| Athena class | |
|---|---|
| |
| Production information | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Designer | |
| Class |
Battlecruiser |
| Technical specifications | |
| Length |
525 meters |
| Width |
310 meters |
| Height/depth |
95 meters |
| Maximum speed |
|
| Engine unit(s) |
|
| Fuel |
Naquadah |
| Hyperdrive system |
Intergalactic |
| Power plant |
(if available) |
| Shielding |
|
| Hull |
Naquadah/Trinium alloy |
| Sensor systems |
|
| Targeting systems |
Federation targeting systems |
| Control systems |
Bridge |
| Navigation system |
Computer navigational systems |
| Countermeasures |
Self-destruct |
| Armament |
|
| Complement |
|
| Crew |
maximum capacity: 1,550 |
| Minimum crew |
12 |
| Other systems |
|
| Usage | |
| Role(s) |
|
| Year introduced |
2389 |
| Affiliation |
|
- "This isn’t a Daedalus class ship.
No it’s not; it’s a BC-305, the first in the new line." - — Samantha Carter and Typhuss James Kira, 2389
The Athena class, also known as the BC/DSC-305 or the BC-305 or Athena-class battlecruiser, is a class of deep space carrier developed by the Federation in the aftermath of the Federation-Der'kal War to reaffirm Earth's military power. Utilizing many advances from the Asgard the Athena-class represents a major leap-forward in ship design. The BC-305 is the successor to the Daedalus-class and the most advanced series of vessels in their fleet, capable of rivaling even the most powerful alien starships. As of 2389, only one Athena-class vessel has been built; the USS Athena.
Overview[]
The Athena class is a class of deep space carrier developed by the Federation in the aftermath of the Federation-Der'kal War to reaffirm Earth's military power. Utilising many advances from the Asgard the Athena-class represents a major leap-forward in ship design. The BC-305 is the successor to the Daedalus-class and the most advanced series of vessels in their fleet, capable of rivaling even the most powerful alien starships.
History[]
As of 2389, only one Athena-class vessel has been built; the USS Athena.
In 2390, the USS Athena was placed under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Anastasia Dualla and fights in the ongoing war with the Wraith. (Star Trek: Athena)
Locations[]
Bridge[]
The bridge
BC-305s feature several upgrades over the Daedalus class, but the bridge layout is relatively similar. The forward viewscreen is wider to allow a greater visual field. This is particularly useful during battle situations, allowing several officers to make suggestions about how to proceed without obstructing the captain's chair. Also built into the forward viewscreen is a Heads up display. A weapons officer sits to the right of the captain; a helmsman to the left.
The bridge is located in the superstructure at the beginning of the ship's neck. The map display table in the back of the bridge is lit in a different color for each ship.
Crew quarters[]
Crew quarters aboard Athena
BC-305s contain a number of relative spacious crew quarters. While the location of the entirety of them are unknown, several are positioned along the hull of the ship, allowing for a view into space via window.
Engineering[]
The engineering deck has several control panels specifically rigged for Asgard operators. The engine room can accommodate a dozen personnel at any given time. Tasks from systems diagnostics to the deployment of weapons can be carried out here.
Briefing room[]
The Athena's briefing room
BC-305s are designed with a briefing room, in which the captain can meet with senior officers for briefing before difficult/complex or strategic operations. The BC-305s' briefing room is a spacious room with a high ceiling, paneled in gray tones and equipped with large florescent lighting fixtures on the ceiling. It is dominated with a large black meeting table, and lined with several chairs along the sides. Behind the captain's chair is a large flat screen monitor built into the wall. As a screensaver, it displays the seal of the ship with the ship name at the top and the registry number of the ship along the bottom.
Sickbay[]
The sickbay of BC-305s are nearly identical to the one on board the Daedalus. They contain several rooms with biobeds and likely storage rooms, stocked with all manner of medications for the crew members, as well as equipment to support the crew during injuries that would be likely to be sustained on board ship. A surgical suite is also part of the infirmary.
Hangar bay[]
The hangar bay of the Athena
The BC-305s are able to carry twice as many F-302 fighter-interceptors as the Prometheus — eight in each of its two hangar bays, for a total of 16 and, 15 F-303s and H-8 Global Defenders. However, the Athena carry fighters only in the starboard hangar; the port hangar has been used to carry other vehicles, such as Puddle Jumpers from Starbase Atlantis and Starbase 290. It is unclear if this is also true of the other BC-305 class vessels. Asgard shields can extend around the hangar doors in the event the flight deck is occupied while decompression procedures are scheduled to commence. An Al'kesh can barely fit into the hangar bay.
Officer's mess[]
Because the 305s are designed for extensive deep-space voyages, an officer's mess is available to off-duty personnel. It islocated on the starboard side of the ship and offers a view port into space. Hot coffee and perhaps other drinks are available in the mess, no matter the time of day.
Bomb bay[]
The Apollo deploys Horizon
At least one 304, the Apollo, featured a large bomb bay built into the underside of the ship, capable of deploying the Horizon weapons platform. A control room just aft of the bay included a set of observation windows, arranged much like the ship's engine room. So far, it has only been mentioned in relation to the Apollo, and no corresponding bay doors appear on the underside of the Daedalus; it's unclear whether any other 304s were so equipped, or if the Apollo constitutes a new variant of the class. The 305 class, featured a large bomb bay built into the underside of the ship, capable of deploying the Horizon weapons platform.
Asgard knowledge room[]
The Odyssey's Asgard knowledge room
The Asgard knowledge room is a room on board the Odyssey. The room contains a curved holographic display which is linked into the Asgard computer core. It can display the information stored in it to the user on a larger display than the one on the core itself and so can by used to search the database and study its contents in more detail and with greater ease. Dr. Daniel Jackson used it to pass time onboard Odyssey when it was trapped in a Time dilation field, evading attack by Xindi warships.
Brig[]
The brig on board Odyssey
The brig on a 305 was a small, unadorned room not dissimilar to the ship's storage compartments; it contained a surveillance camera through which the prisoners could be observed. Though apparently designed for only a single occupant, it has been used to hold up to four people, indicating there may be only one such room on the ship. It has been used to imprison James Marrick when he created new Replicators that took over his body in that cell on board the Odyssey.
Armory[]
A armory on the Odyssey
There are several armories on a 305. It is unknown how many armories existed, but they appear to be small and packed with various weapons. They are known to contain Federation and Goa'uld weapons. The armory on the Daedalus was used to arm Ronon Dex and Dr. Jennifer Keller when the Xindi hijacked the ship, and would later have been used to arm the rest of the crew had the Xindi not retreated to their ship.
Airlocks[]
Several Airlocks line the slender mid-section of the ship. Airlocks may be vented through initiating a venting sequence controlled through the computer consoles, or performing a manual override to open the door via a control keypad.
Technology[]
- "With the Der'kal defeated, we’ve finally been able to take full advantage of the Asgard core."
- — Samantha Carter
The 305s boast a large amount of incredibly advanced technology, most of which came from the Asgard, which helps make 305s a formidable craft, capable of rivaling the starships of most races.
Sensors[]
The 305s feature a Long-range transmitter, located with a series of other communications-related equipment, including Asgard sensors, at the top-rear port section of the ship. There are also sensors located on the nose section of the ship. These sensors are highly advanced as they can scan and pinpoint life signs from far away, and are also what allows the Asgard transporters to lock on to an object accurately.
Shields[]
An active, but damaged, shield
Energy shields are the primary defense technology used by 305s. The technology was shared by the Asgard with the Federation after their contributions in defeating the Replicators, and so the Earth-designed 305-class warships are protected by Asgard shields, giving them a great advantage over the space-faring races of the Milky Way galaxy.
Asgard shields create an elliptical "bubble" around a starship that absorbs and diffuses the energy from weapons fire. The shields will gradually weaken under sustained fire, rather quickly if the attack is of sufficient force, allowing energy from attacks to bleed through and cause damage to the ship. Although additional energy can be allocated to the shield bubble to reinforce it, the only way for a ship to ultimately survive a continual attack is to withdraw and give the shields time to recharge.
Asgard transporters[]
An Asgard transporter in action
The Asgard first allowed the Federation access to a very basic form of their beaming technology, which they included on the Prometheus during a refit around 2367. In 2379, the Asgard provided Earth's first 305 class ship with a much more advanced form of beaming technology. However, they placed a series of fail-safes into the transporters to prevent the humans from using the technology offensively. Despite this, the Daedalus used its transporters to beam photon torpedoes onto several Xindi warships (with begrudging help from an Asgard), destroying them. The Xindi, however, were able to develop jamming codes that prevented the transporters from obtaining a lock, making the transporters all but useless against them. Shields have also proven to be just effective as jamming devices. The Korolev failed to get a clear lock as they tried to beam photon torpedoes onto Xindi warships. The transporters are unable to work through either the 305's shields or the enemy ship's shields. If the ship is in the middle of a battle, this is inadvisable as lowering the shields renders the 305 vulnerable for a few seconds while it uses the transporter.
Asgard computer core[]
The core room on Odyssey
The Asgard computer core is a database of all the knowledge of the Asgard. The computer core includes a knowledge base of the entire Asgard history, interactive holograms of every Asgard, time dilation technology, and an independent power source. These features likely only scratch the surface of the device's full capability. The Asgard gave this to the Federation as a gift. The Asgard installed it on the Odyssey in 2379 before committing mass-suicide.
It is unknown whether the computer core was installed on any other Athena -class ship, although that seems unlikely.
Cloak[]
The Athena activates its cloak
The Athena-class ship Athena also acquired a very effective cloaking device of Ancient design. It is unknown if any of the other Athena-class ships possess this ability. Jackson claimed that "having a Zero Point Module helps" so it's possible he utilized the ZPM on the ship in some manner while creating its cloak, or that it was not as efficient as those on other ships and required levels of power only a ZPM could provide. He probably adjusted the shields in some way, similar to the Ancient Puddle Jumpers.
Transportation rings[]
Transportation rings on a 305 activate
In addition to the Asgard transporters the 305s also possesses Transportation rings as a means for transportation. Transportation rings are used to transport people or objects over short distances, from ship to ship, or even to a nearby planet. Transportation rings were originally designed by the Ancients, but have since been used by a wide variety of races. The BC-303, the Prometheus, was the first Federation ship to use Transportation rings, but the technology has since been passed on to the Daedalus-class ships. It is unknown whether the Federation steal Transportation rings from other races, like the Goa'uld, or if they construct them themselves but the former is more likely. As, like the Goa'uld, the ship's computer has no control over the rings, likely because they are often considered a security risk when enemies wish to board the ship as the crew have no way to shut the rings off.
Life support system[]
The Athena class is equipped with a main and backup life support system. This system has the capacity to provide a breathable atmosphere for the approximately 550-member crew, in addition to a reasonably large number of passengers. Ultimately, the number of passengers the ship may transport is limited by the capacity of this system. With the system deactivated, there is enough breathable air remaining on the ship to support the crew for 9 hours, after which point the CO2 levels on board will reach critical levels.
Heads up display[]
A HUD can be pulled up on the viewscreen of a Athena-class ship's bridge. The transparent display overlays icons on to real-world objects that can be seen through the window, such as various enemy ships and other points of interest. Much like the HUD of a Puddle Jumper, the view from the bridge remains unobstructed, meaning pilots and crew can still see the battlefield, and even weapons fire dissipating the shield before them.
Engines[]
The Athena class battlecruiser has maneuvering thrusters, a warp drive and a quantum slipstream drive for its engines.
Armaments[]
The 305s have a vast array of powerful weapons, ranging from energy based. The 305s have 6 type 10 phaser arrays, 15 type 11 phaser arrays, 12 heavy quantum phaser arrays, 6 photon torpedo tubes, the Horizon weapons platform and 6 quantum torpedoe tubes.
Fighter complement[]
Known 305s[]
- USS Athena (NCC-3109)
- USS Ares (NCC-2304)
- USS Poseidon (NCC-1507)