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Description

Ported to OBJ from the model created by Taldren Studios for the Starfleet Command series of video games. Based on the original filming miniature created by Ed Miraecki with assistance from Mike Okuda for the Wolf 359 battle site scene in TNG "The Best of Both Worlds" (Part 2). Preview picture posed in XNALara XPS. While I'm not making my port of the gaming model available for public download, noted Trek fan CG artist Dave "First Fleet" Metlesits has created an even better and higher poly filming quality model that he offers absolutely free. You can get it from his dA page at the link below:

NOTICE: While this is technically a late post-TMP era starship design, I'm putting it in my Feddie TNG/DS9/VOY gallery because it's featured in Franchise productions for that later era. Read on for more info.

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We know extremely little in official Trek canon about the Federation Cheyenne class starships other than the class name and that one of them, USS Awhwanee (NCC-73620), was among the battle wrecks left behind in the wake of the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359. The only other times we see one on screen are the wrecked Awhwanee herself as one of the Wolf 359 battle wrecks deposited at the Starfleet boneyard at Qualor II (TNG "Unification" Part 1) and an unidentifed one operating as part of the tachyon web fleet in TNG "Redemption." Those two data points plus its appearance allow us to reasonably surmise two more things which are also widely accepted by Trek fandom for the class: that it was a four warp engine successor to the late TMP era Constellation class (TNG "The Battle," et al) and that many (if not all) of its class members were named for Terran Amerind tribes. THAT'S IT. Anything else has to come from non-canon sources (semi-canon and fanon). Semi-canon data is best, of course, given that it was created under Franchise license or with Franchise approval, so let's see what the semi-canon sources say about Cheyenne.

The best semi-canon sources on Cheyenne are Star Trek Online (STO) and the Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection licensed miniature release. They describe Cheyenne as a light cruiser and contemporary of the New Orleans class (see separate entry), which would make this late post-TMP era in origin and part of the short-lived New Orleans generation of starships that bridges the Ambassador and Galaxy class generations. Cheyenne was also apparently the first Starfleet starship class to feature a new "light" warp engine design (made from more repainted marker pens on the original model, nudge-nudge) that was apparently intended to replace the tried and true but by this time long in the tooth Leeding LN series of warp engines that dated all the way back to the start of the TMP era. Four of these new warp engines were used in an aft-mounted, two over and two under arrangement which resulted in Cheyenne looking a lot like the earlier Constellation class. Warp performance was better, though, given the newer hull design and its more powerful warp engines. Per these sources Cheyenne was very well received in Starfleet service and two more production blocks were eventually authorized (Dakota or Mark II and Stargazer or Mark III, the latter named for Picard's former command, with the original Cheyenne becoming Mark I), which each being built to slightly modified designs but both retaining the base Cheyenne class configuration. All three Cheyenne production blocks would go on to have long service lives with Starfleet, receiving periodic refits and occasional rebuilds/upgrades as necessary along the way, and members of the class were still in service as the 24th century rolled over into the 25th. Thus Cheyenne's presence in Starfleet service is a good way of explaining why all Constellation class starships had been retired to fleet reserves prior to the Borg Incursion (TNG "Peak Performance," implied), while other older but more versatile designs such as Miranda and Oberth continued in service well into the 24th century.

I also note that both of these two "best" semi-canon sources as well as others and many fanon sources add that there were a number of minor variants on the Cheyenne class in all three forms during its service lifetime. One of these was an extreme weapons upgrade and was the one made to Awhwanee for the Borg Incursion, but there are many others in different configurations and not all of them involve weaponry. I also note that different fanon sources have different takes on both what Cheyenne was supposed to be and how well she did in service. As always and in all cases like this, I say go with what works best for you. After all, Trek is a multiverse. XD

This is canon, given its multiple on-screen appearances in TNG.

Live long and prosper.

ASIDE - This is just a guess, but my thinking is that Starfleet went with the four smaller warp engines instead of the two bigger ones to save money. Also, and given that both were probably experimental designs at the time (late post-TMP era), perhaps they were hedging their design bets too. It's good for them that both Cheyenne and the smaller warp engine design worked out as well as they did. Again that's just a guess on my part, but you're welcome to use it for whatever it's worth.

Description

Ported to OBJ from the model created by Taldren Studios for the Starfleet Command series of video games. Based on the original filming miniature created by Ed Miraecki with assistance from Mike Okuda for the Wolf 359 battle site scene in TNG "The Best of Both Worlds" (Part 2). Preview picture posed in XNALara XPS. While I'm not making my port of the gaming model available for public download, noted Trek fan CG artist Dave "First Fleet" Metlesits has created an even better and higher poly filming quality model that he offers absolutely free. You can get it from his dA page at the link below:

NOTICE: While this is technically a late post-TMP era starship design, I'm putting it in my Feddie TNG/DS9/VOY gallery because it's featured in Franchise productions for that later era. Read on for more info.

--------------------

We know extremely little in official Trek canon about the Federation Cheyenne class starships other than the class name and that one of them, USS Awhwanee (NCC-73620), was among the battle wrecks left behind in the wake of the Borg at the Battle of Wolf 359. The only other times we see one on screen are the wrecked Awhwanee herself as one of the Wolf 359 battle wrecks deposited at the Starfleet boneyard at Qualor II (TNG "Unification" Part 1) and an unidentifed one operating as part of the tachyon web fleet in TNG "Redemption." Those two data points plus its appearance allow us to reasonably surmise two more things which are also widely accepted by Trek fandom for the class: that it was a four warp engine successor to the late TMP era Constellation class (TNG "The Battle," et al) and that many (if not all) of its class members were named for Terran Amerind tribes. THAT'S IT. Anything else has to come from non-canon sources (semi-canon and fanon). Semi-canon data is best, of course, given that it was created under Franchise license or with Franchise approval, so let's see what the semi-canon sources say about Cheyenne.

The best semi-canon sources on Cheyenne are Star Trek Online (STO) and the Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection licensed miniature release. They describe Cheyenne as a light cruiser and contemporary of the New Orleans class (see separate entry), which would make this late post-TMP era in origin and part of the short-lived New Orleans generation of starships that bridges the Ambassador and Galaxy class generations. Cheyenne was also apparently the first Starfleet starship class to feature a new "light" warp engine design (made from more repainted marker pens on the original model, nudge-nudge) that was apparently intended to replace the tried and true but by this time long in the tooth Leeding LN series of warp engines that dated all the way back to the start of the TMP era. Four of these new warp engines were used in an aft-mounted, two over and two under arrangement which resulted in Cheyenne looking a lot like the earlier Constellation class. Warp performance was better, though, given the newer hull design and its more powerful warp engines. Per these sources Cheyenne was very well received in Starfleet service and two more production blocks were eventually authorized (Dakota or Mark II and Stargazer or Mark III, the latter named for Picard's former command, with the original Cheyenne becoming Mark I), which each being built to slightly modified designs but both retaining the base Cheyenne class configuration. All three Cheyenne production blocks would go on to have long service lives with Starfleet, receiving periodic refits and occasional rebuilds/upgrades as necessary along the way, and members of the class were still in service as the 24th century rolled over into the 25th. Thus Cheyenne's presence in Starfleet service is a good way of explaining why all Constellation class starships had been retired to fleet reserves prior to the Borg Incursion (TNG "Peak Performance," implied), while other older but more versatile designs such as Miranda and Oberth continued in service well into the 24th century.

I also note that both of these two "best" semi-canon sources as well as others and many fanon sources add that there were a number of minor variants on the Cheyenne class in all three forms during its service lifetime. One of these was an extreme weapons upgrade and was the one made to Awhwanee for the Borg Incursion, but there are many others in different configurations and not all of them involve weaponry. I also note that different fanon sources have different takes on both what Cheyenne was supposed to be and how well she did in service. As always and in all cases like this, I say go with what works best for you. After all, Trek is a multiverse. XD

This is canon, given its multiple on-screen appearances in TNG.

Live long and prosper.

ASIDE - This is just a guess, but my thinking is that Starfleet went with the four smaller warp engines instead of the two bigger ones to save money. Also, and given that both were probably experimental designs at the time (late post-TMP era), perhaps they were hedging their design bets too. It's good for them that both Cheyenne and the smaller warp engine design worked out as well as they did. Again that's just a guess on my part, but you're welcome to use it for whatever it's worth.