Starship-Integrated Auxiliary Craft

Starship-Integrated Auxiliary Craft are small craft connected directly to the hull of a starship. This is almost invariably to allow a vessel to carry a craft larger than would be practical in its actual shuttle bays. These craft are occasionally found in other settings, as well.

Captain's Yachts

A captain's yacht is a craft set aside for the personal use of a vessel's commander. In nautical history, such a vessel would be used to transport the captain between a ship at anchor and the port. In Starfleet practice, these are used for away missions deemed necessary by the captain, for diplomatic transport missions, and, occasionally, for recreational purposes, as Starfleet recognizes the enormous pressure starship command places on its officers. Strictly speaking, the 'correct' Earth naval parlance would be for captains to have "gigs" and admirals to have yachts, but Starfleet parlance uses the same terminology for both captains and flag officers assigned a vessel of this type.

Galaxy-type Captain's Yacht

The yacht Calypso aboard the Enterprise-D.

Carried aboard Challenger, Cheyenne, Galaxy, Nebula, New Orleans, and Springfield-class starships, the Galaxy-type captain's yacht is a large, elliptical craft intended for short in-system missions or transport from orbit to a planet's surface. This impulse-only craft could sustain a crew of 2-4 and 4-6 passengers for several weeks, but could not conceivably reach another star system. Atmospheric jets along the edge of the saucer provide lift, and and vector thrust from the ventrally mounted impulse engine to sustain level flight; at high speeds, the vessel must operate essentially on its side, perpendicular to the center of gravity of the planet it's flying over. This luxurious vessel is equipped with two staterooms for the captain or a principal guest, along with a smaller bunkroom for any aides, and another sleeping area for the crew. The bridge is located centrally. In situations where the mothership must be evacuated, the captain's yacht is intended to serve as a command and control hub for the escape pods, as it has sufficient internal volume for emergency medical triage. In a pinch, this craft can also be used as the nexus of a planet-side research camp.

Integrated Runabouts

Integrated runabouts are general purpose craft intended for extended away missions and planetary exploration. They are generally more capable than captain's yachts at these tasks, but are also less luxurious.