Excelsior Class

From FEInfobase

The Excelsior Class is a long-serving Starfleet vessel, first constructed in the 2280s. The first of the class, the USS Excelsior (NCC-2000) was outfitted with Starfleet's first attempted Transwarp drive however the experiment was a failure and subsequent vessels of the class have been outfitted with standard warp drive engines.

Service History

At the time of the USS Excelsior's construction, the most advanced class of starship in Starfleet was the Constitution Class; a capable yet aging design. It became clear to Starfleet that in order to effectively protect the Federation and explore deep space, a tougher, more capable design was needed. At over four hundred and fifty metres, the Excelsior was over 50% larger than the Constitution and its sensory and defensive systems were noticably improved as well. Despite the failure of the experimental Transwarp drive, the design was still seen as a success and went into mass production. Subsequent refits and modifications meant that the spaceframe continued its service well into the latter half of the twenty-fourth century, forming the backbone of the fleet before and during The Dominion War, supporting newer but less numerous designs such as the Ambassador and Galaxy Class spaceframes.

Following the Borg War, the spaceframe was officially retired from Starfleet as the remaining hulls were beyond the regulated levels that Starfleet could accept for active service vessels. Despite this, some spaceframes were been assigned to civilian projects. Whilst the Excelsiors could not compare to Akiras in firepower or Galaxys in terms of sensory capabilities, the design remains a solid one and even older Starfleet systems have proven to be effective against pirate vessels and the like.