include additional briefing rooms and staging areas for security personnel.

The CTO's office is decorated to the officer's preference. It contains a work area, a personal viewscreen, a computer display, and a replicator.

Brig: Located on deck 20, the brig is a restricted access area whose only entrance is from within the Security department. The Explorer class vessel has 10 double occupancy cells, which contain beds, a retractable table and chairs, a water dispenser, and a toilet. The cells are secured with a level 10 forcefield emitter built into each doorway.

Ship's Primary Armory: This room is located in a restricted area on deck 20 and is under constant guard. The room is sealed with a level 10 forcefield and can only be accessed by personnel with Alpha 3 security clearance. Inside the armory is a work area for maintenance and repair of phasers as well as multiple sealed weapon lockers. The Sovereign Class carries enough type-I and type-II phasers to arm the entire crew. Type-III phaser rifle and the new compression phaser rifles are available as well, but only in enough numbers to arm approximately 1/3 of the crew. Heavy ordnance is available in limited numbers.

Ship's Secondary Armory: This room is located in a restricted area on deck 8 and is under constant guard. The room is sealed with a level 10 forcefield and can only be accessed by personnel with Alpha 3 security clearance. Inside the armory is a work area for maintenance and repair of phasers as well as multiple sealed weapon lockers. The Sovereign Class carries enough type-I and type-II phasers to arm the entire crew. Type-III phaser rifle and the new compression phaser rifles are available as well, but only in enough numbers to arm approximately 1/3 of the crew. Heavy ordnance is available in limited numbers.

Primary Torpedo/Probe Magazine: This restricted area on deck 11 is for storing unarmed quantum torpedoes, photon torpedoes (if the mission dictates), and science probes I - VI (VII - X if mission dictates). Also stored here are the components for manufacturing new photon torpedo as well as the equipment to put it all together. This room is also accessed by the loading mechanism for the torpedo launchers.

Secondary Torpedo/Probe Magazine: This restricted area on deck 20 is for storing unarmed quantum torpedoes, photon torpedoes (if the mission dictates), and science probes I - VI (VII - X if mission dictates). Also stored here are the components for manufacturing new photon torpedo as well as the equipment to put it all together. This room is also accessed by the loading mechanism for the torpedo launchers.

Aft Torpedo/Probe Magazine: This restricted area on deck 19 is for storing unarmed quantum torpedoes, photon torpedoes (if the mission dictates), and science probes I - VI (VII - X if mission dictates). Also stored here are the components for manufacturing new photon torpedo as well as the equipment to put it all together. This room is also accessed by the loading mechanism for the torpedo launchers.

The Sovereign class currently employs fourteen Type-XII phaser arrays at key locations throughout the ship's hull, although the U.S.S. Monarchy originally launched with Type X flavor of array (though she has since been upgraded to the Type-XII array - This upgrade was rather relatively simple to do, since the design of the Sovereign phaser system took into account the anticipated completion of the then experimental Type-XII emitter). Traditionally the choice defensive weapon onboard Starfleet vessels since close to the dawn of the Federation, the standard emitter makes use of a particular class of superconducting crystals known as fushigi-no-umi, which allow high-speed interactions within atomic nuclei that create a rapid nadion effect, which in turn is directed into a focused beam at a target. The resulting beam is discharged at speeds approaching .986c, and as per standard tactical procedures, the frequencies of these beams are rotated to make it more difficult for a threat vehicle's shields to adjust to the beam. Through the use of ACB jacketed beams, phaser arrays now have limited capabilities in warp environments, though the power output is greatly limited and is by no means as useful as a torpedo weapon in this environment. The Type-XII shipboard array is by far the most powerful phaser to be fielded by a starship to date.

Phaser array arrangement: Five dorsal phaser arrays on the primary hull, one extending around the saucer section, giving it an oval appearance. Four more arrays, roughly a quarter of the size of the original, cover the aft dorsal firing arcs and are located along the aft portion of the saucer section. Two ventral phaser arrays on the primary hull, extending around in nearly a half circle on both the starboard and port ventral sides of the saucer section. A single phaser array, harking back to the belly phaser of the Galaxy Class engineering hull, is located along the ventral section of the engineering hull, running perpendicular to the hull.

Phaser Type: The Sovereign class utilizes the latest in starship armament technology, the Type XII array system. Each array fires a steady beam of phaser energy, and the forced-focus emitters discharge the phasers at speeds approaching .986c (which works out to about 182,520 miles per second - nearly warp one). The phaser array automatically rotates phaser frequency and attempts to lock onto the frequency and phase of a threat vehicle's shields for shield penetration.

Phaser Array Output: Each phaser array takes its energy directly from the impulse drives and auxiliary fusion generators. Individually, each type XII -emitter can only discharge approximately 8.0 MW (megawatts) per second. However, several emitters (usually two) fire at once in the array during standard firing procedures, resulting in a discharge approximately 16 MW.

Arrangement: A swivel-mounted torpedo launcher, mounted on the ventral surface of the primary hull, is the latest development in launcher technology to better accommodate the usage of torpedo-based weapons on highly maneuverable starships. Capable of moving 15-degrees port or starboard off the vehicle's primary axis, this new launcher allows for easier tracking of targets at shorter ranges where torpedoes launched from traditional fixed-focus launchers where often unable to track due to the lack of space for course corrections. A custom assembly for the Sovereign class, it is a second-generation automated launcher located on Deck 13 and is capable of preloading six torpedoes for rapid fire.

Four traditional fixed-focus second generation launchers are located within the secondary hull, with the fore and aft covered by two launchers each. The forward launchers, originally developed for the Defiant Class Project, are located beneath the main deflector on Deck 20. Each of these launchers is capable of loading five torpedoes in one salvo, typically launched in an alternating interval to reduce the chance that two projectiles may collide in flight. The aft launchers, located on the underside of the secondary hull on Deck 19, are slightly smaller assemblies capable of loading only one torpedo at a time, each.

Type: Mark IV Photon Torpedoes; Mark Q-II Quantum Torpedoes. Along with the Defiant class, a Sovereign is normally outfitted with both photon and quantum torpedoes capable of being fired from any launcher on the ship. All torpedoes are capable of pattern firing as well as independent launch. Once in-flight, torpedoes are capable of individual targeting through use of onboard sensors and encrypted feeds from the ship's targeting arrays. Should a threat vessel outmaneuver an inbound torpedo, the weapons package can automatically detonate in an effort to impact the vessel with splash damage. Further, each launcher is capable of pattern firing (sierra, etc.) as well as independent launch.

Payload: 175 Quantum Torpedoes; 325 Photon Torpedoes. Due to the complexities involved with manufacture, the deployment of quantum torpedoes is rationed across a relatively small number of fixed and mobile platforms within Starfleet. Should supplies be unavailable for optimum load out, the ship is capable of carrying a maximum of 500 torpedoes of either type. Shipboard materials in the form of replicated and off-the-shelf components allow for the construction of photon torpedo warheads locally, while quantum torpedoes are only manufactured at secure, undisclosed locations.

Range: Maximum effective range for both the Mark Q-II Quantum Torpedo and Mark IV Photon Torpedo is 4,050,000 kilometers

Perhaps one of the most significant upgrades created by the Sovereign Project is the advent of Regenerative Shield Technology. Originally field tested aboard the prototype U.S.S. Sovereign, these shields make use of redundant shield generators which alternate coverage on a specific area when integrity drops below a predetermined percentage. In practice, this allows the active shield generator to bare the brunt of incoming fire while the redundant generator remains on hot standby. As the primary generator drops in integrity, power is then increased to the redundant generator which seamlessly takes over the burden of shielding that portion of the ship, allowing the other generator to once again recharge on standby.

The original Type-6 warp reactor was unable to handle the intense power requirements of this new system, and the Regenerative Shielding was almost scrapped before being successfully implemented in the Prometheus-class prototype. With the installation of General Electric's Type-8 warp reactor, the power demands of the new system were eventually met, allowing for the already-launched U.S.S. Enterprise-E and U.S.S. Monarchy to be refitted while the Sovereign remained in dock at Utopia Planitia.

Type: Redundant symmetrical subspace graviton field. While made up of standard 450 MW graviton polarity generators, the shield system aboard Sovereign-class vessels is somewhat different then those aboard most Federation starships. Compared to other ships of similar mass and hull rating, the Sovereign is equipped with twice as many shield generators that make up a Regenerative Shield system that would allow a ship to withstand weapons fire from a Borg vessel for a significantly longer period of time while the vessel attempted to maneuver out of the weapons lock. Another ability, learned as a result of the first Borg encounter at System J-25 and incorporated into all Starfleet ships, is the automatic shifting of shield nutation frequencies. During combat, information from the shields is sent to the main computer for analysis where, with the assistance of the tactical officer, the frequency and phase of the incoming weapon is determined. Afterwards, the shields can be reconfigured to match frequency with the weapons fire, but alter its nutation to greatly increase shield efficiency.

Output: There are twenty six shield generators on the Sovereign class, each one generating 450 MW of output. All together, this results in a total shield strength of 11,700 MW, but only little over half of that is in actual use at one time due to the nature of regenerative shielding. The power for the shields is taken directly from the warp reactor and impulse fusion generators and transferred by means of high-capacity EPS conduits to the shield generators. If desired, the shields can be augmented by power from the impulse propulsion power plants. The shields can protect against approximately 36% of the total EM spectrum whereas the Galaxy-class starship is equipped to protect against only about 23%. This is made possible by the multi-phase graviton polarity flux technology incorporated into the improved regenerative shielding.

Range: The shields, when raised, stay extremely close to the hull to conserve energy, the average range of which is ten meters away from the hull. This can be extended at great energy expenditure to envelope another starship or object within a kilometer of the starship.

Primary purpose: Defense from enemy threat forces, hazardous radiation, and micro-meteoroid particles.

Originally developed in 2367 during the Defiant Class Development Project, ablative armor is still considered to be a significant breakthrough in starship defense by effectively creating a beam-retardant layer that greatly increases a ship's life expectancy in battle. Originally deployed only on ships of the Defiant class, ablative armor showed remarkable dispersion properties against various beam-type energy weapons, including the various types of phaser, disruptor, polaron, and focused-plasma beams employed by nearly all threat races. The armor works by first dispersing incoming beam energy across the hull of the ship where, after reaching an undisclosed threshold, causes part of the armor to boil away, taking with it a large fraction of that energy. The effect also creates a modest vapor cloud, which effectively disperses the incoming beam further, causing it to do less direct damage to the hull. It should be noted, however, that the armor is not a hull replacement, but a supplement and must be replaced over time due to the boiling away process.

Because of the tactical nature of the Sovereign class, Starfleet Command requested that the ablative armor be used to supplement the defenses of its new flagship class. Initially considered to supplement the majority of starship classes, production complications and long fabrication time makes the usage of the armor limited to warships and high-risk classes, resulting in only limited usage around vulnerable areas of Galaxy and Akira-class starships and almost-total body coverage of the Defiant and Sovereign. Encounters with the Borg had already proven their ability to penetrate Federation shielding on, at that point, two occasions - the U.S.S. Enterprise-D's encounter at system J-25 and again at Wolf 359. It was then only natural that the design team saw the need to outfit the Sovereign with this additional layer of defense should the Borg or other threat races find a means of penetrating the regenerative shielding.

Each Sovereign-class vessel is equipped with an average depth of 10 centimeters of armor hull-wide, which can be replaced as wear permits at select fleet yards. Due to the supply demands, repairs made to the hull of a starship in the field will lack the extra layer of armor until the vessel is able to dock at a facility with spare plating.

Number of computer cores: Two; The primary core one occupies space on decks 6, 7, 8 and 9 directly below the main bridge. The secondary, engineering section core is smaller in size to the first and is located adjacent to Environmental Control on decks 15 - 17.

Type: The AC-16 Bio-Neural Super-series computer core is built under contract for the Sovereign-class vessel by Krayne Systems, an independent contractor based on Bynar. The structure of the computer is similar to that of most other supercomputing systems in use by Federation vessels with stack segments extending through the ship forming trillions of trillions of connections through the processing and storage abilities of modern isolinear chips. The core essentially consists of two independent processing systems that work in concert for maximum performance. Bio-neural-based processors throughout the core are utilized for complex calculations while an isolinear-based system is used for the storage and cataloging of core information. Cooling of the isolinear system is accomplished by a regenerative liquid helium loop, which has been refit to allow the usage of a delayed-venting heat storage unit for "Silent Running” operations that require the highest level of starship stealth. For most missions, requirements on the computer core rarely exceed 45-50% of a single core's processing and storage capacity. The rest of the core is utilized for various scientific, tactical, or intelligence gathering missions - or to backup data in the event of a damaged core.

Bio-Neural Gel Packs: Referred to typically as BNGs, Bio-Neural Gel Packs are a new innovation in shipboard data processing and routing. Mounted at strategic locations along the ODN pathways, each BNG consists of an artificial bio-fluid that allows transmission of neural signals. The heart of the BNG is a packet of neural clusters, grown copies of strands similar to those found in the brains of sentient beings. These clusters give the ship’s computer ‘instinctive’ data processing and routing ability as well as allowing the ship’s computer to utilize ‘fuzzy logic’ to speed up probability calculations much as a living, breathing entity would. The system is not a replacement for existing isolinear computer systems currently in use Federation-wide, but is rather an upgrade to its existing processing powers. By distributing gel packs throughout a starship's computer system information can be organized more efficiently, therefore processed more quickly and speeding up response time. Developed for the Intrepid class, this type of computer system did not see full deployment until the launch of that class. Aboard these starships, the new system proved successful, although the biological nature of the packs has led to problems such as infection and subsequent slowdown of the computer processing powers. Despite this short-coming, Starfleet Command is determining the viability of using the packs fleetwide. So impressed is the ASDB with the BNGPs that they are now being used as the standard computer system aboard all new starship designs, pending approval of Starfleet Command.

Designed specifically for the Sovereign-class starship, the General Electric Class 8 M/ARA drive and power system was a first for Starfleet. Compared to other starships of similar size and mass, the Class 8 would at first appear to be quite over-powered for the Sovereign, but this is not so. Originally equipped with a more standard Class 6, the inability of the reactor to produce sufficient power was perhaps the primary reason for the initial failing of the prototype Sovereign during trail runs. High-power devices, such as the enhanced deflector system, sensor pallets, Type-XII phaser arrays and Regenerative Shielding were subsequently removed from the U.S.S. Monarchy's construction plans and replaced with less power-intensive units. In comparison, however, the U.S.S. Ark Royal (later Enterprise-E) never left spacedock without the Class 8 power plant.

A breakthrough design came about with the advent of the Class 7 warp reactor during the Defiant Class Project, which makes use of four-lobed magnetic constriction segment columns that allow for additional reactant streams to surround the primary stream that travels down the center of the magnetic constrictor columns. Advances in pressure vessel construction and compact reactor injector nozzles made the Class 8 reactor a reality, with a six-lobed design that allowed for a total of seven reactant streams of both matter and antimatter to collide in the dilithium articulation chamber, resulting in the most powerful starship-grade reactor output to date. The matter/antimatter reactor assembly spans 14 decks with the dilithium chamber and plasma transfer conduits located on the second level of Main Engineering.

Another large advancement utilized in the development of the warp propulsion system was the utilization of a rotatable dilithium articulation chamber within the warp core, where the matter and antimatter reactants are combined to create the high-energy warp plasma needed to power the engine nacelles, as well as shipboard systems through the use of EPS power taps. Computer-controlled rotation of the frame allows for manipulation of the manner in which the reactants meet, allowing for further control of the warp plasma into a "cleaner" power source. Redesigned verterium cortenide components within each pair of warp field coils is then able to use the warp plasma to generate a more energy-efficient subspace field with less particle waste products and stresses that were found in older propulsion systems to damage subspace. After the fleet-wide installation of this new variable warp geometry system, Starfleet was able to remove the so-called "Warp Speed Limit" of Warp 5, established in 2370 after the discovery of pollution by Dr. Serova in the Hekaras Corridor. Pursuant to Starfleet Command Directive 12856.A, all starships traveling within Federation space are required to receive engine upgrades that prevent the further pollution of subspace by 2380.

The successful testing of the new warp propulsion system on the re-launched U.S.S. Sovereign has allowed for these upgrades to be made to her sister ships, allowing for the class to finally meet its full potential in 2373. Unfortunately, due to the intense power requirements of the enhanced sensor and navigation deflector systems, the Sovereign is unable to reach a higher maximum 12-hour speed than Warp 9.9.

Type: General Electric Class 8 Standard Matter/Anti-Matter Reaction Drive, developed by General Electric Propulsion Laboratories. Information on this Warp Drive can be found in any Starfleet Library or Omnipedia.

On any other Starship, the standard Sovereign class Impulse Engines would be rated ‘excessive’, providing thrust far in excess of the highest estimated needs. So great is the thrust provided by each individual engine that the Sovereign class has 0% loss of performance with the loss or destruction of one of her Impulse engines. Like other ships before her, Sovereign-class vessels utilizes space-time driver coils within its impulse engines to create a non-propulsive symmetrical subspace field that effectively lowers the ship's mass, making it capable of pushing the entire spacecraft using less fuel. There are two impulse engines on the ship, each operating at 25% rating for standard operations, but can boost their output to 50% for combat operations.

Type: Two standard Sovereign class mass drivers developed and built by Terminal Velocity Propulsion.

Output: Each engine (there are two impulse engines) can propel a Sovereign-class vessel at speeds just under .25c at “Full Impulse” and an upper ceiling of .75c at three quarters the speed of light. Generally, Starfleet Vessels are restricted to .25c speeds to avoid the more dramatic time dilation effects of higher relativistic speeds. However, such restrictions can be overridden at the behest of the ship’s captain. Due to the size of the Impulse Engines found on the Sovereign class, a single engine can propel the vessel at standard operating speeds without a loss in performance or combat maneuverability.

Type: The Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters are adapted from thruster packages from the successful Galaxy-class vessel. A total of thirty five thruster groups are installed; ten on the primary hull, five on the secondary hull and five at the aft of each nacelle. Deuterium is supplied by the primary tankage on Decks 13 and 14, as well as immediate-use tanks within thruster packages

Another advancement developed for the Sovereign class was a new breed of navigational deflectors. Unique, at this point, to the Sovereign class, the navigational array has a much higher stress tolerance to High-Warp and High-Energy discharges than any navigational array before it. This is, in part, to the increased number of graviton polarity generators, but also due to the amount of power provided to the assembly itself.

Without some sort of deflector system, space travel at high velocities, let alone warp speeds, would be impossible due to collisions with objects ranging from stray hydrogen atoms to large planetary fragments. Vessels of the Sovereign class make use of a single, large, main navigation deflector is located at the forward-most part of the engineering hull and spreads across Decks 15-18, with quad subspace field distortion amplifiers located on Decks 16 and 17. Composed of molybdenum/duranium mesh panels over a duranium framework, the dish can be manually moved 8.5° in any direction off the ship's Z-axis. The main deflector dish's subspace field and sensor power comes from six high-generating graviton polarity generators located on Decks 16 and 17, each capable of generating two hundred megawatts which feed into the four 650 millicochrane subspace field distortion amplifiers.

A backup deflector is located on the ventral side of the primary hull, on deck 12, and in addition to its role as a backup, the secondary deflector serves to reinforce the ship's warp field at speeds exceeding Warp 8.5. Originally seen as a means to augment the warp field due to technological limitations in graviton field generation during the development of the pathfinder vehicle, the saucer deflector is actually identical to the primary deflector of the Defiant class and is more or less a carry-over in the design process.

Type: Multiphase subspace graviton beam, used for direct manipulation of objects from a submicron to a macroscopic level at any relative bearing to the Sovereign class. Each emitter is directly mounted to the primary members of the ship's framework, to lessen the effects of isopiestic subspace shearing, inertial potential imbalance, and mechanical stress.

Output: Each tractor beam emitter is built around three multiphase 15 MW graviton polarity sources, each feeding two 475 millicochrane subspace field amplifiers. Phase accuracy is within 1.3 arc-seconds per microsecond, which gives superior interference pattern control. Each emitter can gain extra power from the SIF by means of molybdenum-jacketed waveguides. The subspace fields generated around the beam (when the beam is used) can envelop objects up to 920 meters, lowering the local gravitational constant of the universe for the region inside the field and making the object much easier to manipulate.

Range: Effective tractor beam range varies with payload mass and desired delta-v (change in relative velocity). Assuming a nominal 15 m/sec-squared delta-v, the multiphase tractor emitters can be used with a payload approaching 116,380,000,000 metric tons at less than 2,000 meters. Conversely, the same delta-v can be imparted to an object massing about one metric ton at ranges approaching 30,000 kilometers.

Standard Communications Range: ~20 light years
Standard Data Transmission Speed: 18.5 kiloquads per second
Subspace Communications Speed: Warp 9.9997

The primary long range and navigation sensor system is located behind the main deflector dish, primarily to avoid sensor "ghosts" and other detrimental effects consistent with deflector dish millicochrane static field output, as well as provide a safe haven for the system within the engineering hull. An additional suite is located behind the saucer deflector dish, and although more limited, can be used in emergency situations should the primary system become damaged or fail. The two systems are not designed to work in concert, due to the complexities involved in maintaining a subspace field capable of allowing two independent deflector beams to pass through.

Lateral sensor pallets are located around the rim of the entire starship, providing full coverage in all standard scientific fields, but with emphasis in the following areas:

Each sensor pallet (fifty in all) can be interchanged and re-calibrated with any other pallet on the ship. The storage of additional is handled in the secondary shuttlebay, where adjustments and repairs can be made. Modified shuttlepods are used to remove and attach sensor pallets throughout the ship's hull. Additional sensor pallets are located on both the dorsal and ventral portions of the ship, allowing for greater coverage in the Z+ and Z- ranges.

Warp Current sensor: This is an independent subspace graviton field-current scanner, allowing Sovereign-class vessels to track ships at high warp by locking onto the eddy currents from another ship's warp field. The main computer can then extrapolate from a database the probable size and class of the ship by comparing warp field output to known archetypes.

There are fifty independent tactical sensors on Sovereign class. Each sensor automatically tracks and locks onto incoming hostile vessels and reports bearing, aspect, distance, and vulnerability percentage to the tactical station on the main bridge. Each tactical sensor is approximately 92% efficient against ECM, and can operate fairly well in particle flux nebulae (which has been hitherto impossible).

The suite of tactical sensors aboard the Sovereign class is the most technically advanced suite of tactical sensors found on a Starfleet vessel. With over fifty independent sensor arrays, backed by the processing power of her computer network, a Sovereign class can not only wage battle, but conduct and lead other Starfleet and Allied vessels in tactical engagements. A Sovereign-class vessel can track and maintain sensor locks on over 1000 threat and friendly vessels within its sensor envelopes. Further, the Sovereign class can process and collect tactical data at much greater ranges than any starship before her, thanks in part to the redundancy of the arrays, but also the computing power and efficiency of her sensor systems.

One stellar cartography bay is located on deck 11, with direct EPS power feed from engineering. All information is directed to the bridge and can be displayed on any console or the main viewscreen. The Chief Science Officer's office is located next to the Stellar Cartography bay. While not as impressive or large as the Galaxy-class Stellar Cartography Bay, the emphasis on the design was one of function over form. The bay more closely resembles the new Intrepid-class Stellar Cartography bay.

Even though the emphasis on the Sovereign class is tactical engagements, the vessel is equipped with a modest amount of scientific research space - in keeping with the mandate of the United Federation of Planets and Starfleet. There are twenty-five science labs on the Sovereign class; five labs are on deck 7 - adjacent to Sickbay along with 5 multifunction labs , 10 labs are on deck 16, 5 microlabs on deck 14. The 5 labs on deck 8 are bio-chem-physics labs that can also be reconfigured for Medical labs. The 10 labs on deck 7 are a mixed batch; three are bio-chem-physics, one is an XT (extra-terrestrial) analysis labs, and one eugenic lab. There are five smaller labs on deck 17, which can be configured for astrophysics/astrometrics and stellar cartography studies.

A probe is a device that contains a number of general purpose or mission specific sensors and can be launched from a starship for closer examination of objects in space.

There are nine different classes of probes, which vary in sensor types, power, and performance ratings. The spacecraft frame of a probe consists of molded duranium-tritanium and pressure-bonded lufium boronate, with sensor windows of triple layered transparent aluminum. With a warhead attached, a probe becomes a photon torpedo. The standard equipment of all nine types of probes are instruments to detect and analyze all normal EM and subspace bands, organic and inorganic chemical compounds, atmospheric constituents, and mechanical force properties. All nine types are capable of surviving a powered atmospheric entry, but only three are special designed for aerial maneuvering and soft landing. These ones can also be used for spatial burying. Many probes can be real-time controlled and piloted from a starship to investigate an environment that is dangerous, hostile, or otherwise inaccessible for an away-team or starship.

Sickbay: One large Sickbay facility, located on Deck 7, serves as the primary care facility on Sovereign-class starships. Equipped with six standard and one advanced bio-bed, Sickbay is also home to the Chief Medical Officer's office and a small lab used for routine analysis of patients. The room itself is considered to be general-purpose, often the location of regular crew physicals, appointments, and various medical emergencies, it can effectively handle the majority of situations that a starship crew will face.

Surrounding Sickbay are more specialized areas, including two intensive-care wards, various medical laboratory, a nursery, three surgical suites, a null-grav therapy ward, a morgue, a biohazard isolation unit, and a dental care office. Also pursuant to new Medical Protocols, all Medical Facilities are equipped with holo-emitters for the usage of the Emergency Medical Holograph System.

Counselor's Office: This office tends to be located near the main sickbay facilities. A modest room approximately the size of a standard living room compartment, it can easily be placed somewhere within the residential areas of the ship at the Counselor's discretion. While decorated to the tastes of the staff using it, the office tends to be equipped with comfortable seating and colors to better relax its visitors.

General Overview: The arrangement of living quarters is designed to be modular, so that at any time, a particular area could be reconfigured to create larger or smaller residential areas. Individual areas make up what has come to be known as a "bay," which is equal to the size of the smallest available module. These modules are connected together to create all available standard living accommodations on a Sovereign-class starship, with the overall design and color scheme similar to the tones used on the Intrepid-class starship.

Most living areas are located on the upper and lower surfaces of the saucer section, offering residents a remarkable view of the starscape outside their windows. Areas on Decks 5-15 and 18-19 have been set aside for crew use, with VIP quarters located in relative seclusion on Deck 4.

Standard Living Quarters: Located on Decks 6-9, 13-15 and 18-19, these quarters are where the majority of the crew live.

Residential Apartments: Located on Deck 6 and 8-14, these quarters offer more privacy and flexibility for officers, as well as those crew with family onboard. Unlike the standard living quarters, these apartments can be configured to suit the needs of those living in them. Listed below is the base configuration for these living spaces, which can then be tailored by the resident for his needs.

General Overview: The Sovereign class is a medium sized starship and its design has been maximized for tactical usage. However, it is realized that the stress of operating at 99% efficiency on a ship that is built for deep-space exploration can be dangerous, so there are some recreational facilities on Sovereign class starships.

Holodecks: There are four standard holodeck facilities on a Sovereign class, located on deck 9.

Holosuites: These are smaller versions of standard Federation Holodecks, designed for individual usage (the two Holodecks themselves are to be used by groups or individual officers; enlisted crewmen and cadets are not allowed to use the Holodecks under normal circumstances). They do everything that their larger siblings do, only these Holosuites can't handle as many variables and are less detailed. They are equivalent to the Holodecks on an Intrepid-class starship. There are eight Holosuites on the Sovereign class, all of them located on deck 4.

Phaser Range: Sometimes the only way a Starfleet officer or crewman can vent his frustration is through the barrel of a phaser rifle. The phaser range is located on deck 8. The phaser range is heavily shielded, the walls being composed of a highly refined Duranium alloy, which can absorb setting 16 phaser blasts without taking a scratch.

Normal phaser recreation and practice is used with a type II phaser set to level 3 (heavy stun). The person stands in the middle of the room, with no light except for the circle in the middle of the floor that the person is standing in. Colored circular dots approximately the size of a human hand whirl across the walls, and the person aims and fires. After completing a round, the amounts of hits and misses, along with the percentage of accuracy is announced by the ship's computer.

The phaser range is also used by security to train ship's personnel in marksmanship. During training, the holo-emitters in the phaser range are activated, creating a holographic setting, similar to what a holodeck does. Personnel are "turned loose" either independently or in an Away Team formation to explore the setting presented to them, and the security officer in charge will take notes on the performance of each person as they take cover, return fire, protect each other, and perform a variety of different scenarios. All personnel on Sovereign class are tested every six months in phaser marksmanship.

There are 25 levels of phaser marksmanship. All personnel on Sovereign-class vessels are trained in the operation of phaser types I and II up to level 14. All security personnel on Sovereign class must maintain a level 17 marksmanship for all phaser types. The true marksman can maintain at least an 80% hit ratio on level 23. The Sovereign class carries both the standard phaser rifle and the new compression phaser rifles.

Weight Room: Some Starfleet personnel can find solace from the aggravations of day-to-day life in exercising their bodies. The Security department on each Sovereign class encourages constant use of this facility; tournaments and competitions are held regularly in this room.

The gymnasium is located on deck 5, next to the Holosuites. This gymnasium has full body building and exercise apparatuses available for your disposal; any kind of exercise can be performed here, be it Terran, Klingon, Vulcan (it isn't logical to let your body atrophy), Bajoran, Trill, or others.

There is also a wrestling mat in the weight room, which can be used for wrestling, martial arts, kick-boxing, or any other sort of hand-to-hand fighting. There are holo-diodes along the walls and ceiling which generate a holographic opponent (if you can't find someone to challenge), trained in the combat field of your choice. The computer stores your personal attack and defense patterns as it gains experience on your style of fighting, and adapts to defeat you. All personnel on the Sovereign class must go through a full physical fitness and hand-to-hand combat test every six months.

There are also racks of hand-to-hand combat weapons, for use in training. Ancient weapon proficiencies for Starfleet personnel are recommended by the ship's security division; phasers may not always be available for use in contingencies. Terran, Klingon, Betazoid, Vulcan, Bajoran, and other non-energy weapons are available for training.

This large lounge, located on decks 8 and 9 aft, serves as the social center for the starship and is often used for large gatherings and functions. It has a very relaxed and congenial air about it; the Ship's Lounge is the only place on the ship where rank means nothing - "sir" need not be uttered when a person of lower rank addresses an officer, and everyone enjoys equal footing. Opinions can be voiced in complete safety amongst fellow crewmates, offering a place where people can let loose after a long day. Large bay windows offer a stunning view out the aft of the ship, where the warp nacelles hang prominently amidst the stars.

The most notable accessory to the lounge is a modest-sized bar area, offering a wide selection of synthetic and alcoholic beverages, such as chech'tluth, Aldebaran whiskey, Saurian brandy, Tzartak aperitif, Tamarian Frost, C&E Warp Lager, Warnog, Antarean brandy, and countless others. The replicators, feeding off the memory of the new computers, have nearly twice the food and drink options of any ship-bound replicator system in Starfleet creating a more authentic replication.

General Overview: Located at the dorsal stern of the primary hull, the Main Shuttlebay takes up a significant portion of the aft section of Decks Six through Nine on the Sovereign class. Due to the mission profile of the Sovereign class, the shuttlebay extends larger than normal for a vessel its size to accommodate runabouts and ships smaller than Courier-grade that may be the primary mode of transport by entities the vessel’s crew encounter. The Main Shuttlebay is managed by a team of Helmsmen/Pilots, Engineers and Technicians, and Operations personnel that are based on the Flight Operations office under the supervision of the Flight Control Officer.

The Secondary Shuttlebay is located at the very aft portion of the Engineering hull, a homage to the Constitution-class shuttlebay. This bay, while smaller than the main shuttlebay, is just as capable of handling flight operations as the main shuttlebay.

Type: Light long-range warp shuttle.
Accommodation: Two flight crew, six passengers.
Power Plant: One 150 cochrane warp engine, two 750 millicochrane impulse engines, four RCS thrusters.
Dimensions: Length, 6.2 m; beam, 4.5 m; height 2.8 m.
Mass: 3.47 metric tones.
Performance: Warp 4.
Armament: Two Type-V phaser emitters.

Based upon the frame of the Type-6, the Type-8 Shuttlecraft is the most capable follow-up in the realm of personnel shuttles. Only slightly larger, the Type-8 is equipped with a medium-range transporter and has the ability to travel within a planet’s atmosphere. With a large cargo area that can also seat six passengers, the shuttle is a capable transport craft. Slowly replacing its elder parent craft, the Type-8 is now seeing rapid deployment on all medium to large starships, as well as to Starbases and stations throughout the Federation.

Type: Medium long-range warp shuttle.
Accommodation: Two flight crew, two passengers.
Power Plant: One 400 cochrane warp engine, two 800 millicochrane impulse engines, four RCS thrusters.
Dimensions: Length, 8.5 m; beam, 4.61 m; height 2.67 m.
Mass: 2.61 metric tones.
Performance: Warp 6.
Armament: Two Type-VI phaser emitters.

The Type-9 Personnel Shuttle is a long-range craft capable of traveling at high warp for extended periods of time due to new advances in variable geometry warp physics. Making its debut just before the launch of the Intrepid-class, this shuttle type is ideal for scouting and recon missions, but is well suited to perform many multi-mission tasks. Equipped with powerful Type-VI phaser emitters, the shuttle is designed to hold its own ground for a longer period of time. Comfortable seating for four and moderate cargo space is still achieved without sacrificing speed and maneuverability. As is standard by the 2360’s, the shuttle is equipped with a medium-range transporter and is capable of traveling through a planet’s atmosphere. With its ability to travel at high-warp speeds, the Type-9 has been equipped with a more pronounced deflector dish that houses a compact long-range sensor that further helps it in its role as a scout. The Type-9 is now being deployed throughout the fleet and is especially aiding deep-space exploratory ships with its impressive abilities.

Type: Heavy long-range warp shuttle.
Accommodation: Four flight crew, six passengers.
Power Plant: One 400 cochrane warp engine, two 800 millicochrane impulse engines, four RCS thrusters.
Dimensions: Length, 16 m; beam, 9.78 m; height 4.25 m.
Mass: 28.11 metric tones.
Performance: Warp 6.
Armament: Four Type-V phaser emitters, two micro-torpedo launchers (fore and aft), aft-mounted veritable purpose emitter.

With an ultimate goal towards creating a useful all-purpose shuttlecraft, the designers of the Type-11 Personnel Shuttle set out to create a craft that was equipped with all the systems of a starship within the shell of a relatively small shuttle. Allocation of the larger Danube-class runabout to starships in the field proved too costly, and with the expressed need by the Sovereign-class development team for a capable shuttle, the Type-11 was born. Its overall frame and components are a meshing of lessons learned in both the Type-9 and Danube-class vessels. Impressive shielding, several phaser emitters, micro-torpedo launchers and a capable warp propulsion system makes this shuttle capable of performing a multitude of tasks. Both the ventral and dorsal areas of the shuttle feature a new magnaclamp docking port that is capable of linking up to other ships similarly equipped. A two-person transporter and a large aft compartment with a replicator adds to the shuttle’s versatility. The end hope is that these all-purpose shuttles will replace the more specific-purpose crafts already stationed on starships, reducing the amount of space needed for shuttle storage in already-cramped bays. The Type-11 is now seeing selective deployment outside the Sovereign-class to further assess its capabilities in the field.

Information on the Type-11 is relatively scarce, aside from a few paragraphs in Star Trek: The Magazine #1. Its classification is conjectural.

Type: Utility craft.
Accommodation: One operator.
Power Plant: One microfusion reactor, four RCS thrusters.
Dimensions: Length, 4.11 m; beam, 1.92 m; height 1.90 m.
Mass: 1.68 metric tones.
Performance: Maximum delta-v, 4,000 m/sec.
Armament: None

The Work Bee is a capable stand-alone craft used for inspection of spaceborne hardware, repairs, assembly, and other activates requiring remote manipulators. The fully pressurized craft has changed little in design during the past 150 years, although periodic updates to the internal systems are done routinely. Onboard fuel cells and microfusion generators can keep the craft operational for 76.4 hours, and the life-support systems can provide breathable air, drinking water and cooling for the pilot for as long as fifteen hours. If the pilot is wearing a pressure suit or SEWG, the craft allows for the operator to exit while conducting operations. Entrance and exit is provided by the forward window, which lifts vertically to allow the pilot to come and go.

A pair of robotic manipulator arms is folded beneath the main housing, and allows for work to be done through pilot-operated controls. In addition, the Work Bee is capable of handling a cargo attachment that makes it ideal for transferring cargo around large Starbase and spaceborne construction facilities. The cargo attachment features additional microfusion engines for supporting the increased mass.

Type: Sovereign Class Integrated Craft
Accommodation: 4 flight crew, 20 passengers.
Power Plant: One 5,220-millicochrane warp engine, two 750-millicochrane impulse engines, four RCS thrusters.
Dimensions: Length: 50m; Width: 22.5m; Height:12m
Performance: Cruise: Warp 4.5; Max Cruise: Warp 5; Max Warp: Warp 5.5/12hrs
Armament: 5 Type-V Phaser Strips, Pulse Emitter, Micro-Torpedo Launcher

Mounted in a recessed docking port in the underside of the primary hull, the Sovereign-class Captain’s Yacht serves dual purposes. A situation to be dealt with by the captain of a starship does not always require the entire ship to accompany him or her, or the ship may have a more important mission to accomplish. In these cases, the Captain’s Yacht provides a long-range craft that is capable enough to function without its primary vessel. Be it a simple excursion to get away from the stresses of command, or a run to retrieve or deliver VIPs, the yacht serves as an extendable arm of the Sovereign class.

Facilities include six sleeping bunks and a comfortable passenger cabin. A replicator and flight couches provide for the needs of the passengers and a two-person transporter allows for beaming of personnel or cargo when needed. Atmospheric flight capabilities allow this shuttle type to land on planetary surfaces.

Operations aboard an Sovereign-class starship fall under one of four categories: flight operations, primary mission operations, secondary mission operations, and flight deck operations.

Flight Operations are all operations that relate directly to the function of the starship itself, which include power generation, starship upkeep, environmental systems, and any other system that is maintained and used to keep the vessel spaceworthy.

Primary Mission Operations entail all tasks assigned and directed from the Main Bridge, and typically require full control and discretion over ship navigation and ship's resources.

Secondary Mission operations are those operations that are not under the direct control of the Main Bridge, but do not impact Primary Mission Operations. Some examples of secondary mission operations include long-range cultural, diplomatic or scientific programs run by independent or semi-autonomous groups aboard the starship.

Flight Deck Operations are those operations that typically fall under Secondary Mission operations.

Despite the fact that the Sovereign class design philosophy leaned heavily toward Tactical and Defensive Missions, she is still classified as a multi-role starship, in keeping with Federation Council Policy. This offers the Federation, and Starfleet, flexibility in assigning nearly any objective within the realm of Starfleet's assigned duties.

Missions for an Sovereign class starship may fall into one of the following categories, in order of her strongest capable mission parameter to her weakest mission parameter.

The normal flight and mission operations of the Sovereign-class starship are conducted in accordance with a variety of Starfleet standard operating rules, determined by the current operational state of the starship. These operational states are determined by the Commanding Officer, although in certain specific cases, the Computer can automatically adjust to a higher alert status.

During Cruise Mode, the ship’s operations are run on three 8-hour shifts designated Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Should a crisis develop, it may revert to a four-shift system of six hours to keep crew fatigue down.

Due to the unique shape of her hull, the Sovereign class does not have a separated flight mode. While the hull can eject the warp nacelle assembly quickly and flee via impulse, her lack of a clearly identifiable saucer section precludes this capability.

Due to the unique shape of her hull, the Sovereign class cannot land within a gravity well and maintain hull integrity for transatmospheric operations. This does not mean that the hull cannot withstand a landing - quite the contrary, in an extreme emergency, the Sovereign class could effect a surface landing while only losing an estimated 45% of hull integrity while structural members are estimated to have failure rates as high as 75%. While integrity is not high enough to allow for deep-space salvage operations, enough of the internal volume and structural members should remain intact to allow for a landing that is relatively safe for her crew.

Though much of a modern starship’s systems are automated, they do require regular maintenance and upgrade. Maintenance is typically the purview of the Engineering, but personnel from certain divisions that are more familiar with them can also maintain specific systems.

Maintenance of onboard systems is almost constant, and varies in severity. Everything from fixing a stubborn replicator, to realigning the Dilithium matrix is handled by technicians and engineers on a regular basis. Not all systems are checked centrally by Main Engineering; to do so would occupy too much computer time by routing every single process to one location. To alleviate that, systems are compartmentalized by deck and location for checking. Department heads are expected to run regular diagnostics of their own equipment and report anomalies to Engineering to be fixed.

Systems Diagnostics: All key operating systems and subsystems aboard the ship have a number of preprogrammed diagnostic software and procedures for use when actual or potential malfunctions are experienced. These various diagnostic protocols are generally classified into five different levels, each offering a different degree of crew verification of automated tests. Which type of diagnostic is used in a given situation will generally depend upon the criticality of a situation, and upon the amount of time available for the test procedures.

Level 1 Diagnostic - This refers to the most comprehensive type of system diagnostic, which is normally conducted on ship's systems. Extensive automated diagnostic routines are performed, but a Level 1 diagnostic requires a team of crew members to physically verify operation of system mechanisms and to system readings, rather than depending on the automated programs, thereby guarding against possible malfunctions in self-testing hardware and software. Level 1 diagnostics on major systems can take several hours, and in many cases, the subject system must be taken off-line for all tests to be performed.

Level 2 Diagnostic - This refers to a comprehensive system diagnostic protocol, which, like a Level 1, involves extensive automated routines, but requires crew verification of fewer operational elements. This yields a somewhat less reliable system analysis, but is a procedure that can be conducted in less than half the time of the more complex tests.

Level 3 Diagnostic - This protocol is similar to Level 1 and 2 diagnostics but involves crew verification of only key mechanics and systems readings. Level 3 diagnostics are intended to be performed in ten minutes or less.

Level 4 Diagnostic - This automated procedure is intended for use whenever trouble is suspected with a given system. This protocol is similar to Level 5, but involves more sophisticated batteries of automated diagnostics. For most systems, Level 4 diagnostics can be performed in less than 30 seconds.

Level 5 Diagnostic - This automated procedure is intended for routine use to verify system performance. Level 5 diagnostics, which usually require less than 2.5 seconds, are typically performed on most systems on at least a daily basis, and are also performed during crisis situations when time and system resources are carefully managed.

Pursuant to Starfleet General Policy and Starfleet Medical Emergency Operations, at least 40% of the officers and crew of the Sovereign class are cross-trained to serve as Emergency Medical Technicians, to serve as triage specialists, medics, and other emergency medical functions along with non-medical emergency operations in engineering or tactical departments. This set of policies was established due to the wide variety of emergencies, both medical and otherwise, that a Federation Starship could respond to on any given mission.

The observation lounge on deck 1 along with the VIP/guest quarters on deck 3 can serve as emergency intensive care wards, with an estimated online timeframe of 30 minutes with maximum engineering support. Further, the primary flight deck has 2 mobile hospitals that can be deployed either on the flight deck, or transported to Cargo Bay 2 or 3 for emergency overflow triage centers. Cargo Bay 3 also provides for the emergency atmosphere recalibration to type H,K, or L environments, intended for non-humanoid casualties. All facilities are equipped with full Bio-hazard suites, to minimize and prevent crew exposure to potentially deadly diseases.

Aside from the escape options of shuttlecraft or transporters, the primary survival craft of the Sovereign class is the escape pod or lifeboat. Each Sovereign carries a total of 120 of the 8-person variants, which measures 5.6 meters tall and 6.2 meters along the edge of the triangle. Each Lifeboat can support a full compliment for 6 months, longer if the lifeboats connect together. All are equipped with navigational sensors, microthrusters, plus emergency subspace communication equipment.

Rescue and Evacuation Operations for an Sovereign-class starship will fall into one of two categories - abandoning the starship, or rescue and evacuation from a planetary body or another starship.

Resources are available for rescue and evacuation to an Sovereign-class starship include:

Resources available for abandon-ship scenarios from an Sovereign-class starship include:

Officers and Crew: 885 (130 Officers; 725 Enlisted Crew)
Evacuation Limit: 2,500

Normal Cruise Speed: Warp 7
Maximum Cruise Speed: Warp 9.3
Maximum Speed: Warp 9.9 for 12 hours

Deck 1: Captain’s Ready Room, Main Bridge, Briefing Room/Observation Lounge

Deck 3: Docking Ports 1-3 (Port/Starboard/Aft), Officers Quarters, VIP/Guest Quarters

Deck 5: Junior and Senior Officers Quarters, Primary Computer Core, Gymnasium

Deck 6: Primary Computer Core Control, Cargo Bay 1 & 2, Upper Primary Computer Cores 1-2, Upper Main Shuttlebay, Impulse Engines (P/S)

Deck 7: Sickbay, Chief Medical Officer's Office, Counselor's Office, Primary Science Labs, Primary Computer Core, Impulse Engines (P/S), Main Shuttlebay

Deck 10: Upper Engineering Support Area, Secondary Deflector Control, Living Quarters, Deuterium Injector Assembly

Deck 12: Lower Engineering, Primary Systems Support Compartment, Environmental Support, Living Quarters, Forward Torpedo Magazine

Deck 13: Living Quarters, Deuterium Storage, Power Distribution, Operations Department Office, Forward Torpedo Launcher (1)

Deck 14: Living Quarters, Cargo Bay 3 - Primary Cargo Bay, Lower Forward Torpedo Bay Control, Deuterium Storage, Captain's Yacht Docking Station, Upper Shuttlebay 2

Deck 16: Secondary Computer Core, Primary Shuttle Maintenance Hangar, Tertiary Science Labs, Navigational Deflector, Main Engineering Lower Level

Deck 17: Secondary Computer Core, Primary Machine Shop, Stellar Cartography, Chief Science Officer's Office, Microlabs, Navigational Deflector, Aft Tractor Emitter

Deck 18: Main Tractor Beam Control and Emitter, Environmental Control, Aft Torpedo Control, Navigational Deflector

Deck 19: Transporter Rooms 5 and 6, Waste Management, Environmental Support, Aft Torpedo Launchers (2), Torpedo Magazine

Deck 20: Brig, Armory, Power Transfer Conduit Control Center, Environmental Support, Forward Torpedo Launchers (2), Torpedo Magazine

Deck 21: Tertiary Maintenance Support Center, Secondary Systems Support, Gravimetric Polaron Generators, Antimatter Storage Pods, Forward Tractor Emitter

Deck 23: Antimatter Injector Assembly, Anti-matter Storage Pods, Anti-matter Injection Reactors

Quantums and Photons? Isn't it usually one or the other? Not necessarily, since the only other ships we've seen so far that carried quantum torpedoes were the U.S.S. Defiant and U.S.S. Lakota. The Lakota is a special case due to circumstances in that episode, but the Defiant is said to be able to carry both torpedo types in the Deep Space Nine Technical Manual. They are both roughly the same size and can be launched from the same launcher assembly, meaning they can be used on virtually any ship with a standard torpedo launcher that's up to date. In "First Contact," we see the Enterprise-E fire quantum torpedoes while in "Insurrection" we see it actually fire photon torpedoes from an aft launcher. This leaves us to believe that the Sovereign class carries both types, and because of the special manufacturing requirements listed in the DS9 TM, we've made the ship carry more photon torpedoes then quantums. SM & RS

Isn't the Sovereign Class kinda slow, if she has the most powerful warp core ever built for a starship? A lot of the raw power of the core is shunted to the various systems to operate the starship, such as the shields, computer core, upgraded phasers and computer systems. While the Sovereign can propel itself and a brisk pace, it is slower than only the fastest starships in the fleet – the Intrepid and Galaxy Class starships. In theory, the ship could reach higher warp velocities if it took those power-hungry systems offline... but it would not be wise to travel in a ship that didn't have a working computer core and navigation sensors and deflectors working. To that end, it should be also noted that the ship makes more efficient use of energy when traveling at lower speeds when compared to other ships of similar size, which somewhat evens it out in the long run. SM & RS

Why the Type XII array/Bio Neural Gel Packs/ Regenerative Shielding/ Supercharged Nav. Dish and Sensor Array? This came from the Starship Spotter; I originally listed it as Type X, the new standard, but changed it based on that information. While the Spotter is far from canon, it has some good spot information on systems not specifically listed in canon sources. I usually err on the side of the conservative, but considering the primary role of the Sovereign Class – a defense cruiser – the Type XII just made more sense. As for the other systems, Geordi lists the Enterprise-E as being the most advanced ship in the fleet. As she launched 6 years after the Intrepid Class entered service, that would be plenty of time to make sure the field trials of the Bio Neural Gel Packs in a starship, so it was a natural addition to the Sovereign Class, along with the other systems listed in other sources like the Starship Spotter and ST: Bridge Commander (assuming that Geordi, not one prone to hyperbole, was correct in his statement). SM

I've heard in various interviews that the Sovereign was designed with saucer separation in mind. Why not here? While it's been rumored that the Sovereign-class was designed by the crew so that if the producers wanted it to separate, they could do it, we've yet to actually see it happen. The separation lines would follow up from the engineering hull all the way to the Captain's Yacht and the torpedo launcher on the underside of the saucer. This would then leave a wedge-shaped battle-head for the stardrive section, with an aft separation line around the main shuttlebay. Aside from never seeing a separation on screen, there's also the fact that the two main impulse engines would remain with the saucer... so what would the engineering section have? If you recall, the Galaxy-class Enterprise-D had three impulse engines: two on the saucer, one on the spine of the engineering hull. Ships like the Constitution-class do have saucer separation abilities, but this is intended so that the saucer can escape with the crew while the engineering hull is left dead in space - if anything, that style of saucer seperation would probably, given the visual cues, be how the Sovereign's saucer seperation ability would be described. All that aside, however, the ship cannot separate in any manner since there is nothing concrete to support that ability, RS & SM

How come the Ship's Lounge is now aft-facing, rather then forward-facing like Ten Forward on the Galaxy-class? We spent a good while looking over exterior hull images and schematics of the Enterprise-E, paying particular note to the placement of windows on the hull. If we assume that the reception seen in "Insurrection" took place in the ship's lounge, we're looking for windows in close proximity and around the size of the Observation Lounge windows. This alone yielded a number of possible locations, but the Master Systems Display of the Enterprise-E also shows a section on the back spine of the ship just below the Main Shuttlebay with what appears to be chairs and tables on two levels. This would be a more ideal for the Ship's Lounge, so that location was chosen. RS

Your Sickbay specs don't seem to match the Intrepid-like layout seen in "First Contact," how come? A new sickbay set will be featured in the upcoming "Star Trek: Nemesis" due to release in December 2002. One would speculate that they needed to design new sets for those previously borrowed from Voyager, since the previous two Next Generation features were filmed while Voyager was still in production. RS

What about any new stuff in the upcoming "Star Trek: Nemesis?" At the moment of this writing, we only have a limited glance at scenes in the upcoming movie from various websites that have access to screening copies and production stills. We'll be sure to take a notepad to the movie theater and take notes for updates to certain areas... no, really, we'll just have to wait for the release of the movie and change our specs accordingly. RS

Why do you guys make it look like the Sovereign class only has a few ships so far? Well, ask yourself this... have you seen another Sovereign-class starship other then the Enterprise-E? Even on Next Generation, we got to see another member of the then-most advanced ship in the fleet in the form of the U.S.S. Yamato. Even the Defiant and Voyager saw appearances from other ships of their class in both Deep Space Nine and Voyager, but we've yet to see another Sovereign class. Until we do, we're remaining on the conservative side when it comes to this starship class because it is undoubtedly a very resource-intensive class in terms of production and maintenance. Many fans are upset because we didn't see a single Sovereign-class starship in any of the battle scenes in Deep Space Nine, despite it being an easy-to-use CG model that's more detailed then most of the other ships featured. Since DS9 didn't feature it, we ask that SMs restrain themselves... otherwise we'll be seeing 41 new Sovs which will totally go against what we're trying to establish here. We've already mentioned three in active service (Sovereign, Enterprise-E, Monarchy) as well as one currently having some finishing touches added as the San Francisco Fleet Yards. The Monarchy has already been featured in ST:ACTD as the flagship of the 5th Fleet, and while there's been other Sovereigns featured by several SM's at one point or another, we'd like to limit these appearances somewhat. Moreover, the technology used in the Sovereign Class can only really be described as state of the art, so the building time for a new Sovereign Class is likely much longer than an Akira, Nebula, Norway, Intrepid, or Steamrunner. RS & SM

Why does the Regenerative Shielding seem more like just two regular systems working at once? The system is not designed so that there's two separate systems like some are led to believe. Shield systems work by having generators that produce the graviton field that surrounds and protects the ship. It is this field that takes the brunt of weapons fire in battles, and gets drained after repeated attack. Throughout a battle, the shields grow weaker because the generator is unable to recharge the field if it is under too much duress. While some ships already have backup shield generators in case one fails, we've made the Sovereign actually have two generators for each area being covered. When one generator is unable to recharge and begins losing integrity, a second generator takes its place giving the first a chance to recharge while in a standby mode. This does not mean that shields will suddenly go from 90% to 100% when this second generator kicks in, but rather it effectively makes it take twice as much of a punch before lowering further. This is all automatic and controlled by computer subroutines, so the tactical officer need not worry about switching back and forth between generators while in battle. The system is "regenerative" in the sense that it allows taxed generators to be rotated out and given a chance to recharge... and it should be noted that the recharge cycle does take a good amount of time. If you recall in VOY "Equinox," the crew of the Equinox took their shields offline for 30 seconds so that the emitters could recharge. Overall, the system as a whole is capable of regenerating over a faster period of time then similar vessels in Starfleet. The dual generators occupy a space roughly 1.4 times the size of a standard shield generator, making it practically impossible to install in other starship classes because of the amount of structural reworking required. The units themselves are custom assemblies used on the Sovereign and Prometheus class, occupy as one unit. RS

No Danube-class runabouts as part of her standard shuttle compliment? The Danube-class is not a shuttle, but rather a starship in its own right with all the basic systems of a larger ship and even its own registry number. Unlike a shuttle, they can operate in space for months at a time if need be and are only permanently located on ships and stations that frequently make use of runabouts to perform medium to long range reconnaissance, transfer, and so forth. In short, assigning a runabout to the Sovereign is like giving it several small starships to do as the Captain pleases, which would be a waste of resources. The Type-8 and -9 shuttlecraft are quite suited for a variety of missions as seen on Voyager, and the newer Type-11 shuttlecraft is virtually a runabout without the mission-specific swap out modules in the center, and perhaps the beds in the back. There are few tasks out there that a runabout could do that a Type-11 could not. Then again, we can whip out the argument of the Danube once again not being seen aboard the Enterprise-E.

Runabouts, at least in the history of Trek thus far, seem to be assigned to installations that may need limited reconnaissance, supply and personnel tranfers, all of which without the need for a much larger and more crew intensive starship. In the realm of SM's, Runabouts would probably be best served by the various stations, and find little use by the various starships. There is nothing that a starship and its fleet of shuttlecraft can't accomplish just as easily, if not more so, than using the much larger Runabouts. RS & SM

If the Sovereign is one of the most advanced ships every made, why doesn't it have the "upgrades" Voyager had? It is our opinion that the "batmoblie" ablative armor, transphasic torpedoes, and stealth technology brought from the future by Admiral Janeway in VOY "Endgame" is currently locked up in a concealed facility, undergoing detailed analysis far from the eyes of the general public, let alone the majority of Starfleet. This is reinforced by the absence of these upgrades in the upcoming "Star Trek: Nemesis," which sees the Enterprise-E with only a handful of changes made to the ship between the last feature, "Insurrection." These upgrades are also being barred from all ST:ACTD starships in general, and the Sovereign is no exception. RS

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