Worker bee
A worker bee was a small auxiliary craft used by the Federation from the mid-23rd century to the late 24th century. Both the  and her contemporary starship the  carried a complement of worker bees. 

These small, one-person vehicles were not equipped with auto-pilot, instead operated through the use of a spherical attitude control interface and control panel. The worker bee was characterized by a small cabin with large viewports that also acted as holographic interfaces. The vehicle could be configured for mission-specific tasks and equipped with mechanical arms and/or laser cannons for cutting. These attachments operated through the use of a glove worn by the worker bee's pilot. () 

In 2256, the USS Shenzhou dispatched a worker bee to retrieve a damaged interstellar relay. () 

During the Battle of the Binary Stars, Captain Philippa Georgiou briefly considered arming a worker bee with a photon warhead and piloting it herself in an attempt to disable or destroy the Klingon Ship of the Dead. () 

In 2257, Lieutenant  piloted a worker bee in an effort to salvage a mirror universe Klingon data core and return it to the USS Discovery. ()

A worker bee was present in Discoverys cargo bay 3 when Me Hani Ika Hali Ka Po emerged from the cargo container she had stowed away in. ()

In 3189, worker bees and DOT-7s were used to repair the USS Discovery after it was damaged from a crash landing on the Colony. ()

Later that year, worker bees were used for retrofitting the . ()

List of ships 
 042
 Unnamed worker bees

Appendices

Appearances

External link 
 
Federation shuttle classes