A Nova class starship stranded in the Delta Quadrant, the U.S.S. Equinox was in many ways a dark mirror to the U.S.S. Voyager. Where Janeway and her crew upheld the principles of Starfleet throughout their long journey home, the Equinox’s traumatized crew – and its captain, Rudolph Ransom – resorted to darker measures, desperate to return home no matter the cost.

The U.S.S. Equinox’s design was based on an early concept for the U.S.S. Defiant, from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Its designation, the Nova class, was first mentioned in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, as a new type of vessel under design by Starfleet.