Diagram of the prototype Yellowstone-class runabout
USS Yellowstone venting tetryon plasma.
In an alternate timeline, the Yellowstone-class runabout was a upgraded design of the Danube-class runabout designed in the late-24th Century. The Yellowstone-class was equipped with tetryon plasma warp nacelles and designed for a variety of mission profiles.
The prototype vessel of this class was the USS Yellowstone (NX-74751), which was designed by the Starfleet Engineering Corps and constructed in 2371. Two key members of the design team were Lieutenant Lasca and Ensign Harry Kim. Kim was responsible for designing the new tetryon plasma warp engines.
The Yellowstone had one key design flaw in terms of working out a dilithium fracture problem. Several weeks were spent on resolving the problem, which was "cured" with new plasma flow equations. On stardate 49011, after six months of work, Lasca and Kim conducted a presentation to Admiral Strickler on the Yellowstone, focusing on the fracture problem. Strickler found the design of the Yellowstone to be interesting.
Although space-worthy, construction on the Yellowstone was still underway, in early 2372. Many of the ships defensive systems were yet unfinished, including unplaced safety interlocks. The runabout was stored in Spacedock. (VOY: "Non Sequitur")
- It is unknown if the vessel or the class exists in the normal timeline.
Ships of the Class
Background
The Yellowstone model was mostly reused footage of the USS Rio Grande and USS Ganges, it also marks a major inconsistency as the Yellowstone is shown both with and without a sensor pod.