The Type-17 shuttle[1] was a 24th century[2] Federation auxiliary craft class, a heavy cargo shuttle/cargo shuttle/heavy transport/[1] shuttlecraft[2] in Starfleet service from the 2370s decade. (TNG movie & novelization: Star Trek Nemesis, The Official Starships Collection Issue Shuttle 09: "Shuttlecraft Argo")
History and specifications[]
Type-17 shuttles were assigned to Federation Sovereign-class starships in the late 2370s decade. The Argo (registry: Cargo Shuttle 5) was the most advanced Type-17 shuttle and assigned to the USS Enterprise-E in the year 2379. (The Official Starships Collection Issue Shuttle 09: "Shuttlecraft Argo")
The Argo was delivered to the Enterprise around the time of Commander Deanna Troi marrying William T. Riker on Earth. When the Enterprise approached Kolarus III on its next mission, the Argo was the ship's newest shuttle. (TNG movie & novelization: Star Trek Nemesis)
The Type-17 had an advanced design. Its conformal warp nacelles were enclosed within the shuttle's hull. Fold-up wings were an innovative feature to improve atmospheric flight. The Type-17 was designated a heavy cargo shuttle, heavy transport, or cargo shuttle, and intended for orbital transport of materials when beaming was unavailable or inadvisable. (The Official Starships Collection Issue Shuttle 09: "Shuttlecraft Argo")
While the forward hull was indented, there was only one, forward-facing window. (TNG movie & novelization: Star Trek Nemesis)
The cruising speed was a relatively low warp factor 1.65, provided by a 2.250 millicochrane engine. RCS thrusters and impulse engines were equipped for sublight motion. Unlike previous shuttle types, dedicated landing gear extended from the ventral hull for landing on solid ground.
The shuttle was 20 meters long and housed in the main shuttlebay of the Sovereign-class saucer section. The wings unfolded as soon as the shuttle had exited the bay door and force field. The avionics bay was, typically for Starfleet shuttles, located in the front half. Unlike previous shuttle types, a Type-17 shuttle could be operated either by a pilot from the avionics bay, or a passenger using the hand-held remote control stored in the "Rover".
The Rover was a four-wheeled all terrain buggy that was a standard with Type-17 shuttles. It could exit and enter the shuttle from a rear access hatch. Wheel clamps situated in the cargo bay automatically held the Rover firmly in place once it returned. The shuttle's rear hatch was designed to extend to allow the Rover to board while the shuttle was in flight. The all-terrain buggy assigned to Cargo Shuttle 5 also carried the name Argo. It was armed with a phaser cannon. (The Official Starships Collection Issue Shuttle 09: "Shuttlecraft Argo")
Captain Jean-Luc Picard personally took the Argo for its first spin on a mission to recover parts of a Soong-type android from Kolarus III using the Argo buggy on the surface. Picard's away team came under attack from Kolaran raiders, who operated armed, wheeled ground vehicles. When the buggy neared the shuttle, Picard found it was surrounded by more Kolarans. Lieutenant Commander Data used the remote control to pilot the Argo shuttle, and the buggy accelerated to jump off a cliff and into Argo's open rear hatch. With all android parts recovered, the Argo returned to the Enterprise. (TNG movie & novelization: Star Trek Nemesis)
The McCall-class fighter was a new shuttle type based on the Type-17 template. At one point the Argo returned to the Enterprise shuttlebay while four such fighters, and Type-11 shuttlecraft, were already docked. (SOTL calendar: Ships of the Line 2011 December image: "Starfleet Clean")
A Type-17 marked with a red stripe at the bow and the Argo later returned to the Enterprise from a geophysical sortie. (SOTL calendar: Ships of the Line 2014 December image: "Geophysical Sortie")
By 2380, California-class support ships like the USS Cerritos also deployed the Type-17's all-terrain buggies for planetary assignments. (LD episode: "Second Contact")
In that year, a Type-17 shuttle passed the USS Excalibur-A en route to Space Station Bravo. (NF novel: Blind Man's Bluff)
In October 2385, the Argo returned to Enterprise just as the Andorian freighter Cereshta detonated. (TNG - The Fall novel: Peaceable Kingdoms)
Known shuttlecraft[]
This article or subsection has an associated category. | Type-17 shuttlecraft |
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- Argo (Cargo Shuttle 5)
- unnamed Type-17 shuttlecraft
Appendices[]
Connections[]
Starfleet shuttlecraft and auxiliary spacecraft classes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Federation, Starfleet | named classes | Aeroshuttle • Danube • Epoch • Flyer • Greyhound • McCall • Mercury (warpshuttle) • Pulsar • Sphinx • Tesla • Valkyrie • Venture (scout) • Waverider • Wraith • Yellowstone • Zodiac (warp shuttle) | alphanumeric designations | 2 • A • C • F • G • H • R10 • S3 • S4 • S5 • S6 • S7 • S10 • S11 • S12 • S20 • SC22 • SW7 • SW21 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
type designations | type-1 • type-3 • type-4 • type-5 • type-6 • type-6A • type-6C • type-7 • type-8 • type-8 cargo • type-9 • type-9A • type-10 • type-11 • type-15 • type-15A • type-16 • type-17 • type-18 • type-18H • Zhang Sui | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
others | mark II • captain's skiff • captain's yacht • Academy trainer craft • unnamed Federation shuttlecraft classes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Federation, Starfleet (Kelvin timeline) |
military shuttle • passenger shuttle • Starfleet shuttle (2230s) |