The USS Odyssey is the second Excelsior class Exploratory Cruiser to be built, commissioned in 2286 after the Great Transwarp Experiment of the original lead ship of the class USS Excelsior NX-2000 were deemed a failure. Oterwise, the ship had many valuable features, so it was decided to go ahead with the class, albeit with standard warp engines. It is typical in appearance of Block I Excelsior class starships with its distinctive bridge structure and impulse crystal setup, as well as the rear shuttlebay hangar design. The Block I ships served until well into the 2360's alongside the Block II and III starships, which themselves served through the Dominion War. Along with the Miranda and Oberth classes, they were among the first Starfleet starships to have a century long service life.

The Excelsior class continues the design lineage of Starfleet cruisers begun with the NX-01 Enterprise refit of a forward saucer-shaped primary hull with a roughly cylindrical secondary hull beneath and trailing and a pair of warp nacelles above and aft. This is a design philosophy that has served Starfleet well and promises to continue for centuries into the future.

As noted, the Odyssey has standard powerful warp and impulse drives, augmented by the experimental Quantum Para-Dimensional Transport Device (colloquially known as the Silver Ball, after its distinctive appearance while in operation), under the watchful eye of Dr. John Smith, an android affiliated with the Daystrom Institute.

The USS Odyssey operates in Fleet Area 51 and is assigned to Starbase 31's patrol area, which includes parts of the borders with the Romulan Star Empire and the Triangle, including the breakaway Imperial Klingon State.