Canon Facts Backstage Info  Speculation

Notes : Starfleet has always preferred to design Starships with a two nacelle configuration, it being long recognised that this is the ideal layout for optimal warpfield efficiency. However, efficiency is not always the deciding factor and over the last few centuries many vessels have been produced with one, three or even four nacelles. The Niagra class belongs to the three nacelle family; this means that the class has a small decrease in efficiency compared to the likes of the Galaxy class, but it does confer certain advantages. Like the Rigel class, the Niagra is able to travel on the upper nacelle pair whilst resting the lower one, or vice versa. This confers both higher cruise speed or longer component life on the engines, as well as enhancing manoeuvrability. The use of three Galaxy class nacelles on such a small vessel also gives the Niagra great acceleration and turning ability, important to a ship which is more biased toward combat than most Starfleet ships.

The engineering hull of the Niagra is a cousin of that of the Ambassador class, while the saucer section shows signs of both the Ambassador and Galaxy design ethic. The ship is fitted with Type 8 phaser arrays and a pair of photon torpedo tubes, which combined with its speed and agility make it a formidable opponent in battle. Like all Starfleet ships its role is primarily one of peaceful exploration and diplomacy, and the Niagra has served well in these arenas.

Class production began in early 2364 and was completed after a nine year run which put sixty three ships into the fleet. Several Niagra class ships fought at Wolf 359, including the USS Princeton. The USS Wellington recieved a computer upgrade from the Binars, one of the first Starfleet ships to undergo this procedure - the same ship was later involved in the incident at Garon II in which Ensign Ro Laren was held responsible for the deaths of eight people.