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The USS Constitution (NCC-1700), named after the organizing charter and bylaws of a state or nation, was the prototype of the Constitution-class heavy cruisers in service to Starfleet in the 23rd century. She would unfortunately be destined to labor for her entire career in the shadow of her more famous sisters, both named Enterprise.

Constitution was commanded by Fleet Captain Garth of Izar, most notably during the Axanar Rebellion of 2245-55, then by Commodore Darion Page from 2256-69 and lost in action. (Decipher ST:RPG Starships)

Assignment patch[]

Prior to the 2270s Fleetwide adoption of the Enterprise delta shield as an insignia, there were three different assignment patches for Constitution -- within which would be the Command, Sciences, or Operations symbols in black; or the Medicine symbol in red:

2250s[]

The first was a triangular shape (two straight sides and a curved underside) resembling a left-facing pennant. (cover art for TOS novel: My Brother's Keeper trilogy: Constitution)

2260s[]

The second was a circle with an isosceles triangle superimposed on it, left of the vertical centerline. (TOS comic: "Romulans: The Hollow Crown")

2270[]

The third was a scroll superimposed over a triangle. (FAR: "The Crossing")

These assignment patches were probably particular to different continuities.

Licensed Sources[]

Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 4: Starships of the Original Series Era[]

The Constitution was destroyed in 2268 by a subspace rift. (Ship Recognition Manual, Volume 4: Starships of the Original Series Era)

Fanon[]

Arc of the Wolf[]

In late 2242, Constitution engaged a fleet of pirate vessels. Her chief engineer at the time was named Colburn. (Arc of the Wolf: On the Nature of Wind) The Enterprise was the only one of her class to be refit and then returned to active service. Due to the extensive work and cost of upgrade, the Constitution (in 2269) and her sister ships were to be decommissioned. ("Godspeed")

Bait and Switch continuity[]

The Constitution was duplicated as the player ship in the version of the Kobayashi Maru scenario taken by Brevet Lieutenant Commander Kanril Eleya in 2407. (Bait and Switch: "The Universe Doesn't Cheat")

Delta Dynamics[]

Constitution p 3-ortho

The Constitution prototype, prior to the three battles that defined her pre-commissioned existence.

The first newbuild production based upon the finalized form of the Republic, along with a few innovations slipped in, Constitution (NX-1700) was authorized for construction as a prototype in May of 2239. The Chiokis saucer from the Siva subclass was adopted; though the saucer was less voluminous in internal space, the embedded deflector plating was well-tested and highly expected to fare well in combat situations. The saucer’s triple-ported impulse engines provided almost 8% more thrust than the Republic’s quadruple set, due to the efficiency of the more compact design. A strengthened interconnecting dorsal provided additional comparative space, some of which was assigned to living quarters, with the remainder to the operations, weapons, and engineering departments. She measured 278.1 meters long, 22.0 on the beam, and a height of 68.3, massing 598,400 metric tons. She was propelled by PB-31 warp nacelles, armed with six 4.0 GW laser emitters, two 1.2 TW phased particle cannons, and one medium torpedo tube, and defended by a 1-layer conformal forcefield, and 4 navigational deflectors. She carried 2 medium (or 4 light) shuttles, 4 shuttlepods, and 4 work pods in the shuttlebay located on the dorsal of the secondary hull.

Over two years of dedicated construction passed before the first fully new-built heavy cruiser of Project Starship left the yards for initial trial runs. However, during a layover at Starbase 12 in July 2241, Constitution's command was unexpectedly assumed by Captain Kelvar Garth, whose own new command, USS Xenophon (NCC-558, Marklin light destroyer) was crippled by a dockside explosion. Thus began the uncommissioned prototype's direct involvement in three separate battles with the Klingons—at Axanar, Lea, and Donatu V—that would deal serious damage to the ship and require over three years in a cold status for repairs, but while also directly proving instrumental in refining the production design of what would be the Constitution class heavy cruiser.

Constitution os (DD) 2-ortho

USS Constitution (NCC-1700) in her first operational (and unique) configuration.

Despite her experiences in the Battles of (First) Axanar, Lea, and Donatu V, the "Connie"'s development team sincerely believed she would be setting the standard for the Project Starship newbuilds ordered but yet to come. They knew that the nearly-featureless Enterprise in a bay across the shipyard was the closest competitor, but they were confident they could both repair the battle damage and upgrade to the now-battle tested standards before the sister ship would be completed. In the three-year race to follow, the team was almost right. They received permission to rebuild the devastated Siva-class saucer with which she had originated to the new specifications, and also argued (successfully) to retain the four Siva impulse engines, saving considerable reconstruction time. Other than being slightly less-armed (she fared very well with her present combat systems) and just over 19,100 metric tons more massive, she was identical externally to the new standard. However, to honor her valiant efforts during the recently concluded war and acknowledge that it is generally the lead newbuild ship that loans the name to the class, “Constitution” was chosen for the heavy cruisers’ shared name. She would remain in this configuration until converted into a Flight II in the 2250s.

Constitution Flt II (DD) 3-ortho

Constitution Flight II configuration

USS Constitution went through an extensive upgrade period to achieve full parity with the ten other ships of the Flight II standard.

Bonhomme Richard (Type 1) hc 3-ortho

The original configuration of the Bonhomme Richard subclass

Within a few years of her Flight II conversion, she went through yet another one to meet the standards of the primary configuration of the Bonhomme Richard subclass.

Constitution Flt III (DD) 3-ortho

Constitution Flight III

By 2265, all Bonhomme Richards (of the three types) had been upgraded to the Constitution Flight III standard. (Star Fleet Starship Recognition Manual: Report #298: Constitution Heavy Cruiser, Report #296: Horizon Heavy Cruiser)

The Federation Files[]

On stardate 7459.6, Constitution -- commanded by Captain Charles McCann -- completed crew rotations and received minor repairs and upgrades. Lieutenant Elizabeth Palmer transferred from USS Enterprise to be the ship's new alpha-shift communications officer, while Janice Rand, after Command Training, was posted as a navigator. (His Name is Mudd)

Captain McCann also appears in the Starship Valiant episode Animals.

Starship Farragut[]

Robert Tacket assumed command of the Constitution in 2270. (FAR: "The Crossing")

Starship Valiant[]

Shelly Parker was the first female starship commander in Starfleet, and the first commanding officer of the Constitution. By 2269, she was a senior admiral at Starfleet Command. Parker recommended Jackson K. Bishop to be the Valiant's commander after the ship's repair and refit. (Starship Valiant: Legacy)

In the early 2270s, the Constitution was commanded by Captain McCann. When the USS Valiant was engaged by rebel Dregon Continuum vessels, Constitution, USS Republic, and USS Hood came to her aid. (Animals)

Star Trek: Avenger continuity[]

The Constitution was commissioned in May, 2245.

During the late 2250s, it was the flagship of a task force commanded by Fleet Captain Garth. (Star Trek: Avenger).

In the 2270s, the Constitution was the first Federation vessel to encounter a K't'inga-class (aka D7M) heavy battlecruiser. (From the Files of Star Fleet Command; Federation Reference Series 2)

In the 2280s, the Constitution was commanded by Jason Genser. Many of his command staff would later go on to command their own vessels, such as the USS Avenger and the USS Challenger.

Star Trek: Shadowstar Station continuity[]

Kzin pirates attacked the interstellar liner SS Vymastre of Vega in 2284. Three-fourths of the crew and passengers were killed (and many eaten) before Federation starships — including the USS Constitution — engaged the pirates in combat. Carolyn Adiwoso was among the survivors. After several months in rehabilitation, she resigned from the law firm where she worked. The next year, Adiwoso entered Starfleet Academy. (Star Trek: Shadowstar Station: "Vymastre")

Star Trek: The Intrepid Adventures[]

Then Captain Jake Caffey was in command of the Constitution from 2265 to 2270 before being promoted to Commodore and assuming command of the Star League. Captain Telek is in command after Jake Caffey. (Star Trek: The Intrepid Adventures: "Transitions", Star Trek: The Intrepid Adventures: "Healing Wounds")

Star Trek: The Quarterdeck Breed continuity[]

Rear Admiral Clifford Winslow sought and won the appointment as the first captain of the Constitution. (Star Trek: The Quarterdeck Breed: "Constitution")

Trekmania[]

The Constitution was later destroyed in unreported circumstances. (Trekmania)

See also[]


Fan organizations[]

There were also at least five chapters of Starfleet International named Constitution: one of the earliest chapters of Starfleet, based in Coppell, Texas in 1975, whose president was Judy Spencer (A History of STARFLEET); one in New Jersey in the 1980s, whose president was Jason Genser (Starfleet International: Scott A. Akers, et al., Master Genealogy: Starfleet Region 7); and one in Van Nuys, California, whose president was Jack Fields (Starfleet International: Scott A. Akers, et al., Master Genealogy: Starfleet Region 4; Communiqué 50 [April/May 1992]). A fourth Constitution was located in Metropolis, Illinois.

The New Jersey-based Constitution had a membership of 265 in 1985. (Starfleet International: Starfleet Communiqué, May 1985)

The current (2021) chapter USS Constitution (NCC-75020), founded 05 December 2010 -- using the fictional metaphor of a Sovereign-class starship -- is based in Boston, Massachusetts. (STARFLEET Vessel Registry, May 2011) Its longtime chapter president is Thomas Guertin.

External links[]

Videos[]

Fan organizations (links)[]

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