Excelsior-class

The Excelsior-class was a type of starship operated by the Federation Starfleet in the 23rd and 24th centuries. Though its design and early life were troubled, it went on to become one of the most successful and prolific designs employed by Starfleet.

Development
The Excelsior design was initially commissioned as part of the Excelsior Transwarp Project, otherwise known as the ETP. The ETP's chief designer, Doctor Carter Thorndyke insisted that the transwarp technology would need to be developed in tandem with an entirely new starship design. Though initially reluctant, Starfleet Command eventually relented and the USS Excelsior (NCC-2000) (along with a backup ship that was damaged beyond repair during early transwarp tests) was designed and built in conjunction with the ETP. Following many years of delays culminating in a total systems failure on the ship's first attempt to engage the new drive system, the Excelsior was returned to Earth Spacedock and refitted with a standard warp drive, after which it entered normal service.

Lineage
The Exclesior-class would go on to supplant the Constitution-class as Starfleet's premiere explorer starship design. Even as it was itself supplanted by newer designs such as the Ambassador and Galaxy classes, it would continue to serve as a central component of Starfleet's deployed fleets throughout the 24th century.

General component designs would also be used in other derived starship classes such as the Centaur-class, much as the Miranda and Constitution classes shared a common design components.

The basic Excelsior design would also be modified to serve specialized roles, which would themselves sometimes be considered distinct ship classes, such as the Mercy-class of hospital ships and medical transports.

Known Vessels

 * USS Excelsior (NCC-2000)
 * Unnamed Excelsior-class Prototype (NX-2001)
 * USS Stalwart (NCC-2565)
 * USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B)