Intrepid class

Intrepid class

TheIntrepid-classstarship was aFederation design that entered service in the latter half of the24th century. TheIntrepid-class was designed for long-term exploration missions. At less than half the size of aGalaxy-class starship, it was considered "quick and smart." (VOY: "Someone to Watch Over Me", "Scientific Method", "Relativity")

General overview[]

When it was first commissioned, theIntrepid-class featured many innovations that were then available, including the warp core'stricyclic input manifold andvariable geometry pylons. The class was also the first to usebio-neural gel packs and had the Mark IEmergency Medical Hologram (or EMH) system.

Capabilities upon introduction were equally impressive. The class boasted the bestnavigational sensors, and the highest top speed of anyStarfleet vessel until the development of thePrometheus-class. Its multi-mission design was backed up by a main computer processor capable of simultaneously accessing47 million data channels and sustaining 575 trillioncalculations per nanosecond in operational temperatures from 10 to 1,790Kelvin. (VOY: "Relativity", "Concerning Flight")

TheIntrepid-classUSSVoyager had a stable crew complement of 141 when departingDeep Space 9 in2371. (VOY: "Caretaker") Throughout its journey in theDelta Quadrant, the ship operated with a crew of approximately 150. (Star Trek: Voyager) It is also noted that the ship can be operated with as few as 100 if needed. (VOY: "The 37's")

Class history[]

Development and construction of theIntrepid-class occurred at theUtopia Planitia Fleet Yards with the class entering service by2370. The second ship, USSVoyager, was commissioned in2371. It was the first ship to test theclass 9 warp drive in deep space. At the time of its introduction, theIntrepid-class was considered to be the most technologically advanced out of all Starfleet's starship classes, though it would be superseded in that regard the following year by theSovereign-class. (VOY: "Caretaker", "Relativity";Star Trek: First Contact)

The performance of theIntrepid-class was well reflected by the starshipVoyager. That ship was notable for independently, and successfully, completing an unscheduled seven-year journey across the previously unexploredDelta Quadrant, seventy thousandlight years from Federation space, from 2371 to2378. The vessel was completely cut off from communication with Starfleet until2374 and had no access to any Starfleet supplies or facilities for the entire length of its journey. (VOY Season 1 throughVOY Season 7)

Legacy[]

A newerversion of theIntrepid-class was being used by Starfleet in the31st and32nd centuries. (DIS: "Die Trying", "Scavengers")

Technical data[]

Physical arrangement[]

The hull configuration of theIntrepid-class adopted the saucer-type shape of previous starship classes, which ofprimary hull,secondary hull, andnacelles driven by the physics of warp generation and control. One of theIntrepid-class' most notable characteristics were its warp nacelles, which angled when going to warp, a quality which has not been observed in any other starship. TheIntrepid-class used aduraniumhull structure, aplasma-based power distribution system, and tricyclic life support systems. (VOY: "Drone")

Following the Starfleet standard, Deck 1 was reserved for themain bridge, with thebriefing room andcaptain's ready room located to port and starboard sides of the bridge. Located in the front section of Deck 2 was the crew'smess hall and the captain's private dining hall, served by three windows that offered a spectacular view of space in front of the vessel. One deck below, located in the front section of Deck 3, were thequarters of the starship'scommanding officer, served by five windows.

The dorsal saucer section was covered by fourphaser arrays, two of which extended from the aft curvature along the length of the saucer. The aft firing arc was covered by two smaller arrays, angled on the rear of the saucer section. The relative bottom of the ship was protected by two similar arrays as on the dorsal saucer section, extending to the rear of the saucer and following the curve towards the bow. (VOY: "Caretaker", "Basics, Part I", "Unimatrix Zero") Docked to the underside of theIntrepid-class' primary hull was the vessel'saeroshuttle.

Further aft, the mainnavigational deflector dish was found at the foreside of theIntrepid-class' secondary hull. Located right above the deflector were the forwardphoton torpedolaunchers. On the underside of the secondary hull were located three sets of plates that supported the warp propulsion system. The forward plate covered the reserveintermix chamber; the middle plate contained the antimatter loading port, a large magnetic valve that kept the antimatter from coming in contact with matter during the transfer to the storage pods; (VOY: "Caretaker", "Projections") and the aft cover plate contained the operational intermix chamber hatch, for ejecting the warp core in case of emergency. (VOY: "Day of Honor")

One of the few Starfleet starship classes capable of atmospheric entry and planetary landing, theIntrepid-class starship was equipped withantigravity generators as well as impulse and lifters strategically placed at the mass and stress points on the bottom portion of the secondary hull. Prior to and during landing or takeoff procedures, the vessel typically went toblue alert, indicating to the crew they were to assume their code-blue stations. (VOY: "The 37's")

Decks[]

With fifteen decks and a mass of 700,000 metric tons, there were 257 rooms on anIntrepid-class vessel. (VOY: "Relativity", "Scientific Method") Entire deck sections could be jettisoned in case of emergency. (VOY: "Warhead")

See:Intrepid class decks

A briefing room on theIntrepid-class

A typical corridor on theIntrepid-class

Outer doors to Cargo Bay 2

Deck 14 on theIntrepid-class

Deck 15 on theIntrepid-class

Command and control systems[]

Themain bridge of theIntrepid-class starship was ovoid and served as the nerve center of the vessel.

At the bridge's rear was a large bank of consoles and data readout screens. Center of that area was the master systems display; control consoles flanked it on both sides. (Star Trek: Voyager)

Starboard of the information center, past the starboard sideturbolift, was the station of thechief tactical officer. This area was maintained mostly for internal security and combat situations. Other systems that could be commanded bytactical included long- and short-rangesensor arrays,sensor probes,message buoys, andtractor beams. An identical station was found on the other side of the bridge, where theoperations station was found. This panel presented theoperations officer with a continually updated list of current major shipboard activities. This list permitted Ops to set priorities and allocate resources among current operations. This was especially critical when two or more requests required the use of the same equipment, entailed mutually exclusive mission profiles, or involved some unusual safety or tactical considerations. (VOY: "Parallax", "The Cloud", "Emanations", "Elogium", "Worst Case Scenario")

Forward of the upper ship operations areas were doorways to the briefing room at one side and the captain's ready room at the other. There, the commanding officer could engage in administrative work with all relevant office equipment at hand without interfering with bridge operations, while still being close to the bridge in case of emergency. Also, this room was usually the preferred place where the captain could hold private discussions or receive classified communications. Aboard theIntrepid-class starship, the work desk was the focal point of the ready room, located ahead of the main entrance door. A raised level in the forward section of the room featured a small table, a curved couch, and areplicator. The wall behind the couch featured three windows looking toward the bow of the vessel. Compared with the much largerGalaxy-class starship, theIntrepid-class had a more spacious, luxurious ready room. (VOY: "Caretaker", "Eye of the Needle", "Year of Hell", "The Omega Directive";Star Trek: The Next Generation)

TheIntrepid-class could not execute anauto-destruct sequence if thesecondary command processors were damaged. (VOY: "Basics, Part I")

In the center of theIntrepid-class' bridge was the command area. Here, seating was provided for the vessel's commanding officer and his or herfirst officer, seated to the captain's left. Between these chairs was a miniaturized status display. Usingkeyboard or vocal commands, the commanding officer could use these controls to override the basic operation of the starship. Directly aft of this area, integrated in the handrail encircling the aft section of the central command area, was another command console that could be operated to perform more bridge duties. (VOY: "Parturition", "Maneuvers", "Collective", "Unimatrix Zero, Part II", "Endgame")

Directly forward of and two steps lower than the central command area was theconn station. From here, theflight control officer served as helmsman and navigator for the starship. Despite many of these functions being heavily automated, their critical nature demanded a humanoid officer to oversee these operations at all times. During spaceflight atimpulse, conn monitored relativistic effects as well as inertial damping system status. When the ship was traveling atwarp speed, conn monitored thesubspace field geometry in parallel with the engineering department. During warp flight, the conn console continually updated long-range sensor data and made automatic course corrections to adjust for minor variations in the density of the interstellar medium. (VOY: "Parallax", "The Cloud", "Tattoo", "Vis à Vis", "Cathexis")

To the right of conn sat thechief engineer. Though the position was far better served inmain engineering, situations arose where the engineer's presence was needed on the bridge. The console allowed complete control over all engineering systems. Directly opposite sat thechief science officer at a similar console. From this console,LN2 exhaust conduits were vented to expel exhaust from theIntrepid-class. (VOY: "Caretaker", "Ex Post Facto")

Propulsion systems[]

Main engineering aboard anIntrepid-class starship was located on Deck 11. The room was constructed around thematter-antimatter reaction assemblywarp core, aclass 9 warp drive with a tricyclic input manifold. (VOY: "Relativity") The core provided a maximum output of four thousand teradynes per second. (VOY: "Drone") The warp drive was designed to operate for up to three years before refueling. Thereaction chamber was equipped with acompositor, which allowed recrystallization ofdilithium. (VOY: "Innocence") The warp drive allowed the ship a top sustainablecruise velocity ofwarp factor 9.975. (VOY: "Caretaker", "Relativity") It also allowed the ship to travel at warp 9.75 for 12hours. (VOY: , "The Swarm") TheIntrepid-class also featured a secondary warp assembly. (VOY: "Alice")

The main engineering room featured two levels. In front of the warp core was a large monitoring area on the lower engineering level. Also located on this level was the chief engineer's office and an open work area for special projects or situational analysis. A second tier ringed the upper level of main engineering. A small, single-person elevator, as well as a ladder on the opposite side, provided access to thiscatwalk. (VOY: "Caretaker")

The mainimpulse engines on anIntrepid-class starship were located on the aft end of the pylons leading to thewarp nacelles.Intrepid-class starships were also equipped with auxiliary impulse reactors. (VOY: "Phage")

Warp core ejection[]

In the event of awarp core breach, theIntrepid-class starship couldeject the warp core. This procedure required theauthorization code of the chief engineer or a member of thesenior staff. The core was ejected through the ejection port on the underside of the secondary hull. Magnetic rails inside the channel accelerated the core once disengaged from the vessel and fired it away from the ship. Under normal circumstances, the vessel then moved away from the core as fast as possible under impulse power. (VOY: "Cathexis", "Day of Honor", "Renaissance Man")

Should the core not go critical, the vessel could recover it withtractor beams and careful manipulation. (VOY: "Day of Honor", "Renaissance Man")

Tactical systems[]

Phaser systems[]

TheIntrepid-class utilized a ship-mounted phaser array system. The dorsal saucer section was covered by four phaser arrays, two of which extended from the aft curvature, along the length of the saucer and stop short of the auxiliary deflector incision. One smaller phaser array extended behind the bridge. (VOY: "Resolutions") The aft firing arc was covered by two smaller arrays, angled on the rear of the saucer section. The relative bottom of the ship was protected by two similar arrays as on the dorsal saucer section, extending to the rear of the saucer and following the curve to the auxiliary deflector incision. More protection was provided by an array that extended across theventralengineering hull just fore of the warp core ejection port. Far-aft strips were provided on the underside of thevariable-geometry nacelle pylons and under the shuttlebay landing deck on the underside of the ship for a total ship's complement of fourteen phaser arrays. (Star Trek: Voyager)

Additionalphaser banks included at least four separatephaser emitters, two in the afttorpedo launcher, (VOY: "Dragon's Teeth", "Prophecy") one aft phaser bank located behind the second tractor beam emitter, in the aft section of Deck 14, (VOY: "Think Tank") and an embedded emitter on the ventral surface of the ship's right nacelle. (VOY: "Unimatrix Zero")

Torpedo systems[]

TheIntrepid-class housed five standardtorpedo launchers (two fore and two aft, and one on the ventral side of the ship). The USSVoyager was loaded with Type 6photon torpedoes in2371. The ship also had class-9 and at least four class-10 photon torpedoes and twotricobalt devices in her torpedo arsenal. (VOY: "Caretaker", "Resolutions", "Scorpion, Part II", "In the Flesh", "Bliss")

In addition, the ship also carriedspatial charges, which could also be used as subspatial charges to causesubspace disturbance. There were alsophoton charges andphoton bursts. The ship also hadgravimetric charges, which could be installed into photon torpedoes, turning them into extremely destructivegravimetric torpedoes.Cardassianquantum torpedoes were also compatible withIntrepid-class launchers, with some modification. (VOY: "Relativity", "Think Tank", "Elogium", "The Omega Directive",et al.)

Deflector shields[]

There were a total of fourteen external shield grids on anIntrepid-class starship. (VOY: "Equinox, Part II")

The shields ofIntrepid-class vessels were superior to earlier designs. They includedmultiphasic andmulti-spectrum shielding. (VOY: "Flashback", "The Omega Directive", "Live Fast and Prosper") The shields allowed the ship to survive near a binary pulsar for a few minutes and even a planetary explosion at short range. (VOY: "Scientific Method", "Think Tank")

Tractor beam[]

EachIntrepid-classtractor beam emitter was directly mounted to the primary members of the vessel's framework. The forward emitter was located on the underside of the secondary hull under the maindeflector dish. The second emitter was located at the aft end of the secondary hull in the aft section of Deck 14. (VOY: "Parallax", "Message in a Bottle")

Crew support systems[]

Medical facilities[]

There was one largesickbay facility located on deck 5, equipped with an intensive-care unit (ICU), bio-hazard support, critical care, amorgue, thechief medical officer's office, a load-out of three standardbiobeds and one surgical bed in the main ward, and a small medical laboratory. It is the same design as seen inSovereign-class starships. (Star Trek: First Contact) The standard medical staff consisted of a doctor and anurse, supplemented by theEmergency Medical Hologram, theIntrepid-class being one of the first to be equipped with this medical technology. (VOY: "Tuvix")

Three biobeds lined the walls of sickbay's ICU; these were for patients receiving medical care and were equipped withbiofunction monitors. Located in the corner of the main ward was a surgical bed, where major surgeries were performed and critical patients were treated. A large, sophisticated sensor cluster was installed in the ceiling directly above this bed. Working with amedical tricorder, the sensor suite could give detailed information about a patient's condition. The bed was also designed to use a surgical support frame. The small area that the surgical bed was located in could be isolated by aforce field. If necessary, surgery could be conducted in the intensive care ward if there was an overflow of patients or if another patient was present to donateblood. (VOY: "Phage", "Latent Image")

Located in the center of the sickbay facility was the chief medical officer's office. Here, the CMO was provided with an area to work in privacy or conduct meetings with patients, staff, and others. Its proximity allowed the CMO to be present in sickbay almost immediately. Located behind this office was a small medical laboratory facility. The medical staff or other associated personnel could monitor experiments or run tests here during their duty shifts. Just off the medical lab was located a tiny area for storage of the deceased. (VOY: "Macrocosm", "Basics, Part II")

Recreational facilities[]

There were twoholodecks aboard the ship. Located on Deck 6, these holodecks were proprietaryFederation technology, being able to impersonate matter even at the molecular level. (VOY: "Phage", "Flesh and Blood") They operated on separateholodeck reactors whoseenergy matrix were incompatible with the ship's primary power systems; even when a ship was low on power, the holodecks could function on a separate power source. (VOY: "Parallax", "Night") Though by2376,Voyager was able to draw power from holodecks in an emergency along with other secondary power sources. (VOY: "Fair Haven")

On theIntrepid-class vessels, themess hall was on Deck 2, Section 13. Some ships were equipped with four foodreplicators, with a privatecaptain's dining room just behind the mess hall. This dining room could be reconfigured to serve as akitchen, as done byNeelix aboardVoyager. TheUSSBellerophon's mess hall was also fitted in this manner. (VOY: "Phage";DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges")

The mess hall was typically host to many social gatherings, including diplomatic affairs, birthday parties, memorial services, weddings, and holiday celebrations. The mess hall could also serve as a makeshift sickbay whenever that facility was disabled or otherwise overwhelmed. (VOY: "Coda", "Someone to Watch Over Me", "Latent Image", "Macrocosm", "Homestead", "Before and After", "Year of Hell", "Course: Oblivion", "Memorial")

A crew's lounge was located in the far aft section of the vessel's secondary hull, providing a view of space aft of theIntrepid-class starship. (VOY: "Endgame", etc.)

TheIntrepid-class also had agymnasium. (VOY: "Eye of the Needle")

Crew accommodations[]

All crew and officers' quarters (except the captain's quarters on Deck 3) were located on Decks 2, 4, 8, 9, and 13, with special variable environment quarters on Deck 11 for crew with special comforts. Although theIntrepid-class was highly advanced, the quarters in general were smaller than those of other vessel classes because of its smaller dimensions. (VOY: "The Q and the Grey", "Q2")

There were several types ofcrew quarters aboard:

• Standard crew quarters: These small quarters units were located within the primary hull and lack windows. They included a living area, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Primarily intended as shared accommodations forcrewmen, the standard quarters were also assigned as private quarters to junior officers (lieutenant junior grade and below); for example, Ensign Kim had his own quarters. The living area contained a replicator terminal and was customizable with a variety of furniture and decorations. (VOY: "Good Shepherd")

• Officers' quarters: These quarters lined the edge of the saucer section and contained a living area, a bedroom, and a bathroom area. They were generally reserved for those of rankinglieutenant or higher. Members of the senior staff were typically assigned quarters featuring a pair of larger, wider windows. (VOY: "Meld", "Juggernaut", "Live Fast and Prosper")

• Captain's quarters: The captain's quarters, located on Deck 3, were similar to the officers' quarters but were slightly larger. The captain had a large desk area and work terminal. His or her quarters featured five windows (below the navigation lamp), which offered an excellent view of space in front of the vessel; the captain's quarters were positioned below themess hall. (Star Trek: Voyager)

Scientific capabilities[]

TheIntrepid-class starship housed multiplescientific research labs, which includedbiology,medical,stellar cartography, andholographic research. (VOY: "Day of Honor", "Parallax", "Revulsion", "Fair Haven")

Transport and cargo[]

Transporter rooms[]

TheIntrepid-class featured threetransporter facilities that were located on Deck 4. In case of emergencies, injured personnel could be directly transported tosickbay from anywhere in transporter range, including inside the ship. (VOY: "Shattered")

Like many Federation starships, theIntrepid-class' transporters had six standard pads located in front of a control console. Here the transporter controls were located in an elevated booth, and two officers could operate them in conjunction with a wall panel for more complicated transports. Like most systems aboard theIntrepid-class, the transporters utilized bio-neural gel packs in their processor systems. (VOY: "Shattered", "Counterpoint")

Cargo bays[]

Cargo Bay 2 was designed for organic storage, with adjustableenvironmental controls. (VOY: "Parallax")

Auxiliary spacecraft systems[]

Located on Deck 10, in the aft dorsal portion of the secondary hull,Shuttlebay 1 was the primary port for entrance and egress for auxiliary craft andshuttles. Shuttlebay 1 was a large L-shaped room. (VOY: "Alice", "Q2") It had anarresting field to assist in slowing down incoming craft. (VOY: "Barge of the Dead")

Behind the main shuttlebay was an even largerhangar, known as Shuttlebay 2, where the construction, repair and maintenance of auxiliary craft was performed. Shuttlebay 2 could also be depressurized, and spacecraft could be launched from there. (VOY: "Threshold", "Extreme Risk", "In the Flesh")

TheIntrepid-class starship was typically equipped with the following types of shuttlecraft: theClass 2 shuttle, theType 6 shuttlecraft, and theType 8 shuttlecraft. As well, it was also equipped with arunabout-sizeaeroshuttle, which was integrated into the underside of the ship when it was docked to the hull. (VOY: "Extreme Risk",et al.;ENT: "Future Tense")

AClass 2 shuttle leaving the Shuttlebay 1

Interior view during landing procedures

Interior view of the shuttlebay,Delta Flyer departing

TheDelta Flyer under construction in the hangar

The aeroshuttle docked

Ships in class[]

Named

Parallel universe

Replica

Uncertain

Unnamed

• Unnamed Intrepid class starships

Appendices[]

Appearances[]

Background information[]

Some of the information in this article is adapted fromRick Sternbach's guide to the development of the class fromStar Trek: The Magazine Volume 3, Issue 1, under theStarfleet Technical Database banner.

WhenRick Berman was faced with the task of deciding the name of this ship class,Michael Okuda sent Berman a memo featuring a list of approximately a dozen suggestions. Berman initially chose the name "Mercury", but subsequently changed his mind, selecting "Intrepid" instead. (A Vision of the Future - Star Trek: Voyager, p. 256)

Ronald D. Moore stated that he believedVoyager had adetachable saucer section. (AOL chat,1997)

TheStar Trek Encyclopedia, 4th ed., vol. 2, pp. 374 & 449 identified theUSSIntrepid andUSSValiant asIntrepid-class, though they were never seen on screen.

Development[]

The process of developing theIntrepid-class began in mid-1993, during secretive development meetings that served as the starting point forStar Trek: Voyager. With the meetings having begun in July of that year, Executive ProducerJeri Taylor, on3 August1993, noted in a summary of the discussions thus far, "The ship is a sleek, nifty, new-generation vessel, with some improvements, though smaller than theEnterprise." (A Vision of the Future - Star Trek: Voyager, p. 175)

Rick Sternbach andMichael Okuda were brought into the development proceedings in early September 1993 and, in late September, Sternbach started sending memos to Executive ProducerRick Berman, concerning the ship class. (A Vision of the Future - Star Trek: Voyager, pp. 198 & 208) One of these memos, dated25 September, was a four-page document in which Sternbach commented on the class' size, saying that a ship half the size of theEnterprise-D would still be "an impressive vessel" and that – if it was instead about three quarters of theEnterprise's size – it would still be in good company, being roughly the same size as theVor'cha-class orAmbassador-class ships. Sternbach also updated Berman by saying he was about to begin sketching "some rough doodles" for the class' physical configuration. Somewhat concerned about how to differentiate the class from past vessels while simultaneously keeping a sense of lineage, Okuda wrote a memo to Berman,two days later, expressing this concern. (A Vision of the Future - Star Trek: Voyager, p. 207)

In the first draftscript ofVOY: "Caretaker" (dated8 June1994), theIntrepid-class was referred to as "a sleek bullet of a ship, built for action, capable of holding a crew complement of one hundred and twenty-five." This was different in the final draft of the teleplay (dated1 September1994), which had a scene description that still referred to theIntrepid-class as "a sleek bullet of a ship, built for action." The crew complement, however, was now said, in dialogue, to be 141.

Warp drive capabilities[]

According toStar Trek: Starship Spotter and theStar Trek: Voyager Technical Manual, warp factor 6 is the actual cruising speed for theIntrepid-class. "Dragon's Teeth" would support this, as the episode begins withVoyager cruising at warp 6, as does "Pathfinder", in which the average speed of warp 6.2 was estimated as the speedVoyager was traveling towards theAlpha Quadrant. According to the text of theTechnical Manual, warp 9.2 is supposed to be the maximum sustainable speed, while warp 9.6 is the rated top speed and warp 9.9 is a speed that can be sustained for only a few minutes. In a speed chart, theManual contradicts itself by giving instead warp 9.975 as the top-rated speed, which could be maintained for 12 hours. According to the chart, the 9.975 speed corresponds to a velocity of 3,056 times thespeed of light. This would be much slower than what warp 9.9 was canonically established to be in "The 37's", well over twenty-one thousand times the speed of light.

Canonically, in "Caretaker", "Relativity", and "Barge of the Dead",Voyager is specifically stated having the maximumcruising speed of warp 9.975. In the episode "Threshold", when accelerating to and attempting to match warp 9.97, the computer warned of imminent structural collapse. In the episode "The Swarm", it is only possible to maintain warp 9.75 for twelve hours. It is also stated in the episode byChakotay thatVoyager is not able to sustain its maximum warp at that time. The maximum warp is however used in several episodes before and after "The Swarm" for extended periods. Finally, the maximum warp is given a canonical speed estimate in two episodes. In "Friendship One", the ship is capable of crossing 132 light years in one month at maximum warp. This turns out to be only about 1,554 - 1,721 times the speed of light. In "Scorpion, Part II", the ship is capable of crossing 40 light years in 5 days at maximum warp. This in turn is 2,922 times the speed of light. The later estimate is closer to the 3,056 times the speed of light mentioned in theManual.

The reasons forVoyager's lack of ability to maintain optimal warp speeds are given in theStar Trek: Voyager Technical Manual. There were very limited refueling and overhaul assets available during the journey, and the crew had to allow the engines down time for cooling. Furthermore, according to theManual, the 75-year travel time figure established in "Caretaker" was never meant to be a realistic estimate. It was based on the assumption thatVoyager would maintain warp 9.6 or warp 9.99 and travel uninterruptedly directly toEarth. A more realistic figure of two to four hundred years to cross the Delta Quadrant and into theBeta Quadrant was the more realistic predicament at the beginning of the series.

Studio models[]

SeeIntrepid class model.

Designing the bridge[]

After six years as production designer onThe Next Generation,Richard James was no stranger to the legacy ofStar Trek and the production requirements of episodic television. When given the assignment to create a new starship from the inside out, he had to start up from scratch. Nothing had yet been established, and thus for his first meeting withStar Trek: Voyager's creators and producers, James decided to push the boundaries of everything that had gone before. (The Art of Star Trek)

The script forVOY: "Caretaker" described theIntrepid-class bridge as "the most advanced, impressive Bridge facility in the history ofStar Trek."

Early concept sketches show bridge designs without the large viewscreen in the front of the bridge and command functions decentralized, obviously breaking the traditional bridge mold. However, by exhaustively re-examining the dramatic requirements and technological underpinnings of theStar Trek bridge without preconceptions, Richard James rediscovered the strengths of the basic template laid out by Matt Jefferies almost thirty years earlier. With the broad strokes of the bridge's layout firmly embedded inStar Trek's past, James and his team went on to bring a new interpretation to the bridge. (The Art of Star Trek)

TheIntrepid-class bridge included eleven monitors, all of which were fed composite video from the bridge's video control unit. This consisted of a wheeled cart with five 3/4-inch video decks and a couple of computers. Usage of the computers was only occasional and varied between either a single computer or both of them. (Star Trek: Communicator issue 144, pp. 29 & 30)

Apocrypha[]

TheIntrepid-class starship was featured inActivision'sStar Trek: Armada II andStar Trek: Starfleet Command III, while the USSVoyager appeared inStar Trek: Voyager - Elite Force andStar Trek: Elite Force II.

InBethesda Softworks'Star Trek: Legacy, theIntrepid-class is a playable ship, with the USSVoyager as one of the possible names of this class of ship.Star Trek Online also features it as a playable ship for players ranked Captain or above, wherein it is referred to as a long-range science vessel.Star Trek Online also features, in addition to the standardIntrepid-class, three additional variants are available: TheBellerohon-class (β), with aphotonic shockwave torpedo, for players ranked Captain and above; anIntrepid retrofit withablative generators, for players ranked Vice Admiral and above; and thePathfinder-class (β), a modernized successor to theIntrepid with a launchableaeroshuttle, also for players ranked Vice Admiral and above.

Sources[]

• The Art of Star Trek,Judith andGarfield Reeves-Stevens, Pocket Books, 1997.
• "Designing the U.S.S.Voyager",Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 19 (November 2000) andStar Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 3 (July 2001).

External links[]

• Intrepid class atMemory Beta, the wiki for licensedStar Trek works
• Discovery class atMemory Beta, the wiki for licensedStar Trek works
• Pathfinder class atMemory Beta, the wiki for licensedStar Trek works