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Description

Ported to OBJ from the model originally created by Rick "p81" Knox for the Starfleet Command (SFC) video game series, and which has since turned up in other games and venues. Based on the original design by Todd Guenther with additional input by Aridas Sofia, and as published in the classic fanon Trek tech works Starship Design (SSD) and the Federation Reference Series (FRS). Additional class musings by Timo Saloniemi in his classic fanon work Guide to the UFP Starfleet. Conquest derivative design by David Schmidt as published in his own fanon book Starfleet Dynamics (SFD). Preview picture posed in XNALara XPS. NO MODEL DOWNLOAD.

Ascension is to Belknap in the TMP era what Federation was to Constitution in the TOS era: the three-engined dreadnought class bigger brother. Aridas Sofia did a very nice job explaining Ascension's origins in his FRS, pegging it as a budget design that was quickly modified from Belknap to fill the "dreadnought gap" Starfleet perceived it had at the time. Given all the heavy captial ship classes Taldren Studios came up with years later for the Klingons in both Klingon Academy and the Starfleet Command series of video games, perhaps one might say that he was foresighted (grin). Oh well, moving on. Ascension didn't last long into the post-TMP era for it being so new given the politics of those post-Khitomer times (STVI), which also caused the follow-up second production block I mentioned in my own Federation Fleet Review (Schmidt's Conquest) to be cancelled entirely. Other fans have waxed eloquently on both Ascension's telling absence and that of the TMP era uprated Federation in the TNG/DS9/VOY era, but if you want that discussion then you can look it up for yourself.

Ascension is probably better classified as a light or pocket dreadnought, since it's essentially Belknap with a third warp engine and some other minor mods and tweaks, but dreadnought is what its creator chose to call it and dreadnought Ascension has been called ever since.

This is fanon, although it's very solid fanon. What you do with it in your own thread(s) of the Trek multiverse is up to you.

ASIDE - Again, as with Belknap, if you in your Trek multiverse thread(s) are dealing with a SFB/SFC type General War, then you need to seriously consider Ascension as your budget or "war" dreadnought over Federation, given that Ascension is almost as capable but cheaper and easier to make. As Aridas himself pointed out in FRS, you can use the same production order for both Belknap and Ascension and most of the same building resources, while along the way and at the appropriate time farming out elsewhere however many from that initial order you want or need upgraded to the full Ascension spec. It's just as easy with Belknap/Ascension as upgrading a TOS era Kirov to full "pocket dreadnought" capability (ala the fanon Ford class command cruiser - ed.) in the SFB gaming universe.

Description

Ported to OBJ from the model originally created by Rick "p81" Knox for the Starfleet Command (SFC) video game series, and which has since turned up in other games and venues. Based on the original design by Todd Guenther with additional input by Aridas Sofia, and as published in the classic fanon Trek tech works Starship Design (SSD) and the Federation Reference Series (FRS). Additional class musings by Timo Saloniemi in his classic fanon work Guide to the UFP Starfleet. Conquest derivative design by David Schmidt as published in his own fanon book Starfleet Dynamics (SFD). Preview picture posed in XNALara XPS. NO MODEL DOWNLOAD.

Ascension is to Belknap in the TMP era what Federation was to Constitution in the TOS era: the three-engined dreadnought class bigger brother. Aridas Sofia did a very nice job explaining Ascension's origins in his FRS, pegging it as a budget design that was quickly modified from Belknap to fill the "dreadnought gap" Starfleet perceived it had at the time. Given all the heavy captial ship classes Taldren Studios came up with years later for the Klingons in both Klingon Academy and the Starfleet Command series of video games, perhaps one might say that he was foresighted (grin). Oh well, moving on. Ascension didn't last long into the post-TMP era for it being so new given the politics of those post-Khitomer times (STVI), which also caused the follow-up second production block I mentioned in my own Federation Fleet Review (Schmidt's Conquest) to be cancelled entirely. Other fans have waxed eloquently on both Ascension's telling absence and that of the TMP era uprated Federation in the TNG/DS9/VOY era, but if you want that discussion then you can look it up for yourself.

Ascension is probably better classified as a light or pocket dreadnought, since it's essentially Belknap with a third warp engine and some other minor mods and tweaks, but dreadnought is what its creator chose to call it and dreadnought Ascension has been called ever since.

This is fanon, although it's very solid fanon. What you do with it in your own thread(s) of the Trek multiverse is up to you.

ASIDE - Again, as with Belknap, if you in your Trek multiverse thread(s) are dealing with a SFB/SFC type General War, then you need to seriously consider Ascension as your budget or "war" dreadnought over Federation, given that Ascension is almost as capable but cheaper and easier to make. As Aridas himself pointed out in FRS, you can use the same production order for both Belknap and Ascension and most of the same building resources, while along the way and at the appropriate time farming out elsewhere however many from that initial order you want or need upgraded to the full Ascension spec. It's just as easy with Belknap/Ascension as upgrading a TOS era Kirov to full "pocket dreadnought" capability (ala the fanon Ford class command cruiser - ed.) in the SFB gaming universe.