The Pathfinder-class Starship had its origins in the early 2360s shortly after the Galaxy-class starship began their successful run in to the Fleet as a deep-space explorer. It was felt that Starfleet needed to diversify the fleet with command ships capable of multi-mission design specifications to cover the three primary duties of the Starfleet charter - exploration, defense, and diplomacy. Admiral Victor Murdock took up the gauntlet and began the process of designing a new starship class capable of meeting these requirements. While the project development peaked and waned over the next few years - usually at the whim of Starfleet Command - it was not until 2368 that the modern Pathfinder-class design was developed. In light of the events at Wolf 359 against the Borg, the design principle