The Ceres class was a experimental explorer ship class that, alongside the Poseidon-class, was proposed for development by the Federation Starfleet in its early years.
History
Starfleet Chiefs of Staff Jonathan Archer and Alexis Osman had been working with Commodore W.M. Jefferies on adding new starship classes to the fleet as part of their fleet modernization program. The Ceres-class was one of these designs.
The first prototype of the Ceres class was put into service around January of 2164, and performed well in trials. Its advances were planned to be incorporated into future Starfleet vessels, even if the Ceres-class itself never made it into mass production.
Several high ranking personnel in Starfleet were opposed to developing the class, feeling that it would be redundant, even against Admiral Archer's insistence. By 2165, there were construction proposals for both the Ceres and Poseidon classes stretching well into the 2170s decade. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Live by the Code)
By early 2166, two additional Ceres-class vessels were under contruction, the USS Vesta and the USS Pallas. The Vesta suffured several contruction delays, but it was expected to leave drydock some time after March, 2166. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Patterns of Interference)
Design
The Ceres class was the hybrid of the Daedalus-class and NX-class starships, resembling a flattened version of the Daedalus-class, with innovations from Vulcan, Andorian and Tellarite technology. Its purpose was to eventually replace the Daedalus class. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novels: Live by the Code, Patterns of Interference)
Known vessels
Ceres-class starships | ||
---|---|---|
USS Ceres • USS Pallas • USS Vesta |
Appendices
Connections
Appearances
- ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Live by the Code (mentioned only)
- ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Patterns of Interference