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Description

Ported to OBJ from the low poly model created by Atrahasis for the Starfleet Command (SFC) series of video games. Based on the Keppler redesign as originally presented by Aridas Sofia (in silhouette form only) on his fan-published Federation Starship Recognition Chart (FSRC) from back in the day. Preview picture posed in XNALara XPS.

All right, Feddie fans. We're about to cross over into the TMP era, but before we do that there's three very late TOS era starship testbeds we have to deal with first.

USS Keppler (NCC-3816) was one of three Federation Starfleet vessels pulled from service near the end of the TOS/TAS era so that all three could be converted for use as linear warp technology testbeds based on the prototype LN-40 linear warp engine. Keppler was chosen as representative of the many similar Starfleet starship classes then in service at the time (Ptolemy, Miranda, Surya, Coventry, et al). As was the case with fellow testbed conversion Endeavor it was a successful one in Keppler's case, although its pair of newly installed LN-40s suffered from the same unexpected abnormally high rate of dilithium decay as did both Endeavor and Monceros (the third testbed). This would cause Starfleet to set aside linear warp technology for the time being until that and other related issues could be addressed, and all three were returned to service as they were. Later during the TMP era proper, Starfleet chose to build an entire class of Class I transport/tugs based on the earlier Keppler LN-40 conversion but using the newer and very similar LN-52, which didn't have the same dilithium decay issues as the older LN-40. The reasons were simple enough. These were going to be used as Starfleet auxiliaries, not frontline combat vessels, so the more powerful LN-64 favored for warship conversion wasn't really required. The cheaper but less powerful LN-52 would be sufficient in this case, and this would aid in allowing Starfleet to clear its inventories of remaining TOS era starship components and systems. These new-build Kepplers were brought into service with Starfleet Transport Command fairly quickly given how easy it was to make them in comparison with its other and more powerful linear warp Ptolemy family upgrades (Al Rashid, Moncrief, Doppler). Keppler herself was taken back into the yard and refitted with the new LN-52 as soon as there was a new build to cover for her absence, and since she was "converted" at the same time and was the original prototype then the entire class bears her name. These may have been the least capable linear warp Starfleet Class I transports of the TMP era but they got just as much of a workout as the rest, and all of them were pretty well worn out by the time the entire class left Starfleet service sometime between the TMP and TNG/DS9/VOY eras. None are known to have survived the scrapper's torch.

Live long and prosper!

Description

Ported to OBJ from the low poly model created by Atrahasis for the Starfleet Command (SFC) series of video games. Based on the Keppler redesign as originally presented by Aridas Sofia (in silhouette form only) on his fan-published Federation Starship Recognition Chart (FSRC) from back in the day. Preview picture posed in XNALara XPS.

All right, Feddie fans. We're about to cross over into the TMP era, but before we do that there's three very late TOS era starship testbeds we have to deal with first.

USS Keppler (NCC-3816) was one of three Federation Starfleet vessels pulled from service near the end of the TOS/TAS era so that all three could be converted for use as linear warp technology testbeds based on the prototype LN-40 linear warp engine. Keppler was chosen as representative of the many similar Starfleet starship classes then in service at the time (Ptolemy, Miranda, Surya, Coventry, et al). As was the case with fellow testbed conversion Endeavor it was a successful one in Keppler's case, although its pair of newly installed LN-40s suffered from the same unexpected abnormally high rate of dilithium decay as did both Endeavor and Monceros (the third testbed). This would cause Starfleet to set aside linear warp technology for the time being until that and other related issues could be addressed, and all three were returned to service as they were. Later during the TMP era proper, Starfleet chose to build an entire class of Class I transport/tugs based on the earlier Keppler LN-40 conversion but using the newer and very similar LN-52, which didn't have the same dilithium decay issues as the older LN-40. The reasons were simple enough. These were going to be used as Starfleet auxiliaries, not frontline combat vessels, so the more powerful LN-64 favored for warship conversion wasn't really required. The cheaper but less powerful LN-52 would be sufficient in this case, and this would aid in allowing Starfleet to clear its inventories of remaining TOS era starship components and systems. These new-build Kepplers were brought into service with Starfleet Transport Command fairly quickly given how easy it was to make them in comparison with its other and more powerful linear warp Ptolemy family upgrades (Al Rashid, Moncrief, Doppler). Keppler herself was taken back into the yard and refitted with the new LN-52 as soon as there was a new build to cover for her absence, and since she was "converted" at the same time and was the original prototype then the entire class bears her name. These may have been the least capable linear warp Starfleet Class I transports of the TMP era but they got just as much of a workout as the rest, and all of them were pretty well worn out by the time the entire class left Starfleet service sometime between the TMP and TNG/DS9/VOY eras. None are known to have survived the scrapper's torch.

Live long and prosper!