SC-4 (25th century)

AUXILIARY CRAFT
SC-4

Class:	Type-18H shuttlecraft
Registry:	SC-04
Affiliation:	Federation, Starfleet
Launched:	by 2404
Assignment:	Starfleet Command, Oakland Shipyard
Status:	Destroyed (2377)

In an alternate timeline, SC-4 (registry SC-04) was a 25th century Federation auxiliary craft, a Type-18H shuttlecraft in Starfleet service in the 2400s decade. In that time, it was assigned to Starfleet Command and stored at Oakland Shipyard. (VOY episode & novelization: Endgame)

History and disposition[]

Alternate timeline[]

USS Rhode Island — USS *Rhode Island* intercepts SC-4

In an alternate timeline, SC-4 was assigned to Starfleet Command and was stored at Oakland Shipyard. It was requisitioned by Commander Reginald Barclay of Starfleet Academy to serve as the personal shuttlecraft of Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway in the 2400s decade. Ten years after USS Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant at the end of a 23-year odyssey from the Delta Quadrant, Admiral Janeway plotted to alter history, using SC-4 to bring Voyager home via a Borg transwarp hub.

In 2404, Janeway had B'Elanna Torres, Federation liaison to the Klingon High Council, gain favors for the Great House of Korath, son of Monak. (VOY episode & novelization: Endgame)

Korath was a duplicitous Klingon scientist, and the first person in local space to invent a reliable method of time travel. (DTI novel: Watching the Clock)

Janeway traveled to Korath's planet aboard the SC-4 to conclude the trade. Lieutenant Miral Paris was already there, to confirm the veracity of Korath's chrono deflector on the admiral's behalf. Paris left after meeting Janeway, and Korath double-crossed the admiral. She captured the chrono deflector and transported back to the SC-4, where she had left the ablative generator active. Deploying the ablative armor, SC-4 became impervious to Korath's Voodieh-class warship firing on it.

SC-4 accelerated to warp 6 to evade the Klingons but was soon intercepted by the USS Rhode Island. Captain Harry Kim had learned of Janeway's plot to alter history. While the ships hovered in space side by side, the two discussed the admiral's plot, and Captain Kim was brought around.

The chrono deflector was installed atop the shuttle's cabin. SC-4 proceeded to the target coordinates but was encroached upon by a pair of Voodiehs. Unable to deploy armor, Janeway called Kim for help. The Rhode Island returned and engaged the Klingon ships. SC-4 opened a temporal rift to the Delta Quadrant, 2377 CE. SC-4 passed through, and the Admiral ordered the primary universe USS Voyager, found on the other side, to close the rift. That prevented the Klingon warships from traversing the rift. The chrono deflector burned out after one-time use, leaving SC-4 in the 24th century for good. (VOY episode & novelization: Endgame)

24th century[]

On stardate 54973.4 in late 2377, SC-4 emerged from the temporal rift at the bow of Voyager. Vice Admiral Janeway explained the crew she was from the future and sought to alter the timeline. SC-4 and its databanks contained advanced anti-Borg technology, some of which was adapted to USS Voyager.

SC-4's ablative generator and transphasic torpedos were replicated for the much larger Intrepid-class starship, but the shuttle's stealth technology proved incompatible. Vice Admiral Janeway and Captain Kathryn Janeway hatched a plan to allow Voyager to escape to the Alpha Quadrant through a transwarp hub in the nearby Borg nebula. While Voyager escaped, the admiral took SC-4 to the Borg Unicomplex Unimatrix One to distract the Borg Queen. Janeway intended to sacrifice herself, and allowed the Borg to discover and assimilate herself and SC-4. The Borg assimilated the armor technology but were infected with a neurolytic pathogen that in short order led to the detonation of the unicomplex and the transwarp hub in the nebula. SC-4 was caught in the explosion of the unicomplex and destroyed.

Voyager returned successfully to Earth, having dealt a crippling blow to the Borg Collective. (VOY episode & novelization: Endgame)

Legacy[]

Voyager returned to service in January 2378, after its futuristic technology had been removed under Project Full Circle. (VOY novel: The Farther Shore)

A replacement SC-4 entered service and was assigned to Starfleet Command. (SOTL calendar: Ships of the Line 2020, September image)

This type of shuttle was similar to the type 9 shuttlecraft of the 24th century, but more streamlined. According to a production sketch of this shuttle by Rick Sternbach, dated 02-01, the SC-4 was an uprated Type-18H shuttle. It had nanotech molecular armor plating, hot-ready filament phasers, and conformal defense shield grid (embedded). The interior of the shuttlecraft was a set that was filmed on Paramount Stage 16. (Information from shooting schedule).

Appendices[]

Connections[]

Starfleet Command auxiliary craft
Federation, Starfleet	Dawkins (Type-9 shuttlecraft) • SC-4 (24th century, Type-18H shuttlecraft) • SC-4 (SC-04, Type-18H shuttlecraft) • SC-4 (SC-04, Type-18H shuttlecraft)
United Earth, Starfleet	NC-05 (OTV type K42 shuttlepod)

Type 9 shuttlecraft
	65 • Cochrane • Cochrane II • Orion • Archer • Gallant • Tucker • Cook • Dawkins • Jefferies • Type-18H variant: SC-4 (24th century) • SC-4 • SC-4 (25th century)