Guide:Glossary

Appendix B: Glossary

Note: This specific glossary is an import of Timo Saloniemi's Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet. The SFC wiki has its own (developing) glossary here. Terms and definitions provided here are not SFC canon, but provided for research purposes.

A

AC

Anti-cloak. Describes sensors, weapons and tactics used for exposing and defeating opponents protected by a cloaking device.de

ACB

See Annular Confinement Beam

AG

See Artificial Gravity

Advanced Starship Design Bureau

A subdivision of Star Fleet Technologies Command, dedicated to research and development of starships and associated technology. One of the many bureaux of Star Fleet Research and Development, and responsible for many famous pathfinder projects, including the Galaxy class of explorers. In general, non-revolutionary starship design is handled by various bureaux of the Engineering Division, which is also responsible for most of the actual construction of hardware as well as its maintenance. Star Fleet Corps of Engineers also constructs and maintains orbital and planetary starbases, outposts and other installation, with occasional input from the ASDB.

Annular Confinement Beam

A sheath-like field facilitating the undisturbed phasing of matter within to various levels of subspace. Low-energy versions envelop the targets of transporter operations for safe phasing; high-energy versions maintain coherence on projected-energy weapons like phasers or lasers when these are accelerated to FTL speeds.

Artificial Gravity

An essential element of spacecraft life support systems, artificial gravity is typically created by streaming spin-created gravitons through a waveguide net built into starship interior floors. Inertial damping is closely related to AG, and the two jointly protect the crew from acceleration forces, as well as from detrimental long-term effects of weightlessness.

Attack Cruiser

Variant of cruiser dedicated to offensive operations and planetary assault, often sacrificing endurance and research capacity for high cruise speed and heavy weaponry. Also called strike cruiser in late 23rd century. Applied e.g. to variants of Caracal and Mann classes. Designation not currently in use in Star Fleet.

Auxiliary

1. Common name for starships dedicated to supporting various starship operations but not directly taking action. Ship types include e.g. tanker, tug and tender. Term used in conjunction with patrol combatant, mobile combatant, and support combatant in Star Fleet system of categorizing military-application starships.
2. Common name for small craft embarked aboard and utilized by starships for various tasks. Craft types include work pod, shuttlepod, shuttle, plus various tactical craft and other special-purpose craft. See part III of main text.

Auxiliary cruiser

Starship of typically commercial or otherwise limited-performance origin pressed to cruiserlike duty. Auxiliary cruisers are a low-cost way of boosting specific aspects of Star Fleet cruiser strength, and have been used for survey, escort and patrol duty. Certain ship classes have also been constructed specifically with auxiliary cruiser duty in mind.

ASDB

See Advanced Starship Design Bureau

B

Battle Cruiser

Variant of cruiser purely dedicated to offensive operations, carrying heavy armament more typical of larger ships and thus making significant sacrifices in other fields. Designation no longer used in Starfleet, but applied to a variety of foreign designs, especially Klingon vessels. Previous Star Fleet classes include Advance, Apache, Menahga, Mitannic, S'Harien and Andernach, as well as some experimental designs.

Battleship

1. Dedicated defensive and offensive starship significantly larger than cruiser size. Usually possessing shielding and armor capable of withstanding the full firepower of ships of similar or lesser design for extended periods of time, as opposed to cruisers or other small vessels which must rely on speed and maneuverability for protection. In 24th century, the largest starships have been of explorer category. Star Fleet has yet to build a true battleship in the galactic sense of the word, similar in size and capacity to the Dominion or old Orion designs.
2. Designation also briefly applied to lesser Star Fleet vessels, like the two-nacelled heavy patrol combatants of Excelsior class in late 23rd century, in parallel to designations dreadnought and defender used for three- and four-nacelled heavy patrol combatants, respectively. All these vessels must be considered extensions of the cruiser family, however, and not true battleships.

C

Carrier

1. A starship intended to support small craft operations, also known as shuttlecarrier. Widely utilized in the Romulan war and the early 23rd century; built in low numbers during the military buildup in the late 23rd century; largely replaced by multi-mission ships with capacious shuttlebays in the 24th century. Generally of low warp performance, but carrying heavy defensive armament. Classes include Titan, Valkyr, Ariel, and Fredristad.
2. Ore carrier or cargo carrier. A large, usually impulse-powered, drone for moving significant amounts of ore or cargo inexpensively between star systems. Seldom built as definite ship classes—instead, unique configurations of cargo pods are used for each mission. Largest ships are hundreds of meters in length. Seldom armed or permanently manned, but capable of carrying passengers in special pods or habitat compartments.

Cascade Ion Drive

Any reaction or warp drive utilizing a polaric ion cascade system as the means of extracting power from the antimatter powerplant. The UESF experimented on this potential competitor for dilithium technology in the early 22nd century (see Daedalus class) and experiments were carried on by UFP Star Fleet until the 2268 ban on all polaric ion testing. No operational applications ever emerged, although several foreign powers not signatory to the treaty are known to operate power systems of this type. Not to be confused with ion drive, a generic designation for a number of reaction drives.

CID

See Cascade Ion Drive.

Class

1. Ship class. All starships of the same design belong to the same ship class. The class is usually named after the first vessel that is completed to the final production standard. When members of a class are modified significantly (usually meaning major spaceframe alterations), they become members of a new class or subclass, named either after the first converted ship or, more usually, after the first ship built to the modified configuration from keel up. Modifications in the 22nd and 23rd centuries often resulted in subclass rather than class designations, but in the 24th century, subclasses have been largely abandoned since there are minor differences between all starships—if the earlier practice were continued, all starships would form single-ship subclasses of their own. Click here to see a complete listing of ship classes in Star Fleet service between 2161 and 2375.
2. Mission class. All starships with a similar mission profile belong to the same mission class. While most Star Fleet ships are multi-mission capable, the primary mission or spectrum of missions dictates the mission class. For example, a small defense-oriented ship belongs to frigate class, while a very large multi-purpose ship belongs to explorer class. Sometimes, the more informal expression ship type is used instead of mission class. Click here to see a complete listing of mission classes in Star Fleet service between 2161 and 2375.
3. Activation class. In the 22nd and 23rd centuries, the UFP categorized its ships into stardrive and sublight activation classes. For stardrive vessels, the frontline active-service Star Fleet ships of each mission class were designated Class One ships, while the older designs as well as some support units were given Classes Two to Six, in decreasing order of sophistication. Civilian or reserve types were given subsequently lower designations. Sublight interplanetary craft were similarly classified. In case of major UFP-wide crises, ships would be brought to active Star Fleet service in this order.
   Class Seven vessels have been activated in significant numbers only four times in UFP history - in the evacuation of Bayard’s planet in 2217, in the restoration of Qo’noS in 2293-2327, and during and after the Cardassian War in 2355-2365 as well as the Dominion war in 2373-2378. None of the crises so far has been severe enough to require activation of Classes beyond Eight.
4. Being a thorough organization, Star Fleet categorizes virtually every part of its equipment according to various criteria. It is more likely than not that the device you are using to read this work, and indeed this work itself, belongs to some ‘class’ or another in Star Fleet records. Be careful not to confuse such classifications with the three major classification systems of starships.

Cloaking Device (classical)

Device for rendering a ship or other object invisible to a wide spectrum of sensors. Cloaking devices work by bending as much of the incident radiation as possible around the ship so that it will appear undisturbed by the presence of the ship, as well as by monitoring all emissions from the ship itself and modulating and distributing them for minimum observability. Sufficiently energetic or field-noninteractive radiation (including for example tachyon beams) will naturally penetrate the cloak, and there are many types of emissions that cannot be masked effectively. Passive camouflaging techniques (emission sinks, radiation absorbers, use of local ‘terrain’ and appropriate maneuvering for protection) will therefore have to be used to ensure invisibility.

Cloaks become ineffective if high-energy devices like phaser or disruptor weapons or combat shields are activated inside them. Also, even if the energy signatures of these devices can be masked, their use in combat will immediately reveal the ship’s position. Thus, most captains in combat decloak before firing their weapons or raising combat shields, then recloak if situation warrants. In one-on-one battles against opponents with slow-reacting defenses, some cloakship captains have been known to fire their weapons from under cloak, disregarding the momentary exposure and the strain the firings place on the cloaking device. Typically, such tactics require specialized technology. Against rapidly reacting opponents, ships can usually recloak only if they are numerically superior.

Cloaking Device (phasing)

Device for removing the interactions between a ship or other object and its environment though shifting its temporal phase, effectively making it both invisible and intangible to non-phased observers. Forward-phased objects can still observe non-phased and backward-phased targets through slightly weakened fundamental interactions, whereas observations in the opposite direction are impossible. Like all phasing processes, phasing cloaks can be disrupted by anyon-chroniton interactions – but unlike shields, phasers or transporters, phasing cloaks generally are immune to duonetic interference, due to the significantly higher degree of phase-shifting involved.

Command Cruiser

Variant of cruiser dedicated to coordination of multi-ship operations or other large scale military maneuvers, often carrying reduced armament yet improved C3I systems and facilities in comparison with similarly sized cruisers of other types. Also considered a subtype of command ship. Command cruisers in Star Fleet service include Unity and Balson classes, as well as variants of e.g. Caracal and Excelsior classes; in the 24th century, need for spaceframe modifications in the command role has been drastically reduced, and no dedicated command cruiser classes have been introduced since the 2290s.

Command Ship

Starship dedicated to coordination of multi-ship operations or other large scale military maneuvers. Currently, thanks to increasing fleetwide integration of command and control systems, the task can be handled by ships of various types; the largest vessel in the task force is usually selected as the command ship. However, dedicated command ships were produced in low numbers in the 22nd and 23rd centuries, including e.g. Capitol, Macintosh, Ford and Etna classes. These classes were conversions of spacious transport ships, and thus auxiliary cruisers rather than primary combatants. They were included in the patrol combatant category, though, being primarily employed as forward headquarters in support of extended patrols or expeditionary deployments of combat fleets.

Corvette

Small warp-capable ship dedicated to local patrol, law enforcement and community service missions. Sometimes landing-capable, not dependent on starbase facilities for support; originally rarely carried torpedo armament. Classes include Pointer, Hunter, Braveheart, Procyon, Daring, Juliet, Singapore, Bradbury and Orkney, with numerous subclasses or subvariants. See also part II of main text.

Courier

Small high performance warp-powered ship or craft dedicated for rapid delivery of diplomatic packages, messages and passengers. Classes include Athens, Centaurus, Antares, Clarke, Condor, Peregrine and Spica. See also part II of main text.

Cruiser

1. Medium multi-purpose starship. Sub-designations include battle cruiser, command cruiser, heavy cruiser, light cruiser, medium cruiser, attack/strike cruiser, and through-deck cruiser. The largest Earth or UFP exploration vessels until early 24th century. Later relegated to lesser duties with the introduction of large numbers of explorer starships.
2. Auxiliary cruiser. Conversion of an originally civilian type (transport, starliner) into an auxiliary vessel by the adding of mission gear such as weaponry. Subtypes include exploratory cruiser, escort cruiser, and patrol cruiser. Typically utilized in times of dire crisis, such as the Romulan and Dominion wars and the Klingon cold war era.
3. Pleasure cruiser. Civilian starship type optimized for maximum comfort during interstellar voyages. Not to be confused with Star Fleet-operated cruisers or auxiliary cruisers, although pleasure cruisers can be pressed to auxiliary duty in activation classes of 7 or lower.

Cryosleep

Suspended animation technique based on slowing down of metabolism via body temperature reduction. Seldom used in Star Fleet applications, save for certain medical emergencies; common in 21st and 22nd century interstellar colonization applications, and also used e.g. by Klingons for efficient transport of infantry or labor forces well into 23rd century. Currently superceded by temporal stasis techniques.

Cutter

1. Designation traditionally used for all port authority vessels, rescue craft, and law enforcement vessels, regardless of type or size. In Star Fleet practice, usually applied to ships up to corvette size.
2. Designation used for certain starship auxiliaries prior to the mid-23rd century, superseded by or absorbed into the generic designation shuttlecraft, or in some cases runabout.

D

Deep Space

Space outside the treaty boundaries of the United Federation of Planets. This includes, for example, several enclaves surrounded in all directions by UFP space, but excepted from membership because of Prime Directive considerations or political animosity.

Deep Space Station

Fixed installation operated by Star Fleet outside Federation space. These support both Star Fleet and civilian space travel and commerce in areas otherwise devoid of Federation facilities. Many deep space stations are actually operated under joint command with local authorities and some feature local equipment, instead of the usual Class I-III towable starbase hardware. Currently, Star Fleet maintains none deep space stations, designated DS3-7 and DS9-12. DS stations 1, 2, and 8 of this generation have gained starbase status with UFP annexations and new member acquisitions. Most earlier deep space stations have also been absorbed to the main body of starbases, including the R- and K-series from mid-23rd century and the T-series from early 24th century.

Defender

Dedicated large defense starship heavier than cruiser. Designation parallel to dreadnought, applied to two ships of Denebian manufacture, USS Deneb (NCC-2002) and USS Inaieu (NCC-2003). Their sister designs were considered battleships of Defender class, however. The defenders had four nacelles instead of the traditional three of dreadnoughts and were utilized as high-endurance border patrol combatants.

Destroyer

Dedicated medium defense starship intended for destroying enemy capital ships and installations. Designation almost indistinguishable from frigate in technical aspects. However, frigates perform a variety of offensive and defensive duties, while destroyers were originally intended for offensive use only and even now rarely see peacetime use. Classes include, e.g., Djartanna, Cavalry, Marshall, Kovaris, Saladin, Detroyat, Larson, Cochise, Rigel and Freedom, with a multitude of subclasses. Standard destroyer mission profile currently includes anti-ship and anti-installation offensive and fleet escort.

Dreadnought

Dedicated large defense starship heavier than cruiser. Designation applied to, e.g., Federation, Ascension and Kirov classes in the 23rd century. All dreadnought designs featured three warp nacelles and heavy phaser and torpedo armament, and were utilized as command vessels, system defense fortresses, or high-endurance border patrol combatants. Limited offensive missions also planned and performed, although not officially sanctioned. Star Fleet use of the designation discontinued in the 24th century.

Drone

Unmanned space vessel, either remotely piloted or equipped with autonomous control systems. Widely utilized in transport of hazardous material or performing of risky observation or repair missions. Also used for hauling low-priority cargo. See also carrier and probe.

E

ECON

slang for the Eastern Coalition, a coalition of nations in the Far and Middle East.

ECSN

Eastern Coalition Space Navy

Escape Pod

See Lifepod

Escort

Defense starship used for convoy protection. Designation generally used only as a mission description of various starship types, not as a ship type, yet also including the dedicated Remora, Remora (II) and Chimera classes. Also applied in late 24th century on the experimental Defiant class for counter-intelligence reasons. Normally, deep space escort duties are handled by ships of light cruiser or frigate category, although destroyers and perimeter ships have at times been pressed to this duty as well.

Escort cruiser

Dedicated convoy protection vessel typically converted from a civilian design; variant of auxiliary cruiser. Designation applied on numerous classes during the Romulan war and the late 23rd century Klingon conflict.

Exploratory cruiser

1. Dedicated exploration vessel typically converted from a civilian design; variant of auxiliary cruiser. Designation applied e.g. on Daedalus, Castor and Lng'we Chi classes. See survey cruiser.
2. Large multi-purpose starship biased towards exploration operations. Designation applied e.g. on Enterprise class and Tikopai subclass of heavy cruisers, vessels significantly more capable than auxiliary cruisers. See individual ship entries for proper division between the two meanings of the designation, typically dictated by acquisition politics.

Explorer

Very large multi-purpose starship. Largest and most versatile actual starship type in Star Fleet, although smaller than some terraformers or ore carriers. Current classes include Galaxy and Nebula, while older explorers of Ambassador and Niagra classes, as well as the pathfinder Excelsior class, have been redesignated as heavy cruisers. Star Fleet fielded the first explorers in early 24th century, and continues development of these large, independent vessels even though the general trend in the late 24th century is again towards large numbers of specialized small starships. Standard explorer mission profile includes independent exploration, power projection, fleet command duties and diplomatic representation.

F

Fast

Designation definer historically used interchangeably with light, to put a positive spin on the lack of heavy equipment aboard. In Star Fleet, applied e.g. to the Ianar class of frigates and Odysseus class of cruisers that factually featured significantly faster propulsion technology than competing designs, yet also to the Daran and Remora (II) designs that enjoyed no such propulsive advantages.

Fleet

1. Large operational units of defense starships, usually 100 ships or more in size. Star Fleet normally does not maintain fleet organization in peacetime, but quickly assigns a predetermined selection of dedicated combatants and auxiliaries, as well as multi-purpose vessels, into the number of fleets the crisis at hand requires. These fleets generally feature two or more explorer class command vessels, their cruiser, frigate and destroyer escorts, reconnaissance units, planetary assault groups and logistical support groups. Desired task forces can rapidly be formed, either in a balanced mix of types, or in flotillas of a single ship type.
   During the early 23rd century, Star Fleet operated three to six fleets for defense against the Klingon threat; the 3rd Fleet was elemental in the blockade of Axanar, while the 5th Fleet participated in the Ghioghe expedition. The Klingon conflict intensified throughout the century, and up to ten fleets were formed by the 2280s. After Khitomer, the fleets were demobilized, and only units of task force size were utilized between the signing of the Khitomer treaty and the declaration of the Cardassian war. The largest deployment of defense and expeditionary fleets in Federation history was the first UFP-Dominion war, where 14 fleets were organized for both offensive and defensive missions, comprising some 3,900 Star Fleet ships in all. The losses were heavy, especially in 7th and 19th Fleets and the Klingon-augmented 9th Fleet, and current organization only supports 12 fleets. These are being gradually demobilized as of 2375.
2. Abbreviation of Star Fleet. Also sometimes refers to specific local defense or exploration fleets of UFP members, or space forces of foreign powers and threat forces.

Fleet Coordination Ship

Starship dedicated to coordination of fleet and flotilla operations. Designation applied in the 23rd century to Hermes and Constant classes of converted destroyers, vessels significantly better armed than classic command ships.

Frigate

1. Dedicated medium defense and escort starship, larger than corvette but smaller than destroyer. Often capable of transatmospheric operations. Designation used until late 22nd century. Classes include Ganges, Mustang. ???????????????
2. A common designation for defense and escort starships ranging from light frigates (small patrol and escort ships typically lacking torpedo armament) to heavy frigates (versatile multipurpose ships similar to light cruisers), used in late 23rd and early 24th century. Light and medium classes include Loknar, Daran and Ianar, with numerous subclasses. Heavy classes include Surya, Coventry and Miranda, with numerous subclasses.
3. Dedicated medium defense starship, typically carrying mission gear in switchable modules. Designation used in mid- to late 24th century, until merged with light cruiser. Classes include Miranda, Renaissance, Springfield, New Orleans and Saber.
   When optimized for planetary assault support, these vessels are often designated strike frigates. Ships initially designed as frigates but later adopted for other missions are sometimes classified as e.g. medical frigates or survey frigates, creating an apparent contradiction in terms. Still, these designations are more informative than mere ‘medical ship’ or ‘surveyor’ in these cases, since the modified frigates usually retain at least the main phaser armament and thus have significant defensive capabilities. Examples include Soyuz class as well as several less drastic modifications of Miranda frigates.

FTL

Faster than light. Pertaining to drive, sensor and communications systems capable of speeds higher than 299,790 km/s in the absolute subspace frame. See warp drive.

H

Heavy Cruiser

Medium multi-purpose starship with heavy torpedo and phaser armament and shuttlecraft capacities. More capable overall than light cruiser, superior to scout in exploration capacity and to destroyer or frigate in offensive and defensive power. Classes include Triton, Enterprise, Horizon, Baton Rouge, Constitution, Excelsior, Apollo, Ambassador, Niagara, Akira. Standard heavy cruiser mission profile includes deep space exploration and power projection, although the ships are well equipped to handle lesser research and defense roles as well.

Heavy Frigate

Medium starship similar to the multi-purpose light cruiser, but more optimized towards a defense mission. Designation chosen for Miranda, Surya and Coventry classes and their later derivatives mainly for political reasons.

I

IDF

See Inertial Damping Field

Impulse Drive

Reaction drive based on non-Newtonian acceleration of fusion byproducts and/or other propellant. When coupled with a mass-reducing effect, impulse drive can propel starships to high relativistic speeds with minimal propellant expenditure. Impulse drive is a typical early application of gravity-manipulation technology, often co-developed with inertial damping fields and structural integrity fields.

Ion Drive

Reaction drive based on electromagnetic acceleration of inert propellant. When coupled with a mass-reducing effect, ion drive can propel starships to medium relativistic speeds. Star Fleet has not used ion drive as a primary or secondary drive system on its major starships, but certain reaction control systems are based on this principle. A wide variety of techniques exist for implementing a drive of this nature. See also Cascade Ion Drive.

IMRF

See Inertial Mass Reduction Field

Inertial Damping Field

A forcefield/graviton -based system for countermanding the effects of inertia on starship components (especially the crew). Vital in enabling the ships to withstand the huge accelerations of impulse and warp engines. First used by Earth in late 20th century, and applied to almost all space technology in the UFP. Closely connected with artificial gravity systems.

Inertial Mass Reduction Field

A subspace field for reducing the inertial forces imposed by the mass of a starship. While an IDF protects components of a ship from differential inertial shear, an IMRF lowers the mass of the entire vessel, allowing it to perform sublight accelerations otherwise impossible for a ship of a given mass. In modern 24th century vessels, IMRF is usually projected by subspace coils included in the impulse engines. Older vessels typically utilize separate field-manipulation crystals that deflect impulse power to stabilize the primary warp field at low intensities, and thus allow it to be used for inertial mass reduction.

Interceptor

A combat-capable small craft optimized for interception of other small craft but also capable of offensive missions against starships and installations. From 23rd century onwards, typically warp-capable.

ISA

International Space Agency

ISRO

Indian Space Reconnaissance Office

L

Laser

Secondary weapon on UE and early UFP Star Fleet ships in the late 22nd and early 23rd centuries. Based on the stimulated emission effect, the weapon produces a coherent electromagnetic beam that can focus high energies on the target. Both shipboard and handheld variants were in widespread use from their introduction in the Romulan war era until the onset of phaser technology. Current shielding technology has largely negated the threat posed on Star Fleet vessels by lasers, although military applications of high-energy shipboard lasers in less advanced navies and in low-level conflicts are still common. There are also multiple infantry and civilian applications.

Lifepod

Small jettisonable compartment of a spacecraft, equipped with independent life support and low-power propulsion systems and usually with landing capacity. Also known as escape pod or lifeboat. Star Fleet uses a wide range of designs, ranging from one-man pods to sixty-person lifeboats. In the 22nd and 23rd centuries, lifepods for the full complement of crew and passengers were seldom incorporated into designs since there was little hope of the occupants surviving until help came – instead, large jettisonable hull sections of aerodynamic shape were used, while a minimal number of lifepods augmented evacuation of the sections to be abandoned (see Ship Separation).
In early 24th century, propulsion system advances enabled more timely rescue operations, and ships were given 100% lifeboat capacity. Large designs also featured 35% and later 50% overcapacity in case some lifeboats became inaccessible or inoperational. Advanced designs featured the ability for small lifeboats to combine into large gaggles for improved survival. Dedicated propulsion and life support units could be attached to the gaggles to facilitate long journeys home, even though towing by shuttlecraft remains the primary mode of lifepod motion. An individual pod usually provides fourteen days to one month of life support, while a complete Galaxy class gaggle may theoretically sustain life for a full year for 50% of the occupants. Stasis technologies may extend these figures, barring regrettably frequent technical failures of the delicate instrumentation.

Light Cruiser

Fast medium multi-purpose starship with medium torpedo and phaser armament and shuttlecraft capacities. Falls between heavy cruiser and scout in exploration capacities, and heavy cruiser and destroyer or frigate in defense capacities. Normally sacrifices defensive and/or research gear for higher speed, lower operating costs and smaller crew requirements. Typically single-hulled, usually carries integrated systems instead of frigate-style pods. Classes include Texas, Ranger, Amchitka, Kearsarge, Chesapeake, Wambundu, Cheyenne, Griffin and Intrepid, with subclasses, as well as ‘lightly equipped’ variants of large cruisers, e.g. Caracal class.
Some light cruisers were in the late 23rd century called heavy frigates for reasons of acquisition politics. Certain parallels also exist between the capabilities of mid-24th century frigates and light cruisers. The current trend is to designate all medium multi-purpose starships as light cruisers and to give them as much modularity as possible.
Standard light cruiser mission profile includes colonial support, convoy escort and border patrol duties, as well as some limited scouting and exploration operations and courier duties. Due to relative inflexibility of design, light cruisers often perform a narrower mission spectrum than their heavy counterparts, especially in times of crisis.

Light Frigate

Light defense and patrol starship with laser or phaser armament, primarily used for traffic control and protection duty. Originally seldom armed with torpedoes or equipped for heavy ship-to-ship combat, or deployed in deep space. Still better adaptable to these missions than corvette, due mainly to longer range and greater speed. In many cases interchangeable with escort or light destroyer.

Lightsail

Sublight drive based on momentum transfer from stellar or artificial EM radiation. When coupled with gravitic technology, can efficiently propel spacecraft to high relativistic speeds. Rarely used as a secondary drive for vessels possessing warp drive, but a typical primary drive for fledging space powers in insystem and short range interstellar operations. Also applicable as an emergency drive system for distressed vessels.

M

Marines, Star Fleet

Organization providing Star Fleet with large numbers of specialized ground combat personnel, comparable to the historical Marine and Army branches of Terran armed forces. As this personnel has no role in peacetime Star Fleet operations, Marine deployments are strictly limited to the state of declared war between the UFP and a carefully specified threat. In such situations, Marines are deployed using standard defense/multipurpose Star Fleet ships, dedicated Marine operations ships and other suitable transports.
The standard role of the Marines is to augment local ground defense forces and to retake UFP ground positions from threat forces in situations where direct starship-based power projection is unadvisable. Offensive operations against foreign targets are normally a minor part of the Marine manifest, and have been undertaken mainly in the Cardassian and Dominion wars. So-called special operations under Star Fleet Intelligence have to be sanctioned by the Federation Council, and are rarely performed by Marine units – the Intelligence and Security branches possess dedicated teams of their own for the task.
As conceived in 2161, Star Fleet Marines were a relatively independent force in charge of a wide variety of planetary defense duties. A major reorganization of Marine forces in 2327 led to the adoption of standard Star Fleet rank and rate system, as well as streamlining of upper-echelon command. Joint command with Star Fleet Security now provides the main framework of Marine operations coordination, and joint training and operations are also being developed. The force still remains proud and tradition-minded, down to its anachronistic name.

Medium Cruiser

Multi-purpose starship with medium torpedo and phaser armament and shuttlecraft capacities. A complementary designation seldom applied, usually simply interchangeable with cruiser. Classes include Armstrong, Rochester, Taurus, Odysseus, Constellation, NCA, Hokule’a, Prometheus, with numerous subclasses.

Microtorpedo

A torpedo weapon of extremely compact dimensions, capable of being carried aboard and launched from small craft. Standardized projectiles are of 30 mm diameter and up to 150 mm length, and dozens of different models and warhead types (including probe-type payloads) are available.

Mine

Auxiliary weapon used for area denial and ambushing. Mines exist both in planetary and spaceborne variants, and are usually made difficult to spot by using sensor-absorbing materials or cloaking devices. Typical warheads include thermonuclear, antimatter and gravitic charges and phaser or disruptor emitters, although various other types including verteron dispensers and subspace displacers are also in use. Most mines feature advanced sensors and algorithms for identifying and prioritizing targets, and various propulsion systems for engaging them at optimum range.
The Seldonis IV conventions place strict limits on Federation use of spaceborne mines, and prohibit area denial/ambush weapons from planetary use altogether. The conventions are ratified by a number of foreign powers as well, although with individual reservations. Separate treaties exist for limiting the types of warheads allowed, and bans on e.g. subspace-damaging, metagenic and polaric-ion cascade weapons are generally and interplanetarily accepted due to the uncontrollable effects of these types of weaponry.

Minitorpedo

A torpedo weapon of compact dimensions, capable of being carried aboard and launched from small and medium craft. Standardized projectiles are of 300 mm diameter and up to 850 mm length, and dozens of different models and warhead types (including probe-type payloads) are available.

Missile

1. Primary weapon on UESF ships until the mid-22nd century. Refers to a variety of self-propelled, guided sublight projectile weapons, normally with either thermonuclear or kinetic-kill warheads. Separate from unguided rocket weapons. Largely replaced by warp-capable torpedo weapons. Handheld missile weapons are rarely used in Star Fleet, due to the effectiveness of current shielding against such threats.
2. Any self-propelled, guided projectile weapon, sublight or otherwise, launched from a planetside facility or vehicle.

Mobile Combatant

Common name for offense- and defense-oriented starships with the mission profile of actively engaging enemy forces and performing assaults. Starships of strike cruiser or destroyer type are exclusively mobile combatants, while other variants of cruiser, as well as frigates, are employed in this role when needed. In contrast with patrol combatant, support combatant and auxiliary in Star Fleet’s system of categorizing military-application starships.

N

NCC

Letter prefix in UFP Star Fleet vessel registries. Specifies the operator of the ship, and is immediately followed by the registry number of the ship. Anecdotally, the letters are said to come from the term Naval Construction Contract, since the registry number of a starship is traditionally also the number of her construction contract. Current usage has letter N signifying UFP registry, and CC signifying active Starfleet forces. Other prefixes include NX (UFP Star Fleet Experimental), NSP (UFP Vulcan Merchant Marine), NLA (UFP Andorian Self-Defense Fleet) etc. Foreign operators are also assigned a registry prefix in the Federation scheme for traffic control purposes.
Not to be confused with the earlier UESF registry scheme where N would stand for Naval/Starfleet and the letters following it would specify the ship type. Thus, e.g. NCC would specify a cruiser and NX would denote an explorer. This scheme was abandoned by Earth naval forces in 2162 and replaced by the common UFP Star Fleet system.

NTR

See Nuclear Thermal Rocket Drive

Nuclear Thermal Rocket Drive

Reaction drive based on heating of propellant by fusion or fission reactions. Typical early sublight drive system for fledging space powers, e.g. 20th and 21st century Earth, requiring no knowledge of gravitics or subspace theory, but usually soon replaced by impulse drive.

P

Particle Cannon

Primary or secondary weapon on Earthfleet and early Starfleet ships. Refers to a variety of devices capable of accelerating charged or neutral matter or antimatter particles to lethal, relativistic speeds. Used in conjunction with plasma and laser weaponry, until replaced by phaser technology in early 23rd century. Particle cannon were extremely energy-hungry and thus usually only suited for use aboard the largest vessels. Handheld particle weapons were originally rarely used, due to their impractical bulk and the effectiveness of even rather crude shielding against such threats.
Introduction of phasing and ACB technology increased the effectiveness of particle weapons both in portable and shipborne applications in the mid-22nd century, gradually leading to the development of phasers. Phasing also made it possible to permeate a live target, enabling the application of a stunning/neural disruption charge via particle beam, and thus creating a new niche for handheld particle weapons. The improved particle weapons used between 2150 and 2250 were also commonly known as phase weapons.
The 2150s classification system for phased particle cannon was in use until the end of the century, and is briefly outlined here:

Type A: 125 to 500 GJ excition level, peak power 500 GW, overcharge up to 5 TJ

Type B: 80 to 125 GJ excition level, peak power 200 GW, overcharge up to 2 TJ

Type C: 40 to 80 GJ excition level, peak power 100 GW, no overcharge option

Type D: lower than 40 GJ excition level, typical vehicle mount weapon

Type E: lower than 1 GJ excition level, typical handheld weapon

In the early 23rd century, new phase cannon types were added, complicating and confusing the systematic nature of the scheme. These included the following:

Type F: lower than 20 GJ, pulsed stun charge channeling, typical handheld weapon

Type G: 20 GJ / 100 GW, pulsed stun charge channeling, typical vehicle mount weapon

Type H: 500 GJ / 700 GW

Type I: 800 GJ / 900 GW

Type J: 500 GJ / 900 GW

Type K: 700 GJ / 1,000 GW

Type L: 800 GJ / 1,200 GW

Type M: 900 GJ / 1,400 GW

As ‘type’ thus in practice became to denote a specific weapon model, the scheme was dropped as overdetailed – just in time for the introduction of improved phaser weaponry.

Patrol Combatant

Common name for defense-oriented starships with the mission profile of patrolling a given area of space against intrusion. Starships of corvette, perimeter ship, dreadnought or defender type (see also battleship) are proper patrol combatants, while various other starship types like light cruisers and frigates can be assigned this mission profile as well. Other military-oriented starship categories beside patrol combatant include mobile combatant, support combatant, and auxiliary.

Patrol Cruiser

Dedicated anti-intrusion patrol vessel typically converted from a civilian design; variant of auxiliary cruiser. Designation applied e.g. on patrol variants of Independence and Sydney classes of transports.

Perimeter Ship

Defense-oriented small starship dedicated to long duration border patrol missions. Designation used in the mid- to late 23rd century for Kiaga, Agilis, Akula, Engage and Kirsanov classes, but largely abandoned in the 24th century with the introduction of numerous frigates for border patrol duty. Also called perimeter action ship.

Phase Cannon

See Particle Cannon.

Phaser

Directed-energy/particle weapon in common use in Starfleet and various other UFP and foreign organizations. Based on rapid nadion effect, the phaser generates a wide-band particle beam that utilizes both EM and subspace components. Large shipboard phasers can produce lightspeed or (with the help of ACB subspace sheaths) faster-than-light beams, whereas handheld variants are limited to significantly lower speeds but feature a wide variety of settings that transcend their status as mere weapons. Phasers have been available to Starfleet since the early 23rd century, having gradually evolved from particle cannon weaponry.

Photon Torpedo

See Torpedo.

Plasma Cannon

Projectile weapon in common use in early UFP Star Fleet and preceding Earth vessels. Based on generation, containment and directed release of ionized matter, the plasma cannon were a strictly sublight weapon, typically complemented by laser or particle cannon weapons in military applications. Unlike these weapon types, however, plasma cannon did not benefit from phasing or subspace sheathing technologies, and were largely outdated by the mid-22nd century already.

Plasma Torpedo

Command-guided high energy variant of plasma cannon projectile, accelerated to medium FTL speeds with the help of an externally generated ACB subspace sheath. The weapon has limited inflight steering capacity and low speed compared with ACB-sheathed lasers or phasers, and ties down the firing platform to maintaining the ACB, but is devastating when used against proximal or poorly maneuvering targets. Starfleet has not made use of the weapon apart from brief testing in the 2290s, but for example Romulan and Cardassian forces continue to utilize the technology in the late 24th century. Also called plasma mortar.

PRC

People's Republic of China

Prime Directive

The principal guide for practical application of Starfleet policy on field operations involving interaction with extra-UFP civilizations, as per Starfleet General Order 1. The directive states that Starfleet is not to interfere with the natural development of isolated civilizations in any way, and is to protect such civilizations against external influence by any means necessary, even at the cost of lives of Starfleet personnel. The directive does not apply to civilizations already under extensive alien influence, and thus excludes systems that have progressed to the stage of interstellar commerce and the use of warp drive or equivalent means of interstellar travel. However, the directive is applied if the alien influence is singular and disruptive and it is possible to eliminate it completely without causing further damage to the society. Thus, alien forces enslaving or exploiting a society can be dissuaded from doing so, if the society is thus returned to its natural path of development.
The directive may never be applied to pass judgment on what is the natural course of development for the society in question. Thus, any inborn troubles within a culture are to be left as they were - Starfleet can never interfere with an imminent nuclear war or planetwide succumbing to narcotics, genetic engineering or alteration of physical or mental form of the species, if it is not caused by clearly definable external influences. Such influences include interstellar communications and commerce; but even a society that has learned its use of cybernetic implantation through alien contact may not generally be forced to abandon this inevitably tragic form of racial suicide.
The directive does not apply to non-Starfleet personnel, but Starfleet is often empowered to enforce the directive upon civilians through the fact that said civilians can be considered a singular, disruptive alien influence.
The exact wording of the Prime Directive has been amended sixteen times in Federation history. The current formulation is available from the nearest UFP Consulate infolink.

Probe

Robotic craft intended primarily for exploration are generally called probes instead of drones, and range in size from microprobes less than one meter long to starship-sized long-range probes capable of crossing the galaxy in their decades-long high-warp missions. Most exploration starships carry probes that can be launched from photon torpedo tubes - these currently fall into nine classes, with either sublight or warp propulsion systems and various sensor suites. Contrary to many other systems, the classification system of shipboard probes is not based on increasing or decreasing capacities.

Q

Quantum Torpedo

A torpedo weapon carrying a warhead based on tapping of the underlying zero-point energy of the universe. This allows for very powerful yet extremely lightweight warheads with carefully controlled yield, and lessens the problems of collateral damage inherent even in light versions of the photon torpedo.

R

RRKS

Royal Republic of Korea Spaceforce. Following the downfall of the Singh supermen, the Korean peninsula united under a constitutional monarchy.

This is complete conjecture.

Rocket

1. Reaction drive based on Newtonian ejection of propellant, with possible non-Newtonian boosting. Chemical or nuclear reactions within the fuel external or heating by fission or fusion reactions (see Nuclear Thermal Rocket Drive) or other outside energy sources can be used to excite the propellant, or kinetic energy can be added by electromagnetic fields (see Ion Drive) or gravitics (see Impulse Drive). Typical secondary drive for starships utilizing warp drive, although by no means the only possible sublight drive system.
2. Secondary weapon on Earthfleet and early Starfleet ships. Refers to unguided sublight projectile weapons, used in two main roles: kinetic-kill warheads for close-in defense, and thermonuclear or merculite warheads for saturation attacks against starships or installations at medium range. Separate from guided missile weapons. Currently not in Starfleet use, although an important part of the arsenals of various civilizations. Handheld rocket weapons are rarely used in Starfleet, due to the effectiveness of current shielding against such threats.

Runabout

Small liaison vessel capable of low to medium warp speeds, carrying 5-20 people or 2-5 tons of cargo. Usually lightly armed and capable of planetary landings, also utilized for deploying small research or tactical teams. Classes include Hubble, Questor, Juneau, Kilauea, Danube. In some cases, the historical designation cutter is used instead for vessels of this description.

S

Scout

A small to medium, fast research and reconnaissance starship. Features medium phaser armament and extensive sensor and research gear, with optional shuttlecraft facilities. Typically omits or downplays torpedo armament, but may feature dedicated probe launchers.
Until the Romulan war, applied mainly to small military reconnaissance craft or ships with high speed and minimal armament or shielding. Between the founding of the UFP and the early 24th century, applied to a wide variety of vessels, including small one-or two-man reconnaissance craft, science platforms, military sensor picket and fleet coordination platforms, and small and medium, slow and fast starships in a highly inconsistent manner.
Designation finally refined in 2324 to the current form, with lightly armed, slow pure science platforms now designated surveyors. Small reconnaissance craft are known as scoutcraft. The role of dedicated military sensor and coordination ships has all but disappeared in the 24th century.
Older scout classes include e.g. Placido, Podish, Hale, Bode, Sawyer and Archer. More modern ships under scout designation include Merced, Zodiac and Andromeda. Numerous adaptations of other starship classes or designs (especially destroyers and frigates) have also served as scoutships, and include e.g. Tuverlind, Hermes, Nelson, Amerind and Newton.

Scoutcraft

A small, fast reconnaissance vessel with a crew of 1-5. Lightly armed and intended purely for short-range reconnaissance duty. Not to be confused with starship-sized scouts.

Ship Separation

Standard mode of protecting starship crews from catastrophic failure in a major component of the ship. Most Star Fleet designs feature a jettisonable aerodynamic hull, currently almost invariably of saucer shape, that houses most crew facilities and at least one command center. In case of failure to other ship components, the saucer is severed from the rest of the ship and acts as a large lifepod. The saucer can perform controlled planetary landing or remain in orbit, normally sustaining life for at least a year for 100% of the occupants. Ship separation is thus preferred to lifepod ejection, since the latter offers markedly lower survival odds both in immediate landing and prolonged orbital stay.
Some starship designs are capable of repeated separation and redocking of one or more of their major components. For example the Galaxy class saucer can be separated even at high warp to propel part of the crew to safety while the rest of the ship engages in dangerous activity. Operationally, such ship separation is rarely viable except for catastrophic failure situations.

Shuttle

Auxiliary craft usually carried by starships for ground-to-orbit transportation or detached operations. Also used for starbase liaison duties. Since mid-23rd century, shuttles are normally warp-capable, but limited to warp 2 or 3. Most can be fitted with weapons and light transporters. Heavy cargo shuttles and special-environment shuttles are carried alongside light and medium personnel shuttles aboard larger vessels. Dedicated ground assault shuttles exist for special military applications. Also, heavy atmospheric transport craft without warp drive are carried aboard the largest starships and transports and often referred to as shuttles. See part III of main text.

Shuttlecarrier

see Carrier

Shuttlepod

Very small auxiliary craft used for ship-to-ship or ground-to-orbit transportation, free-space maintenance and repair work, and detached operations of very limited scale. Usually not equipped with warp drive.

SIF

See Structural Integrity Field

Star Fleet, UFP

The primary exploration and defense organization of the United Federation of Planets (UFP). Star Fleet was created in 2161 by decree of the newly founded UFP to protect the integrity of the Federation and the safety of its members and to expand the knowledge of the member cultures. Originally featuring ships and equipment adopted from the space navies of all the members, Star Fleet currently utilizes highly commonalized equipment built around the Federation, and accepts individuals from all the member cultures into its training programs.
Star Fleet currently operates some 3,500 first-line exploration and defense vessels (Activation Class One in 23rd century parlance - see class) and thousands of support vessels of different types. The ships are deployed on a network of starbases, and the Star Fleet charter explicitly forbids extended deployments of Star Fleet forces near member planets, to protect them from ‘gunboat diplomacy’. The ships usually perform solo missions five to ten years in duration in deep space, although deployments of task forces for short-duration defensive or other special missions are not uncommon.
The ships are the most visible part of Star Fleet; other forms of Star Fleet presence include the starbases, deep space stations, research and trade outposts, security and liaison forces of UFP embassies and consulates, and various research teams or individual researchers co-operating with member cultures.
Star Fleet internal organization under Star Fleet Command includes Fleet Operations (at one point divided into Defense and Exploration Commands, although no such distinction is currently made), Base Operations, Logistics Command, Star Fleet Security, Star Fleet Intelligence, Star Fleet Medical, Star Fleet Research & Exploration, Star Fleet Marines and various other departments. The exploration and defense forces are organized according to a strict military hierarchy, while the organization of other departments is often far more complex. For a general outline, see Appendix C.
Star Fleet personnel are trained at Star Fleet Academy. Additionally, Star Fleet provides courses in other institutes of learning throughout the UFP. Star Fleet also co-operates with local space forces and other authorities in matters of local defense or space operations support – and for example the Federation Customs Service relies heavily on Star Fleet equipment, personnel and training in performing its duties. Civilian organizations like ACI, DI, NAR, NUMA, UESPA and VSA have historically participated in Star Fleet operations by leasing ‘starship time’ aboard Star Fleet vessels. In the early 23rd century, Star Fleet returned the favor by leasing large numbers of civilian ships for exploration support operations, as its own forces were tied up with the Klingon threat.

Star Fleet Academy

The primary training center of Star Fleet. Located in San Francisco, Earth, the facility houses various training functions including

• Star Fleet Officer Training Program (responsible for the training of commission-ed officers for Star Fleet Active Forces and Reserve; 4-year course leading to commissioning to the rank of Ensign, various courses for commissioning individuals of previous naval training into Star Fleet officers)
• Star Fleet Crew Training Program (responsible for the training of enlisted personnel; 0.5-year program leading to the rate of Crewman Apprentice, 2-year program to the rate of Petty Officer Third Class)
• Star Fleet Personnel Training Program (which gives final Star Fleet training to medical doctors, scientists, jurists and various other specialists joining Star Fleet, as well as co-operating with SOTP and SCTP in familiarizing members of other naval organizations with Star Fleet; 0.5-2-year programs for specialists, normally leading to either Petty Officer rate or Ensign or Lieutenant (j.g.) rank).
  Only the SOTP is completely located in San Francisco; other programs are partially distributed across the Federation, taking full advantage of civilian educational services, and are coordinated from the San Francisco headquarters.

Academy training invariably includes training assignments aboard space vessels and outposts; all SOTP members receive training aboard starships. It is possible to attain a higher than nominal graduation rank by excelling in duties or studies during training, although the standard reward for excellence is a decoration or a citation – possibilities for performance beyond the call of duty in starship or outpost deployments or in other Academy facilities are endless. Star Fleet also offers advanced training to graduated officers and crew, leading to (and sometimes being required for) further promotion opportunities.
Each training program features various fields of specialization:

• Command line (including courses in command, spacecraft operations and piloting, tactics, diplomacy, law, training of personnel, psychology, history and philosophy)
• Engineering line (courses in general engineering, spacecraft operations, natural sciences, as well as various fields of engineering specialization)
• Logistics and adminstration line (courses in logistics operations, economics, psychology, as well as special fields)
• Military line (courses in ground combat operations, weapons, tactics, as well as special fields)
• Sciences line (courses in natural sciences, research equipment operations, history, philosophy, as well as special fields – usually, special training has been acquired from civilian or other Star Fleet institutes before STP training)
• Security line (courses in security operations, weapons, tactics, law, psychology, as well as special fields)
• Services line (courses in spacecraft operations, as well as special fields)

In addition, physical education, linguistics and general training on operation of Star Fleet equipment plus rudimentary ground combat and humanitarian support training feature heavily in all programs. SOTP participants are required to choose at least three programs, while SCTP participants have to take one or two. Command line is the most popular, followed closely by Services – the former opens the road to the most favored positions aboard starships, while the latter virtually ensures deep space assignments at some point of the career due to the Star Fleet practice of rotating starship crews extensively between exploratory cruises.
Only command-line graduates are entitled to the red (earlier gold) uniform of command-qualified personnel; their assignments usually begin in the form of flight controller duty aboard starships or smaller vessels, and lead to eventual command positions. Graduates from other lines wear either a yellow (earlier red) or a blue uniform, the latter separating staff specialists and staff officers from other personnel. Color coding of service branches and fields of speciality was introduced in the 2270s but discontinued in the 2350s.

Starbase

Star Fleet replenishment facility. A wide range of starbase types with different capabilities are utilized: the smallest Class I bases feature minimal defensive systems, antimatter and deuterium refueling tanks and communications gear plus rudimentary repair equipment; Class II features research facilities and/or starship crew support systems plus equipment for more comprehensive damage repair; Class III introduces increased defense capabilities, including photon torpedoes, and offers hangar facilities for small craft larger than simple shuttles; Class IV offers full repair capabilities with hangars for small starships; Class V features hangar spaces for medium starships; and Class VI offers hangars for starships up to explorer size. Classes I-III are often towed in place, while IV-VI are constructed in situ. Currently, over 700 facilities are in operation, 25% of these Class IV or larger.
Most in-system starbases feature a planetary surface component offering a variety of services; the orbital component of many such starbases is of Class I only, accompanied by separate dockyards and extensive surface facilities. On the other hand, deep space stations and research and trade outposts are often based on Class I-III hardware, and seldom feature planetside components.

Stardrive Vessel

Formal name for ships equipped with interstellar drives but not necessarily included in the starship category. Seldom used outside Star Fleet activation records.

Starfleet, UE

The primary exploration and defense organization of United Earth 2089-2161.

Starship

Common name for Star Fleet exploration and defense vessels with warp drive, from corvette size up. Also in some occasions applied to some independent small warp-capable craft like runabouts. Seldom applied to other warp-powered ships like transports or tenders. Term introduced for official use in the founding articles of Star Fleet in 2161, and applied to all large warp-powered Star Fleet vessels after 2238. Originally used in parallel with the more general term spaceship.

Stasis

Suspended animation technique based on timeflow manipulation. Mostly used in Star Fleet for enhancing odds of crew survival during drive system failures or other transit-prolonging emergencies; also included in modern lifepod designs. Potential combat applications in enemy immobilization and spatiotemporal fragmenting have led to inclusion of stasis restrictions in several temporal weapon limitation treaties, none of which is universally ratified at the moment.

STL

Slower than light. Pertaining to drive, sensor and communications systems only capable of speeds lower than 299,790 km/s. See sublight vessel.

Strike Carrier

Medium starship dedicated to planetary assault operations, carrying large contingents of assault shuttles and other auxiliaries. 24th century successors to through-deck cruisers of 23rd century. Star Fleet classes so far limited to Steamrunner, although designation also applied to a wide variety of foreign designs.

Strike Cruiser

Variant of cruiser dedicated to offensive operations including planetary assault, usually lacking in exploration capacity. Also called attack cruiser. Applied e.g. to Belknap, Impervious and Excel classes. Designation and mission abandoned in Star Fleet in 24th century, but still applied to a wide variety of foreign designs.

Strike Frigate

Variant of frigate dedicated to planetary assault operations, often carrying large contingents of ground troops and employing assault shuttles or transporters to deploy them. Applied to Coventry (shuttlecraft) and Chandley (transporters) classes in the late 23rd century, and to Saber class in the mid-24th. Designation abandoned and mission distributed to other classes, including strike carriers as well as standard cruiser and frigate starships, in the late 24th century.

Strike Transport

Variant of transport dedicated to planetary assault operations, carrying large contingents of ground troops, vehicles and/or ordnance and supplies and employing landing barges or direct planetfall to deploy them. Applied to a number of transport classes adopted from civilian use, as well as to dedicated vessels such as Yorkshire and Norfolk classes.

Structural Integrity Field

A forcefield-based system that strengthens starship structures to a degree impossible to achieve through the use of physical matter. Originally intended to supplement mechanical support structures; first used to extensively supplant them on Ambassador and Apollo class starships in the 2310s.

Sublight vessel

Formal name for spacecraft not capable of faster-than-light speeds. Sublight ships and craft have limited value in Star Fleet service, save for some minor auxiliary duties.

Support Combatant

Common name for offense- or defense-oriented starships with the mission profile of performing military operations other than direct ship-to-ship combat. Starships of shuttle-carrier or command ship type are the most prominent support combatants; ships primarily employed in planetary assault role, including through-deck cruisers and later strike carriers as well as strike transports and strike frigates, are also included in this category. Other military-oriented starship categories beside support combatant include mobile combatant, patrol combatant, and auxiliary.

Survey Cruiser

Subtype of auxiliary cruiser, intended especially for long voyages of interstellar exploration. Also sometimes known as exploratory cruiser, but see this entry for alternate meanings. Designation applied to e.g. Cosmos, Daedalus, Libra and Castor classes but largely abandoned by the 24th century, as sufficient exploration capacity on all starships was made a priority in Star Fleet.

Survey Frigate

Somewhat euphemistic designation used on Soyuz class of military signal-intelligence starships. Later adopted by other variants of the Miranda heavy frigate family, having longer range and more capable research facilities than other frigates and sacrificing torpedo armament for added sensor and datalink capacity. Designation still in sporadic use due to the limited survey capabilities of standard frigates.

Surveyor

Research starship with very limited defensive capabilities. Used for a variety of in situ scientific tasks, often as a platform for extended surveys of star systems or astronomical phenomena. Normally features phasers for self defense, but seldom carries torpedoes or shuttlecraft. Primary general purpose surveyor classes include Oberth, Garneau, Surak and Nova and their numerous subclasses, although there are several surveyor classes with shorter production runs and typically more specific equipment and missions. Designation adopted in 2324 to differentiate science platforms from small multi-purpose exploration vessels; previously both had fallen under designation scout.

T

Task Force

A small contingent of starships formed for specific missions. Since many starships operate independently, and have multi-mission capacities, Star Fleet Task Forces often feature one to three multi-mission ships and a few smaller ships configured for the specific mission in question. A typical Task Force features one to three medium to large multi-mission ships (cruisers, explorers), one to three small multi-mission ships (scouts) and one to five special-mission craft (surveyors, frigates, transports, hospital ships etc.). Defense-oriented Task Forces usually feature two to four large to medium defense or multipurpose ships (battleships, explorers, cruisers) and two to four small defense ships (frigates, destroyers). Task Forces are usually created at a moment’s notice from ships within range of the mission target, and are not maintained for more than a few months at a time. See also fleet.

Tender

Auxiliary vessel specifically designed for deep space replenishment of starships and other vessels. Towships of Ptolemy class are classified as Tug/Tenders, yet the very similar Doppler class lacks the tender capabilities and is accordingly designated. In turn, many tender ships not classified as tugs, like the Grin’ki and Gibraltar classes, still possess some minimal warp towing ability.

Terraformer

A vessel capable of altering planetary geology and/or meteorology in large scale. Large geo- and meteoro-terraformers were built for specific missions in the 22nd and 23rd centuries, but increasing capabilities of regular starships have led to moving of many terraforming duties to powerful multi-purpose ships like explorers instead. Ambassador and Nebula classes have been extensively used for terraforming in the 24th century. Dedicated terraformer classes, typically built in low numbers, include Roger Moses, Kerala and Strata.

Terraforming

Altering planetary conditions to make the planet habitable to Terran-type life. Terraforming technology has been available to the UFP from its founding date, but fast terraforming techniques in the time scale of decades have only been in use for a century, mainly thanks to advances in protomatter technology. Star Fleet performs and coordinates terraforming through Terraform Command. It is estimated that almost 5% of the planets in our galaxy have already been terraformed by ancient civilizations into Class M worlds, so terraforming is not necessary for the creation of viable colonies. Yet research continues in search of faster and safer methods.

Through-deck Cruiser

A special designation for variants of late 23rd century cruiser designs with enlarged flight decks. Intended both to fight as cruisers and to support tactical craft operations in planetary assault missions. Classes include Coronado and Advance. Designation later abandoned, the role taken over by standard defense starships equipped with standard-size shuttlebays. See also strike carrier.

Torpedo

General name for warp-capable guided projectile weapons, in contrast to sublight-only guided missiles. The standard torpedo warhead in Star Fleet service is a deuterium/antideuterium mass, its annihilation releasing large amounts of energy – a torpedo thus armed is a photon torpedo. Other warheads include zero-point energy taps used in quantum torpedoes, or thermonuclear devices routinely used in the early 23rd century. Star Fleet currently has six main types of photon torpedoes in its inventory, classified according to range and capabilities, as well as two types of quantum torpedoes. Also available are tricobalt and other nuclear warheads for demolition purposes, as well as delivery systems for a variety of chemical, biological and other agents.
The highly standardized current types of projectiles are of 760 mm by 450 mm cross section and are compatible with light, medium and heavy launcher types at maximum lengths of 1200, 2100 and 3400 mm, respectively. Projectiles of smaller dimensions are classified as mini- or microtorpedoes, and are also standardized to some degree.

Tractor Beam

Device for exerting non-Newtonian forces by using a combination of gravitic and subspace technologies. Based on subspace suspension of gravitons, the device is closely related to shields and can typically be configured for a variety of attracting, repelling and deflecting modes. A typical starship tool for towing or debris clearing, also applicable as a weapon or geological or meteorological manipulation tool.

Transport

Starship or other vessel dedicated to transporting cargo or passengers. Star Fleet has operated various manned and unmanned types, usually featuring warp engines of the current military standard fitted to special-purpose high-volume hulls. Transports range in size from small two-or three-crew ships to huge starliners capable of carrying tens of thousands of people if needed. Not to be confused with cargo carriers, a term commonly used for sublight bulk cargo drones.

Transporter

Teleportation system based on transformation of matter into phased state for transmission to destination. Standard units, available for Star Fleet shipboard use since the late 2130s, transmit the phased matter stream at lightspeed to an unboosted range of at most 60,000 km, while systems utilizing subspace transmissions can achieve FTL speeds and ranges of several lightyears, but feature risks considered unacceptable by Star Fleet.
Transporter systems are highly standardized across the Federation, ranging from Mk I units of the 22nd century to Mk VIII units currently in experimental use aboard frontline starships. Transporters can be installed aboard most interstellar and interplanetary craft down to shuttle size, and are the primary means of ship-to-surface or ship-to-ship deployment aboard all current starships.

Transwarp Drive

Common name for drive systems capable of higher speeds and efficiencies than the warp drive currently in use throughout the Federation. Promising venues of research include deep subspace immersion, new power regulation methods, dimensional rift techniques and time manipulation, all of which have been witnessed in use by alien species or entities. Yet, no practical drives of these types are available to Federation at the moment.

Tug

1. A warp-powered ship specifically designed to extend her warp field around objects that can thereafter be towed at warp speeds. Mainly used for carriage of transport pods, and towing of disabled starships or other equipment lacking motive power. Classes include Ptolemy, Atlas, Doppler and Fisher.
2. A craft or drone designed to propel ships or equipment lacking motive power. Formerly often used for maneuvering ships within and in the vicinity of docking facilities, but currently all but abandoned in favor of tractor beam guidance.

Type

1. Parallel to mission class (see class), Star Fleet sometimes uses the expression "ship type" when referring to the primary mission profile of a starship design. Thus, New Orleans class ships are either of "frigate class" or of "frigate type".
2. When categorizing foreign spacecraft, Star Fleet uses "type" to refer to the design variant or production standard of a ship of a certain class. For example, Cardassian Galor (= ship class) destroyers (= mission class) include the torpedo-equipped Type 3 (often confusingly called a cruiser by the Cardassians) as well as the phaser-equipped Type 2 and the original low-powered Type 1. Likewise, Romulan D’eridex warbirds include Types A1, A2 and B. Such designations are not normally used on Star Fleet vessels. Also, as intelligence is gained on foreign vessels, it is often found that there exists a specific indigenous subclass or class name for the various types, and the use of that name is then usually adopted in Star Fleet as well. Thus, the elderly Klingon Type D11 large Bird of Prey is currently known by its Klingon name B’rel, while Type D7C is now known to be K’t’inga class and the original Type D7 actually consisted of two main subclasses, Klolode and Akif.
3. Star Fleet routinely categorizes its equipment so that "type" specifies the application for which the equipment is intended while "mark" refers to the version of the device in that category. For example, Type 3 phasers are high-powered, riflelike units with a great variety of settings; Type 3 Mark III units were in use in the 2260s whereas Type 3 Mark XII is the current standard unit distributed to starships.

U

UE

See United Earth

UEDP

See United Earth Defense Pact

UESF

See Starfleet, UE

UESPA

See United Earth Space Probe Agency

UFP

See United Federation of Planets

United Earth

Formal name for the planetary government of Earth from 2115 onwards.

United Earth Defense Pact

International space defense organization of Earth 2069-2089.

United Earth Space Probe Agency

International space exploration agency of Earth from 2069 onwards.

United Federation of Planets

Community of some 150 members consisting of humanoid and nonhumanoid races and alliances in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants of our galaxy. Led by an elected Council of members, presided by an elected President, and promoting common trade, research and defense of its members, the UFP has attained a superpower status in a volume of some two billion cubic lightyears since its founding in 2161. The defense and exploration organization for the UFP is Starfleet.

USAF

United States Air Force. Primarily through its Strategic Command office, the USAF played an important role in the development of intersolar travel in the post-Singh era.

USS

UFP Star Fleet Starship. Acronym preceding the names of Starfleet starships, painted on ship hulls along with the ship’s registry number. Commonly abbreviated as ‘United Starship’ in verbal communication, although the expressions ‘United Spaceship’ and ‘Federation Starship’ are also frequently used.

W

Warp Drive

Primary FTL propulsion method used by the UFP and most of the known spacefaring societies. Currently believed to allow for nine stable FTL speeds, up to 1,516 times the speed of light in neutral subspace conditions. Research on faster methods continues.

Warp Sled

Designation for a variety of spacecraft whose only function is to propel other, sublight ships and craft to warp speeds. Seldom used by Starfleet save for the Tai/Sait class of couriercraft.

Workbee

An informal name for work pod.

Work Pod

General name for manned sub-impulse craft used for construction and service tasks in space. Work pods are often carried by all kinds of starships, although the more capable shuttlepods sometimes replace them. A variety of external tools and modules are carried by the work pods to facilitate a multitude of tasks.

Z

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• Back to the Table of Contents
• Appendix A: Of Ship Statistics
• Appendix B: Glossary
• Appendix C: Star Fleet Organization - General Outline
• Appendix D: Abbreviations From Outside