Intrepid Class

With the commissioning of the first of the Intrepid Class Starships, the growing problem of destroying the Space-Time Continuum has been a foremost design concern. While, recent calculations by Dr. Kensington of the Daystrom Institute have led to the belief that only that area of space, where the aliens first contacted the Enterprise about this problem, is susceptible to this phenomena.

The maneuverable Nacelle design on the U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656 provides for a much more efficient subspace field, than previous designs. The inherent complexity of this design increases maintenance, something that is not warranted during war time. The Warp field geometry of the Intrepid Class, incorporates a refined 32 degree Z-axis compression, compared to the Galaxy Class's 55 degree Z-axis. It should be noted though, that the fixed Nacelle pylon of the Galaxy Class is much more durable. Especially in a Tactical situation, the Nacelles can withstand many more weapon hits.

The top sustainable Warp velocity for the Voyager is Warp 9.975, with the Galaxy Class Enterprise being Warp 9.6. In terms of Cochrane values Warp 9.975 would be around 5,000 Cochranes compared to 1,909 for Warp 9.6. This illustrates the great exploration and crisis-management advantages afforded by the maneuverable Nacelle design. The great difference between the masses of the Enterprise and Voyager become negligible within the subspace domain. Newtonian and Relativistic Mechanics simply do not apply in this medium. The Galaxy Class U.S.S. Odyssey NCC-71832 was fitted with an experimental Warp core and fixed Nacelle design shortly before its destruction by the Jem'Hadar. This design allowed a sustainable cruise velocity of Warp 9.92 for periods up to seven hours. Again the Intrepid Class design allows a much more efficient subspace field lobe for Warp velocities. It can also be said that the Warp Nacelle design of the Voyager negatively impacts the Space-Continuum. In stark contrast to previous designs.

Even with the great amounts of power produced by a Starship's Warp core, as much as 121 Billion Terawatts for the Galaxy Class, subspace fields require gargantuan amounts of power. Every extra Gigawatt is needed to sustain FTL velocities. Thus, the more efficient the Warp propulsion system, the higher the resultant Warp velocity. The Chief Engineer of any Intrepid Class Starship, will find these are engines are much easier to tune for efficiency. Than the older designs of the Galaxy and Nebula Class.