The Noble-class cruiser was a class of multi-role cruiser that was in service with Federation Starfleet from 2409 until it was phased-out during the early-2440s. It sported many advanced starship technologies that were considered new and experimental. Despite having been heavily armed and very battle-capable, it was designed with deep-space exploration in mind. For example, many of these vessels were intended to venture deeper into the Delta and Gamma Quadrants, in what was evidently going to be the Federation's last wave of ships tasked with charting the unknown regions of the Milky Way Galaxy, "seeking out new life and new civilizations," and boldly going where the Federation has never gone before. In other words, the Noble-class would see the end of the galactic era, and usher in a new, intergalactic era for the denizens of the Milky Way.