( TNG reference: Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual) One of the reasons that the Federation design was not as efficient was the three- warp nacelle configuration, which was found to be much less workable than a vessel with an even number of warp engine units. The SFC game description was based on the usage of the ships in the Star Fleet Battles game, which was not licensed to use the Star Trek name. This was found to be inadequate after other powers began fielding dreadnoughts that reflected a 50% increase in firepower over their respective heavy cruisers.Įach late- 23rd century Starfleet fleet and Starfleet task force was usually commanded by an admiral in a dreadnought, but during peacetime the dreadnought is usually docked at a starbase because it is too expensive to operate. The original design concept of the dreadnought was to include more capabilities but only a minimal increase in firepower over Constitutions. As it turned out, the Federation was slightly inferior to the dreadnoughts of other powers. The 'space battleship' of the Starfleet, the Federation-class were the largest and most powerful ships until the advent of the refitted Enterprise-subclass Constitution refits, in 2272.