Star Trek Expanded Universe
Advertisement

The Columbia-class explorers were a class of Federation starship extant during at least the mid-22nd century.

The first two of this class were retrofit UESPA NX-class explorers, Enterprise (in 2156) and Endeavour. The retrofit involved the addition of a secondary hull. Warp-drive engineering was moved to this hull from the now-primary hull. An improved warp core allowed for an increase in speed to warp factor six. As well, a larger navigational deflector was installed at the bow of the secondary hull. (ENT novel: A Choice of Futures)

After the Earth-Romulan War and the founding of the Federation, eight more Columbia ships -- USS Buran, USS Shenlong, USS Apollo, USS Soyuz, USS Ares, USS Charybdis, USS Phoenix, and USS Valiant -- were authorized and constructed during the years 2165 through 2167. (ENT novel: Live by the Code)

Live by the Code didn't specify the registries given to each of the eight new-build vessels, though the author Christopher L. Bennett did for at least Buran and Shenlong in his annotations for the novel.

The class was named after the NX-class Columbia, which was mysteriously lost with all hands in 2156. Its fate was a mystery until the ship was discovered in the Gamma Quadrant in 2373. (Star Trek: Destiny novels)

Alternate continuities[]

Starfleet International[]

The USS Balthasar was one of the Columbias built.

Star Trek: The Romulan Wars[]

In this continuity, Avenger was commanded by Captain Cabot during the Earth-Romulan War. As well, it had a secondary hull, indicating it had been upgraded to Columbia-class specifications. (Arius)

How Movies Saved My Life (and My Sanity)[]

During the Federation-Klingon War of 2409, Starfleet Command brought many old ship classes (such as the Columbia-class) out of mothballs and updated them to the technological standards of 2409 in order to bolster the Fleet. One such ship, the USS Moonlight SY-3, was placed under the command of Fleet Admiral Sofia Larson.

Under Larson's command, the Moonlight SY-3 participated in many notable missions, such as the discovery and reactivation of the long-lost Fleet Station K-13 and the earliest battles of the Klingon Civil War of 2411. For safety reasons (due to a bounty being placed on her and her crew by deranged Klingon Chancellor J'mpok following the destruction of the diplomatic enclave at Khitomer), the Moonlight SY-3 was placed into drydock by Fleet Admiral Larson and subsequent battles of the war were fought with other ships, such as the prototype USS Terunofuji.

External links[]

Advertisement