The Galaxy Class Cruiser (Still has some surprises for you)

"Let's see what this Galaxy-class starship can do." - Jean Luc Picard, Encounter at Farpoint

Possibly the most recognizable ship in the Star Trek universe - the Federation Galaxy Class is a perfect example of Starfleet priorities.

Designed for science, exploration, cargo, diplomacy, passengers, AND battle - The Galaxy Class represents the cultural evolution and technological expertise of 24th century humanity.

FP Edit: If you missed the Bird of Prey post, link at the bottom

Designed and built at the Utopia Planitia shipyards in the 2360s, this was actually the SECOND ship type to be designated "Galaxy" (https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Galaxy_class_(23rd_century))

It was the largest and most powerful ship yet built by the Starfleet, and contained several new features and technologies never before seen on a Starfleet vessel.

One unusual aspect that was never seen and only briefly mentioned on in any of the shows or movies: THE ENTERPRISE D HAD DOLPHIN TANKS. Yes, you read that right.

@OP really does own the official Enterprise D blueprints (chicks love me), and yes, this is real.

They're labeled as Cetacean Navigation/Cetacean Ops, and span multiple decks. According to the TNG Technical Manual, inside you'd find a mixture of bottlenose dolphins and "Takaya's Whales" (a fictional species of Earth whale).

Supposedly the inhabitants of these tanks were considered "elite specialist" crew members, and were consulted on specialized navigation tasks.

The name "Takaya's Whale" is thought to come from an anime series called "Aim For The Top! Gunbuster" in which cybernetically enhanced dolphins navigate a spaceship. (https://forgottentrek.com/where-do-i-find-the-dolphins/)

The Galaxy Class *also* had a Captain's Yacht. It had no warp drive of its own, but could travel short distances and even take off & land on planets. On the Enterprise D, its name was "Calypso".

The one seen in the film Insurrection from the Enterprise E was called The Cousteau, thought that one had its own warp engines.

(https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Captain%27s_yacht)

Ever wondered why they always put the Bridge in the top center of the ship? Aside from Gene Roddenberry's Rules of Starship Design (post forthcoming) it's because (in the Galaxy class at least) the bridge is a modular, replaceable unit.

The entire bridge is a single component that can be removed and swapped out for alternate designs. Presumably this is what happened between the TNG finale "All Good Things" and the first TNG movie "Generations" where a new bridge design is clearly in place.

For a time, you could walk the Enterprise D in all its glory thanks to a fan project called Stage 9. This was a "game" that recreated the ship in Unreal Engine, allowing you to simply tour the ship in any way you saw fit.

Unfortunately for fans, CBS gave that project a double-fisted Kirk punch (legally speaking) and the project was taken down. (https://fanfilmfactor.com/2018/09/26/cbs-has-shut-down-fans-creating-a-free-virtual-reality-enterprise-d-walk-through/)

Due to its size and complexity, Starfleet originally only ordered six Galaxy class ships to be built. In spite of their outstanding performance, by 2371 at least three of the initial six ships had been destroyed - the Yamato (due to an Iconian computer virus), Odyssey (due to the Jem'Hadar) , and finally Enterprise-D (due to a Bird of Prey and those nasty Duras sisters https://imgur.com/gallery/YSS7CNV)

After seven TV seasons, a movie, countless books, games and side-canon - the Galaxy Class may be the most well-known and well-documented ship in the Star Trek universe.

Sadly, our beloved Enterprise D didn't make it past the first movie (rumor is that the studio wanted to pave the way for new sleek, sexy ship in future films)

For more posts like this:
The Klingon Bird of Prey: https://imgur.com/gallery/YSS7CNV
The Defiant: https://imgur.com/gallery/gCy4y6B
The Prometheus: https://imgur.com/gallery/kpCQ15o
Using AI to Awesomify Trek GIFs: https://imgur.com/gallery/3A0F8dL
Ode to Spot: https://imgur.com/gallery/BpLTTDf