The NX-class starship is an early United Earth deep space exploration vessel. Under the command of Earth’s Starfleet, the NX-class was the most advanced class of starship of its time. With the launch of the first NX-class ship, the Enterprise NX-01, in 2151, humanity could truly begin to explore deep space and take their place among the stars. In all, only six NX-class vessels were ever built, including the Discovery NX-04, and were named after the space shuttle orbiters of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The NX-class can trace its origins to as early as 2119 with the opening of the Warp Five Complex. Located just outside of Bozeman, Montanaa, Earth, the Warp Five Complex was home to the development of Earth’s first Warp Five engine. This effort would eventually lead to the NX Project, which was started in the early 2140s. Both programs were supervised by Vulcan experts, but they would not share any of their advanced knowledge of warp mechanics. Instead, they chose to guide the human scientists into developing the engine and understanding of wapr theory themselves. This attitude from the Vulcans led to human scientists finding better solutions than the Vulcans for certain problems. As development progressed, the NX Project worked in parallel to produce a starship designed around the use of the Warp Five engine. The project was not without its challenges, but success led to the completion of the Enterprise NX-01 in 2151.
The basic design of the NX-class is similar to other ships of the era. However, there were a number of technical innovations first introduced with this class. The most significant was the Warp Five engine, which drastically increased the range of Earth starships.
Other technological advancements included the introduction of phase cannons, photonic torpedoes, and a transporter approved for use on organic lifeforms.
The NX-class structural arrangement is a single saucer shaped hull. The warp engine nacelles are built into pylons extending to the rear of the ship. Between the nacelle pylons is the warp field governor, a system designed to regulate and balance the warp field during high warp flight. The underside of the saucer housed the main sensor pallets and shuttlepod drop bays. As was common on other Earth ships, the ships bridge was located on the top of the saucer, on A deck.
| Deck | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Main Bridge, Captain's Ready Room, Air Lock, Umbilical Hard Point Connection, Forward Observation Room |
| 2 | Computer Core, Umbilical Hard Point Connection, Deuterium Tank, Water Storage Tanks, Deuterium Fill Port Connection, Aft Dorsal Phase Cannons, Secondary Research Labs, Astronomical Science Labs, Cultural Anthropology Labs, First Stage Plasma Accelerator (Upper Level), Upper Dorsal Airlocks |
| 3 | Computer Core, Waste Water Recycling System, Inert Waste Matter Holding Tank, Waste Water Holding Tank, Engineering Lab, Physical Science Lab, Machine/Fabrication Shop, Dorsal Cargo Bay Doors, Gymnasium and Recreation Facilities, First Stage Plasma Accelerator (Lower Level), EPS Power Taps, Deuterium Pump and Conditioning System, Warp Plasma Transfer Conduit, Warp Control Processors, S/C OMS Computer Library, Water Storage Tanks, Upper Observation Deck |
| 4 | Main Engineering, Gravimetric Field Displacement Manifold, Deuterium Injector, Anti-Matter Injector, Life Support Systems, Transporter, Computer Core, Reactor Waste Processing Bay, Water Storage Tanks, Enlisted Officers' Quarters, EPS Distribution Manifold, Second Stage Plasma Accelerator (Upper Level), Cargo Transfer Shaft, Cargo Bays, Main Aft Observation Room, Cargo Grappling Arm, Junior Officers' Quarters, Launch Bay Deployment Arm Actuator, Enlisted Officers' Bathroom Area |
| 5 | Main Faring Impulse Rockets, Secondary Impulse Rockets, Sickbay, Launch Bay, Second Stage Plasma Accelerator (Lower Level), Third Stage Plasma Accelerator, Ventral Cargo Bay Doors, Officers' Quarters, Enlisted Officers' Quarters, E/V Staging Area, Inspection Pod Bay, DeCon Chamber, Mess Hall, Captain's Mess, Captain's Quarters, Warp Plasma Coolant Tank, Hydroponics Bay, Main Battery Room, Armoury High Bay, Airlock, Escape Pods, Galley, Thruster Quad, Deflector Dish, Cargo Lift, Forward Dorsal Phase Cannons, Barber Shop, Laundry, Warp Nacelle Repair Bay, Conference Room |
| 6 | Forward Armoury, Aft Armoury, Brig, Antimatter Containment Storage, MACO Training Room, Main Weapons Locker, Warhead Storage Magazine, Launch Bay Observation Deck, Lower Observation Deck, Weapons Analysis Lab, Planetary Science Lab |
| 7 | Guest Quarters, Guest Assistant Office, Planetary Sensor Array, Sensor Monitoring Station |