U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E
The Sovereign-class U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E is one of the most advanced ships in Starfleet. It was constructed at the San Francisco Fleet Yards and commissioned in 2372, under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. It is the sixth Starship Enterprise and, at 685 meters long, is the longest vessel ever to bear the famous name. The Enterprise has substantially the same bridge crew as its immediate predecessor, although Commander Worf has accepted a transfer to Deep Space Nine.
The Enterprise has a far sleeker design than its predecessors, with an oval saucer section that sits directly on top of the engineering hull. The warp nacelles are swept back from the body of the ship, as they were on the Constitution-class U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-A. The warp engines have an advanced design that avoids the damage to the fabric of space caused by previous models, and as a consequence the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E can safely travel at high warp speeds. Its advanced design makes it one of the fastest ships in the fleet. On the bridge, the captain's chair is once again isolated, but more of the stations face in toward the middle of the room. The conn and ops stations are still in their familiar locations between the captain and the main viewscreen; from the captain's point of view, conn is on the right and ops is on the left. The viewscreen is no longer permanently active. The bridge is served by two turbolifts which allow access to the rest of the ship. If necessary, the crew can also leave the bridge through Jefferies tubes and, in emergencies, can make use of the escape pods that are located around the room.
Just off the bridge are the captain's ready room and an observation lounge. The ready room's position means the captain can stay close to the bridge if required, and provides a location for private discussions. It is more than an office; it is equipped with a bad and bathroom, so that Captain Picard can sleep there if necessary. The observation lounge is a semicircular room that runs around the back of the bridge. It is normally used as a briefing room, and the large table in the center of the room can accommodate all the senior staff. The room also serves as a small, informal museum; along one wall is a large case filled with models of previous ships named Enterprise, and memorabilia of past missions.
The Enterprise has 24 decks, with all the facilities one would expect to find on a vessel designed for deep space exploration, including transporters, Stellar Cartography, hydroponics bays, and holodecks. Main Engineering on Deck 16 is larger than on previous Enterprises, and is on three levels. As in most recent Starfleet vessels, the warp core is vertical. Thick cylinders on each side of the warp core contain plasma coolant.
The Enterprise has the same design of sickbay that is found on Intrepid-class ships such as the U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656. The entire room is fitted with holographic emitters and has an independent computer system that can project the sophisticated Emergency Medical Hologram, a holographic doctor that is designed to supplement the ship's medical personnel if they are killed or injured. The Enterprise's computers use a combination of traditional isolinear circuitry and bio-neural gel packs that can perform complex calculations at incredibly high speeds. The two systems are linked, but independent, with gel packs performing most of the calculations needed for accurate navigation. Although the Enterprise's mission is primarily one of peace and exploration, the ship is armed with the latest Starfleet weaponry. It has several phaser banks, and carries a complement of powerful quantum torpedoes. The primary phaser arrays are located on the top and underside of the saucer section. The forward torpedo launcher is mounted on the underside of the saucer where it meets the engineering hull.
Shuttlecraft
The model of shuttlecraft used on the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E is 2375 has warp and impulse engines, and is designed to enter a planet's atmosphere. Like the Type-9 shuttlecraft, which is carried on Intrepid-class starships, it has an aerodynamic design. The Enterprise shuttle is 16 meters long, making it one of the largest shuttles in use in Starfleet. The cockpit is larger than on earlier models, such as the Type-6 shuttlecraft; there is seating for two officers, and, as is standard, a transporter is located at the back of the cabin.
The shuttle is much more heavily armed than earlier designs, with fore and aft torpedo launchers and phaser strips. It can also fire a tachyon burst, which can interfere with an enemy vessel's shields. The shuttle is designed to dock with other vessels; there is a docking hatch on the underside, and a magnetic clamp assembly on the topside. Under normal circumstances, the magnaclamps are concealed behind two hatches which slide back when the docking procedure is activated. The magnaclamps and an umbilical tube then extend until they make contact with the other vessel. In order to dock, the shuttle has to be within a few feet of the target vessel.
When the shuttle and another ship are linked, the shuttle can extend its inertial dampening field to maintain the two ships' structural integrity; if necessary, emergency power can be rerouted to the inertial dampeners to reinforce the link.
Captain's Yacht
The U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E captain's yacht, the Cousteau, is a large auxiliary vehicle that is normally docked on the underside of the saucer section, in a direct line beneath the bridge and immediately below the saucer section quantum torpedo launcher. The yacht is 33.53 meters long, and is considerably larger than a shuttle or even a Danube-class runabout. When it is docked, crew members can easily walk on or off the yacht from the Enterprise's corridors.
The Cousteau was designed as a multipurpose vehicle, but is principally used for diplomatic missions or for the captain's personal use. The yacht can accommodate large parties, but if necessary it can be piloted by one man. When the yacht is in its docked configuration, the warp nacelles are in a raised position so that they fit into recesses in the saucer section, above the main body of the yacht. During the launch procedure, the yacht's nacelles are lowered to a position level with the cockpit windows. Once the yacht has been launched, it is a completely independent craft, equipped with transporters and warp and impulse engines, with the capacity to enter a planet's atmosphere.
After the yacht has departed the Enterprise's structural integrity and inertial dampening fields are modified to compensate for its absence so the ship's performance is not affected.