The I.S.S. Jellyfish is a grade 4 Rare Explorer with no faction alignment, and it holds a place in the game as its first 4-star ship. Its Imperial Might ability adds a stacking damage bonus at the start of every combat round, so it hits hardest in fights that run long, and it can cloak to choose its moment. You build it at Shipyard level 39. For its grade band it is a solid damage-dealing Explorer that keeps some value as a scrap feeder later on.
How to get the I.S.S. Jellyfish
Building the I.S.S. Jellyfish takes 120 blueprints and a Shipyard at level 39. With the blueprints in hand, the build cost is 16,000,000 Tritanium, 800,000 Dilithium, 5,000 4★ Common Refined Gas, and 3,000 4★ Common Refined Ore, and the build runs 105 days 12 hours. Blueprints for an older ship like this one tend to rotate through events and store offers rather than sitting in one fixed place, so the practical advice is to grab them when the ship comes around. From Operations level 43 you can scrap it, which turns it into a source of grade 4 materials once you outgrow it.
I.S.S. Jellyfish ability
The ship ability is Imperial Might. At the start of every combat round the Jellyfish gains a damage bonus, and that bonus stacks with no cap, so each round it can hit harder than the last. The bonus starts at 15% at level 1 and climbs to 74% per stack by level 60. Ship abilities are always active, so this runs on its own with no input from you. Because the effect compounds across a fight, the Jellyfish is at its best against targets that take several rounds to bring down.
I.S.S. Jellyfish active ability
The Jellyfish also has Ship Cloaking, a player-triggered ability on a cooldown. When you activate it, the ship hides from other players; the cloak ends when its duration runs out, when you enter combat, when you start mining, or when you dock at a station. Cloaking lets you cross contested space or sit in a system without drawing attention until you decide to drop it. It has to be unlocked first through a refit, covered below.
Stats and tiers
Base values from the current game data; research, buffs and officers raise them in play.
| Tier | Warp (speed / range) | Impulse | Cargo (protected) | Shield HP | Hull HP | Health (displayed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.4 / 60 | 85 | 36,000 (625) | 186,164 | 157,194 | 171,679 |
| 6 | 4.9 / 85 | 85 | 71,000 (1,125) | 254,347 | 214,775 | 234,561 |
| 12 | 5.5 / 130 | 85 | 113,000 (1,725) | 387,066 | 326,855 | 356,960 |
Weapons and firing pattern
Warm-up is the round a weapon first fires; cool-down is how many rounds pass between shots after that. The values below are at max tier 12. The kinetic Red Matter Torpedo lands one heavy shot, while the two Phase Cannons fire more often for steadier energy damage.
| Weapon | Type | Shots | Warm-up | Cool-down | Damage | Crit chance | Crit damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase Cannon | Energy | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14,857–17,829 | 10% | 150% |
| Phase Cannon | Energy | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14,857–17,829 | 10% | 150% |
| Red Matter Torpedo | Kinetic | 1 | 2 | 2 | 79,242–87,165 | 10% | 150% |
Crew slots and officer bonus
The Jellyfish opens officer slots as it levels.
| Ship level | Officer slots |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1 |
| 15 | 2 |
| 30 | 3 |
| 45 | 4 |
| 60 | 5 |
The ship also raises your officers’ attack, defense and health stats, stepping up a ladder as it progresses. Attack, defense and health share the same values, so one bonus column covers all three.
| Amount | Bonus |
|---|---|
| 500 | 35% |
| 1,000 | 70% |
| 1,625 | 105% |
| 2,250 | 140% |
| 3,000 | 175% |
| 4,000 | 210% |
| 5,500 | 245% |
| 7,500 | 280% |
| 10,000 | 315% |
| 15,000 | 350% |
I.S.S. Jellyfish refits
The Jellyfish has a refit that unlocks its signature trick. Refit costs are paid in ship shards.
| Refit | What it does |
|---|---|
| I.S.S. Jellyfish Cloaking | Enables the ship’s Ship Cloaking ability. Costs 80 shards to unlock. |
A cosmetic U.S.S. Constellation skin has also been offered for the Jellyfish. Beyond the different look, it adds 50% to the ship’s ability against hostiles.
Crew for the I.S.S. Jellyfish
Imperial Might rewards fights that last several rounds, so build a bridge that keeps the Jellyfish firing and alive long enough for the stacking bonus to matter. A captain who boosts weapon damage or critical hits fits it well, paired with officers that add survivability or more offense so the ship reaches the rounds where its bonus is largest. Since it can cloak, it also suits players who want to reposition before committing to a fight. Crews shift with the meta, so check the Officer Tier List for current picks.
Best crews for the I.S.S. Jellyfish
PVP Crews
The I.S.S. Jellyfish in Star Trek
The Jellyfish first appeared in the 2009 Star Trek film as the ship Spock used to carry red matter in his effort to stop the supernova that threatened Romulus. It was a small, agile Vulcan craft built around that one mission. The I.S.S. Jellyfish is the Terran Empire’s mirror-universe version of that design, which never appeared on screen; the game imagines it as an espionage vessel fitted with a dark matter warp drive and disruptor cannons. In the game’s story Spock built it, but the Empire never got to use it before he made other plans for the ship.
I.S.S. Jellyfish build cost by tier
Build and repair costs for every tier, carried over from the previous version of this page.
| Tier | Build cost | Repair cost | Build time | Repair time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 16,000,000 Tritanium 800,000 Dilithium 5,000 4★ Common Gas 3,000 4★ Common Ore |
3,742,200 Tritanium 30,620 Dilithium |
105d 12h 0m | 1d 11h 4m |
| Tier 2 | 569,800,000 Tritanium 15,000,000 Dilithium 5,645 4★ Common Gas 8,435 4★ Common Ore 34,800 4★ Common Explorer Parts |
4,535,708 Tritanium 141,140 Dilithium |
3d 11h 20m | 1d 15h 27m |
| Tier 3 | 1,152,400,000 Tritanium 30,300,000 Dilithium 5,220 4★ Common Gas 8,940 4★ Uncommon Gas 2,820 4★ Common Ore 4,900 4★ Uncommon Ore 70,420 4★ Common Explorer Parts 19,840 4★ Uncommon Explorer Parts |
5,794,801 Tritanium 414,074 Dilithium |
6d 22h 40m | 1d 22h 25m |
| Tier 4 | 1,948,600,000 Tritanium 51,300,000 Dilithium 8,840 4★ Common Gas 15,200 4★ Uncommon Gas 4,760 4★ Common Ore 8,180 4★ Uncommon Ore 119,020 4★ Common Explorer Parts 33,560 4★ Uncommon Explorer Parts |
7,115,164 Tritanium 531,956 Dilithium |
11d 13h 46m | 2d 5h 41m |
| Tier 5 | 3,035,500,000 Tritanium 80,100,000 Dilithium 13,740 4★ Common Gas 23,740 4★ Uncommon Gas 7,440 4★ Common Ore 12,740 4★ Uncommon Ore 185,440 4★ Common Explorer Parts 52,240 4★ Uncommon Explorer Parts |
9,006,262 Tritanium 709,184 Dilithium |
17d 8h 40m | 2d 14h 37m |
| Tier 6 | 4,497,400,000 Tritanium 114,647,500 Dilithium 22,980 4★ Common Gas 32,770 4★ Uncommon Gas 12,275 4★ Common Ore 16,110 4★ Uncommon Ore 281,510 4★ Common Explorer Parts 75,075 4★ Uncommon Explorer Parts |
12,693,549 Tritanium 1,072,298 Dilithium |
23d 3h 33m | 3d 2h 14m |
| Tier 7 | 6,702,600,000 Tritanium 170,952,500 Dilithium 47,320 4★ Common Gas 48,720 4★ Uncommon Gas 21,585 4★ Common Ore 23,660 4★ Uncommon Ore 414,040 4★ Common Explorer Parts 111,110 4★ Uncommon Explorer Parts |
18,887,704 Tritanium 1,722,596 Dilithium |
28d 22h 26m | 3d 16h 13m |
| Tier 8 | 12,820,700,000 Tritanium 445,732,500 Dilithium 84,195 4★ Common Gas 71,200 4★ Uncommon Gas 35,260 4★ Common Ore 33,680 4★ Uncommon Ore 589,360 4★ Common Explorer Parts 158,165 4★ Uncommon Explorer Parts |
31,166,719 Tritanium 3,111,098 Dilithium |
37d 14h 46m | 4d 2h 59m |
| Tier 9 | 18,249,000,000 Tritanium 634,585,000 Dilithium 160,205 4★ Common Gas 101,365 4★ Uncommon Gas 56,230 4★ Common Ore 48,020 4★ Uncommon Ore 841,080 4★ Common Explorer Parts 225,525 4★ Uncommon Explorer Parts |
51,753,240 Tritanium 5,950,688 Dilithium |
46d 7h 6m | 4d 14h 43m |
| Tier 10 | 34,996,500,000 Tritanium 1,123,863,000 Dilithium 191,395 4★ Uncommon Gas 53,380 4★ Rare Gas 66,990 4★ Uncommon Ore 18,685 4★ Rare Ore 1,173,430 4★ Common Explorer Parts 44,055 4★ Rare Explorer Parts |
61,355,448 Tritanium 7,134,701 Dilithium |
57d 20h 53m | 5d 2h 28m |
| Tier 11 | 48,825,200,000 Tritanium 1,567,750,000 Dilithium 268,970 4★ Uncommon Gas 75,070 4★ Rare Gas 94,135 4★ Uncommon Ore 26,280 4★ Rare Ore 1,650,600 4★ Common Explorer Parts 61,680 4★ Rare Explorer Parts |
72,878,098 Tritanium 8,555,518 Dilithium |
75d 5h 33m | 5d 15h 23m |
| Tier 12 | 106,805,400,000 Tritanium 2,749,171,500 Dilithium 361,960 4★ Uncommon Gas 101,020 4★ Rare Gas 126,685 4★ Uncommon Ore 35,355 4★ Rare Ore 2,221,270 4★ Common Explorer Parts 83,000 4★ Rare Explorer Parts |
86,705,278 Tritanium 10,260,498 Dilithium |
104d 4h 0m | 6d 6h 15m |
I.S.S. Jellyfish ship XP needed by level
Experience required to reach each level, with the health and shield bonuses that come with it.
Tier 1
Level 2: 800
Level 3: 1,000
Level 4: 1,400
Level 5: 1,700
Tier 2
Level 6:
Level 7:
Level 8:
Level 9:
Level 10:
Tier 3
Level 11:
Level 12:
Level 13:
Level 14:
Level 15:
Tier 4
Level 16:
Level 17:
Level 18:
Level 19:
Level 20:
Tier 5
Level 21:
Level 22:
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Level 24:
Level 25:
Tier 6
Level 26:
Level 27:
Level 28:
Level 29:
Level 30:
Tier 7
Level 31:
Level 32:
Level 33:
Level 34:
Level 35:
Tier 8
Level 36:
Level 37:
Level 38:
Level 39:
Level 40:
Tier 9
Level 41:
Level 42:
Level 43:
Level 44:
Level 45:
Tier 10
Level 46:
Level 47:
Level 48:
Level 49:
Level 50:
Tier 11
Level 51:
Level 52:
Level 53:
Level 54:
Level 55:
Tier 12
Level 56:
Level 57:
Level 58:
Level 59:
Level 60:
Resources to max out a I.S.S. Jellyfish
Tier Build Cost
- 239,619,100,000 Tritanium
- 6,984,202,000 Dilithium
- 363,145 4★ Common Gas
- 1,124,260 4★ Uncommon Gas
- 229,470 4★ Rare Gas
- 151,805 4★ Common Ore
- 435,100 4★ Uncommon Ore
- 80,320 4★ Rare Ore
- 7,580,970 4★ Common Explorer Parts
- 188,735 4★ Rare Explorer Parts
- 675,515 4★ Uncommon Explorer Parts
Total Experience: 169,108,000
I.S.S. Jellyfish videos
ISS Jelly Reveal! | Unlocking Star Trek Fleet Command‘s First 4* Ship | Upgrade Cost & PVE/PVP Crews
How I Got My ISS Jellyfish for free in Star Trek Fleet Command
Is the I.S.S. Jellyfish worth it?
As a grade 4 Rare Explorer, the Jellyfish fits the mid-game as a damage ship that grows stronger the longer a fight runs, with cloaking as a bonus for positioning. Its long build and blueprint requirement make it a commitment, and newer 4-star ships have arrived since, but it stays useful and can be scrapped from Operations 43 once you move on. Chase it if you want an early stacking-damage Explorer or a piece of the game’s history in your fleet.