Starfleet Ship Classes: Difference between revisions

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The Advanced Starship Design Bureau (ASDB) classifies vessels according to their primary mission profiles, which in turn determine the sizes, shapes, and systems of vessels in a particular category. A ship whose primary purpose is to explore distant star systems will have a different shape and different systems than one intended to escort merchantmen in times of conflict.

However, one of Starfleet's primary moral and tactical principles is that of adaptability. Thus, unlike the often more mission-dedicated vessels of the Klingon Empire or Romulan Star Empire, any Starfleet ship can perform a wide variety of missions (even ones for which it is not primarily designed). For example, a Starfleet escort will have more advanced scientific and research systems than a comparative Klingon vessel but will not be as heavily armed. Nevertheless, Starfleet ships are best used for the primary missions for which they were created.

Starship classes in active service are listed below. You can also access more information about each specific type of starship by selecting from the menu on the right or read about the various [[Small Craft|small craft]] employed by Starfleet such as [[shuttlecraft]] and [[runabouts]]. Classes no longer in service are listed in the [[Historical Starship Database]].