Welcome to Starship Sunday, presenting a new spaceframe for the Star Trek Adventures roleplaying game, filling in some gaps until official material can be released.
Wrapping up November’s theme of “Rise of the Federation” while also leading into December is the Einstein-class, also known as the “Kelvin type” after the U.S.S Kelvin that was once crewed by a George Kirk.
In an alternate reality, the U.S.S Kelvin was destroyed by the temporally displaced Romulan, Nero, causing James Kirk to be raised by his uncle rather than his father: the so-called “Kelvin Timeline”. In the Prime Timeline, the U.S.S Kelvin was not destroyed and George Kirk lived to see his son become captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Situated between the Columbia-class and the Constitution-class, the Kelvin offers a glimpse at the starships of the burgeoning Federation operating in the century-long timeframe between Star Trek: Enterprise and Star Trek: The Original Series. Earlier Starfleet starships were Human vessels that transitioned with Starfleet from serving Earth to serving the Federation; based on the later era it would have been created, the Einstein-class was very likely one of the first ships created by multiple Federation member worlds rather than a single planetary body. For Gamemasters wishing to run a prequel game in that era (perhaps one set a little farther back than Discovery) the Einstein-class is a good choice for exploratory vessel, bridging the gap between series. While the other ships this month could be used in campaigns highlighting the establishment of the Federation, the Einstein-class is useful for stories set during the time when the new union was struggling to survive and facing older and more established threats, while also expanding beyond a mere handful of worlds in adjacent sectors.
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