The Federation colony ship was a type of colony ship, a warp drive-capable starships utilized by the Federation Starfleet to establish footholds on new colony worlds.
History and specifications
Colony ships carry more than enough equipment and colonists to set up a fledgling colony on a new planet.
Colony vessels used a series of pods to transfer this equipment to the surface. Some types of colony ships can only be used once, as once colonization is complete, the colony ship itself will land on the planet to be dismantled and the materials used to construct the new colony's initial buildings.
The Federation colony ship class in use in the 2340s was used as the basis of Section 31's Federation holoship. (ST video game: Infinite; TNG movie: Star Trek: Insurrection; DS9 - Section 31 novel: Abyss)
- The class of the colony ship in ST video game: Infinite is not named, but its outside appearance is identical to that of the holoship.
In the 2370s, a modified version of the Aerie-class starship was assigned this role by the Federation Starfleet. (ST video game: Armada II)
