Everything you need to know about Crossfield class ships in Star Trek. If you love Star Trek, then you also love looking at and comparing different classes of starship. These are the rules.
With its take on the classic Enterprise, Star Trek Strange New Worlds has already been giving us plenty to appreciate when it comes to pretty Star Trek starships. And with the beginning of Strange New Worlds season 2, things are already no different.
Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2 episode 1 treated fans to a gorgeous Klingon Battle Cruiser, in addition to a Crossfield class Starfleet ship. But what is the Crossfield class? If you need a reminder, we’ve dusted off our technical manuals and are here to help.
The history of the Crossfield class in Star Trek
Crossfield class starships were designed for use in the Federation fleet during the mid-22nd century. Initially envisioned to be dedicated science vessels with experimental alternatives to warp (including the spore drive), the Crossfield class ships were repurposed for combat with the onset of the Klingon war.
The history of the Crossfield class is a short one because the class was deemed to have failed to meet its goals. It was eventually shelved alongside the experimental spore drive technology.
Crossfield class starships in Star Trek
There were only ever two Crossfield starships created by the Federation before the class was discontinued.
Crossfield starships in Star Trek
- USS Discovery
- USS Glenn
The Glenn was Discovery’s sister ship, but was pulled from service after the use of the spore drive led to too many serious accidents. The USS Discovery, after jumping into the future, was presumed destroyed.
Some years later, during Pike’s command of the Enterprise, an imitation of a Crossfield class ship was created by a Klingon syndicate with the intention of creating a false flag attack and restarting the war. Interestingly, this didn’t look like the previous Crossfield class ships (despite being called as such) and looked closer to a hybrid between the Luna class and the Miranda class.
However, under the command of Spock, the Enterprise dismantled this plan and successfully destroyed the new ship.
For more on Star Trek, check out our ranking of the Star Trek captains and find out which would survive a zombie apocalypse. Or, read our full Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 2 review.