In the Star Trek fictional universe, the NX class was a variety of starship produced by Earth Starfleet prior to the United Federation of Planets. The design of the NX class has a unique approach to starship design with a large saucer attached to two warp nacelles attached to the saucer by pylons running upward. At the bow of the saucer is the gold navigational deflector while the observation lounge, aft torpedo tube and impulse engines are at the stern. The main bridge, crew quarters, sensors and thrusters are embedded into the top of the saucer section. The ship's weapons, the grappler, a sensor dome and cargo bays occupy the ventral section. This ship strangely does not contain lifeboats.

The ship was unique for its new and advanced technologies, most notably its transporter and its new warp engine, capable of propelling the ship to warp factor 5 (Cochrane scale; approx. warp 4.5, new scale). Ships of the NX class were intended to be multirole vessels capable of exploration, diplomacy, and warfare. The pathfinder of the class, the Enterprise (NX-01), was launched on April 16, 2151.

In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Hope and Fear", a ship by the name USS Dauntless carries the number NX-01A; however, it is not a real Starfleet vessel but a redressed alien ship disguised by the alien Arturis .

Specifications

• Production facility: Unknown shipyard located in Earth orbit
• Type: Cruiser
• Dimensions:
  • Height: 33.3 m
  • Length: 225 m
  • Beam: 133.5 m
• Decks: 7
• Accommodation: 83+
• Propulsion:
  • One matter/antimatter reactor powering two warp engines
  • 2 impulse engines
• Performance: Warp 5+ (Cochrane scale)
• Weaponry:
  • Twelve or more phase cannon (max. power: 500 gigajoules)
  • 6 or more spatial/photonic torpedo launchers
• Defenses: Polarized duranium hull plating and bulkheads
• Auxiliary vessels: 2 personnel shuttlepods in a launch bay on F deck

Known NX class starships

• Enterprise (NX-01)
  • Named for several Earth vessels, the Earth starship Enterprise was the pathfinder of her class. Commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer, the starship Enterprise was launched in April 2151 and embarked on her first mission to return a Klingon courier named Klaang to Qo'noS. The starship Enterprise made first contact with dozens of alien races, including the Romulans, the Andorians and the Tholians. The Enterprise returned to Earth in April 2153 after the Xindi attack on Earth for a refit. While in the Delphic Expanse, the Enterprise was severely damaged by Xindi forces and fought at the Battle of the Council on February 12, 2154. Two days later, the starship Enterprise destroyed the Sphere network and returned to Earth with the help of a Xindi-Aquatic cruiser. The Enterprise was later involved in the Augment crisis and the Romulan marauder incursion in 2154. Fate unknown.
• Columbia (NX-02)
  • Named for the Space Shuttle Columbia, the Earth starship Columbia was under construction in April 2153 and was scheduled to be launched in June 2154 but suffered from engine problems. The Columbia launched from drydock in late November 2154 commanded by Captain Erika Hernandez with Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker as her chief engineer. The Columbia helped Enterprise in dealing with the Klingon-Augment situation by coming to her aid when several Klingon subroutines interfered with the warp engines on Enterprise. Fate unknown.
• Avenger (NX-09)
  • A Mirror Universe starship serving in the Terran Empire. Commanded by Admiral Black. The ship's motto, seen on the crew's mission patches, is 'Audentes Fortuna Imperii'. This ship does not exist in the current Enterprise timeline.

Possible future NX class starships

Since the first two NX ships, Enterprise and Columbia, are both named after space shuttles, fans speculate that future NX ships may also bear the names of space shuttles. If the pattern holds, future NX-class ships would most likely be:

• NX-03 Discovery
• NX-04 Atlantis
• NX-05 Endeavour
• NX-99 Challenger

This is assuming that, like Enterprise and Columbia, future NX-class ships will follow the operating code numbers of existing NASA shuttles. (The NASA shuttle Enterprise was OV-101, Columbia OV-102, Discovery OV-103, Atlantis OV-104, Endeavour OV-105, and Challenger OV-99)

However, with the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in February 2005, it is likely that this theory could only be tested in future Enterprise novels.

External links

• "NX class" at Memory Alpha
• "NX class" at the Neutral Zone Starship Database
• "Starship Gallery - NX Class" at Ex Astris Scientia