USS Voyager (Star Trek)

The USS Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid class starship

The USS Voyager (NCC-74656) is an Intrepid class starship in the Star Trek fictional universe, and was the primary setting of the television series Star Trek: Voyager. The Voyager was launched on stardate 48038.5, in 2371, and is owned and used by Starfleet, the defensive and exploratory arm of the United Federation of Planets. Shortly afterward, the starship Voyager departed Deep Space Nine to conduct counter-terrorist operations in a dangerous territory known as "the Badlands".

Brief history

Voyager is a small but highly advanced Federation vessel with a crew complement of 141, commissioned under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway. On stardate 48307.5, Voyager was pulled into the Delta Quadrant of the galaxy by an alien entity known as the Caretaker while searching for a missing Maquis ship. Voyager's first officer, chief medical officer, chief engineer and pilot, among others, were killed during this encounter, and the Voyager was left heavily damaged.

After combining forces with the Maquis, who had also been pulled into the Delta Quadrant, and battling an alien race called the Kazon in order to protect the Ocampans, Voyager began a long, slow journey back to Federation space. However, even traveling at maximum speed, it would take 75 years to return home.

The surviving Maquis) were integrated into the Voyager crew. Relations proved uncomfortable at first, but with their lives on the line, the two crews rapidly learned to work together.

Voyager did not have a counsellor assigned to it due to the short term nature of its original mission. In later years the emergency holographic doctor would perform counselling services for the crew.

One of Starfleet's newest designs, the Intrepid Class starship is small in comparison with the Galaxy class vessels such as the Enterprise-D. Boasting two full holodecks, good maneuverability, high speed, and comprehensive array of weapons and defensive systems, the Intrepid Class starships fulfil the role of a long range scout and explorer ship. There is limited room for family quarters.

The USS Intrepid, first of the class, was used as a testbed for the remainder, USS Voyager herself was lost near the Badlands on stardate 48307.5. The class in general was the most advanced in the fleet, featuring much improved computer systems that included bio-neural circuitry rather than the traditional optical processors. The variable geometry warp nacelles theoretically improving maneuverability whilst still offering optimal warp field creation.

Seven years after being pulled into the Badlands, USS Voyager returned home via a Borg transwarp conduit. She was escorted back to Earth by a number of Starfleet vessels. Soon afterwards, Captain Janeway received a promotion to the rank of Admiral. Janeway was seen in the movie Nemesis . So far, none of the other crew or attached persons have been seen on any other series or movies.

Recently, a non-canon series of books have been introduced that explore the Voyager story after the end of the series. In these books, Chakotay was promoted to Captain and assigned command of the Voyager. Harry Kim was promoted to Lieutenant and continued to serve on board the ship as well.

New technologies

Voyager, along with its other Intrepid class counterparts, introduced a number of new technologies to Federation starships. Perhaps the most notable feature was an LCARS computer system augmented with bio-neural gel packs. The new gel packs were designed to increase processing speed and better organize processed information, and are used to supplement or replace older isolinear optical chips in many of the ship's systems.

Another innovation introduced with Voyager was the Emergency Medical Hologram. The EMH was a holographic doctor designed as a short-term supplement for the regular sickbay staff. It is programmed with a library of over 5 million different medical treatments from 2,000 medical references and 47 physicians. The EMH form is generated by a series of holographic emitters installed in sickbay. Along with generating the holographic body, the emitters also surround the doctor's holographic image with a magnetic containment field, thus allowing it to interact with objects and patients. The EMH cannot be used in areas that do not have holographic projectors, however the EMH on Voyager is later installed with a Mobile Emmiter, a piece of 29th century technology, that allows the EMH to move about freely.

The warp drive was also improved with the introduction of Voyager. Conventional warp drive has a long-term deleterious effect on the fabric of space, gradually damaging it in a cumulative fashion until eventually a subspace rupture forms. When this effect was discovered by the USS Enterprise-D, the Federation enacted a warp 5 "speed limit" to slow the damage caused by warp drive. Voyager introduced a new variable geometry nacelle warp drive that eliminates the possibility of damage, thus allowing it to travel faster than the warp 5 limit.

Voyager's maximum speed is Warp 9.9975, but this speed cannot be sustained for long periods without damaging the ship.

During their years in the Delta Quadrant, the Voyager crew upgraded their ship using captured, stolen and purchased alien technology as well as technology acquired from the future. Major modifications were made to the phaser arrays and shield systems, and the holographic Doctor's program was expanded to allow him to interact with the crew, leave sickbay and pursue interests outside the world of medicine. Voyager also acquired several Borg Alcoves in one of its cargo bays as a result of successful diplomatic interaction with the Borg. Without these upgrades it is unlikely Voyager would have survived its time in the Delta Quadrant.

Technical specifications

• Naval Construction Contract: 74656
• Class: Intrepid
• Commissioned: Stardate 48038.5 (the year 2371)
• Decks: 15
• Length: 428.4 meters
• Height: 71.4 meters
• Beam: 142.8 meters
• Maximum sustainable speed: Warp 9.975 (Caretaker Part I) for 36 hours maximum
• Refit Cycle (needed after):
  • Minor: 3.5 years
  • Standard: 7 years
  • Major: 35 years
• Expected Lifetime: 140 years
• Commanding Officer: Captain Kathryn Janeway
• Built: Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards

Computer specifications

• Crew Interface Software: LCARS 2.3
• Access Time: 48,000 kiloquads/second
• Number of dedicated modules: 2,048
• Capacity/Module: 636,960,000,000,000 pedaquads
• Simultaneous access to 48 million data channels
• Transluminal processing at over 975 trillion calculations per nanosecond
• Operational temperature margins from 10 kelvins to 1,790 kelvins

Warp Engine specifications

• Warp Core Reactor: M/ARA Class XIII
• Propulsion System: 2 Quantum Slipstream 24 coil low distortion Variable Geometry Transwarp Nacelles
• Normal Cruise Speed: Warp 8
• Maximum Cruise Speed: Warp 9.75
• Maximum Sustainable Warp Speed: Warp 9.9975(limit of 36 hours maximum)
• Fuel (Matter Injector): cold deuterium
• Fuel (Matter Injector): Quantum Dilithium crystals, Zenonite crystals
• Fuel (Antimatter Injector): anti-hydrogen
• Fuel (Antiproton Injector): antimatter
• Fuel Replenishment: Bussard ramjet Collectors
• 2 matter-antimatter transkinetic reactor mix chambers
• 2 Auxilliary backup redundant power distribution warp core reactors(Class XII reactors)

Impulse Engine specifications

• Sublight Propulsion System: 2 Subatomic Unified Energy Impulse Engines
• Impulse Reactors: 8
• Impulse Reactor Fuel: ultra-dense slush deuterium

Transporter specifications

• Personnel Transporters - Quantum Resolution (life form): 4 rooms
• Emergency Transporters - High Volume (scan only): 2 rooms
• Cargo Bay Transporters - Molecular (non-life form): 2
• Maximum Transporter Range: 1,550,000,000,000 kilometers

Communications Systems specifications

• Intra Ship: voice and data
• Personal Comm-Badge Range: 500,000 metres
• Ship to Ground Comms Range: 390,000,000 to 630,000,000,000,000 kilometers
• Ship to Ship Comms Transfer Speed: 184.5 kiloquads/second(range: 500 lightyears)
• Subspace Comms Speed: Warp 9.99985(range: 1000 lightyears)

Sensor Systems specifications

• Long Range Astrometric Scanning: 2500 light years
• High Resolution Range: 850 light years
• Medium Resolution Range: 185 light years
• Full Spectrum EM/Quantum Navigational Deflector Dish Array
• Astrometric Scanning/Analysis Sensor Arrays

Weaponry specifications

• Main Ship Type X Collimated Phaser Arrays
• Phaser Arrays: 13(Type X)
• Fore & Aft Torpedo Launchers: 4
• Max. Volley Spread: 12(3 per launcher)
• Mark IX Photon Torpedo warheads
• Tri-Cobalt Grenades
• Transphasic Torpedos(limited complement)
• Quantum Torpedos(limited complement)
• Multi-Spacial Charges

Defensive Countermeasures Specifications

• Automatic Ultra-Rapid Remodulating Regenerative Deflector Shields
• Standard FSQ Primary Force Field & Deflector Control System
• Ablative Armor Plating
• Heavy Duranium/Tritanium Hull Plating(Multiple Layers)
• Hull Reinforced Tetraburnium Alloy Plating
• Borg adapted Unimatrix Shielding
• Metaphazic Shielding

Crew complement

• Officers: 56
• Enlisted Crew: 560
• Civilians: 80
• Maximum Emergency Capacity: 960
• Diplomatic Capability: Grade 3
• Diplomats housed in crew quarters if required
• 1 x 80 square metre conference room for 40 guests
• 2 x 40 square metre 10 seat briefing rooms
• Communications via standard ships systems
• 15% of all facilities, including interconnecting corridors capable of supporting H or K environments

Deck by deck

• Deck 1 Main bridge, Captain's Ready room, Senior Officer's
• Deck 2 Mess Hall, Main Ship's Dining Hall, Hydroponics
• Deck 3 Captain's and Officers Quarters aft torpedo Launcher
• Deck 4 Primary Transporters, crew quarters, aft torpedo launcher
• Deck 5 Sick Bay, Medical Ward, Patient's Quarters
• Deck 6 Holodecks One and Two, Astrometrics lab, Auxillary Computer core, Stellar Cartography
• Deck 7 Auxilary computer core, deuterium tanks, Impulse Reactors
• Deck 8 Deuterium tanks, Auxilliary Warp Core Reactor, Engineering Crews Quarters, DC Repair Equipment Depot
• Deck 9 Security, Brig, Weapons Storage Depot(deck nine is shut down to conserve energy aboard Voyager)
• Deck 10 Aeroshuttle, primary computer core deflector dish, shuttle bay CARGO, crew quarters
• Deck 11 main engineering, primary computer core, main deflector dish, forward torpedo bays, main shuttle bay, Shuttle bay CARGO.
• Deck 12 Primary computer core main deflector dish, Reserve warp core.
• Deck 13 Landing pads, science labs crew quarters.
• Deck 14 Anti-matter storage pods, Damage Control Repair Equipment and Tools Storage Depot
• Deck 15 Ground hover pads

External links

• "Voyager" at LCARScom.Net
• "SHIP: USS Voyager" at Janet's Star Trek Voyager Site