Neptune Type (2376)

History

As soon as the construction of the USS Galaxy had just begun, the Advanced Starship Design Bureau made the first plans for the Galaxy successor, a ship type with 10% less internal volume, a hybrid angular-curvilinear hull shape and variable warp field geometry. The preliminary name USS Nova for the prototype was changed to USS Neptune some time later, since a Nova class was already in existence. When the USS Galaxy was finally commissioned, it seemed to be clear that the Neptune class would be its successor. However, due to the Borg incidents and the Dominion War the schedule for the demanding project was deferred by almost ten years. During that time the efforts of the fleet yards focused on simpler, but heavily armed ships. After the foldable warp nacelles had been successfully tested in the Intrepid class, the prototype USS Neptune was finally built. This starship, however, is a virtually completely new development compared to the original plans dating back almost 25 years. After extensive testing it will be decided if the Neptune class will be introduced. The Sovereign class is probably a strong competitor.