Starship class

The starship class was a classification system used by the Planetary Union and other civilizations that defined the different starship designs. The system was used for starships only, and not for other spacecraft such as shuttles, which were auxiliary craft used in support of starships, and pods. Vessels within each class were constructed with identical schematics and designed for specific purposes.

Planetary Union classes

Class	Image	Notes
"Battleship"-class		Ships used by the Union during the war with the Tzel in the early 24th century. Battleships were armed with large central Particle Beam Cannons and smaller cannons on the sides of the ship. Battleships were designated "BCV" (such as the BCV Burton and a fragment of a call sign BCV Cons-), which probably stood for Battleship-class vessel, though this is speculation.
Cruiser-class		A vessel class seen in the opening credits of The Orville that have been subsequently identified by production staff in the book The World of the Orville.
Colossus-class		The ship was slightly smaller than the Exploratory Classes A and B ships, and for that reason may be supposed to be a mid-level vessel as well. Little is known about this ship as it is seen only in the opening credits of the show at the Union Dockyard and identified by Visual Effects Supervisor Luke McDonald.
Exploratory-class A		Historically, there were several iterations of Exploratory-class vessel prior to the USS Orville. The most recent design was completed in the year 2387 by a team led by chief architect Doctor S. J. Lineweaver over a period of three years. Lineweaver's team prioritized improved range and cruise speed, which required three quantum rings and crew of at least 250 and at most 400 personnel. Expected vehicle operational life was believed to be 70 years. This class housed an environmental simulator, at least five Matter Synthesizers, and at least two Science Labs, which came better equipped than many other vessel classes - even Science-class. Preliminary design review of Lineweaver's plans was completed in early 2391. A prototype, ECV-X1, was built in orbit around Earth in 2394 and tested over the next two years. Design review was completed at the end of 2396 and production began in early 2397. Nominal range of Class A is 10,000 light years, which can be extended with a reduced crew, additional provisions, and minor modifications. With fourth-generation quantum engines (made available to ships in 2422) the maximum speed was 17 light years per hour or 15 light years per hour for no more than 24 hours. In a theoretical environment of unlimited access to resources and constant monitoring by the crew, the ship would have no range limit and could continue indefinitely so long as maintenance and repairs were made. The purpose of Exploratory-class vessels was to perform scientific surveys of star systems and astronomical phenomena within the Milky Way, to discover new forms of life, and to increase the Union's understanding of simple and complex life. The Orville and other Exploratory-class vessels chart and track changes of astronomical bodies in the galaxy.
Exploratory-class B		The Class B type was identical in length to its Class A counterpart but had only one spatial tensor coil, which implied slower faster-than-light speeds.
Fighter-class		The Fighter-class vessel was a small, single-seat ship designed solely for combat. The ship's small size with two powerful quantum rings made the Fighter a fast, highly maneuverable craft. Numerous Fighter-class ships participated in the Battle of Earth. The Pterodon was a Fighter-class vessel that was added to the complement of the Orville following the Battle of Earthl
Leviathan-class		The Leviathan-class heavy cruiser was one of the largest vessel classes of the Planetary Union fleet. Leviathan-class ships are commanded by captains or, sometimes, admirals, such as Admiral Ozawa, who commanded the USS Olympia. As such, vessels of this class seem to have been the most prestigious assignments for Union commanders. Numerous Leviathan-class ships participated in the Battle of Earth.
Science-class		Science-class vessels were considerably smaller in size than Leviathan- and Exploratory-class vessels. However, like the Exploratory vessels, it also held a crew of 300. It was designed for long-term stationed orbit of planets for scientific research and experimental purposes. Despite its specialized scientific purpose, its onboard facilities came less equipped than Exploratory Class A ships. Numerous Science-class ships participate in the Battle of Earth  with a large number being destroyed or severely damaged.
Transport-class		The Transport-class was designed to ferry Union personnel and citizens between locations at faster than light speeds. This transport vessel was ill-equipped for combat, and thus a particularly vulnerable target of hostile species such as the Krill. It is the only class without a visible spatial tensor coil.
		A second type of transport vessel was much smaller than the aforementioned ship, being only slightly larger than a Union shuttle.

Krill classes

Class	Image	Notes
Destroyer-class A		The main Destroyer-class used by the Krill. This class fought at the Battle of Earth against the Kaylon.
Destroyer-class B		A rejected design only seen in promotional advertising before Season 1 aired that was replaced with the Destroyer-class A. This ship was used as inspiration for the design of the Marauder.
Marauder-class		Ships of the Marauder-class were informally called "fighters". They were small, fast, maneuverable, and capable of faster-than-light travel.

Kaylon classes

Main article: Sphere

Class	Image	Notes
Cruiser-class (Kaylon)		This huge and powerful ship was used in the Battle of Earth.
Interceptor-class		These ships participated in the Battle of Earth. They supported the larger ships and often rammed into hostile vessels.

Moclan classes

Class	Image	Notes
Moclan Cruiser Season 1		A widely used class of the local Moclan Fleet, these ships were of a size and armament matching the Union Exploratory-class A. These ships were easily recognizable by a small hump in the middle followed by two windows in front and one on either side.
Transport-class (Moclan)		Not to be confused with the general Transport-class ships of the Planetary Union's fleet, the Moclan's transporter was a much larger ship that transported cargo or personnel. The transporter was slightly larger than an Exploratory-class A vessel.
Moclan Cruiser Season 2		A massive vessel type about the size of a Leviathan-class heavy cruiser. Its firepower was stronger than that of an Exploratory-class A vessel.

Other classes

Class	Image	Notes
Unnamed ship class (Tzel)		Ships used by the Tzel during the war with the Planetary Union in the early 24th century. They were on par with the Union battle ships of that period.
Cruiser-class (Janisi)	N/A	An unseen ship used by the Janisi, a fiercely matriarchal species. One Janisi cruiser assisted in repairing a Planetary Union vessel which had been attacked by the Krill after Talla Keyali punched her male Captain to convince the Janisi to acknowledge the ship.
Transport-class (Horbalak)		These ships were used by Horbalaks for trading purposes, though some Horbalaks also used them for smuggling purposes.
Unnamed ship classes (Calivon)		Calivon operated many ship types in their section of space; one such ship was called a "Patrol Ship," but it is uncertain which one.
"Warship"-class (Chak'tal)		Combat-capable ships operated by the Chak'tal waged war on the Krill as retaliation to the loss of a colony.

Production

Creator Seth MacFarlane devised the Exploratory class specifically for the Orville because the broad category allowed the writers to invent plotlines of almost any situation. According to Jeff Bond in the book The World of the Orville, the Leviathan-class build was modeled after the look of the Orville.

The spatial tensor coils, the signature rings of many ship classes, house their quantum drive systems. According to science consultant André Bormanis, a ship need only rely on one ring, but they cannot go as fast or as far.

The Spirit of Fire from the Halo franchise appears as an easteregg in this shot

The Fighter-class vessel was designed by digital effects supervisor Brandon Fayette, first as a 3D printed model and then as a digital rendering. Producers had an idea of the Fighter-class vessel as early as 2017 when the show was in production for Season 1, though the ship is never seen in that season. This is probably because the story of Identity, Pt. 1 and Identity, Pt. 2 was actually written in late 2016, and the ship features heavily in those episodes. A description was included in The World of the Orville, stating that the Fighter was tied with the Transporter as one of the smallest vessel types and that, unlike other vessel classes that are designed for peace-time purposes, the Fighter is built for combat.

Trivia

• Digital effects supervisor Brandon Fayette has stated that the size of each class changed in Season 2, but exactly how each class grew or diminished is unknown.
• Gordon mentions a "Union evac vessel" that would be capable of rescuing 75 Nyxians, but it is unclear to which starship class he refers.
• The upgrades given to the Orville during its refit in early 2422 placed its quantum drive nearly on-par with that of a heavy cruiser.

Mistakes

• According to Fayette, the relative scale of each class found in The World of the Orville is incorrect and should not be used to compare the sizes of ships against each other.
  • Additionally, the book misprints the Cruiser class with three quantum rings when it in fact has two.

Appearances

"Battleship" Class

• Episode 1.5x01: New Beginnings, Pt. 1
• Episode 1.5x02: New Beginnings, Pt. 2

Fighter Class

• Episode 2x09: Identity, Pt. 2

Leviathan Class

A Leviathan-class vessel also appears in each episode in the opening credits.

• Episode 1x01: Old Wounds
• Episode 1x06: Krill
• Episode 2x09: Identity, Pt. 2
• Episode 3x01: Electric Sheep

Exploratory Class

Exploratory Class A

The USS Orville or other examples of this class is present in every episode.

Exploratory Class B

• Episode 1x01: Old Wounds

Science Class

• Episode 1x01: Old Wounds
• Episode 1x09: Cupid's Dagger
• Episode 1.5x02: New Beginnings, Pt. 2
• Episode 2x03: Home
• Episode 2x05: All the World is Birthday Cake
• Episode 2x09: Identity, Pt. 2
• Episode 2.5x01: Launch Day, Pt. 1
• Episode 3x01: Electric Sheep

Transporter Class

• Episode 1x02: Command Performance
• Episode 2x01: Ja'loja
• Episode 3x01: Electric Sheep

Colossus Class

Appearance in each episode in the opening credits.

Marauder Class

• Episode 2x04: Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes
• Episode 2x09: Identity, Pt. 2