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An official version of this ship is available in the Command Division sourcebook.
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 of the February theme of ships that fought against the Dominion is the Norway-class.
Another ship design created for Star Trek First Contact, the class has been mentioned several times since but has not re-appeared on the screen, ostensibly because the CGI files for the models were lost or corrupted. It’s one of the many ships created in response to the Borg (which, ironically, were pretty ineffective in the Battle of Sector 001).
Working on the design of the spaceframe, my first step was figuring out the role of the Norway in Starfleet. I.e. why they would design and build a new ship rather just make more of the existing designs. The Akira and Defiant are definitely the offensive powerhouses of the post-Borg design binge, and I picture the narrow Saber as the small, agile flyer that works as a frigate or scout. Meanwhile the Steamrunner is meant to be fast, but its early use of ablative armour suggests it’s meant to take a hit. This leaves the Norway lacking a strong role among the new wave of tactical ships. It’s too small to be a carrier, and while it has a sleek profile it’s listed warp speed doesn’t suggest it’s built for speed.
The description of the Norway on Memory Beta implies its use as an evacuation craft. Given the Borg’s tendency to assimilate victims to reinforce their numbers, being able to beam aboard the crew of disabled ships would be useful. This gives another reason for the flat profile: an aerodynamic shape would permit it to fly through an atmosphere without shielding, evacuating civilians in the path of the Borg. Or serving as a troop transport, the equivalent of your standard science fiction “dropship” in a universe where they can beam down soldiers. It’s also a useful ship for a variety of peacetime missions, serving humanitarian needs, ferrying small numbers of colonists, or transporting a large diplomatic envoy.
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