Sovereign class starship
Encyclopedia
The Sovereign class is a class of Starfleet
starship
in the fictional Star Trek
science fiction franchise. The Sovereign-class USS Enterprise-E
was designed by Herman Zimmerman and illustrator John Eaves
for Star Trek: First Contact
. As of 2373, the Enterprise-E is the most advanced Starfleet ship to have been built, and is the Federation
flagship
as late as 2379.
The Sovereign-class Enterprise has an elliptical
saucer section attached to the central mass with two symmetrical nacelles running parallel to the main hull. The bridge, impulse engines, main shuttlebay, lifeboat
s, and phaser arrays are on the dorsal surface of the saucer section while additional phaser arrays, lifeboats, torpedo launchers, and the captain's yacht occupy the ventral side. The engineering section features the main navigational deflector, two large warp
nacelle
s, the warp reactor, and torpedo launchers. The ship is armed with both photon torpedoes and quantum torpedoes.
Dialogue and computer displays are inconsistent as to the number of decks on the Sovereign-class Enterprise, ranging from 24 to 26 to 29.
spin-off novels, which are not considered canonical to the franchise. Ships introduced in canon sources include:
USS Enterprise
(NCC-1701-E) : The Federation Flagship, commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard
, the Enterprise was launched in 2372 from the San Francisco Yards. The next year, the Enterprise fights in the Battle of Sector 001 before being transported back to 2063 where the Borg
partially assimilate it during their attempt to prevent first contact
between humans and Vulcan
s. In 2375, the Enterprise crew prevents the forced relocation of the Ba'ku people from their planet in the Briar Patch. In 2379, the ship travels to Romulus to meet with Praetor Shinzon. The Enterprise is severely damaged while fighting Shinzon's Scimitar, and shortly thereafter undergoes major repairs in orbit over Earth.
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
in the fictional Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
science fiction franchise. The Sovereign-class USS Enterprise-E
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)
The USS Enterprise is a Sovereign-class starship in the Star Trek franchise. It serves as the primary setting of the films Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
was designed by Herman Zimmerman and illustrator John Eaves
John Eaves
John Eaves is a designer and illustrator best known for his work on the Star Trek franchise. He served as a production artist on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Enterprise and was involved in all four Next Generation movies, specifically being responsible for the design of the...
for Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s...
. As of 2373, the Enterprise-E is the most advanced Starfleet ship to have been built, and is the Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
as late as 2379.
The Sovereign-class Enterprise has an elliptical
Ellipse
In geometry, an ellipse is a plane curve that results from the intersection of a cone by a plane in a way that produces a closed curve. Circles are special cases of ellipses, obtained when the cutting plane is orthogonal to the cone's axis...
saucer section attached to the central mass with two symmetrical nacelles running parallel to the main hull. The bridge, impulse engines, main shuttlebay, lifeboat
Lifeboat (shipboard)
A lifeboat is a small, rigid or inflatable watercraft carried for emergency evacuation in the event of a disaster aboard ship. In the military, a lifeboat may be referred to as a whaleboat, dinghy, or gig. The ship's tenders of cruise ships often double as lifeboats. Recreational sailors sometimes...
s, and phaser arrays are on the dorsal surface of the saucer section while additional phaser arrays, lifeboats, torpedo launchers, and the captain's yacht occupy the ventral side. The engineering section features the main navigational deflector, two large warp
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
nacelle
Nacelle
The nacelle is a cover housing that holds engines, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. In some cases—for instance in the typical "Farman" type "pusher" aircraft, or the World War II-era P-38 Lightning—an aircraft's cockpit may also be housed in a nacelle, which essentially fills the...
s, the warp reactor, and torpedo launchers. The ship is armed with both photon torpedoes and quantum torpedoes.
Dialogue and computer displays are inconsistent as to the number of decks on the Sovereign-class Enterprise, ranging from 24 to 26 to 29.
Known Sovereign-class starships
The exact number of Sovereign-class ships constructed is not known. Tabulation is complicated by the fact that, while many have been mentioned, most of them appear in the Pocket BooksPocket Books
Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.- History :Pocket produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in America in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing industry...
spin-off novels, which are not considered canonical to the franchise. Ships introduced in canon sources include:
USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)
The USS Enterprise is a Sovereign-class starship in the Star Trek franchise. It serves as the primary setting of the films Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
(NCC-1701-E) : The Federation Flagship, commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Jean-Luc Picard
Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
, the Enterprise was launched in 2372 from the San Francisco Yards. The next year, the Enterprise fights in the Battle of Sector 001 before being transported back to 2063 where the Borg
Borg (Star Trek)
The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe associated with Star Trek.Whereas cybernetics are used by other races in the science fiction world to repair bodily damage and birth defects, the Borg use enforced cybernetic enhancement as a means of...
partially assimilate it during their attempt to prevent first contact
First contact (science fiction)
First contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient race's first encounter with another one....
between humans and Vulcan
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
s. In 2375, the Enterprise crew prevents the forced relocation of the Ba'ku people from their planet in the Briar Patch. In 2379, the ship travels to Romulus to meet with Praetor Shinzon. The Enterprise is severely damaged while fighting Shinzon's Scimitar, and shortly thereafter undergoes major repairs in orbit over Earth.