The Norkova-type starship is a type of freighter utilized by civilians, within and around the Federation, during the late 24th century.
Protect by standard deflector shields, and run by a crew of around a dozen, these vessels have been used to haul a variety of freight, ranging from deuridium, to duridium, to dilithium. (DS9: "The Passenger", "The Adversary"; VOY: "Author, Author")
Ships commissioned
- Named
- Unnamed
- Unnamed Norkova-type starships
Appearances
- DS9:
- VOY: "Author, Author"
Background
The Xhosa was one of the few starships that did not feature a captain's chair on the bridge; instead, there was a central console in front of the viewscreen manned by the captain and the engineer of the ship. The Norkova bridge set was later on redressed as the Template:ShipClass USS Prometheus bridge for the season 2 episode "Second Sight".
The studio model for the Norkova-type was one of many modifications that originally started as the Talarian freighter Batris from TNG: "Heart of Glory", and included a redesigned bow section. The model would later be repainted and reused as the Xhosa in "The Way of the Warrior."
Although not explicitly stated as a Federation vessel, the impression was given that it was. What remains unclear is the possibility of whether or not the Norkova was under a Federation registry, or if it was registered as an independent, "third party" vessel. The existing doubt is based by later established fact that not all Human-run vessels, like the Norkova, are under Federation registry – as was the case with the Xhosa, which was commanded by Human captain Kasidy Yates, but was under a Petarian registry. This type of vessel also appeared approaching a Federation dilithium mining colony in VOY: "Author, Author", again implying this type of vessel is connected to the Federation.