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2 variations of the Connie I would like to see done... 1) aft shuttle bays remain, all others replaced with surveillance and ECM/ECCM suites, Emissions masking system, and dulled paint and external lighting, used for “snooping” missions. 2) a carrier. aft shuttle bays used for retrieval and emergency launches, mid doors removed and mid bays incorporated into small craft handling system. Forward door for rapid launching of fighters (magnetic catapults) and launch/retrieval of shuttles and runabouts. Upgraded shields and sensors... basically a thru-deck carrier for 72 craft (48 fighters, 12 runabouts, 12 shuttles)
@@ExiledPiasa I don’t think it’s possible to fit that many auxiliary craft inside a Constitution-class. And even if it was, you’d still need space for pilots and general crew. Why are you even commenting that on here anyway?
I just gotta say that as someone who pays for RUclips in order to avoid advertisements (mainly for Google music), I really appreciate that you put your sponsored content at the end of your videos. As a result I actually watch til the end out of appreciation. Other channels that out their sponsors in the middle of their content, I always fast forward through it.
There's always been something so endearing about the Constellation class, despite how criminally little screentime it got. She's got a rugged, practical looking design that sets her apart from the more organic, streamlined, and high-tech designs seen in TNG and onwards.
the constellation class is no joke if going back to her heyday. she can sustain top warp speed longer than any class other than the excelsior. also she can project the most forward firepower other than the excelsior. basically it's superior to the constitution class.
She has that rugged look, like "Give me an arc welder, some sheet metal, a case of romulan ale and three hours we'll make her run again." Seriously the constellation and maranda class look like you could bolt on whatever you need for the situation. Recommend or not.
She is not as flashy as some ships but she got the job done. The Constellation is the Starfleet equivalent of that quiet guy that always shows up to work on time. Solid and dependable.
My personal favourite is the Ambassador class, followed by the Constellation class as a close second. The Constellation class is probably one of the best all around hull designs that Starfleet has come up with: Reliable systems melded with high warp/impulse speeds, excellent hull durability and a very robust weapons array for a ship of any size. It's exactly what I would imagine if a Federation Constitution class and a Klingon D7 Cruiser had a child.
I've always had a soft spot for simple yet effective, "ugly" workhorse type ships. The Constellation class is right up there with the Y-Wing as one of my favourite designs.
Same, Y-Wing has always been my favorite maybe because its yellow and its always been my fav, but the practicableness of it is also a huge plus. I especially like the episode where the Hathaway is commanded by riker, who proceds to wope the enterprises butt. But In retrospect, wish they didnt add in the odd ferangi plot line. I think it woulda been more interesting to see the whole battle take place, and really get to see the ingenious tactics of rikers.
I always got the impression that it was a pretty versatile ship. It has those prominent sensor/comms apparatuses on the underside, a thickened and widened saucer section that supports a shuttlebay ring with a whopping seven individual bays, redundant warp nacelles and twice the impulse engines of the smaller miranda class. Well-armed too-Spacedock doesn't mention it in the rundown of its features, but the model has two of the miranda-style double photon-torpedo launchers and two miranda-style megaphasers (but only forward for both of these, unlike the miranda). Constellations seem like they'd be a great fleet asset. They can haul cargo in their large bays or use them to support a fleet of shuttles for scouting, evacuations or even hold fighters for battle, provide comms and/or sensor support, provide withering long-range fire on enemy ships with double the forward photon launchers of a Connie, Miranda, or even an Excelsior, and can take a beating with their thick saucer and internal engineering section, and can even go to warp to escape sticky situations after losing two warp nacelles. Probably make a great option for command ships for Federation fleets alongside the Excelsior during the 'Lost Era'. All those features probably make it quite a pain for maintenance though, and the lack of a dedicated engineering hull probably limited the size of its warpcore to feed those systems-hence Picard's criticisms. In a battle the lack of aft phaser weapons or torpedo launchers seems like a bit of a liability as well. Love this ship.
@@davidhanson4909 At least you didn't try variant 2 where you sit on a rather important console. In reality Riker's butt has probably caused much mayhem on the Enterprise.
Some claim the extreme longevity of some of these classes is unrealistic. I disagree. Even today we have airplanes like the B52 Stratofortress and U2 spy plane that are planned to still be in service 100 years or more after their initial flights. When you factor in the enormous infrastructural and logistic requirements of a starship, it’s no surprise many of these ships were designed to serve for numerous decades.
It would be cool to see older spaceframes sold as retrofitted private/corporate freighters/exploration (after having any Starfleet tech still deemed restricted stripped out of it).
On top of that pretty much anything under the hull can be retrofittet, new reactors, new computers, new engines, new sensors, warheads the list goes on. As long as the space frame is intact and usable there is no reason to throw it away.
I know they sponsored the ep, but beware of ST: Fleet Command. It's packed to the brim with exploitative, manipulative mechanics designed to drive players to buy microtransactions. I gave it a chance, and the addictive nature of it is staggering.
@@Ushio01 I would agree which is why I tend to stay away from mobile games. They are beautifully psychologically programmed to make you spend just that extra little bit of cash here and there... Hm? A Terminator skin in Fortnite you say? Back in a minute...
I managed to play the game for a while with out buying anything but you certainly get to a point where it's either sink in money or a ton of time. Funny thing is that I can't say I had "fun" with the game, but neither could I say it was bad... just that it was a way to pass a modicum of time. And as a time waster I can't justify spending money on it, especially the amounts they are looking for. Most games at least have a story and a variety of times of game loops, this doesn't.
I remember a star trek game written for character only crt displays. It was shooty rather than Advent style. A bit rubbish but it filled in the spare CPU cycles.
A modern take on Starfleet Command II/Orion Pirates or III would be so cool to see with modern technology and support. All the SFC3 rerelease on GOG shows is how much we could use a new starship tactical combat game.
In the TNG Episode 'Relics' Where Picard and Scotty were sitting on the holodeck recreation of the Constitution Class U.S.S. Enterprise bridge Picard told Scotty about his previous command the U.S.S. Stargazer where he commented on the ship being 'An overworked and underpowered vessel always ready to fly apart at the seams in every measurable sense My Enterprise is Far Superior' 'But there are times I would give anything to command the Stargazer Again' in some ways how Picard felt of his current command of the Galaxy Class U.S.S. Enterprise in every way it sounds like he misses standing on the decks of his old ship the Constellation Class U.S.S. Stargazer and I can't really blame him as the Stargazer was his first command as Captain as apparently he served on the ship as first officer.
With how many Miranda and Excelsior class showed up in DS9 federation fleet battle scenes it always annoyed me that both the Constellation and Ambassador classes were no shows when they were much newer ships.
Agreed, if there are Miranda and Excelsiors, there definitely should have been Ambassadors ALL OVER THE PLACE. They went through all the time and effort to build the dang model, why not USE it? The lack of Constitutions is also lame, being so much more capable than the Miranda, they also should have been very common, especially since they were essentially the only starships made for some time.
Captain Jean Luc Picard : The first vessel that I served on as captain was called Stargazer. It was an overworked, underpowered vessel, always on the verge of flying apart at the seams. In every measurable sense, my Enterprise is far superior. Wouldn't Scotty have recognized the name? It was after all in service at least a decade by the time he went missing. I wonder what Scotty would have to say about the Constellation class.
In ways, in took over as heavy cruiser from the Constitution, while Excelsior was the explorer of the time. Because the Federation was expanding unopposed in many regions, the Constellation had to do triple duty. Fill in the huge exploration gaps the limited numbers of Excelsior and later Ambassadors left. Tax their engines running the expanding perimeter of the Federation, on patrol. Plus, filling the full duties of cruiser. Much like 1701, the Constellation was pressed hard on multiple occasions where the strain on the ship far exceeded design limitations. Likely, the demands on the ship were the specifications. The Firepower and endurance of the Constitution, the carrying capacity and flexibility of the Miranda, the extra engines to sustain hard use, and afford redundancy. They may not have created the perfect successor, but it was an enduring one. I would like to have seen more of the Melbourne and Cheyenne types carry on the spirit of the Constellation form/geometry/role alongside the newer frigates and cruisers seen in DS9. Perhaps Scotty would have judged her a fair addition to the venerable cruiser classes.
Ive always like the sharp, bevelled saucer of the constellation and and miranda classes. Gives off a very "office building in space" vibe which is always a nice break from the constant "aircraft in space" vibe so endemic in sci-fi.
@@Plasmacore_V They are all "shuttle bays". Even a cargo bay (especially with a door open to space) is essentially a bay that must accommodate a shuttle at some point.
Love a *4 nacelle* design. They just look so much _more balanced_ than the Saucer and Secondary hull designs, that feel like they should swerve up or down at speed and don't seem to indicate a three dimensional pattern of thinking…
In peace time the Constellation was perfect. A cheaper way of producing a deep space heavy cruiser when it would've been unecessary during said peacetime. It's that interesting in-between of a Miranda class and the excelsior at the time. So cool.
I picked up the Stargazer from Eaglemoss a few weeks ago and it stayed on my desk for quite a while owing to its uniqueness. Ultimately it ended up on a shelf with ships like the Jenolan and Enterprise A and it sounds like that was about the right placement, although so many of these Trek ships stay in service so long it's hard to know where to put them sometimes!
It's a good model, but seeing it on screen again in this video I realize they made the saucer section about 50% too short. This ship's saucer is uncommonly tall.
honestly the saucer and nacelles match the era of the Jenolan and Enterprise A more than the Excelsior, I wish they had treated it as the previous long lifespan ship being replaced by the Excelsior than being of the same generation.
@@t3h51d3w1nd3r I see what you mean, but consider the longevity of the Miranda, Oberth and others. All still around with the Excelsior. I'm not sure starfleet ever really drops a ship unless it's damaged beyond repair. They love refits!
It's funny how the Constellation class looks like the Constitution Refit Class minus the secondary hull but having an oversized saucer section connected to 2 pylons one on top and the other underneath the aft section of the saucer connected to 4 warp engines and 4 impulse engines and is probably the first Federation starship to be built with 5 shuttle bays the main shuttle bay at the front and 2 secondary bays on both sides now that is what I call an interesting design and the fact that the Constellation class came into service at around the time the Constitution Refit Class U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 was being used as a Starfleet Academy training ship before it's disastrous encounter with Khan.
You know what would be neat to see a Spacedock video on the Constitution Refit class and what did during it's career between it's commissioning in the 2270's to it's decommissioning in the 2290's like the 2 videos they did on the Klingon D7 Battlecruiser and it's successor the K'Tinga Class.
Hello Spacedock. The Constellation Class is a pretty good ship and fills a role that other Cruisers would be 'wasted' upon. It is fast, maneuverable, and has pretty good hitting power in combat. The forward 'shuttle bay' can easily become a Fighter Bay with the simple replacement of it's worker bees and civilian shuttles with sub-light Fighters. This turns the little patrol craft into a 'Jeep' Carrier that can project power in ways a 'normal' Cruiser cannot.
One of the things about Star Trek lower decks but I never understood was why they didn't just use one of these old models. Instead they had to come up with a new old model. Just a small gripe.
@@camerongunn7906 In fairness, a Constie HAS been seen in background shots a few times. Though given it's 2380, I'd think very few Constellations would still be in service, if any. Even the Cali class they're IN is about 15 years old, the design was made around the same time as the Intrepid.
@@michaelgreenwood3413 Oh yeah I've seen them. Like I said, just a little gripe. They could have highlighted something that was already Canon but not well-known.
@@camerongunn7906 Actually the Constie is fairly well known. It just didn't get much screentime. A starship class that REALLY got shafted is the Norway Class (The model was Damaged during the Filming of First Contact, so unlike the Saber, Steamrunner, and Akira, it didn't get used by DS9, which is a massive shame, as it's a cool and unique design)
I remember hearing in the Star Trek The Next Generation second season episode 'Elementry Dear Data' where Geordi showed Data a model of the old sailing vessel H.M.S. Victory and how he mentioned he had served on the Constellation Class U.S.S. Victory and aside from the Victory the only other Constellation Class Starships we saw on the show was the Hathaway and the StarGazer which ironically was the first Constellation Class Starship we were introduced to in the Star Trek The Next Generation season 1 episode 'The Battle'.
There are five ships I want as Legendary Starships in Star Trek Online: The Nova, the Olympic, the Negh'var, Bortasqu' and...the Stellie. I love the Stellie. And yes, I mean the Constellation. The Constitution is the Connie, the Constellation is the Stellie.
Was there ever an official, in-universe reason for the 4 nacelles? I know way back in the early Star Fleet Battles wargame era they had the idea that the nacelles were the power source, so more meant a higher energy budget for things like shields. But since the 80s (or maybe earlier?) established how warp engines worked (annihilation reaction -> plasma stream -> warp coils), that's died off except for one-offs or things that just didn't make sense (bad future Enterprise D, looking at you). Looking at it, I guess the nacelles are individually shorter than ships with similar sized saucers and overall mass, so maybe they have double up to get the same effect as the longer (and more fragile?) ones? Would fit the rugged workhorse bit.
IRC Warp nacelle size is determined by the ships overall mass. I think the Constellation has 4 nacelles because it was using "off the shelf" tech. The extra nacelles are compensation for the greater mass.
Probably there is also an added bit of redundancy. The constellation could limp home on a pair of nacelles while a constitution,miranda or excelsior would have to do field repairs or wait for another ship.
What I had read once is that is for long term use of the nacelles at high warp. You only need two to maintain a warp field but most federation ships can only maintain maximum warp for about 6 hours. With the 4 nacelle design you can alternate them and maintain high warp for longer. On the other hand, that is a lot of extra and expensive hardware for a capability a shop won't use very often which is why we don't see it more often.
I love the Constitution Refit for it's beauty. The Miranda for it's efficient simplicity. The Excelsior for it's reliability. The Galaxy for it's elegance and authority. And the Constellation for it's humble versatility.
I won a game of star trek attack wing against a player who was playing with jemhadir ships by using the Picard maneuver with the Constellation class ship once.
"Workhorse" seesm to be exactly the right description for this long-lived, strictly utilitarian design. It would have been nice if the ship could have appeared in "The Undiscovered Country" or "Generations," at some point, just to show that it was in service by that time.
Great ship-class review video, we need more workhorse ships in Trek as the bulk of Starfleet would be made up of such vessels, like 5 to10 Miranda-class ships for every Constitution and Excelsior-class ship, like battleships vs cruisers, destroyers, and sloops/gunboats. Loved how 'Lower Decks' with the USS MacDuff updated the Miranda-class with the TNG aesthetic, as you would expect with a older ship refitted for continual service in Starfleet, wish TNG/DS9 could have done the same with Miranda and Constellation classes by swapping the late Kirk-era warp nacelles for those of the Picard era. The ships designed by the team doing Star Trek Fleet Command are great. Wish they had done the designs for Disco and Picard, creating new ships (or reverse-retrofitted existing designs, like the Miranda-class for Disco) while remaining within the established visual canon. Sadly the Disco-era ships just don't fit in to the Starfleet design canon established by Enterprise, TOS/Original Cast Films, and TNG/DS9/VOY. Wish they had followed the example of Star Wars who ships and technology fit well into the visual canon timeline of the franchise. Disco should have like the Prequals/The Clone Wars did in Star Wars have had ships that looked like they were the successors of the NX-class while being the close predecessors of the Constitution and Miranda classes.
I remember hearing in one episode of the TNG series Geordi La Forge said he served on board the U.S.S. Victory when he showed a model of the old sailing vessel Victory to Data in main engineering before they left for the holodeck to do a recreation of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.
In Star Trek Legacy (2006) the Constellation was a favorite class of mine. Had a torpedoe strike maneuver that had me fire all 6 torpedoes (forward and aft) with a quick warp speed jump.
I never liked the look of them. For years I had no idea it had four nacelles. When shot from the front at a high angle the thick saucer section looked like a roulette wheel with the two upper nacelles looking like a handle to spin it with!
Gotta love the Constellation-class! I really liked the redundant nacelles and the general workhorse design. But as an aside I wonder at the claim that the class was the last one outfitted with phaser banks prior to the deployment of phaser "strip" arrays on the Ambassador-class. The Constellations appear to have come into service in the 2280s or earlier and the Ambassadors were an early to mid 24th century design, coming into service by the 2240s at the latest but there would still be a pretty big gap between the first Constellations and the first Ambassadors. Surely some other classes would date from this era?
@@toomanyaccounts Nope, I actually meant phaser banks here. The claim that was made is that Constellation was the last ship outfitted with phaser emitters arranged in banks (twin emitters per bank) in the TOS movie era style versus the linear array (or strip) of phaser emitters that we see in most TNG designs.
I lost count on how many Starships built by Starfleet using more than 2 warp engines besides the Constellaion and Prometheus Classes that both had the 4 warp engine nacelle design and that class that we were introduced to that carried on the name U.S.S. Stargazer in Star Trek Picard season 2 and I also remember one other Starship class that uses the 4 warp nacelle design the Cheyenne Class.
I guess because we only saw two examples, both having seen better days, I had no idea the ship had such heavy torpedo armament. No wonder they were still used in the Dominion War. Refit the launchers and you’re suddenly very dangerous. Sort of like a battle cruiser at that point. Fast, long range, big guns, but squishy.
I know the Doylist reasons, but to this day I still wonder what the Wastonian reasons were for the late 24th century fleet to still be a backbone of Excelsiors with wide support in Mirandas....By late 24th it should have been Ambassadors and Constellations, with the Excelsior and Miranda classes still here or there where useful.
Money, money and money. The Excelsior and Miranda had high quality models from their use in the films while all the other TNG original models were cheap and cheerful quick jobs that unfortunately didn't last long enough for DS9 to get going add to that using both models and CGI on the First contact ships is why the Akira got promoted to common ship while the Sabre and Steamrunner got relegated to poor background shots and the poor Norway class vanished.
@@Ushio01 Yes, those would be the Doylist reasons, IE The out of universe reasons why. I wonder about the Watsonian reasons, IE the in universe reasons.
@@MrGoesBoom People say in universe that the federation had a long period of relative peace. They fought the cardasdians and defeated them relatively easily.
It was because the Excelsior and Miranda were so widespread, especially the latter. It would have been a logistical nightmare to phase out the absurd amount of Miranda-class ships in service. The Dominion War was a blessing in disguise in that regard. As for the Excelsior, well, they just liked it. It was a favourite of Admirals and was easily retrofittable to modern standards.
I don't know if you take requests, but I've fallen in love with the design of the Gagarin class starship. I'd love to see an episode on it. Keep up the excellent work!
IRL, I believe this was the inspiration for one of my favorite Classes from Discovery, the Cardenas Class (in universe, it'd have to be the other way around of course).
Personally I prefer the beta canon version of the Constellation class. Same basic design. A refit Constitution class saucer section, with two vertical pylons, each holding only one nacelle. However, mounted halfway on the ventral pylon was a torpedo pod similar to that of the Miranda class. While not as powerful as the alpha canon version, it was sleek and more maneuverable.
Always thought the Constellation class to be a good design for an electronic warfare ship, utilizing it's four warp nacelles to disrupt local subspace, similar to an Interdictor ship in Star Wars (sorry for crossing universes).
So she's basically the Cali class ship of her day. I do wonder what the advantages of multiple nacelles are though. And presumably the disadvantages as well given how few ships have that many nacelles.
I really want to see an evolution of the constellation. I can imagine an even thicker and larger and more oblong secondary hull, with 4 larger warp nacelles on larger, individual pilons. Would make a sold deep space, long range explorer if it was big enough, possibly even carrying smaller ships like a defiant or 2 laid into the outer aft hull between pilons and even more small craft to extend its reach. Would want to start to sacrifice speed for durability, small craft compliment size, and service range.
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2 variations of the Connie I would like to see done... 1) aft shuttle bays remain, all others replaced with surveillance and ECM/ECCM suites, Emissions masking system, and dulled paint and external lighting, used for “snooping” missions. 2) a carrier. aft shuttle bays used for retrieval and emergency launches, mid doors removed and mid bays incorporated into small craft handling system. Forward door for rapid launching of fighters (magnetic catapults) and launch/retrieval of shuttles and runabouts. Upgraded shields and sensors... basically a thru-deck carrier for 72 craft (48 fighters, 12 runabouts, 12 shuttles)
It’s a starship not a tardis
With crew complement reduced, it would be no problem to refit as an “Escort Carrier” or “black ops” ship
@@ExiledPiasa I don’t think it’s possible to fit that many auxiliary craft inside a Constitution-class. And even if it was, you’d still need space for pilots and general crew.
Why are you even commenting that on here anyway?
I just gotta say that as someone who pays for RUclips in order to avoid advertisements (mainly for Google music), I really appreciate that you put your sponsored content at the end of your videos.
As a result I actually watch til the end out of appreciation. Other channels that out their sponsors in the middle of their content, I always fast forward through it.
I love when the Constellation class fires at Enterprise and she just captures it in her tractor beam, making it look like she's saying "Stop that." 😂
the galaxy class is to her as she is to the nx-01
Phastos did it better in Eternals vs Icarus, “sit yo ass down boy!”
"Catch These Hands."
"Wait Please Let Go Of These Hands."
Meanwhile the Constellation class be like: "Nuuu, let go of meh"
There's always been something so endearing about the Constellation class, despite how criminally little screentime it got. She's got a rugged, practical looking design that sets her apart from the more organic, streamlined, and high-tech designs seen in TNG and onwards.
the constellation class is no joke if going back to her heyday. she can sustain top warp speed longer than any class other than the excelsior. also she can project the most forward firepower other than the excelsior. basically it's superior to the constitution class.
The Excelsior-class was the class that kickstarted the Federation's golden age, but it was the Constellation-class that maintained it.
@@koshi6505 Indeed. She certainly looks the part of a workhorse. I think that's why I like the Constellation so much.
She has that rugged look, like "Give me an arc welder, some sheet metal, a case of romulan ale and three hours we'll make her run again."
Seriously the constellation and maranda class look like you could bolt on whatever you need for the situation. Recommend or not.
Always liked the Constellation Class.. It screams 'old design' - but it's fun and I don't think got enough love.
She is not as flashy as some ships but she got the job done. The Constellation is the Starfleet equivalent of that quiet guy that always shows up to work on time. Solid and dependable.
The BBY-01 is a far better ship...
My personal favourite is the Ambassador class, followed by the Constellation class as a close second.
The Constellation class is probably one of the best all around hull designs that Starfleet has come up with: Reliable systems melded with high warp/impulse speeds, excellent hull durability and a very robust weapons array for a ship of any size. It's exactly what I would imagine if a Federation Constitution class and a Klingon D7 Cruiser had a child.
I'm never noticed until today, quite by accident, that the Constellation Class looks like the Millennium Falcon turned backwards and added nacelles.
Will you make a video for the 24th century Freedom-class light frigate? I may come off as a little weird, but I love the USS Firebrand.
I've always had a soft spot for simple yet effective, "ugly" workhorse type ships. The Constellation class is right up there with the Y-Wing as one of my favourite designs.
Same, Y-Wing has always been my favorite maybe because its yellow and its always been my fav, but the practicableness of it is also a huge plus. I especially like the episode where the Hathaway is commanded by riker, who proceds to wope the enterprises butt. But In retrospect, wish they didnt add in the odd ferangi plot line. I think it woulda been more interesting to see the whole battle take place, and really get to see the ingenious tactics of rikers.
the constellation class is supposed to be the culmination of all late 23rd century tech
A ship can look practical without looking ugly. This ship is definitely one of them.
The boys who do all the work, and get none of the credit. You could fill a room...
I always got the impression that it was a pretty versatile ship. It has those prominent sensor/comms apparatuses on the underside, a thickened and widened saucer section that supports a shuttlebay ring with a whopping seven individual bays, redundant warp nacelles and twice the impulse engines of the smaller miranda class. Well-armed too-Spacedock doesn't mention it in the rundown of its features, but the model has two of the miranda-style double photon-torpedo launchers and two miranda-style megaphasers (but only forward for both of these, unlike the miranda).
Constellations seem like they'd be a great fleet asset. They can haul cargo in their large bays or use them to support a fleet of shuttles for scouting, evacuations or even hold fighters for battle, provide comms and/or sensor support, provide withering long-range fire on enemy ships with double the forward photon launchers of a Connie, Miranda, or even an Excelsior, and can take a beating with their thick saucer and internal engineering section, and can even go to warp to escape sticky situations after losing two warp nacelles. Probably make a great option for command ships for Federation fleets alongside the Excelsior during the 'Lost Era'.
All those features probably make it quite a pain for maintenance though, and the lack of a dedicated engineering hull probably limited the size of its warpcore to feed those systems-hence Picard's criticisms. In a battle the lack of aft phaser weapons or torpedo launchers seems like a bit of a liability as well.
Love this ship.
There are two Picard maneuvers!
The aforementioned combat maneuver and the classic Picard uniform tug.
I tried the Riker maneuver on a kithen chair once and threw my back out.
@@davidhanson4909 At least you didn't try variant 2 where you sit on a rather important console. In reality Riker's butt has probably caused much mayhem on the Enterprise.
THERE ARE 4 LIGHTS!
One for combat, one for diplomacy
Some claim the extreme longevity of some of these classes is unrealistic. I disagree. Even today we have airplanes like the B52 Stratofortress and U2 spy plane that are planned to still be in service 100 years or more after their initial flights. When you factor in the enormous infrastructural and logistic requirements of a starship, it’s no surprise many of these ships were designed to serve for numerous decades.
It would be cool to see older spaceframes sold as retrofitted private/corporate freighters/exploration (after having any Starfleet tech still deemed restricted stripped out of it).
On top of that pretty much anything under the hull can be retrofittet, new reactors, new computers, new engines, new sensors, warheads the list goes on. As long as the space frame is intact and usable there is no reason to throw it away.
@@zafranorbian757 Sydney class was in service for over 80 years; TNG/Relics and a DS9 episode
@@shawncat It's been done. SS Vico in the TNG episode 'Hero Worship' is a old retired Starfleet Oberth class
I find the long service life realistic these ship are expensive
I know they sponsored the ep, but beware of ST: Fleet Command. It's packed to the brim with exploitative, manipulative mechanics designed to drive players to buy microtransactions. I gave it a chance, and the addictive nature of it is staggering.
That's every game in the past 5+ years.
@@Ushio01 I would agree which is why I tend to stay away from mobile games. They are beautifully psychologically programmed to make you spend just that extra little bit of cash here and there... Hm? A Terminator skin in Fortnite you say? Back in a minute...
I managed to play the game for a while with out buying anything but you certainly get to a point where it's either sink in money or a ton of time. Funny thing is that I can't say I had "fun" with the game, but neither could I say it was bad... just that it was a way to pass a modicum of time. And as a time waster I can't justify spending money on it, especially the amounts they are looking for.
Most games at least have a story and a variety of times of game loops, this doesn't.
Thank for the tip comrade
I agree, I tried it for a while and got sick of the badly balanced game mechanics and the toxic player base.
Oh, new Star Trek game, looks interest-
Oh, it's mobile. Never mind.
Still waiting for a proper sequel to Starfleet Command Volume 2.
I remember a star trek game written for character only crt displays. It was shooty rather than Advent style. A bit rubbish but it filled in the spare CPU cycles.
A modern take on Starfleet Command II/Orion Pirates or III would be so cool to see with modern technology and support.
All the SFC3 rerelease on GOG shows is how much we could use a new starship tactical combat game.
STFC is free to play if you want to get beat on by high paying players
In the TNG Episode 'Relics' Where Picard and Scotty were sitting on the holodeck recreation of the Constitution Class U.S.S. Enterprise bridge Picard told Scotty about his previous command the U.S.S. Stargazer where he commented on the ship being 'An overworked and underpowered vessel always ready to fly apart at the seams in every measurable sense My Enterprise is Far Superior' 'But there are times I would give anything to command the Stargazer Again' in some ways how Picard felt of his current command of the Galaxy Class U.S.S. Enterprise in every way it sounds like he misses standing on the decks of his old ship the Constellation Class U.S.S. Stargazer and I can't really blame him as the Stargazer was his first command as Captain as apparently he served on the ship as first officer.
"It's like the first time you fall in love. You don't ever love a woman quite like that again." Captain Mongomery (Scotty) Scott
With how many Miranda and Excelsior class showed up in DS9 federation fleet battle scenes it always annoyed me that both the Constellation and Ambassador classes were no shows when they were much newer ships.
probably put those on patrol duties
The model for the Ambassador was destroyed in a fire which is why we never really saw it again.
Good point. One in-universe explanation might simply be that the older ships received refits first.
We do see one Ambassador briefly in the Battle of Chintoka.
Agreed, if there are Miranda and Excelsiors, there definitely should have been Ambassadors ALL OVER THE PLACE. They went through all the time and effort to build the dang model, why not USE it?
The lack of Constitutions is also lame, being so much more capable than the Miranda, they also should have been very common, especially since they were essentially the only starships made for some time.
Captain Jean Luc Picard : The first vessel that I served on as captain was called Stargazer. It was an overworked, underpowered vessel, always on the verge of flying apart at the seams. In every measurable sense, my Enterprise is far superior.
Wouldn't Scotty have recognized the name? It was after all in service at least a decade by the time he went missing. I wonder what Scotty would have to say about the Constellation class.
Maybe not, does a modern US Navy officer know the name of every single ship in active service?
@@TomLuTon good point lol.
@@TomLuTon No, but he would likely be familiar with all the capital ship classes.
In ways, in took over as heavy cruiser from the Constitution, while Excelsior was the explorer of the time. Because the Federation was expanding unopposed in many regions, the Constellation had to do triple duty. Fill in the huge exploration gaps the limited numbers of Excelsior and later Ambassadors left. Tax their engines running the expanding perimeter of the Federation, on patrol. Plus, filling the full duties of cruiser. Much like 1701, the Constellation was pressed hard on multiple occasions where the strain on the ship far exceeded design limitations.
Likely, the demands on the ship were the specifications. The Firepower and endurance of the Constitution, the carrying capacity and flexibility of the Miranda, the extra engines to sustain hard use, and afford redundancy. They may not have created the perfect successor, but it was an enduring one.
I would like to have seen more of the Melbourne and Cheyenne types carry on the spirit of the Constellation form/geometry/role alongside the newer frigates and cruisers seen in DS9. Perhaps Scotty would have judged her a fair addition to the venerable cruiser classes.
@@Euripides_Panz brilliantly said.
Ive always like the sharp, bevelled saucer of the constellation and and miranda classes. Gives off a very "office building in space" vibe which is always a nice break from the constant "aircraft in space" vibe so endemic in sci-fi.
i think the constellation class has larger shuttlebays than any other class of the 23rd century in trek
@@cosmeticscameo8277 The big one at the front is the shuttlebay. The others are logically cargo bays.
@@Plasmacore_V They are all "shuttle bays". Even a cargo bay (especially with a door open to space) is essentially a bay that must accommodate a shuttle at some point.
Same it make special and unique
No does not say office building in space it says 89 f250 in space.
One of those workhorses of Star Fleet.
Love this bit of backstory for Picard. Suggestion for a vid: the Nebuchadnezzar from the Matrix
Love a *4 nacelle* design.
They just look so much _more balanced_ than the Saucer and Secondary hull designs, that feel like they should swerve up or down at speed and don't seem to indicate a three dimensional pattern of thinking…
The Constellation is like the Chicago deep dish pizza of starfleet.
Lol, now im thinking of John Stewarts rant.
@@JaredLS10 same!
In peace time the Constellation was perfect. A cheaper way of producing a deep space heavy cruiser when it would've been unecessary during said peacetime. It's that interesting in-between of a Miranda class and the excelsior at the time. So cool.
Nice practical / industrial looking ship.
I picked up the Stargazer from Eaglemoss a few weeks ago and it stayed on my desk for quite a while owing to its uniqueness. Ultimately it ended up on a shelf with ships like the Jenolan and Enterprise A and it sounds like that was about the right placement, although so many of these Trek ships stay in service so long it's hard to know where to put them sometimes!
It's a good model, but seeing it on screen again in this video I realize they made the saucer section about 50% too short. This ship's saucer is uncommonly tall.
honestly the saucer and nacelles match the era of the Jenolan and Enterprise A more than the Excelsior, I wish they had treated it as the previous long lifespan ship being replaced by the Excelsior than being of the same generation.
@@t3h51d3w1nd3r I see what you mean, but consider the longevity of the Miranda, Oberth and others. All still around with the Excelsior. I'm not sure starfleet ever really drops a ship unless it's damaged beyond repair. They love refits!
Once ran a Star Trek Adventures game where the ship was a heavily retrofitted Constellation-class
Sounds fun!
Nice to hear Daniel narrate a video again. 👍
Hopefully the Victory got a serious refit before being thrown into the Dominion War.
It's funny how the Constellation class looks like the Constitution Refit Class minus the secondary hull but having an oversized saucer section connected to 2 pylons one on top and the other underneath the aft section of the saucer connected to 4 warp engines and 4 impulse engines and is probably the first Federation starship to be built with 5 shuttle bays the main shuttle bay at the front and 2 secondary bays on both sides now that is what I call an interesting design and the fact that the Constellation class came into service at around the time the Constitution Refit Class U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 was being used as a Starfleet Academy training ship before it's disastrous encounter with Khan.
0:05 i swear i've heard that intro music from some game when i was a child
What a delightful love letter to the Constellation!
There's a film called "Battle for Terra" which is on par with "Titan AE". It has some nice sci-fi ships.
One of the best kit bash results from Star Trek, I think.
You know what would be neat to see a Spacedock video on the Constitution Refit class and what did during it's career between it's commissioning in the 2270's to it's decommissioning in the 2290's like the 2 videos they did on the Klingon D7 Battlecruiser and it's successor the K'Tinga Class.
4:23 wow things must've gone sideways for Geordi to be manning the CONN again in his Chief Engineer uniform with LT Cmdr. rank pips.
Hello Spacedock.
The Constellation Class is a pretty good ship and fills a role that other Cruisers would be 'wasted' upon. It is fast, maneuverable, and has pretty good hitting power in combat. The forward 'shuttle bay' can easily become a Fighter Bay with the simple replacement of it's worker bees and civilian shuttles with sub-light Fighters. This turns the little patrol craft into a 'Jeep' Carrier that can project power in ways a 'normal' Cruiser cannot.
@2:42
Officially called "Operation Lovely Angel", it was known by the general population as "Operation Dirty Pair" ;P
:D There are not many that would understand that.
I love the Constellation.
One of the things about Star Trek lower decks but I never understood was why they didn't just use one of these old models. Instead they had to come up with a new old model. Just a small gripe.
Heck, it could have easily taken place on ST's most egregious ugly duckling. The Yeager. That would have been brilliant.
@@olinseats4003
Bingo!
@@camerongunn7906 In fairness, a Constie HAS been seen in background shots a few times. Though given it's 2380, I'd think very few Constellations would still be in service, if any. Even the Cali class they're IN is about 15 years old, the design was made around the same time as the Intrepid.
@@michaelgreenwood3413
Oh yeah I've seen them. Like I said, just a little gripe. They could have highlighted something that was already Canon but not well-known.
@@camerongunn7906 Actually the Constie is fairly well known. It just didn't get much screentime. A starship class that REALLY got shafted is the Norway Class (The model was Damaged during the Filming of First Contact, so unlike the Saber, Steamrunner, and Akira, it didn't get used by DS9, which is a massive shame, as it's a cool and unique design)
Was the first kit-bash design for star trek. Looks very rugged, perfect for the captain that isn't looking for the most shiny, new ship
I do love a 4 nacelle ship. Constellation class is one of my favorite designs
I remember hearing in the Star Trek The Next Generation second season episode 'Elementry Dear Data' where Geordi showed Data a model of the old sailing vessel H.M.S. Victory and how he mentioned he had served on the Constellation Class U.S.S. Victory and aside from the Victory the only other Constellation Class Starships we saw on the show was the Hathaway and the StarGazer which ironically was the first Constellation Class Starship we were introduced to in the Star Trek The Next Generation season 1 episode 'The Battle'.
I've always secretly enjoyed this shift it's nice that it gets a shout-out
There are five ships I want as Legendary Starships in Star Trek Online:
The Nova, the Olympic, the Negh'var, Bortasqu' and...the Stellie.
I love the Stellie. And yes, I mean the Constellation. The Constitution is the Connie, the Constellation is the Stellie.
Always surprises me how big the Constellation is. That Saucer is broader than the primary hull of a Constitution and far thicker.
Was there ever an official, in-universe reason for the 4 nacelles? I know way back in the early Star Fleet Battles wargame era they had the idea that the nacelles were the power source, so more meant a higher energy budget for things like shields. But since the 80s (or maybe earlier?) established how warp engines worked (annihilation reaction -> plasma stream -> warp coils), that's died off except for one-offs or things that just didn't make sense (bad future Enterprise D, looking at you).
Looking at it, I guess the nacelles are individually shorter than ships with similar sized saucers and overall mass, so maybe they have double up to get the same effect as the longer (and more fragile?) ones? Would fit the rugged workhorse bit.
IRC Warp nacelle size is determined by the ships overall mass. I think the Constellation has 4 nacelles because it was using "off the shelf" tech. The extra nacelles are compensation for the greater mass.
Probably there is also an added bit of redundancy. The constellation could limp home on a pair of nacelles while a constitution,miranda or excelsior would have to do field repairs or wait for another ship.
What I had read once is that is for long term use of the nacelles at high warp. You only need two to maintain a warp field but most federation ships can only maintain maximum warp for about 6 hours. With the 4 nacelle design you can alternate them and maintain high warp for longer. On the other hand, that is a lot of extra and expensive hardware for a capability a shop won't use very often which is why we don't see it more often.
The Constellation Class one of the best
First time seeing the new intro…I think. Liked for that alone.
3:25 under appreciated workhorse
*flashback*
the y wing is the workhorse of the rebellion fleet
Hello! When are you going to present the mighty USS Cerritos?
I love the Constitution Refit for it's beauty.
The Miranda for it's efficient simplicity.
The Excelsior for it's reliability.
The Galaxy for it's elegance and authority.
And the Constellation for it's humble versatility.
Always liked the design of this one :)
A solid and reliable ship that fit well in the history.
I won a game of star trek attack wing against a player who was playing with jemhadir ships by using the Picard maneuver with the Constellation class ship once.
Man, the STO _OST_ fits like a glove for the TNG era.
Absolutely love this ship. 1 of my fav federation ships
"Workhorse" seesm to be exactly the right description for this long-lived, strictly utilitarian design. It would have been nice if the ship could have appeared in "The Undiscovered Country" or "Generations," at some point, just to show that it was in service by that time.
Always really liked this design
Great ship-class review video, we need more workhorse ships in Trek as the bulk of Starfleet would be made up of such vessels, like 5 to10 Miranda-class ships for every Constitution and Excelsior-class ship, like battleships vs cruisers, destroyers, and sloops/gunboats. Loved how 'Lower Decks' with the USS MacDuff updated the Miranda-class with the TNG aesthetic, as you would expect with a older ship refitted for continual service in Starfleet, wish TNG/DS9 could have done the same with Miranda and Constellation classes by swapping the late Kirk-era warp nacelles for those of the Picard era.
The ships designed by the team doing Star Trek Fleet Command are great. Wish they had done the designs for Disco and Picard, creating new ships (or reverse-retrofitted existing designs, like the Miranda-class for Disco) while remaining within the established visual canon. Sadly the Disco-era ships just don't fit in to the Starfleet design canon established by Enterprise, TOS/Original Cast Films, and TNG/DS9/VOY. Wish they had followed the example of Star Wars who ships and technology fit well into the visual canon timeline of the franchise. Disco should have like the Prequals/The Clone Wars did in Star Wars have had ships that looked like they were the successors of the NX-class while being the close predecessors of the Constitution and Miranda classes.
I remember hearing in one episode of the TNG series Geordi La Forge said he served on board the U.S.S. Victory when he showed a model of the old sailing vessel Victory to Data in main engineering before they left for the holodeck to do a recreation of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.
The star gazer was also used in the Dominion war herself
In Star Trek Legacy (2006) the Constellation was a favorite class of mine. Had a torpedoe strike maneuver that had me fire all 6 torpedoes (forward and aft) with a quick warp speed jump.
She was the Cali class of her day 😝
Idea...Star trek campaign where students in tng era have to take command of a constellation in an emergency.
I want a T6 Constellation in STO so bad
YOU GOT RECOGNITION! All your videos are awesomely animated, informative, constructive explanation, historic emphasis aside how wack it is.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I never liked the look of them. For years I had no idea it had four nacelles.
When shot from the front at a high angle the thick saucer section looked like a roulette wheel with the two upper nacelles looking like a handle to spin it with!
I still remember my Hippolyta from STO
I like to think that the Constellations were used in electronic warfare roles during the Dominion War.
Gotta love the Constellation-class! I really liked the redundant nacelles and the general workhorse design. But as an aside I wonder at the claim that the class was the last one outfitted with phaser banks prior to the deployment of phaser "strip" arrays on the Ambassador-class. The Constellations appear to have come into service in the 2280s or earlier and the Ambassadors were an early to mid 24th century design, coming into service by the 2240s at the latest but there would still be a pretty big gap between the first Constellations and the first Ambassadors. Surely some other classes would date from this era?
phaser emitters not phaser banks
@@toomanyaccounts Nope, I actually meant phaser banks here. The claim that was made is that Constellation was the last ship outfitted with phaser emitters arranged in banks (twin emitters per bank) in the TOS movie era style versus the linear array (or strip) of phaser emitters that we see in most TNG designs.
@@todabrilla phaser emitter banks are different then the phaser strips on the Galaxy and other ships.
I lost count on how many Starships built by Starfleet using more than 2 warp engines besides the Constellaion and Prometheus Classes that both had the 4 warp engine nacelle design and that class that we were introduced to that carried on the name U.S.S. Stargazer in Star Trek Picard season 2 and I also remember one other Starship class that uses the 4 warp nacelle design the Cheyenne Class.
Image having the fore shuttle bay door open, standing with your nose right on the edge of the forcefield, looking out into space while being at warp.
I guess because we only saw two examples, both having seen better days, I had no idea the ship had such heavy torpedo armament. No wonder they were still used in the Dominion War. Refit the launchers and you’re suddenly very dangerous. Sort of like a battle cruiser at that point. Fast, long range, big guns, but squishy.
I love this ship.
Cover ships in the Starsector game. Its fun
One of the better kitbash designs...
Nice star trek online music use. I like it 😊
I know the Doylist reasons, but to this day I still wonder what the Wastonian reasons were for the late 24th century fleet to still be a backbone of Excelsiors with wide support in Mirandas....By late 24th it should have been Ambassadors and Constellations, with the Excelsior and Miranda classes still here or there where useful.
Money, money and money. The Excelsior and Miranda had high quality models from their use in the films while all the other TNG original models were cheap and cheerful quick jobs that unfortunately didn't last long enough for DS9 to get going add to that using both models and CGI on the First contact ships is why the Akira got promoted to common ship while the Sabre and Steamrunner got relegated to poor background shots and the poor Norway class vanished.
@@Ushio01 Yes, those would be the Doylist reasons, IE The out of universe reasons why. I wonder about the Watsonian reasons, IE the in universe reasons.
The model of the ambassador class burned in a fire.
@@MrGoesBoom People say in universe that the federation had a long period of relative peace. They fought the cardasdians and defeated them relatively easily.
It was because the Excelsior and Miranda were so widespread, especially the latter. It would have been a logistical nightmare to phase out the absurd amount of Miranda-class ships in service. The Dominion War was a blessing in disguise in that regard.
As for the Excelsior, well, they just liked it. It was a favourite of Admirals and was easily retrofittable to modern standards.
I don't know if you take requests, but I've fallen in love with the design of the Gagarin class starship. I'd love to see an episode on it. Keep up the excellent work!
A THICC Saucer!
One of my favourite class of ships. Looks so unique and cool!
Just the sort of video I’ve been hoping for!
🖖😎👍Very well done and very informative indeed, this is one of my all time favorite starship's in the Startrek universe 👌...
IRL, I believe this was the inspiration for one of my favorite Classes from Discovery, the Cardenas Class (in universe, it'd have to be the other way around of course).
Personally I prefer the beta canon version of the Constellation class. Same basic design. A refit Constitution class saucer section, with two vertical pylons, each holding only one nacelle. However, mounted halfway on the ventral pylon was a torpedo pod similar to that of the Miranda class. While not as powerful as the alpha canon version, it was sleek and more maneuverable.
I know you got a script but also Star Trek Fleet Command is also coming to PC
Always thought the Constellation class to be a good design for an electronic warfare ship, utilizing it's four warp nacelles to disrupt local subspace, similar to an Interdictor ship in Star Wars (sorry for crossing universes).
James McAvoy wants to play a young Picard. I think a stargazer show would be a nice look in Trek’s “lost era”
One of the best class of ship Starfleet ever built.
I always wanted to see the flythrough hangar in the saucer opened up to deploy shuttles or something... the thing has a massive hangar.
Phaser "array". Strip sounds like it's having a good friday night.
Phaser array is the overall weapon. The ‘strip’ is the name of the phaser emitter used on the Ambassador-class and later, as it’s, well, a strip.
Lol STOL background music, love it.
" ...overworked, underpowered vessel, always on the verge of flying apart at the seams." Jean-Luc Picard on USS Stargazer
That jingle at the start who else remembers legacy
So she's basically the Cali class ship of her day. I do wonder what the advantages of multiple nacelles are though. And presumably the disadvantages as well given how few ships have that many nacelles.
I'm waiting for the Karen Class ship for when the Federation just needs to get in an alien's face for no reason.
The Ferengi have a specially trained manager for just such an occasion. No one has ever defeated him.
I wish someone could do an in-depth video of the specs on the spaceship in "flight of the navigator". It's so advanced that it seems more like magic.
Please continue the Battlestar Galactica Deadlock ship videos.
I just enjoyed the heck out of this. THANK you!
I enjoyed this, made me nostalgic for star trek for a second.
Jolly good job dude!!!
I wish we'd seen this ship more. I wish we'd seen more of all of the other ships.
I always wanted to see a variant with the nacelles out in a X pattern when viewed from the front and back.
I really want to see an evolution of the constellation. I can imagine an even thicker and larger and more oblong secondary hull, with 4 larger warp nacelles on larger, individual pilons. Would make a sold deep space, long range explorer if it was big enough, possibly even carrying smaller ships like a defiant or 2 laid into the outer aft hull between pilons and even more small craft to extend its reach. Would want to start to sacrifice speed for durability, small craft compliment size, and service range.
This ship class was the prelude of what would lead to the birth of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Fingers crossed for some wibaly wabbly timey wimie action in pacard season 2 be good to see one in action.