The Excelsior II class was a Federation starship class that was in service with Starfleet by the early 25th century.
History and specifics[]
The Excelsior II-class was introduced sometime prior to 2401 as a successor to the successful Excelsior-class, having been in service for well over 100 years.
In 2401, the USS Excelsior was amongst the fleet led by the USS Stargazer to meet a Borg faction. Cadet Elnor and Commander Raffaela Musiker were both assigned to the vessel which took part in protecting the quadrant from the massive energy released by the opening of a transwarp conduit by an unknown source. (PIC episodes: "The Star Gazer", "Farewell")
Later that year, sixteen ships of this class were involved in the Frontier Day fleet maneuvers to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the first voyage of the Enterprise (NX-01). The ships were subsequently commandeered after officers under the age of 25 were placed under the influence of the Borg with the help of then assimilated Jack Crusher.
At least one ship of the class, the Excelsior, was lost during this engagement, while many others laid wrecked in orbit following the successful liberation of the fleet. (PIC episodes: "Võx", "The Last Generation")
The Excelsior II class followed the Starfleet default of saucer section/engineering hull/twin warp nacelles configuration. The slim, elongated hull and nacelles were reminiscent of the 2280s-era Excelsior class but the Excelsior II was larger. (STO website: Ascension: The Excelsior II!)
Two ships of the class, the USS Excelsior and the USS Eureka, were part of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard's armada that confronted the Borg ship at a spatial anomaly in the year 2401. (PIC episode: "The Star Gazer")
The class assisted in Borg Queen Agnes Jurati in closing the dangerous anomaly. (PIC episode: "Farewell")
In the year 2411, the Excelsior II class was categorized as a tier 6 intel heavy cruiser. Its design was shared with Starfleet's allies in the Khitomer Alliance. (STO website: Ascension: The Excelsior II!)
The class and its lead ship were contemporaries of other ships named Excelsior, including the USS Excelsior (NCC-2000). (STO website: House Reborn: The Legendary Excelsior Miracle Worker Heavy Cruiser)
Equipped with Breen technology
Another contemporary was the Excelsior-class refit vessel USS Excelsior (NCC-2000-D). (STO - Klingon War mission: "Welcome to Earth Spacedock")
A ship of this class was outfitted with Breen weapons recovered from q's Winter Wonderland and deployed a shockwave in space. These included a Breen cryonic module, an omni-directional cold beam array and a cold torpedo launcher. (STO website: Ascension: Q's Winter Wonderland!)
Technical data[]
Physical arrangement[]
Much like its predecessor, the Excelsior II-class featured the saucer section-engineering section-warp nacelle layout common to most Starfleet vessels. However, the Excelsior II-class' saucer section was elongated into an oval, and the nacelle struts, while still angled, featured tapers in opposite directions for each section of strut. (PIC episodes: "The Star Gazer", "Farewell")
Interior design[]
Main bridge[]
Bridge interior
The Excelsior II featured brushed metal and dark interiors that were typical of newer ships of the period, including the Sagan-class, Constitution III-class, and Odyssey-class. The main bridge feature the typical layout of these three classes, with large LCARS panels lining the side and aft walls. (PIC episode: "The Star Gazer")
Command and control systems[]
By 2401, the computer systems on board the class had been built to include the Fleet formation mode, also known as Starfleet emergency protocol NX12.11, designed to place all Federation starships within a fleet under the automated control of the Starfleet mainframe. (PIC episode: "Võx")
Ships commissioned[]
- USS Eureka (NCC-42023)
- USS Excelsior (NCC-42037)
- USS Mestral (NCC-42026)