Colony ships (also known as colonial transports) are starships that carry a mix of passengers and cargo that are intended to found or expand a new colony. As such they are designed to be rugged, self-sufficient, and have long endurance, since they frequently operate for long periods in areas with minimal or no port facilities.
Typically, colony ships are unnarmed and some designs are constructed in such a way that they can be dismantled once they reach their destination and used to form the initial constructions of a colony. (TNG video games: Armada II, Birth of the Federation, FASA RPG)
| Starship classification | |
|---|---|
| By type | argosy • assault ship • attack cruiser • attack fighter • battle cruiser • battleship • bird-of-prey • cargo transport • carrier • colony ship • combat support tender • construction ship • corsair • corvette • courier • cruiser • cutter • destroyer • dreadnought • escort • explorer • fast attack ship • fast cruiser • freighter • frigate • fuel transport • gunboat • heavy cruiser • heavy escort • hospital ship • liaison cutter • light cruiser • light frigate • medical frigate • mining freighter • monitor • passenger liner • patrol cruiser • personnel carrier • prison barge • repair tender • research vessel • research cruiser • runabout • scout • strike cruiser • super carrier • surveyor • tanker • tender • timeship • transport • troop transport • tug • warbird • warpshuttle |
| Alphanumeric | I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII • XIII • XIV • XV • XVI |
Vessels of this type varied in size and longevity. Arguably, the DY-100-class SS Botany Bay, launched from Earth in 1996, was the first Earth colony ship. (TOS: "Space Seed") Prior to the development of the warp drive, colonial transports were only capable of sublight velocities. As such, most were sleeper ships — outfitted with cryogenic capsules to lower the metabolic rate of the potential colonists so they could survive a decades- or even centuries-long voyage. An early expedition of this type was the vessel Forty Families. (TOS novel: World Without End)
After the development of warp drive, colonization efforts from Earth increased. Between the years 2063 and 2079, 33 extrasolar colonies in 20 star systems were established by warp-driven craft. (Star Trek novel Federation) One of those colonies was Terra Nova in the Eta Casseopiae system, founded by settlers aboard SS Conestoga. (ENT: "Terra Nova")
Colony ships were not necessarily purpose-built as such. Many, especially in the first 200 years of Terran spacefaring, were converted from freighters or in-system passenger liners.
An example of a purpose-built colony ship in the 23rd century was the Brisbane-class starship. The Brisbane and her sister ships were called "colonization cruisers" as their spaceframes had been developed from that of the Surya-class starships (which were alternately designated light cruisers or frigates). (Starship Recognition Files 2)
Another colony ship of the same era was the Cochrane class colonial transport, which first entered service ca. 2254. (FASA)
A colony ship was a specialized starship tasked with transporting colonists to new planets to settle them and begin new communities.
|
|
Wikis
Misc
Search
This article is a stub. You can help Wookieepedia by expanding it.
