Cryptic has unveiled Starfleet's Discovery Class on the Star Trek Online Web site, and fans of "Star Trek: Voyager" should definitely check it out. The long-range science vessel is inspired by the U.S.S. Voyager, which completed a 70,000 light year journey after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

According to the post, the Discovery Class is designed primarily for exploration and has "expanded science facilities and laboratories, including increased space for science officers on the bridge." Keep reading after the jump for more information on the ship.

The Intrepid class proved its worth as a long-range vessel during U.S.S. Voyager's time in the Delta Quadrant. Voyager successfully completed a 70,000 light year journey with no access to Starfleet supplies or facilities. Its success made the Intrepid class the gold standard for deep space explorer ships.

Inspired by Voyager, the design teams at Utopia Planitia set out to update the Intrepid class with the latest in Starfleet technology and design theory. The Discovery class, along with her sister ships Intrepid and Cochrane, is more than capable of long exploration missions without Starfleet support or assistance, but is equally equipped as a fleet support or solo patrol vessel.

Designed primarily for exploration, the Discovery has expanded science facilities and laboratories, including increased space for science officers on the bridge. Its laboratories are designed to allow its crew to put experiments into stasis during emergencies, meaning that key data will not be lost in the event of an accident.

For maximized engine efficiency, the designers kept the variable-geometry pylons from the Intrepid class, improving them for seven percent less energy loss than other Starfleet vessels of similar size. The Discovery also features warp foils, which extend when the ship is in its warp configuration. The warp foils are designed to increase stability when the ship is a high warp or is using transwarp conduits. The SCE will be doing a long-term study of the warp foil's effectiveness on the Discovery before making a recommendation on whether more ship designs should incorporate the foils.

In combat, Discovery lacks the firepower of an escort, but has a technological advantage over all but the best-equipped foes. Its sensor arrays are state-of-the-art and can identify weaknesses in enemy ships, locate and track vessels or even detect some cloaked ships. Its advanced targeting system allows it to lock on to an enemy quickly, making it ideal for engaging small, agile targets. The targeting system is also ideal for subsystem targeting, allowing a Discovery to take out an opponent's shields or engines quickly. Its improved tractor beam can hold an enemy in place for a coordinated assault, and its advanced deflector array can be reconfigured to assist ally ships by transferring energy or boosting shield strength. The deflector array can even be used to dissipate a tractor beam that would snare another vessel.

Advanced technology standard to the Discovery class include holoemitters for photonic crew, improved navigational sensors, a reconfigured dilithium matrix chamber that allows the ship to use damaged crystals safely for short periods of time until suitable replacements can be acquired and an astrometrics laboratory.

"We've taken everything that worked with the Intrepid and improved it," said Commander Jacob Kurtz, lead designer of the Discovery class. "This is a ship that will be at the forefront of Starfleet explorations for years to come."