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Defiant Class
[[Image:DS9 Defiant.jpg|thumb|right|Behold the amazing flying turtle]]The '''''Defiant''-class starship''' is a small, dedicated [[warship]] used by the [[United Federation of Planets]].  Initially developed for battle against the [[Borg]], the ''Defiant''-class was born out of the rash of technical developments and innovations that swept throug [[Starfleet]] when the Borg were identified as a threat by their encounter with the [[Enterprise-D|''USS Enterprise'']] in system J-25<ref>TNG "Q Who"</ref>
*Role: Escort
*Crew: 50
*Commissioned 2371-


Unit Run
The ''Defiant''-class was constructed and designed at the [[Utopia Planitia]] Shipyards and Commander [[Benjamin Sisko]] was part of the design team.  Construction was slow due in part to a perceived lack of an imminent Borg attack and to engine design problems that plagued the starship even after construction was completed.  The engines were so over-powered that they threatened the very structural integrity of the ship when powered up.  It took innovations in the structural integrity field of the ship to bring this problem under control.
*USS [[Defiant]] NX-74205
*[[USS Valiant]] NCC-74210
*USS [[Sao Paulo]] NCC-75633


Dimensions
==Armament==
*Length: 170m
[[Image:Defiant pulse phasers.jpg|thumb|right|Overpowered and overgunned!]]The ''Defiant''-class was originally designated as an escort ship, but this was just on paper to hide the fact the the ''Defiant'' was a dedicated warship in apparent violation of Starfleet protocols.  The ''Defiant's'' main weapons suite is a pair of [[pulse phaser]] cannons that apparently provide more fire power than the standard [[phaser]] arrays on most starships.  These weapons -- along with [[photon torpedo]] launchers (later able to fire [[quantum torpedo]]es) -- give the ship a very powerful forward weapons arc. As Sisko stated succinctly, "She's overpowered and overgunned".<ref>[[DS9]] "The Search"</ref>
*Width: 134m
*Height: 30m
*Decks: 4
   
Armament
* 4 [[Pulse Phasers]]
*1 Phaser Array
*3 Quantum Tubes
*1 Photon Tube


Defenses
==Defenses==
*High Capacity Shields
The ''Defiant''-class also has experimental [[ablative armor]] that gives the little ship an extra edge if its [[shields]] are brought down, as the armor provides extra protection not usually afforded to Federation starships.  The armor's effectiveness was demonstrated when the ''Defiant'' withstood concentrated attacks from a [[Klingon]] [[Vor'cha-class|''Vor'cha''-class]] attack cruiser for several seconds without shields in order to beam aboard members of the [[Cardassian]] Detaapa Council<ref>DS9 "Way of the Warrior"</ref> and when the Captain of the ''[[USS Lakota]]'' complained about the ablative armor on the ''Defiant'' making it difficult to disable or destroy her.<ref>DS9 "Paradise Lost"</ref>  It should be noted that the captain also stated that this armor was a secret modification of Captain Sisko's, which opens the question of whether the ablative armor is actually unique to the ''USS Defiant'' and not standard for the class.
*[[Ablative Armor]]


Warp Speeds
==Spartan Design==
*Normal Cruise: 6
Other unique features of the ''Defiant''-class include her warp engines, which were kept in close and parallel to the hull, as well as the spartan crew quarters and overall interior design of the ship.  [[Julian Bashir|Doctor Bashir]] complained about the bare medical bay that was inadequate to deal with serious injuries as well as the lack of any sort of laboratory facilities found in other starships. No families could travel on the ''Defiant'', and her crew complement was normally kept around 47.
*Maximum Cruise:8.7
*Maximum Rated: 9.5


History: The Defiant-class starship, officially classified as an escort, began development in 2366 as a small, highly-powered, heavily-armed warship intended to defend the Federation against the Borg. The USS Defiant (NX-74205) was the first of what was to be a new Federation battle fleet being prepared to counter the Borg. Starfleet abandoned the project when the Borg threat became less urgent and design flaws turned up nearly destroying the Defiant during its initial shakedown cruise.
==Performance==
The Defiant prototype was pulled out of storage in 2371 when the Dominion threat emerged. After several upgrades by Operations Chief Miles O'Brien, the ship was deemed worthy of use and several more ships of the class were constructed. (DS9: "The Search, Part I", VOY: "Drone")
The ''Defiant''-class proved time and again she was more than a match for substantially larger vessels.  During the [[Klingon-Cardassian War]] she routinely defeated [[Klingon Bird of Prey|Birds of Prey]] in combat and withstood attacks from multiple Klingon warships many times her size, such as ''Vor'cha''-class attack cruisers.<ref>DS9 "Way of the Warrior"</ref>  When stolen by [[Thomas Riker]], the ''Defiant'' also proved more than capable of defeating [[Cardassian]] capital ships, such as the [[Keldon-class|''Keldon''-class ]] destroyers secretly upgraded by the [[Obsidian Order]].<ref>DS9 "Defiant"</ref>


History
The ''Defiant''-class also performed admirably in her first encounter with the enemy she was designed to battle -- the Borg -- when she was among the surviving vessels of the [[Starfleet]] task force that fought a running battle over several days from the Typhon sector to Earth against a [[Borg Cube]].  Scoring damaging hits against the far larger Borg cube, she was finally disabled by a concentrated Borg counter attack after out-lasting far-larger starships.<ref>''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]''</ref>


The Defiant-class starship was a heavily-armed, limited-role Starfleet vessel, developed in response to the Borg threat as originally encountered in 2365, and spurred on by the shocking results of the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2367. With the knowledge that existing weaponry and defenses would be inadequate to meet this threat, it was recognized that a new type of starship was needed to meet the tactical requirements of facing this superior enemy. Shortly after the massacre at Wolf 359 in 2367, Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Sisko joined the development team at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. (DS9: "The Search, Part I")
During the [[Dominion War]], ''Defiant''-class starships were usually seen as more than a match for the [[Jem'Hadar]] [[Attack ship|fighters]] and only truly outgunned and outclassed by such juggernaughts as the [[Dominion Battleship]]s.<ref> DS9 "Valiant"</ref>  The ''Defiant'' was the first Federation starship to score kills against Dominion naval forces,<ref>DS9 "The Search"</ref> and ships of the class were instrumental in almost every major engagement of the war.
[edit]


Design and construction history
==The ''Defiant''-class in Debates==
The USS Defiant (NX-74205) was the class prototype. It was Starfleet's first dedicated combat vessel, and therefore did not house provision for families or diplomatic missions, nor science labs or recreational facilities. The Defiant-class was a heavily-armored, stripped-down starship and incorporated the latest in Starfleet weaponry and defensive technology and was equipped with a class-7 warp drive. The Defiant was considerably smaller than most other Federation starships. (DS9: "The Search, Part I")
Rivalry between [[Trekkie]]s and [[Fiver]]s resulted in numerous debates over the possible outcome of a battle between the the ''[[White Star]]'' and the ''Defiant''.  Trekkies typically argue that the Minbari stealth technology would be no match for [[Federation]] [[sensor]]s, while a mere proximity blast from a [[photon torpedo]] would be more than sufficient to disable a ''White Star''.
[edit]Early service years


Starfleet eventually decided to put the Defiant-class into full production. The USS Defiant also took part in the [[Battle of Sector 001]] . By the end of 2373, there were a significant number of Defiant-class ships in operation, and over the next two years they played a vital role in the Dominion War. (DS9 Season 7; VOY: "Message in a Bottle")
== Notable ships ==
[edit]
* [[USS Defiant (DS9)|''USS Defiant'']] NX-74205
* [[USS Valiant|''USS Valiant'']] NCC-74210
* [[Sao Paulo|''USS Sao Paulo'']] NCC-75633


Dominion War
==Notes==
The USS Defiant was destroyed by a Breen warship in 2375, during the Second Battle of Chin'toka. Another Defiant-class ship, the USS São Paulo, was then assigned to Deep Space 9. Given the USS Defiant's exceptional record under Captain Benjamin Sisko's command, the Chief of Starfleet Operations gave a special dispensation to change the ship's name to Defiant. On this ship, the shield generators were completely reconfigured so that they would not be affected by the Breen's energy-dampening weapon. This new Defiant played a distinguished role in the final battle with the Dominion at Cardassia Prime, and remained stationed at Deep Space 9. (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil", "The Dogs of War", "What You Leave Behind")
<references />


[[Category: Star Trek]]
[[Category: Star Trek]]
[[Category: ST Starships]]
[[Category: ST Starships]]

Latest revision as of 22:57, 15 January 2015

Behold the amazing flying turtle

The Defiant-class starship is a small, dedicated warship used by the United Federation of Planets. Initially developed for battle against the Borg, the Defiant-class was born out of the rash of technical developments and innovations that swept throug Starfleet when the Borg were identified as a threat by their encounter with the USS Enterprise in system J-25[1]

The Defiant-class was constructed and designed at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards and Commander Benjamin Sisko was part of the design team. Construction was slow due in part to a perceived lack of an imminent Borg attack and to engine design problems that plagued the starship even after construction was completed. The engines were so over-powered that they threatened the very structural integrity of the ship when powered up. It took innovations in the structural integrity field of the ship to bring this problem under control.

Armament

Overpowered and overgunned!

The Defiant-class was originally designated as an escort ship, but this was just on paper to hide the fact the the Defiant was a dedicated warship in apparent violation of Starfleet protocols. The Defiant's main weapons suite is a pair of pulse phaser cannons that apparently provide more fire power than the standard phaser arrays on most starships. These weapons -- along with photon torpedo launchers (later able to fire quantum torpedoes) -- give the ship a very powerful forward weapons arc. As Sisko stated succinctly, "She's overpowered and overgunned".[2]

Defenses

The Defiant-class also has experimental ablative armor that gives the little ship an extra edge if its shields are brought down, as the armor provides extra protection not usually afforded to Federation starships. The armor's effectiveness was demonstrated when the Defiant withstood concentrated attacks from a Klingon Vor'cha-class attack cruiser for several seconds without shields in order to beam aboard members of the Cardassian Detaapa Council[3] and when the Captain of the USS Lakota complained about the ablative armor on the Defiant making it difficult to disable or destroy her.[4] It should be noted that the captain also stated that this armor was a secret modification of Captain Sisko's, which opens the question of whether the ablative armor is actually unique to the USS Defiant and not standard for the class.

Spartan Design

Other unique features of the Defiant-class include her warp engines, which were kept in close and parallel to the hull, as well as the spartan crew quarters and overall interior design of the ship. Doctor Bashir complained about the bare medical bay that was inadequate to deal with serious injuries as well as the lack of any sort of laboratory facilities found in other starships. No families could travel on the Defiant, and her crew complement was normally kept around 47.

Performance

The Defiant-class proved time and again she was more than a match for substantially larger vessels. During the Klingon-Cardassian War she routinely defeated Birds of Prey in combat and withstood attacks from multiple Klingon warships many times her size, such as Vor'cha-class attack cruisers.[5] When stolen by Thomas Riker, the Defiant also proved more than capable of defeating Cardassian capital ships, such as the Keldon-class destroyers secretly upgraded by the Obsidian Order.[6]

The Defiant-class also performed admirably in her first encounter with the enemy she was designed to battle -- the Borg -- when she was among the surviving vessels of the Starfleet task force that fought a running battle over several days from the Typhon sector to Earth against a Borg Cube. Scoring damaging hits against the far larger Borg cube, she was finally disabled by a concentrated Borg counter attack after out-lasting far-larger starships.[7]

During the Dominion War, Defiant-class starships were usually seen as more than a match for the Jem'Hadar fighters and only truly outgunned and outclassed by such juggernaughts as the Dominion Battleships.[8] The Defiant was the first Federation starship to score kills against Dominion naval forces,[9] and ships of the class were instrumental in almost every major engagement of the war.

The Defiant-class in Debates

Rivalry between Trekkies and Fivers resulted in numerous debates over the possible outcome of a battle between the the White Star and the Defiant. Trekkies typically argue that the Minbari stealth technology would be no match for Federation sensors, while a mere proximity blast from a photon torpedo would be more than sufficient to disable a White Star.

Notable ships

Notes

  1. TNG "Q Who"
  2. DS9 "The Search"
  3. DS9 "Way of the Warrior"
  4. DS9 "Paradise Lost"
  5. DS9 "Way of the Warrior"
  6. DS9 "Defiant"
  7. Star Trek: First Contact
  8. DS9 "Valiant"
  9. DS9 "The Search"