The Nova class was designed as a modern replacement for the long serving Oberth class science vessel. The requirement called for a ship
capable of making relatively short duration missions; Starfleet intended to use these ships in the large unexplored areas between Federation
controlled space, missions which would typically be staged out of Starbases and last for a few months up to a year at most.
The design of the Nova class vessel was based on the Defiant pathfinder ship. This ship was of the right size and employed the latest warp
field/hull geometry and propulsion technology.

Starfleet replaced the warp core with a far less powerful version, reducing the top speed to Warp 8. Running the same nacelle design at much
lower power greatly extended the operating life of the warp coils, reducing the ships refit schedule and making it easier to operate. The heavy
weaponry was also removed, creating extra space for sensor arrays and scientific labs.

Originally, the Nova designation was intended to be assigned to the replacement for the Galaxy class Explorers. However, the Galaxy class went
into high level production as a battleship in the run up to the Dominion war. After the war, many of these ships continued in service as fully fleshed
out Explorers, while others were retired. It quickly became clear that Starfleet would have a ready supply of large space frames on hand for far
longer than originally envisaged. Additionally, the entry into service of the Sovereign class introduced a new level of high technology to the fleet.

Both factors reduced the need for a galaxy replacement significantly, and so the Nova development project was quietly dropped. With the name
now available again, Starfleet chose to assign it to the new science ship. One of the first group of Nova class vessels - the USS Equinox - vanished
shortly after launching. It was thought to have been lost, but was later discovered by Voyager to have been dragged to the Delta Quadrant by the
Caretaker. The Equinox fared rather worse than Voyager in its attempts to get home; with its lower speed the Equinox faced a journey of over a
hundred and eighty years in a vessel designed to operate for no more than twelve months between refits.

Unfortunately, the crew discovered that the bodies of a trans-dimensional alien species could be processed to produce a powerful form of fuel, greatly
increasing the ships top speed. Captain Ransom began capturing and murdering the aliens, in direct violation of both the Prime Directive and Starfleet
ethics. The aliens fought back, killing many of the Equinox crew.

When Voyager encountered the Equinox they quickly realized what Ransom had done. Captain Janeway attempted to imprison the crew but they
escaped, leaving Voyager under attack by the aliens. The ship survived the attack, and was able to pursue and capture most of the remaining
Equinox crew. The aliens attacked the ship again, killing the remaining crew and destroying the ship.

Construction of the Nova class was suspended shortly before the Dominion war in favor of more combat capable vessels. Once the war was over,
construction of the Nova class resumed and the original USS Kennedy was one of the first to be built. Favouring a more liberal approach to exploration,
she was mainly built for the purpose of patrolling borders, and branching out into the far reaches of known space.

After many adventures with Vice-Admiral Michael Intermeezo in command, the USS Kennedy was retired. The crew and her commander parting ways.