Sovereign class

The Sovereign-class starship was one of the most advanced Federation Starfleet designs of the late 24th century. The USS Enterprise-E was one of the premier ships of this class. 

Control of the Sovereign class was one of the decisive factors in the Federation Civil War of 2372-2374. When Admiral James Leyton seized control of Earth and Sector 001, he used the USS Sovereign (prototype) as his flagship, granting him an early edge in the conflict.

Leyton also pushed Utopia Planitia and San Francisco Fleet Yards to complete the next Sovereign-class vessels, and ordered several more hulls laid down.

As the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) neared completion, a commando team led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Commander Elias Vaughn went past Leyton's blockade and stole the ship from San Francisco Fleet Yards. The other vessels under construction at Utopia Planitia were not yet spaceworthy; they were sabotaged by Captain Montgomery Scott, setting Leyton's production schedule back by at least a few months. (: "Patriot's Insurrection")

Background
Blueprints for the class are planned by Strategic Design but no release date has been scheduled as of January 2008.

Ships commissioned

 * Strategic Design

Reference

 * Nunn, Mo. "The Sovereign Class Heavy Cruiser: The Replacement for the Galaxy Class?" Dockyard Review 4:6 (October 2372)