The late twenty first/early twenty second century saw the
introduction of a newer class of starship that utilized the Cochrane warp engines
design. The sphere in the front contained a centrifuge that created gravity for
the crew by spinning around, much like a giant gerbil excercise wheel. The rear
portion, what would be known as the secondary hull, contained mainly the engineering
compartment, where the crew worked in zero G. The impluse engine was a crude
chemical rocket thruster mounted on the back of the secondary hull.
She had no shuttles. Instead, there were four major airlocks located
on the habitat sphere, which allowed her to dock with a spacestation, or with
other ships. However, if the crew needed to evacuate during an emergency, they
were unable to leave the ship. This major oversight led to several of this class of
starship being lost with all hands--until the next generation starship corrected
this mistake.