The Andorian battle cruiser was a type of warship in service with the Andorian Imperial Guard during the mid-22nd century.
History
The first ship of this class was the Kumari, a vessel commanded by Commander Thy'lek Shran from 2142 to 2154. (ENT: "Babel One")
Following their launch in the 2140s, several Andorian warships had been reported missing over the years since. When the Enterprise (NX-01) was attacked by a Romulan drone-ship disguised as an Andorian battle cruiser, Shran suggested that perhaps the Tellarites had taken one of the missing ships and enhanced its systems. (ENT: "Babel One")
In 2154, several Andorian battle cruisers were incorporated into an Andorian-Tellarite-Vulcan fleet that consisted of 128 ships, formed in lieu of a Romulan marauder that threatened the entire region. (ENT: "United")
In the mirror universe, the Andorian rebels utilized this class of vessel to engage the Terran fleet in 2155. At least two of these vessels were among the rebel ships attacking the ISS Avenger. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")
Technical data
The Andorian battle cruiser was considerably more rugged than the designs utilized by contemporary United Earth-Starfleet vessels. (ENT: "Proving Ground") Like all Andorian combat vessels, the Andorian battle cruiser was constructed with a "significant quantity" of duranium alloy. (ENT: "Babel One") Despite the vessels larger size, it was crewed with an operating complement of eighty-six. (ENT: "United")
Physical arrangement
Design overview
The outboard plan of the Andorian battle cruiser's design consisted of a central "spine" that contained a vertically bifurcated forward hull, which contained several decks. The central "spine" gradually narrowed towards the aft section of the ship where it connected to two vertically stacked warp nacelles. Located midway down the "spine" were a pair of forward-swept wings which contained the impulse engines and defensive systems. (ENT: "Cease Fire", "Proving Ground", "Zero Hour", etc.)
- The additional "pods" located on the wings were never explicitly given a purpose when the ship was initially design; in theory, the production staff suggests that they may have been intended as auxiliary warp engines.
Defensive systems
Forward particle cannon.
The defensive systems utilized by the Andorian battle cruiser included a formidable array of particle cannons including forward cannon emplacements, port and starboard wing emitters, and dorsal and ventral emitters that were capable of firing in a 180 degree arc. (ENT: "Zero Hour", "Kir'Shara")
- The cannons on the wings possibly contained multiple emitters or an array system, based on the observation that beams were emitted from various points therein.
Despite the advantage it had over other inferior vessels of this era thanks to the utilization of shield technology, this class was most susceptible to attacks directed towards the shield generator. The shield generator itself was distantly located from power grid. (ENT: "Kir'Shara", "Babel One")
During the 2150s, Andorian technology was considered to be more advanced than Tellarite technology of the time. One Tellarite cruiser would not "stand a chance" against two Andorian warships. (ENT: "Babel One") The Andorian battle cruiser was comparable in firepower to the Xindi-Reptilian warship and the Vulcan's Template:ShipType combat cruiser. (ENT: "Zero Hour", "Kir'Shara")
In the mirror universe, this class was significantly inferior to the Federation's Template:ShipClass USS Defiant. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")
Propulsion systems
Andorian battle cruisers utilized warp drive technology that was more advanced than Starfleet's warp five engine, allowing Andorian vessels to be "considerably faster" than Earth's NX class starship. (ENT: "Proving Ground") These vessels could travel at speeds that were described at the time as "high warp." (ENT: "Zero Hour")
One of the contributing technological factors utilized in their warp drive design was the use of antimatter injectors with variable compression nozzles. In 2153, knowledge of this type of "sophisticated piece of technology" was still considered to be "rather sensitive information." (ENT: "Proving Ground")
Additional systems
The long-range sensors utilized on board the Andorian battle cruiser was "more sophisticated" than those utilized on board Starfleet's NX class. (ENT: "Proving Ground", "Babel One") These sensors were capable of scanning a star system without betraying the vessels presence. Contrarily, its short-range sensors were detectable by vessels that were being scanned. These type of sensors were innocently referred to as being "omni-directional" by Commander Shran during a series of scans run on a number of Xindi starships in 2153. (ENT: "Proving Ground")
Like Vulcan ships of the era, Andorian battle cruisers were equipped with a tractor beam. The emitter was located on the ship's forward dorsal section. (ENT: "Proving Ground")
Additionally, these warships were equipped with transporters capable of performing site-to-site transport. Use of these transporters was detectable by internal sensors merely as a brief energy surge. (ENT: "Kir'Shara")
Auxiliary craft
The Andorian battle cruiser housed at least one shuttle. (ENT: "Proving Ground") They also carried multiple escape pods. (ENT: "Proving Ground", "Babel One")
Interior design
Bridge
 Bridge of the Kumari.  The Kumari's viewscreen. |
Capable of operating with a crew of five, the bridge of the Andorian battle cruiser directly supervised all primary mission operations and coordinated all departmental activities. Its design was not unlike the layouts used aboard Earth and Klingon vessels of that era, and of Federation starships of later eras. The most significant difference was the placement of the wall consoles, which faced away from the captain rather than towards him.
The layout consisted of an inverted "half-moon"-shaped viewscreen located on the forward bulkhead, directly in front of the ship's side-by-side helm and navigation console.
In the center of the bridge was the captain's chair, with two large convex dishes on either side of the chair. A semi-circle of four station consoles, each with its own stool, surrounded the captain's chair, one each to port and starboard, and two near the aft. All four consoles were each attached to a support column which braced the bridge's vaulted ceiling.
Along the rear bulkhead were several display monitors, separating the entry way to the captain's ready room on the port side from the entryway to the bridge on the starboard side. (ENT: "Proving Ground", "Zero Hour", "Babel One")
- The Andorian bridge was a newly designed "swing set" constructed specifically for "Proving Ground". [1] The previous bridge wall built for "Cease Fire" does not seem to fit into the later established bridge layout.
- The tactile interfaces for the helm/navigation console were sold in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction for $260.00. [2] Two of the four "distressed" work consoles that appeared on the Kumari bridge were also sold in the It's A Wrap! auction for $676.66 and $660.00, respectfully. [3], [4]
- The captain's chair, which was a reuse of Voyager's first officer's chair, was sold in the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction. The auction estimate for the chair was $4,000 to $6,000; the sale price was $3,500 ($4,200 with premium). [5] Four bridge stools, similar to the stools used on the Kumari bridge (however painted gold), were also sold in the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction. [6]
- The Andorian symbol that was on the upper aft section of the bridge was sold in the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction. The auction estimate for the plaque was $100 - $150; the sale price was $1200 ($1440 with premium). [7]
Ready room
 Ready room of the Kumari  Ready room viewscreen |
The ready room was located adjacent to the bridge and provided the commanding officer with a private place to conduct ship's business. The ready room on board the Kumari had a large viewscreen located on the bulkhead opposite the entryway and a desk and chair located between the entryway and the viewscreen. Behind the commander's desk was a shelving display that contained the officer's personal effects. (ENT: "Proving Ground")
- A desk very similar to the desk that appeared in Shran's ready room (only of a different color) was sold in the It's A Wrap! auction for $561.51. [8] One of the six chairs appearing in another It's A Wrap! auction lot was used at the desk in Shran's ready room. The entire lot of six chairs sold from $2,302.77. [9]
Interrogation room
 Interrogation room console. |
The interrogation room was a small area that contained an interrogation chair located opposite of the entryway and a free standing control console located in the corner, near the door. The interrogation technology utilized a machine that created a neuro-synaptic field which caused the victim's emotional threshold to be lowered rather than causing physical discomfort. (ENT: "Kir'Shara")
- This room was described in the production report for "Kir'Shara" as the brig. The control console that appeared in the interrogation room later appeared in "Bound" on board Harrad-Sar's barge. It was ultimately was sold in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction for $1,483.00. [10]
Cargo bays
Cargo hold
The Andorian battle cruiser contained at least three cargo bays, with the third being located on the ventral section of the ship, near the center of the vessel. These cargo bays were shielded against potential radiation by use of a forcefield. (ENT: "Proving Ground")
- Close inspection of the ship reveals three additional bay doors, which match the size and shape of bay number three, suggesting that this was the location of the first two cargo bays and the shuttle bay. These bay doors were located on the dorsal "spine", and one each, on the dorsal and ventral nacelle.
Ships of the class
- Named
- Unnamed
Appendices
Appearances
- ENT:
- "Cease Fire"
- "Proving Ground"
- "Zero Hour"
- "Kir'Shara"
- "Babel One" (interior, debris & illusory)
- "United"
- "The Aenar" (illusory)
- "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II" (mirror universe)
Background
The Andorian battle cruiser was designed by John Eaves in collaboration with Rick Berman. It was rendered as a CGI model by Pierre Drolet; the "light kit" for the model was added by Rob Bonchune.
The length established for the model, as scaled in relation to the other models created for the series, was 360 meters.
External links
- Template:NCwiki
- Kumari class starship at Wikipedia
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