Star Trek Expanded Universe
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The Legend class was a cruiser-type starship that entered into Starfleet service during the 2230s. Only three ships of this class were launched, the USS Legend (NX-1500) and USS Yorktown (NX-1531) and USS Archer (NCC-1556) , in 2235. (Star Trek: Origins)

Original design[]

The Legend class was initially conceived to be a deep space exploration ship, and the first warp eight ship of Starfleet, capable of breaking the warp eight "time barrier". But with highly tense relations between the UFP and the Klingon Empire, Starfleet needed a more aggressive ship capable of defending the UFP and matching the astonishing new Klingon D6 class battlecruiser. The UFP made some important changes in the design. These changes showed in the USS Yorktown, the second ship of the class, giving it new experimental shields, weapons and sensor arrays, making it the state of the art in UFP ship technology in 2235.

Design changes[]

The changes made between the USS Legend and the USS Yorktown were mainly:

  • An upgraded version of the warp nacelles on the Legends to avoid small glitches viewed in the USS Legend at warp 6.5 and beyond.
  • Installed the new experimental phased laser banks (sometimes called lasers), instead of the phased cannons or high-density particle beams. The Yorktown had six phased laser banks in the saucer section, and one bank in the secondary section, with an additional phased laser turret in the bottom of the secondary hull.
  • Three photonic torpedo launchers of last-generation design, one in the stern, two in the bow. The original design of the Legend had only two forward torpedo tubes.
  • Advanced long range sensor arrays. The Starfleet response to the Klingon warp masking device unmasked a Klingon ship in warp, within two light years. It was supposed that could reduce the effectiveness of the masking technology by 80%, making it less difficult to catch a Klingon ship, or a small fleet, out of warp.
  • Enhanced shielding. The UFP's new experimental shield grid Mark V was given to this ship. It was boosted 30%+ over USS Legend shielding, significantly strengthening the ship in combat situations.
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Yorktown profile

The Yorktown, Archer, and the Legend used a last-generation warp 7 warp core. In later months, they received a new warp 8 core previously tested on the USS Arizona and USS Missouri (both Arizona-class vessels).

After sufficient testing, with the new experimental devices working well, the UFP initiated mass production of this class, and made crucial refits in other ships of the fleet to provide them with this new technology.

The USS Archer was the Sister ship of the Yorktown and was launched in 2237

It is assumed that there was a Ship named Enterprise that was part of this Class.

Images[]

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