The prototype Excelsior spaceframe was a testbed for an experimental warp drive system (often called transwarp as it went beyond established speed records) which was developed over the 2270's and 80's. While the theory of the new warp design was sound, it proved too complex for the manufacturing and computing capabilities of the era. The resulting drive was an extremely capricious machine, very prone to develop failure points. Adding to the problem, common impurities in dilithium matrices which had little impact in standard warp systems affected its performance significantly. This meant that even when working properly it couldn't deliver the higher speeds the theory promised.
Eventually a more conventional warp drive system was installed on the prototype spaceframe instead, which was commissioned as NCC-2000. The success of the design in all other areas led to other spaceframes of the class being ordered for construction almost immediately, and before the 23rd century was over Excelsior-class vessels were a common sight across the Federation, replacing the aging Constitution-class heavy cruiser as a multirole explorer.
A ship of the line when first commissioned in 2308, Potemkin had a long and storied history in Starfleet. By the late 2360's Potemkin was seen as an old but reliable workhorse and was mostly assigned missions inside Federation space, such as outpost resupply runs, VIP transport, or low-level diplomatic assignments. It was under the command of Captain Marcus Bertrand, its 11th commanding officer.
The ship’s motto, inscribed on its dedication plaque, was a quote by Jorge Luis Borges: “The mind was dreaming. The world was its dream.”
Originally launched a few years after the Enterprise-B and with a very similar configuration, Pride was in service for over 85 years, receiving eight major refits through its service. The last of these refits was in 2372 during the Dominion cold war, which erupted into full scale conflict the following year.
After the conclusion of the war, Pride was relegated to the Reserve Fleet where minimal upkeep was done to the ship until 2382, when it was pushed back into active service as a carrier for a squadron of refit Peregrine fighters, part of an experimental program looking to convert them into fast rescue crafts useful for peacetime operations. To this end, the ship was placed under the command of newly promoted Captain Jeran Idryl of Bajor.
The ship’s motto, inscribed on its dedication plaque, was a quote by Martin Luther King Jr.: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
