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Excelsior class

In October 2284, the U.S.S. Excelsior NX-2000, the first of a new class, was commissioned. This vessel was the newest in Starfleet, and it incorporated many experimental operating systems.^[3] Originally designed as a test-bed for the experimental transwarp drive, the Excelsior was called “The Great Experiment” by many in influential circles.^[1] These ships were the newest of any in Starfleet and incorporated experimental technology in most of the components required to operate a starship. With so many new systems aboard these vessels, the process of testing them was slow. Prior to being installed, each component was tested and retested until it met standards. Nevertheless, when the Excelsior was taken out for trials, the evaluation teams were constantly faced with primary system malfunctions that would not allow any of the secondary or backup systems to be tested. This caused the evaluators to deal with these new components on a one-at-a-time basis, and thus creating time delays in the commissioning of the class.^[3]

The Excelsior class underwent a number of late design changes when the transwarp project ultimately failed. While transwarp was never realized, designers were unwilling to cast aside what was otherwise a sound cruiser design. The transwarp engines were removed in favor of conventional linear warp drive engines. The Excelsior class could cruise at Warp 8, sustain speeds of Warp 10 for several hours, and reach Warp 13 when necessary. This made it by far the fastest Starfleet vessel for almost five decades.^[31]
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