Star Trek Expanded Universe
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The Excelsior class was a type of starship that entered service with the Federation Starfleet in the 2280s. The class would continue to serve with Starfleet well into the 2370s, nearly a century after the prototype was launched.

The prototype vessel, the USS Excelsior (NX-2000) was designed to test Starfleet's new transwarp drive. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) The drive would prove to be a failure and the class was equipped with standard warp drive. (Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 4: Starships of the Original Series Era)

The maximum evacuation capacity of Excelsior-class ships were 9,800 people. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual)

By 2410 in at least one reality, thousands of Excelsior-class starships had been manufactured, but none had been made within the last 25 years or so. Starfleet officers like Zachary Stiles thought Excelsior-class starships like the USS Persephone were "a classic", while officers like Nath Behal thought they were "a piece of junk" and "an antique". (Chronicle: "Best Laid Plans") The Persephone was one of the Excelsior-class starships in service by 2410. (Chronicle Series Bible)

Late 23rd century refit[]

In 2293, the first refitted Excelsior was launched, the USS Enterprise-B. (Star Trek Generations)

The refitted Excelsior had several design changes over the original such as the inclusion of a second impulse engine at the rear of the saucer section and redesigned warp nacelles to improve the ship's performance at warp speeds. (Star Trek Generations; Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 4: Starships of the Original Series Era)

Ships of this design were often referred to as Enterprise B class. (Epiphany Trek)

Bismarck refit[]

In 2300, Starfleet Command commissioned an Excelsior-class ship that served as its testbed for the plasma torpedo technology, using tubes that were either made available from the Gorns or stolen from the Romulans. (TOS video game: Starfleet Command)

The USS Bismarck was the Federation testbed of the plasma torpedo technology. (RIS Bouteina)

2370s refit[]

In 2372, the Excelsior class underwent another refit. The USS Lakota was refitted with heavier firepower with more powerful phaser arrays and quantum torpedoes. It also had ablative armor added making it more resistant to damage. These refits resulted in a larger vessel than the earlier Excelsior designs. (Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 1: The Ships of Starfleet)

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