The Star Trek Online team has posted an interesting update to the game's timeline that details the events of 2381. While it's a highly interesting read as far as lore is concerned, it also contains some information regarding a new class of starships.

On stardate 58839.03, Starfleet celebrates the start of construction of the USS Stargazer-A at the San Francisco Fleet Yards. The Stargazer-A and her sister ships will be the first of a new class of starships designed for scientific research and exploration.

The full post can be found here or below.

Starfleet is monitoring the deteriorating state of the Romulan Star Empire, which appears to be moving toward open civil war. Federation ambassadors are consulting with representatives of the Klingon Empire and other Alpha and Beta quadrant powers about a proposed course of action to either bring peace to the Romulans or control any conflict that spills out of Romulan space.

The imperial forces led by Tomalak have skirmished repeatedly with Reman ships in the space between their two worlds. The Romulan blockade of Remus is holding for now, leading to concerns that the Remans are suffering from shortages of food and supplies. The United Federation of Planets has offered humanitarian aid to both Romulus and Remus.

While Ambassador Spock has returned to Federation space, the unification movement he founded continues to grow on Romulus. Xiomek of the Reman Kepeszuk Battalion has allied with the Unification movement, seeing the underground organization as another population that has been exploited by the Romulan government, although the two sides disagree on how best to reach their goals. Xiomek is promoting a military solution to force the Romulans to accede to the Remans’ demands, while the Unification movement is calling for a nonviolent, diplomatic alternative.

On stardate 59480.33, Spock presents a formal request for aid for the Unification movement to the Federation Council, which agrees to take the matter under consideration.

With the blockade of Remus and upheaval at home, Praetor Tal’aura has insufficient forces to stop Commander Donatra, who rallies the breakaway military forces under her command to conquer several agricultural worlds in Romulan space. With these planets under her control, Donatra declares herself the first empress of the Imperial Romulan State and establishes a capitol on Archenar Prime. Tal’aura vows to retake the territory by any means necessary.

A coalition of planets led by Bajor demand that members of the Cardassian government and military stand trial for crimes against sentient beings for actions taken during the Occupation of Bajor and the Dominion War. The Cardassian government refuses any request to surrender its citizens for prosecution, so the coalition appeals to the Federation Council and the Klingon High Council to join them in seeking justice for past crimes.

Following increased activity by the Borg in the Alpha Quadrant including the possible recreation of a Borg Queen, Starfleet appoints Captain Jean-Luc Picard to lead the defense against the renewed threat. He calls on Seven of Nine to research ways to use technology brought back from the Delta Quadrant by Voyager to either directly combat the Borg or to give the Federation an advantage in the coming battle.

But not all of Starfleet’s energies are directed toward military concerns. On stardate 58839.03, Starfleet celebrates the start of construction of the USS Stargazer-A at the San Francisco Fleet Yards. The Stargazer-A and her sister ships will be the first of a new class of starships designed for scientific research and exploration.