Attack ship

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Quick! Someone go replicate a really big can of Raid!

The Jem'Hadar Attack Ship (also known colloquially as the bugship or Jem'Hadar Fighter) is the most common type of Dominion warship. It serves a variety of roles, from reconnaissance to fleet support and personnel transport.


Physical description

The Attack Ship vaguely resembles a beetle, giving rise to the "bugship" nickname. It consists of a compact primary hull with two small nacelles; its underside has a distinctive purple glow. The size of this vessel is unclear, with official sources giving a length of 68[1] meters while visual evidence suggests sizes over 100 meters.[2]

Features and abilities

Attack Ships have a spartan interior. They have no viewscreen, no chairs on the bridge, no dedicated medical facilities, and minimal crew accommodations.[3]

Their main weapon is a polaron beam (sometimes referred to as a phaser), complemented by a form of torpedo. They possess shielding, though this has proven to offer minimal protection, even against the disruptors of the comparatively weak Klingon Bird of Prey.[4]

Attack Ships are capable of surviving an uncontrolled re-entry and crash-landing with extensive, though repairable, damage.[5]

Their transporter technology is significantly more advanced than that of the Federation, enabling them to bypass shields, and their sensor technology is capable of detecting at least some cloaked vessels.

While attack ships are not as durable in combat as similar-sized Federation ships like the Defiant-class, the Dominion apparently builds them in ridiculous numbers, allowing them to swarm opponents. Both the ships and their Jem'Hadar crews are considered replaceable, so kamikaze tactics are used with surprising frequency.

References

  1. DS9 Technical manual
  2. DS9 "The Ship": part of the wreck is still visible with 90m of it embedded in rock
  3. DS9 "A Time To Stand"
  4. DS9 "Favor The Bold"
  5. DS9 "The Ship"