Jaunt ship was designation for starships equipped with an on-board wormhole generator, or jaunt drive. With this revolutionary engine, a jaunt ship could jump anywhere inside the Milky Way Galaxy, and beyond. Jaunt ships were developed by Memory Omega and fielded by the Terran Rebellion in the late 2370s. Thanks to the deployment of the jaunt ships, the Terran Rebellion was victorious, and the resulting revolution led to the foundation of the Galactic Commonwealth. (ST - Mirror Universe novel: Rise Like Lions)
Jaunt ships subsequently made up the bulk of Starfleet. (ST - Section 31 novel: Disavowed)
Design[]
The capital jaunt ships were reminiscent of 23rd century Terran Empire starship designs, but sleeker. The forward section was sliver-thin; the entire ship fluid and graceful. The Solomon was graceful and feminine. (ST - Mirror Universe novel: Rise Like Lions)
The overall structure was reminiscent of Vulcan starship designs with their engines concentrated in a ring-shaped section. The jaunt ships' ring contained the jaunt drive. Warp nacelles were attached to the ring. (ST - Section 31 novel: Disavowed)
History[]
Memory Omega obtained the jaunt drive from a parallel universe and modified it with technologies from various other species and universes. (ST - Section 31 novel: Disavowed)
Ships were outfitted with jaunt drives at some point before the mid-24th century. One of these was the reconnaissance vessel Solomon. In 2376, the Solomon conducted secret missions throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants and was crewed with a field agent, tac-support and an artificial intelligence synonymous with the ship. (ST - Mirror Universe short story: "For Want of a Nail")
In 2377, the fully-automated Erebus Station, located beyond the galactic rim, was busily constructing a fleet of battleships equipped with jaunt drives. Memory Omega lacked numbers to crew these vessels and recruited Jean-Luc Picard to become the leader of the Terran Rebellion. Captain Picard was given command of the free starship Enterprise. Once the Rebellion and Memory Omega had joined forces, the rebels spent months in training at Erebus Station. (ST - Mirror Universe novel: Rise Like Lions)
The fleet subsequently became the primary means to win the war against the dissolving Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. The fleet suffered losses in the Battle of Bajor in 2378, but the war ended effectively three weeks later.
With the Tripartite Armistice and a mutual non-aggression pact signed, the jaunt ship fleet were repurposed for border patrol and exploration. (ST - Mirror Universe novel: Rise Like Lions)
On August 3, 2383, the ShiKahr crashed on Tirana III in the primary universe and was lost with all hands. (ST - Section 31 novel: Disavowed)
In June 2384, the Federation starship USS Enterprise-E blanketed the crash site to prevent the technology from falling into the hands of the Breen Confederacy, and by extension, the Typhon Pact. (TNG - Cold Equations novel: Silent Weapons)