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USS Voyager (NCC-74656)

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Starship Voyager

The USS Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid class starship
Career 
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Launched: Stardate 48641.8
(14 January 2371 AD)
Commissioned: Stardate 48038.5
(2371 AD)
General Characteristics
Class: Intrepid
The USS Voyager (NCC-74656) is an Intrepid class starship in the Star Trek fictional universe. This starship has 15 decks, a crew complement of 141, state-of-the-art bioneural computer circuitry, a sustainable cruising velocity of Warp 9.975, and was the primary setting of the television series . Voyager was launched on stardate 48038.5, in 2371, and is owned and used by Starfleet, the defensive and exploratory arm of the United Federation of Planets. Shortly afterward, Voyager departed Deep Space Nine to conduct counter-terrorist operations in a dangerous region of space known as "the Badlands". Voyager was transported 70,000 light years into the Delta Quadrant by an entity known only as "The Caretaker," who was bringing in ships from all over the galaxy in his (?) efforts to find a mate. The Maquis ship that Voyager was pursuing was drawn to the Delta Quadrant as well.

In the transportation, Voyager lost many crew members, including the helmswoman, first officer, and entire medical staff. These crew members were replaced by members of the Maquis and a hologram. Instead of using the Caretaker's array to get home, Captain Kathryn Janeway destroys it to make sure that the Ocampans will be safe.

In their seven-year journey to return to Federation space, the crew of Voyager encountered many new species and races; befriending some and coming into conflict with others.

In the year 2378, Voyager returned home to Earth after Admiral Janeway (Captain Janeway's future self) traveled back in time to get the ship home. Voyager brought down the Borg transwarp network in its triumphant return, also bringing with it much data on the Delta Quadrant, along with some advanced technologies which Admiral Janeway had brought from the future.

The starship Voyager was designed by Rick Sternbach. While most of the time Voyager was seen on-screen as CGI, the model used in the series was built by Tony Meinenger.

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Contents

Brief history

Voyager is a small but highly advanced Federation vessel with a crew complement of 141, commissioned under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway. On stardate 48315.6, Voyager was pulled into the Delta Quadrant of the galaxy by an alien entity known as the Caretaker while searching for a missing Maquis ship in the Badlands. Voyager's first officer, chief medical officer, chief engineer and pilot, among others, were killed during this encounter, and the Voyager was left heavily damaged.

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

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

Voyager did not have a counsellor assigned to it due to the short term nature of its original mission (After the Badlands assignment, it was originally to have been a 3 week mission). In later years the emergency holographic doctor would perform counselling services for the crew.

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

The USS Intrepid, first of the class, was used as a testbed for the remainder, USS Voyager herself was lost near the Badlands on stardate 48307.5.

The class in general was the most advanced in the fleet, featuring much improved computer systems that included bio-neural circuitry rather than the traditional optical processors. The variable geometry warp field (made possible by the hinged design of the warp nacelles) theoretically improves maneuverability while still offering optimal warp field creation. While Voyager herself was a seven-year testbed of variable geometry warp technology and bio-neural circuitry, starships designed since the creation of Voyager do not include variable-geometry warp drives.

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

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

New technologies

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

Another innovation introduced with Voyager was the Emergency Medical Hologram. The EMH was a holographic doctor designed as a short-term supplement for the regular sickbay staff. It is programmed with a library of over 5 million different medical treatments from 2,000 medical references and 47 physicians. The EMH form is generated by a series of holographic emitters installed in sickbay. Along with generating the holographic body, the emitters also surround the doctor's holographic image with a magnetic containment field, thus allowing it to interact with objects and patients. Use of the EMH requires holographic projectors, but the EMH on Voyager was able to circumvent this limitation with a Mobile Emitter, a piece of 29th century technology acquired during a trip back in time that allows the EMH to move about freely.

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

Voyager's maximum attainable speed is Warp 9.975 without modifications, and although this speed can be maintained for 36 hours, a relatively limited antimatter supply and wear from long use prevents sustained warp at this speed.

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

A new shuttlecraft designed by Lieutenant Tom Paris was constructed by the crew of Voyager to be "bigger and better" than their other shuttlecraft. During a conflict with the Malon, Lieutenant Paris proposes the Delta Flyer design to the senior staff as a way to not only rescue a multispacial probe, but to be used regularly as a much more capable vessel than those in Voyager's standard shuttle complement. The Delta Flyer employs a Borg-inspired weapons array and Lieutenant Commander Tuvok's Unimatrix shielding design used for the multispacial probe to be able to withstand atmospheric pressures present in a gas giant.

Technical specifications

Computer specifications

Warp Engine specifications

Impulse Engine specifications

Transporter specifications

Communications Systems specifications

Sensor Systems specifications

Weaponry specifications

Defensive Countermeasures Specifications

Crew complement

Deck by deck

External links

 

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