The Starship that Never Dies

[StarfleetCommand74656]

Someone explain this one please:
The Constitution class is scrapped after about 50 years
The NX class is clearly nowhere to be seen by the time of TOS, as was the Daedalus.
But the Oberth class starts at NCC-638 (The Grissom), clearly pre Enterprise-1701, and carries right through to the Tsiolkovsky (NCC 53911) What is it about those Oberths that make them so longlasting?

[Lord Borg]

Where do you get the idea its pre TOS? the first appearence was Star Trek II. It's a science ship, hence smaller and less powerful. As for lasting long, typaccly, the mission requirements aren't much so the stress on the hull etcc...isn't as much. Not to mention, the Excellsior is TOS movie era, their still in service, same with the Ambasador class.

[JupiterPrime]

Oberths are also a "workhorse" to some degree. That pod on the bottom of the Grissom is interchangeable with various other equipment platforms specific to the role of vessel's particular theater of operations. Nebula class vessels also have interchangeable platforms on top of the vessel (weapons pylons, sensory equipment, science labs, etc)

As for how they are numbered, I would imagine that the registry numbering convention also follows a particular operational role classification as well (3 digits for one type such as scout, science, destroyer, etc...4 for cruiser class vessels, 5 for muti-role operations).

I dont know off hand what that convention is, but you get the idea.

[StarfleetCommand74656]

[datalore3]

maybe its not that logical at all just becouse the number is lower dosent mean it was made before the enterprise

[John Luck Pickard]

[Lord Borg]

As for NX, that was the name of the class for the Enterprise warp five. As for not been seen, well, they were really outdated, the Oberth class ships were incredibly adaptible, which is why they were around for so long.