A Sheliak colony ship in 2366
The colony ship facing the Enterprise-D.
A Sheliak colony ship was a type of starship used by the reclusive Sheliak species for the transport of "the membership", which was their term for "colonists".
In 2366 one such ship demanded the disbandment of a Human colony on Tau Cygna V. This represented the first contact between the Federation and Sheliak in 111 years. (TNG: "The Ensigns of Command")
The colony ship was identified as a Sheliak warship in the script. [1]
The colony ship was a modified version of the Merchantman model first used in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. The most obvious modifications were two long protuberances and the distinctive blue coloring. For more information on history of this studio model, please see Studio models.