USS Helena

From Hidden Frontier

USS Helena
Registry: NCC-80455
Class Renaissance (Mark II) Class
Launched 2382
Status Location Unknown - Suspected Rogue
Current Assignment Classified
Senior Officers
Captain Captain Theresa Faisal
First Officer Commander Jorian Dao
Chief Engineer Lt. Cmdr Arvin Rockney
Tactical / Chief of Security Lt. Dais
Chief Science Officer
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mordan Ness
Helmsman Lt. (j.g.) Artim Ibanya


The USS Helena is a Federation starship, Starfleet Registry NCC-80455, Renaissance (Mark II) Class.


Contents

History

Helena first appeared in the Hidden Frontier episode, Her Battle Lanterns Lit. In 2382, Admiral Ian Quincy Knapp gave command of the USS Helena to recently field promoted Captain Tolian Naros shortly after her shakedown cruise. Subsequent to Naros’s disappearance at the end of the Tholian/Breen conflict, command of Helena was given to Captain Theresa Faisal.

Construction

Helena outside DS12
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Helena outside DS12

Helena was built at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on Mars, and modified to meet Naros's specifications. These specifications included sensor packages and impulse manifolds configured for optimal efficiency within the Briar Patch.

Dedication

Helena’s Dedication Plaque
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Helena’s Dedication Plaque

Helena's dedication ceremony took place in drydock outside of DS12. The ceremony was conducted by Captain Elizabeth Shelby, during which she read from Helena’s dedication plaque the penultimate verse of James Russell Lowell’s poem, “Washers of the Shroud”.

God, give us peace! Not such as lulls to sleep,
But sword on thigh, and brow with purpose knit!
And let our Ship of State to harbor sweep,
Her ports all up, her battle-lanterns lit,
And her leashed thunders gathering for their leap!

Tolian Naros’s Missions

The Battle of Tren’La

Helena holds position with the Allied Fleet
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Helena holds position with the Allied Fleet

Helena’s first mission was to execute an unorthodox attack which allowed for a minor victory during the first stage of the Battle of Tren’La. While allied forces engaged Siroc’s Tholian/Breen fleet, Helena dropped out of a subspace current close to the planet and launched a squad of Horta, led by Lieutenant Pergium, at the Tren’La tetrahedron. The Horta were able to disable the tetrahedron, thus depriving Siroc of one of his more powerful weapons.

During the second stage of the Battle of Tren’La, Helena led an attack on the Tholian base in the Centris System (Heavy Losses). Activating a series of cloaked tetrahedron satellites in orbit of Centris III caused sufficient trouble for the Tholian/Breen forces that Siroc had no choice but to send reinforcements from Tren’La, weakening his foothold there enough that the allied attack fleet, led by Exclesior, was able to drive Siroc off and liberate Tren’La.

Chasing Tesla Mor

Helena approaches the Trill homeworld.
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Helena approaches the Trill homeworld.
Helena escapes the destruction of Siroc’s hidden base.
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Helena escapes the destruction of Siroc’s hidden base.

While working with the Trill Institute for Hyperdimensional Studies, Naros uncovered a plot by Siroc to infiltrate the Trill government using mind-control technology ("Past Sins"). Though successful in freeing Trill from Siroc’s influence, Naros was unable to prevent Siroc from kidnapping Tesla Mor, a brilliant scientist and former lover of one of Jorian (Zen) Dao’s previous hosts. Knowledge of the Briar Patch’s warp currents allowed Naros to track Siroc to a base deep within the Patch and rescue Mor as well as a number of key personnel also kidnapped by Siroc. Siroc eluded Naros and set his base to self-destruct, forcing Helena to flee ("Things Fall Apart").

The Dyson Sphere

Helena in orbit of the Grey Dyson Sphere.
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Helena in orbit of the Grey Dyson Sphere.
Helena flees the destruction of the Dyson Sphere.
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Helena flees the destruction of the Dyson Sphere.

While a Tholian/Breen task force attacked DS12 in an attempt to destroy Starfleet’s base of operations in the Briar Patch, Helena headed to the Grey Dyson Sphere for a final confrontation with Siroc ("Its Hour Come Round At Last"). Though successful in stopping Siroc from completing an act that could have potentially destroyed the known universe, Naros was lost. Helena, under the command of then-First Officer Theresa Faisal, rescued as many people as possible from the Dyson Sphere, then fled at the last possible moment via a subspace current. She sustained heavy damage as a result of the nova that destroyed the Dyson Sphere, but managed to return to DS12 intact.

Technical Data

Helena’s Master Systems Display.
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Helena’s Master Systems Display.

Size

Overall length: 393 meters
Beam length: 256 meters
Overall Draft: 72 meters
Decks: 23 (not including service areas otherwise uninhabited)

Velocity & Acceleration

Crusing Speed: Warp 6
Maximum Speed: Warp 9.6 (12 hours)
Emergency Speed: Warp 9.85 (10 minutes, auto shut-down)
Rest – Onset Critical Momentum: 6.14 sec
Onset Critical Momentum – Warp Engage: 0.41 sec.
Warp 1 – Warp 4: 0.41 sec.
Warp 4 – Warp 6: 0.40 sec.
Warp 6 – Warp 9.6: 2.58 sec.

Systems

  • Propulsion
    • Warp: (2) LE-10 “Leopard” Advanced Linear Warp Drive Units
    • Primary Impulse: (3) FIG-5 Subatomic Unified Energy Impulse Units ( 2 in saucer section, one in the engineering hull)
  • Weapons
    • 7 Type XI Collimated Phaser Arrays
    • 3 Mk 95 Direct Fire Quantum/Photon Torpedo Tubes (2 fore, 1 aft)
  • Computers
    • Primary Computer System: (2) M-17 Bio Neural Gelpack Isolinear III Processor
    • Primary Computer OS: LCARS v2.5 with Omega Lockout Function Disabled
    • Primary Navigation System: RAV/ISHAK Mod 3 Celestial Guidance System
    • Deflectors: FSS-1 Primary Force Field and Deflector Control System

Embarked Craft (Typical)

  • 5 “Work Bee” General Utility Craft
  • 1 “Captain’s Yacht” (located in the saucer section)
  • 1 Argo-Class Runabout
  • 3 Type 5 Personnel Shuttlecraft
  • 1 Type 9 Personnel Shuttlecraft
  • 2 Type 16-A Shuttlepods (not to be confused with Type 16 shuttlecraft)

Crew

300 (210 enlisted, 90 officers) – “Full Complement”
200 (143 enlisted, 67 officers) – AVERAGE LOAD
80 (54 enlisted, 26 officers) – “Skeleton Crew”
Maximum Capacity (Emergency) – 1,200 persons
Maximum Capacity (Normal Mission) – 450 persons

It should be noted that Tolian Naros often ran the ship with only a skeleton crew due to the sensitive nature of his missions in the Briar Patch. As such, Helena’s systems have been further modified to allow full function with a crew even smaller than what Starfleet would consider a minimum staff.

Commanding Officers

Captain Tolian Naros (2382-2383)
Captain Theresa Faisal (2383-)

Background Information

Model Information

This design of starship has never appeared in the Star Trek live action or animated series, either on television or film. It is a completely original design created by a fan of the Star Trek series.

The 3D model used in Hidden Frontier was designed by Joe McMullen.

Additional Information

Hidden Frontier and Star Trek: The Helena Chronicles are the only places on the Internet to refer to this class of vessel as a Renaissance II-class vessel. There is a small reference to a Renaissance (Mark II) in the televised run of DS9; however, the ship has never appeared on screen. As such, there is no canonical evidence that directly contradicts the designation of the ship seen in Areakt Productions.

The creator of the original USS Charleston mesh (upon which the Helena is based) initially designated this class as Wanderer-class and has since stated that the Helena, for the purposes of Hidden Frontier, and subsequently The Helena Chronicles, is indeed a Renaissance II-class.

Part of Helena's registry number is an homage to technical consultant Jonathan Connor-Foertsch's parents - his mother's birth month (April), and his father's birth year (1955). Helena was named by staff writer Carlos Pedraza after his mother and the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana, where he attended university.

Related Links

Star Trek: The Helena Chronicles ; Star Trek: Odyssey ; Star Trek: Hidden Frontier

External Links

Memory-Alpha.org Renaissance Class