Exploration: Explorer, Heavy - Viking-class

History And Mission Overview

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —Han Solo

The Viking-Class project originally began in January of 2365. The project was handed to the Tau Ceti Secundus Propulsion Research Station and Shipyard for development. Before the project could be completed, the Dominion war broke out and the project was put on the back shelf.

Shortly following the Dominion War, certain members of Star Fleet Command began looking at the current fleet in light of recent history. With the war came a press to create more vessels of a purely tactical nature, but as peace began to settle back in production of these warships began to be less practical. More and more resources were being directed back to science and exploration. With a great many spaceframes nearing obsolescence new designs were required to keep the fleet production up to numbers. Also, with the gamma quadrant just a wormhole away, and with incidents such as the Voyager sojourn, more self-sufficient designs were becoming warranted.

In 2375 at the close of the war the Viking project was reopened as a viable option to fill the needs being discussed in Star Fleet Command. After painstakingly bringing the design up to date, a final set of specification was agreed upon and building of the prototype began. This first ship arrived for final testing and shakedown in August of 2377. The prototype passed well within the expectations of Star Fleet Command, providing a powerful ship capable of adequately carrying out the general mission requirements that were the heart of the Federation: exploration and scientific discovery. The production run was given the go-ahead and the Prototype was commissioned under the name USS Viking registry NCC 88750 and taken back to Tau Ceti for final markings and crew assignment.

The Viking is designed to work in all the capacities of the older Galaxy class and similar vessels, as both a vehicle for exploration and as a ship of the line.

• Deep Space Exploration
• First Contact
• Flag/Command Vessel
• Diplomatic Escort/Conduct
• Support of Frontline Combat Vessels

Structure And Construction

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —Luke Skywalker

The Viking Class’s Saucer section is a wide oval, and as with most new vessel designs, is attached directly to the secondary hull. The secondary hull is very similar to that of the Galaxy or Nebula Class in shape. The front of the secondary hull is in line with the center of the saucer section and extends back beyond the rear of the saucer section by roughly half the length of the saucer. The Nacelle pylons extend from the spine of the secondary hull just underneath the rear edge of the saucer making a 110-degree V with the point toward the prow. The pylons themselves are flat horizontally and turn up at the end at 90 degrees where they connect to the nacelles, which are roughly one deck higher than the centerline of the saucer.

The Viking utilizes the standard tritanium/duranium truss hull components as other starships with a double hull construction. Hull plating is the standard Tritanium armored plates used on most Star-Fleet vessels. Along with these components, the Viking includes other systems standard to starship design such as Inertial dampening, structural integrity field system, etc.

Science And Remote Sensing Systems

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —Princess Leia Organa

The Viking class carries a type IX sensor suite. Sensors are arrayed behind the main deflector and in lateral clusters along the secondary hull for optimal resolution at close ranges. Maximum scanning range at low resolution for the main sensor package is 18 light-years, with a maximum high-resolution range of 6 light years. There is also a ring of short range/high resolution scanners around the upper side leading edge of the saucer section. It was reasoned in the design stage that a ship of this size whose primary mission was exploration rated the addition of such an advanced sensor package.

The computer system is a standard Isolinear triple core running the latest LCARS interface software. This system is enhanced by the use of bioneural gelpacks that are distributed throughout the ship to maximize computer response times and data handling capabilities. 480 gel packs in total are included in this system.

Warp Propulsion Systems

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” –C3PO

A subspace safe, fixed geometry nacelle, MARA core powers the warp system of the Viking class. The 1500+ Cochrane rating engine allows for a cruising speed of Warp 6.0 with a maximum sustainable velocity of Warp 8.0 and a maximum emergency velocity of Warp 9.8 for 12 hours. Early testing of a lower rated engine provided disappointing results convincing the design crew at Tau Ceti Propulsion to install their newest version Warp Core.

Impulse Propulsion Systems

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —Obi Won Kenobi

Impulse Propulsion is provided by two engines mounted on the rear edge of the saucer section, in line with the outside edges of the secondary hull. Relativistic time dilation and fuel consumption rates restrict the vessel to a top speed of .25c. The engines themselves are based on the reliable designs that graced the Galaxy-Class and most other vessels for the last 15 years.

Tactical Systems

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —Lando Calrissian

Defensive Shields

The main shield system of the Viking can withstand a maximum graviton load of 2685 MW and has a maximum energy dissipation rate of 7.75 x 10^5 KW. The ship is also outfitted with metaphasic shielding for missions involving close proximity to solar bodies or similar radiation sources.

Phaser Systems

Although combat is a Viking class’s secondary mission, a significant emphasis was placed on the combat capabilities of the class. As such, the Viking has 10 type X phaser arrays capable of a maximum energy output of 5.1mw and effective range of up to 300,000km. Positioning of the phasers and number of emitters is listed below.

• 2 arrays upper/lower Saucer section, 200 emitters each
• 2 arrays port/starboard nacelle pylons 100 emitters each (these wrap to cover both side and bottom arcs)
• 2 arrays port/starboard dorsal secondary hull 175 emitters each
• 2 arrays port/starboard ventral secondary hull 150 emitters each
• 2 arrays port/starboard dorsal face of nacelles 100 emitters each

Torpedo Systems

The Viking class has a pair of forward facing torpedo tubes mounted on either side of the connection point of the saucer and secondary hull. The Viking also has a rear facing launcher mounted below and between the impulse engines. All launchers are capable of firing all classes of torpedo including scientific probes. The torpedo launchers are capable of burst firing 6 torpedoes with a reload time of 12 seconds. All tubes support 360-degree fire-and-forget targeting and tracking systems. The standard complement of torpedoes is 300. It also carries 100 sensor probes.

Command And Support Systems

• “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —Admiral Ackbar*

Bridge

The bridge is fairly standard in design. The captain’s chair is located in the center of the bridge with chairs to either side. Helm control and operations stations are directly in front of the captain’s chair and share a single bench with two seats. Directly behind the captain’s chair on a raised level are two mid-chest high cubicle style stations for Tactical and Ops. A bench style console station set into the rear wall for secondary systems control separates these. To the right and left hand side of the bridge respectively are the science and engineering stations with room to be manned by up to two officers each. The Captain’s Office/Ready Room is connected to the bridge with the entrance just to the front of the science station. The Conference Room occupies the opposite position to the left of the bridge. The Conference room has a holo-projection unit in the table to facilitate three-dimensional viewing of surrounding space to amplify command capabilities during combat missions involving fleet action. It is also usseful in scientific missions.

Auxiliary Control

In the case of the main bridge becoming unavailable for any reason, an auxiliary bridge is located in the secondary hull on deck 14. The aux-con is laid out essentially the same as the main bridge with 40% less space. Reducing the number of secondary consoles in comparison to those that are available on the main bridge makes up this space.

Main Engineering

Because of the placement of the nacelle pylons on the Viking class, the main engineering bay is quite a bit farther forward in the secondary hull than most other comparable designs. It is located on decks 17, 18 and 19 with the CE’s office located on the central level. In the event that the main and auxiliary bridges both become unavailable, main engineering central can serve as a tertiary bridge. The control area of main engineering is quite spacious for just this purpose.

Science Labs

The Viking-class is equipped with 10 laboratories. 2 dedicated planetary science labs, 1 exobiology lab, 1 cybernetics lab, and 2 general-purpose labs located on Deck 5 of the saucer section. 2 stellar science labs, and 1 general-purpose lab are located on Deck 18 just below the main labs. Stellar Cartography is spherical in shape and uses a combination of holographic and standard view-screen technology. It is two decks deep, located on Deck 17/18 in the same complex as the other labs on Deck 18. The general-purpose labs can be configured to serve any scientific purpose outside the dedicated labs

Brig

The Viking-class has a fairly standard brig. There are 4 large cells with room for up to 6 prisoners each. There are also 8 smaller cells with a 3-prisoner capacity. The cells have beds that retract into the walls when not in use and have a single toilet facility. The restraint system is a two-layer forcefield system. The second field activates in case of power loss or primary field failure and runs on an independent power supply that can keep them active for up to 1 week. Connected to the brig is the COS’s office. The office/brig complex is located on deck 8.

Armory

Viking-class vessels are equipped with 3 armories spread throughout the ship for ease of access. The first is located on Deck 8 near the COS’s office. The second and largest is located on Deck 18 aft of main engineering. The third is located on Deck 32 just outside of the Shuttlebay. The armories carry enough weaponry to arm the entire crew with type I phasers and the security personnel with type II and III phasers. Type III phaser rifles on Viking-class vessels are of the compression type. The armories also carry all necessary equipment for away missions.

Utility Systems

• “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —Wedge Antilles*

Cargo Bays

There are 6 cargo bays on Viking class vessels, 2 main and 4 tertiary bays. The main bays are equipped with a pair of cargo transporters each with a range of up to 15,000km. The 4 tertiary bays are spread equally throughout the ship to provide easy access to equipment stored therein.

Tractor Beam Systems

The Viking-class is fitted with a standard tractor beam system. It has two tractor emitters both on the ventral side of the secondary hull. One is located directly underneath the main deflector array and the second is located to the aft approximately in line with the back edge of the nacelle pylons. These emitters have a maximum range of 50,000km.

Transporter Systems

There are 6 main transporter rooms on the Viking-class. They are located in pairs, two pairs in the saucer section, with the third pair located centrally in the secondary hull. These main transporters have a range of 40,000km. Emergency transporters are located throughout the ship in vital locations are outgoing only and have a range of 15,000km. All personnel transporters are located along the centerline of the ship for ease of use.

Crew Support Systems

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —The first person to hear George Lucas’ concept for Jar-Jar Binks

Sickbay

The sickbay of a Viking-class is fairly large, including 15 biobeds in 3 semi-separate sections of sickbay. This number can be increased to 24 with fairly little work by the addition of emergency biobeds whose components are located in a dedicated section of the tertiary cargo bay nearest sickbay. There is also a surgical suite with three biobeds standard and room for an additional two emergency beds. A medical research lab takes up a suite the same size as the surgical suite on the opposite side of sickbay. Holo-emitters are located throughout sickbay to facilitate the use of the ships EMH mark IV program. Due to placement of holo-emitters the EMH is only accessible in sickbay or the holodecks. The sickbay is located on Deck 6.

Recreational Facilities

The Viking-class has one crew lounge located at 12 forward. The lounge includes a bar and 3 replicators. The lounge’s maximum capacity is 150 patrons. This area is also used for most diplomatic functions, hence the large capacity.

There are 2 main holodecks on board located on decks 7 and 9 respectively. They can be used for both recreation and training. 4 holosuites augment the holodeck system and are dedicated to recreational use. They are also located on decks 7 and 9.

Crew Quarters

Viking-class vessels have enough quarters to house the crew and up to 200 additional guests and personnel. Crew quarters are not large. They are studio layout with bathroom and sleeping facilities. Each has a small replicator. Senior officer quarters are larger with two rooms, a bedroom and general-purpose room with a work desk including a configurable console. These quarters also have replicators. CO, XO and Diplomatic quarters are significantly larger but share a similar two room layout with the same replicator and work desk amenities as in senior officer quarters.

Lifeboat/Escape pod system

There are a series of 8-man escape pods, and 2-man lifeboats spread throughout the ship. There are enough to fully accommodate a full crew and passenger complement. Both lifeboats and pods are equipped with emergency beacons that automatically activate when launched. Both lifeboats and pods can support life at maximum occupancy for 4 weeks. Lifeboats have a limited impulse-style drive and can reach up to .15c, escape pods can reach up to .05c.

Auxiliary Spacecraft Systems

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —Qui-Gon Jinn

The Viking-class has one main shuttlebay located on the underside of the secondary hull opening to the aft. The bay holds 10 shuttlecraft. The normal complement includes 10 type 12 personnel shuttles. The bay itself is two decks deep to facilitate landing maneuvers. The control bay is on the upper level and looks down over the bay from the rear.

A Captain’s Yacht is also included in the Viking-class design. It is attached directly to and flush with the underside of the saucer section. The yacht is one deck deep and can seat up to 10 people comfortably. It can reach speeds of up to Warp 3 with a cruising speed of Warp 1.8. The nacelles are held flush to the yacht’s sides while docked and are extended after launch. It has an armament of one type VI phaser bank located at the nose of the vessel. This weapon is only exposed when the craft is separated from the main vessel. The Yacht is launched by releasing 8 docking clamps that hold it in place while not in use. Launch time is approximately 20 seconds, this can be shortened to 1.8 seconds by the use of explosive bolt release, but this is only for emergency use as it requires the docking clamps to be replaced after use.

Technical Specifications

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —Annakin Skywalker

Dimensions and Structure

Length

545.44 meters

Beam (Width)

458.26 meters

Height

151.3 meters

Decks

34

Crew Complement

Officers and Crew

1000

Visiting Personnel

350

Maximum Evacuation Limit

14,500

Computer Systems

Core

Isolinear data core x3

Operating System

Starfleet Library Computer Access and Retrieval System (LCARS)

User Interface

MAJEL

Warp Systems

Power Plant

One 1500+ cochrane M/ARA core feeding two nacelles

Crusing Velocity

Warp 6

Maximum Sustainable Velocity

Warp 8

Maximum Velocity

Warp 9.8 (12 hours)

Impulse Systems

Full Impulse

0.25c

Accellerate

18 seconds

Decellerate

36 seconds

Defensive Systems

Shield Maximum Graviton Load (Continuous)

2685 MegaWatts

Shield Maximum Energy Dissipation Rate

7.75x10^5 kilowatts

Offensive Systems

Torpedoes

Torpedo Tubes

3

Standard Payload (total)

350 torpedoes

Phasers

10 Type-X Phaser Strips

Deck Layout

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” —Padme Amidala

Deck 1

Main Bridge
Observation Lounge
CO’s office/Ready Room
Conference Room

Deck 2

Senior Officers’ quarters
XO’s Office
Transporter Room 1 and 2

Deck 3

Crew Quarters
Enviromental Control
Main Life Support

Deck 4

Crew Quarters
Diplomatic/Guest Quarters
Computer Core 1 level A

Deck 5

Crew Quarters
Science labs 1-6
Phaser Array 1
CSO’s Office
Computer Core 1 level B

Deck 6

Impulse Engines
Crew Quarters
Sick bay
CMO’s office
Cargo Bay 6
Science Labs 6 and 7
Computer Core 1 level C

Deck 7

Impulse Engines
Crew Quarters
Holodeck 1
Holosuite 1 and 2
Computer Core 1 level D

Deck 8

Crew Quarters
Brig
COS’s Office
Armory 1
Transporter Room 3 and 4
Computer Core 1 level E

Deck 9

Crew Quarters
Holodeck 2
Holosuite 3 and 4
Computer Core level F
Shield generator

Deck 10

Crew Quarters
Phaser Array 2
Cargo bay 5
Computer Core level G
Main Airlocks/Docking ports
Shield Generators

Deck 11

Crew Quarters
Guest Quarters
Conference Rooms

Deck 12

Crew Quarters
Guest quarters
12 forward Bar and Lounge
Mess Hall

Deck 13

Crew Quarters
Guest Quarters
Captain’s Yacht Docking Clamps and mechanism

Deck 14

Captain’s Yacht
Torpedo Tube 1 and 2
Impulse Engines
Auxiliary Bridge

Deck 15

Transporter Room 5 and 6
Aft Torpedo Tube
Torpedo storage
Nacelle Pylon access
Pylon mounted phaser arrays
Orion Pirates of the Caribbean
Primary plasma injectors

Deck 16

Main Deuterium storage
Cargo bay 4

Deck 17

Main Engineering Level A
Crew Quarters
Cargo Bay 1
Main Cargo Transporters
Stellar Cartography (upper level, entrance on deck 18)

Deck 18

Main engineering Level B
CE’s Office
Cargo bay 3
Stellar Cartography
Science Labs 7-9
Crew Quarters
Armory 2

Deck 19

Main Engineering Level C
Sensor Control/ Upper array
Crew Quarters
Deflector Dish

Deck 20

Secondary Environmental Control
Crew Quarters
Deflector Dish

Deck 21

Crew Quarters
Deflector Dish

Deck 22

Port/Starboard Dorsal phaser arrays
Directional Sensor Control
Crew Quarters
Deflector Dish

Deck 23

Secondary airlock/docking ports
Crew Quarters
Deflector Dish

Deck 24

Crew Quarters
Shield Generators
Central Sensor Control
Deflector Dish

Deck 25

Main Deflector Control level A
Main Anti-Deuterium Storage
Extra Quarters
Deflector Dish

Deck 26

Main Deflector Control level B
Deflector Dish

Deck 27

Deflector Dish

Deck 28

Lower Sensor Control
Deflector Dish

Deck 29

Deflector Dish

Deck 30

Port/Starboard Ventral Phaser arrays

Deck 31

Shuttle Bay

Deck 32

Shuttle Bay (cont’d)
Armory 3
Cargo Bay 2

Deck 33

Warp Core ejection systems

Deck 34

Warp Core ejection systems
Crew Quarters
Deflector Dish

Ships Of The Class

“Bad feeling about this I have.” —Yoda

Viking-class ships are named after heroes and gods of Norse mythology.

USS Viking, NCC-88750
USS Valkyrie, NCC-88751
USS Odin, NCC-88752
USS Frigga, NCC-88753
USS Thor, NCC-88754
USS Sif, NCC-88755
USS Tyr, NCC-88756
USS Frey, NCC-88757
USS Freya, NCC-88758
USS Balder, NCC-88759
USS Brynhild, NCC-88760
USS Sigmund, NCC-88761

Conclusion

“Roaaaraar!” (I’ve got a bad feeling about this.)—Chewbacca

The Viking class are large exploration vessels designed to be as self-sufficient as possible. They are versatile, powerful ships meant for long missions in deep space. They have the scientific capabilities to carry out Star Fleets primary goals of exploration and discovery and the armament to deal with the threats that face vessels carrying out those missions.

Illustrations

These other visual representations of the Viking are available.

Viking, Top View

Viking, Side View