Miranda class starship

In the Star Trek fictional universe, the Miranda class starship is a common type of starship used by Starfleet. The class first entered service sometime in the mid to late 23rd century and was still in service in the late-24th century. Many vessels were seen during the Dominion War and at least one was seen at the Battle of Sector 001 in 2373. The basic shape of vessels of the class is a hull with a curved, semi-saucer fore and an elongated, rectangular aft; two backward-angled pylons attaching to the bottom of the hull hold back-set engines similar to those of the Constitution class refit. The Miranda class appears to have been made in large quantities in three known varieties: the first featured an arch rising above the ship set back along the length of the vessel and attaching at the port and starboard edges of the hull; this supported a large pod for storing and firing photon torpedoes at the center and two phaser cannons near the ends. The second type served as a supply ship and had no such weapons arch. The third also had no arch, but featured two large unidentified cannon-like structures attached to the sides of the hull (often referred to as the Saratoga variant). A fourth variant, referred to as the Soyuz-class, featured a heavily modified aft hull with no weapons bar, but with four large pods that extruded on pylons from the hull.

In real life, the Miranda class was designed by Joe Jennings and Mike Minor and built by Industrial Light and Magic for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Known Miranda class starships

• USS Brattain (NCC-21166)
  • Named for physicist Walter Houser Brattain, the starship Brattain was launched from the 40 Eridani-A Starfleet Construction Yards on stardate 22519.5 in 2347. Circa stardate 44631.2 in 2367, the Brattain was commanded by Captain Chantal Zaheva when she disappeared and was discovered in the Tyken's Rift, a spatial phenomenon which absorbs energy came from a source within it. Most of the crew were found dead. Presumed recovered or destroyed.
• USS Helin (NCC-1692)
  • Named for scientist and astronomer Eleanor Helin, the starship Helin was on patrol along the Romulan neutral zone in sector 21290 in 2293 and was listed in a deleted scene, from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, as one of the ships that was supposed to take part in an attempt to rescue Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy from Rura Penthe.
• USS Lantree (NCC-1837)
  • The starship Lantree was a class-6 supply ship with class-3 defensive armaments and a complement of 26. In 2293, the Lantree carried colony supplies to Sector 22858. Commanded by Captain L. Isao Telaka circa stardate 42494.8 in 2365, the crew of the Lantree died after exposure to genetically-engineered humans at Darwin Station in the Gamma 7 sector with airborne antibodies which caused accelerated aging. The Lantree was scuttled by the USS Enterprise to prevent the antibodies from spreading.
• USS Majestic (NCC-31060)
  • Named for the ocean liner RMS Majestic, the starship Majestic participated in the 2374 liberation of Deep Space Nine and escorted the USS Defiant on her attack run against Dominion forces. The Majestic was destroyed during the Battle of Bajor by a Jem'Hadar battlecruiser.
• USS Miranda (registry unknown)
  • Named for Miranda, a character in William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the starship Miranda is the lead ship of its class.
• USS Nautilus (NCC-31910)
  • Named for the submarine Nautilus, the starship Nautilus was part of the invasion force into the Chin'toka system and escorted the USS Defiant on her attack run on a Cardassian moon circa stardate 51988 in 2374.
• USS Reliant (NCC-1864)
  • Commanded by Captain Clark Terrell with Commander Pavel Chekov as his first officer circa stardate 8130.4 in 2285, the starship Reliant searched for uninhabited planets for the Genesis device in the Mutara sector. The Reliant was hijacked by Khan Noonien Singh, who marooned the crew of the Reliant on Ceti Alpha V until they were recovered by the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701). The Reliant was destroyed by the detonation of the Genesis device after fighting the Enterprise in the Mutara Nebula.
• USS Saratoga (NCC-1867)
  • Named for the USS Saratoga, the starship Saratoga was disabled while patrolling sector 10 of the Romulan neutral zone by a probe in search of humpback whales in 2286. Presumed recovered and later decommisioned, destroyed or lost in action.
• USS Saratoga (NCC-31911)
  • Named for the USS Saratoga, the starship Saratoga was a former assignment of Captain Benjamin Sisko who served as the ship's first officer and had his family on board. The Saratoga was destroyed by the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359 circa stardate 43997 in 2366.
• USS ShirKahr (NCC-31905)
  • Named for the Vulcan city of ShirKahr, the starship ShirKahr was destroyed by a Dominion orbital defense platform during an offensive into the Chin'toka system during the Dominion War in 2374.
• USS Sitak (NCC-31859)
  • The starship Sitak participated in the costly liberation of Deep Space Nine and was destroyed by Dominion forces during the Battle of Bajor in 2374.
• USS Tian An Men (NCC-21832)
  • Named for Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, the starship Tian An Men was part of the Romulan tachyon blockade at the outbreak of the Klingon Civil War in 2368. The Tian An Men was lost in 2373 during the Dominion War along the Cardassian border and presumed destroyed.
• USS Trial (registry unknown)
  • The starship Trial was part of a Starfleet task force at Deep Space Nine during the Klingon invasion of the Cardassian Union circa stardate 49011.4 in 2372.

External links

• "Miranda class" at Memory Alpha
• "Miranda class" at LCARScom.Net
• "Starship Gallery - Miranda" at Ex Astris Scientia
• "Miranda class" at Neutral Zone Starship Database
• "Miranda class" by Stephen Pugh

See also: Miranda class starship, 23rd century, 24th century, Akira class starship, Ambassador class starship, Andorian, Antibody, Battle of Bajor, Battle of Sector 001