Prometheus class starship

In the Star Trek fictional universe, the Prometheus class starship is an experimental make of attack vessel used by Starfleet.

Thus far, the only known ship of this type is the USS Prometheus (NX-74913), which appeared in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager entitled "Message in a Bottle". Another of this class was seen in Voyager's finale, but the ships' name has not been determined.

In standard configuration, a ship of this class is composed of an arrowhead-shaped primary hull attached directly to a short, small secondary hull supporting four warp nacelles on short pylons in an 'X' configuration. In battle, this ship may divide into three ships — the saucer, the upper engineering hull, and the lower engineering hull — to allow for multiple independently moving weapons platforms, an expansion on the Galaxy class' concept of saucer separation. The saucer has two small warp nacelles that are stored in recesses while joined and extend once the saucer has separated.

This class also has enhanced defences including ablative armor and regenerative deflector shields.

The class makes much greater use of holographic systems than earlier vessels. The entire ship is fitted with holographic projectors, allowing the ship's Emergency Medical Hologram to move outside sickbay, enabling him to treat injuries sustained during battle as quickly as possible.

The Prometheus class is a test bed of technologies being researches by Starfleet. Because of this, it has some features and capabilities which have proven useful, and some that have not. One of the most obvious of these experimental features is the Multi Vector Attack Mode (MVAM).

In reality, the Prometheus class was designed by Star Trek: Voyager senior illustrator Rick Sternbach and rendered as a computer generated image by Foundation Imaging. The interiors were designed by series production designer Richard James, using redressed portions of the re-created USS Excelsior (NCC-2000) bridge that James made for "Flashback" as well as the Voyager sickbay, in addition to new sets.

Note that two registries have been seen for the Prometheus: NX-59650 and NX-74913. The NX-59650 registry can be clearly seen on the hull and the NX-74913 comes from the dedication plaque and master situation display. Most agree that the higher number 74913 is more likely as the Prometheus is a very new starship. 59650 is possibly a mistake made by the CGI modelers. 74913 was used for the purposes of this article.

Known Prometheus class vessels

• USS Prometheus (NX-74913)
  • Named for the titan in Greek mythology who gave fire to humanity (see: Prometheus), the Prometheus was launched from the Antares Fleet Yards in 2374 on stardate 50749.5. The ship was classified, made in total secret, with only four people in all of Starfleet trained in the operation of her bridge. While on one of its first test flights the Prometheus was hijacked by Romulans who killed her crew. While escaping Federation space the Prometheus was intercepted by a group comprising a Nebula class, an Akira class, and two Defiant class vessels. Control of the ship was regained by its EMH and the EMH from the USS Voyager (NCC-74656).

Specifications (not confirmed on screen)

These specifications are from Star Trek Technical Manuals and other licensed but non-canon sources. Weapons counts have been determined by observing on-screen footage as well as examining pictures of official models. The canonicity of this method is in dispute, but the sources for weapons counts are canon.

• Production facility: Antares Fleet Yards, Antares IV
• Type: Battleship
• Dimensions: Unknown
• Displacement: Unknown
• Accommodation: Unknown
• Propulsion:
  • One or more nuclear fusion impulse engines
  • Six warp engines (1st section: two, within spaceframe; 2nd and 3rd: two each, all external)
• Performance: Warp 9.9 cruise; maximum speed unknown
• Weaponry:
  • Standard configuration:
    • 12 type-ten or better phaser arrays
    • 2 torpedo launchers
  • MVAM configuration:
    • Upper section
      • 6 type-ten or better phaser arrays
      • 1 torpedo launcher
    • Middle section
      • 4 type-ten or better phaser arrays
      • 1 torpedo launcher
    • Bottom section
      • 8 type-ten or better phaser arrays
      • 1 torpedo launcher
  • Totals:
    • 18 type-ten or better phaser arrays
    • 3 torpedo launchers
• Defenses:
  • Ablative armor
  • Regenerative deflector shields
• Auxiliary vessels: Unknown; lifeboats and shuttlecraft are likely