Star Trek: Every Starfleet Starship Class Ranked Worst To Best

The Nova class came into service around 2370, designed for interplanetary scientific research and not for long-term exploration. However, with adjustments to its systems, a Nova class vessel managed to survive five years in the Delta Quadrant, until it ran afoul of the USS Voyager.

The Nova class was similar in design to early concepts for the Defiant class, though unlike the latter ship it stuck to a more traditional layout, with a primary hull and two warp nacelles separate from the secondary hull.

By 2404, the Nova class had undergone an upgrade. The wedge at the front of the primary hull was filled in, and its shields and weapons were upgraded. This allowed the small vessel to take on two Klingon Negh'Var class cruisers and disable them.

The Nova class proved to be an enduring design. During the Battle of Azati Prime, which crewman Daniels brought Captain Archer to, a Nova class ship was seen fighting with the Sphere Builders. This timeline may not come to pass, but it is a testament to the appeal of the vessel that, like the Miranda and Excelsior class ships before it, it was not retired from service for a long, long time.