Defiant class

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

Defiant-class
Type:	Escort/Battleship
Length:	120 meters
Decks:	5
Crew:	47
Maximum Speed:	Warp 9.5+
Armaments:	4 phaser cannons 2 phaser beam emitters 2 forward torpedo (photon and quantum torpedo) launchers 2 aft torpedo launchers
Defenses:	Deflector shields ablative armor cloak(USS Defiant I and II only)
Aft view

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.

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")

Contents 1 History 1.1 Design and construction history 1.2 Early service years 1.3 Dominion War 2 Technical Data 2.1 Physical arrangement 2.2 Propulsion systems 2.3 Tactical systems 2.3.1 Phaser cannons 2.3.2 Phaser beam emitters 2.3.3 Torpedo launchers 2.3.4 Deflector shields 2.3.5 Ablative armor 2.3.6 Cloaking Device 3 Interior design 3.1 Main bridge 3.2 Medical facilities 3.3 Crew quarters 3.4 Mess hall 4 Ships commissioned 5 Appendices 5.1 Appearances 5.2 Background 5.2.1 Technical Manual 5.2.1.1 Specifications 5.2.1.2 Warhead 5.3 References 5.4 Apocrypha 5.5 External links

[edit] History

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")

[edit] Design and construction history

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")

[edit] Early service years

Starfleet eventually decided to put the Defiant-class into full production. 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")

[edit] Dominion War

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")

Commenting on the Defiant-class ships seen in "A Call to Arms", Ronald D. Moore said "we just decided that the Fed was now cranking out Defiant-class vessels based on Sisko's recommendations to SF Command."

[edit] Technical Data

[edit] Physical arrangement

[edit] Propulsion systems

The warp core spanned three decks in the aft section of the ship. The class-7 warp drive was extremely powerful for a ship of this size, and as such, Defiant-class vessels put out a warp signature equivalent to much larger starships. (DS9: "The Search, Part I", "One Little Ship")

The fastest that a Defiant-class ship has achieved independently on screen is warp 9.5, after diverting energy from the weapons' ready reserves. (DS9: "The Sound of Her Voice")

[edit] Tactical systems

[edit] Phaser cannons

A total of four phaser cannon assemblies were located in forward-facing locations on board Defiant-class vessels. The cannons were located above and below the nacelle root attachments on the main body on both port and starboard sides of the ship. (DS9: "The Search, Part I", et al.)

[edit] Phaser beam emitters

The standard phaser beam emitters aboard Defiant-class vessels served almost as a secondary supplement to the primary pulse phaser cannons. The vessel's two emitters were located behind the bridge on the dorsal surface, and behind the shuttlebay doors on the ventral surface. (DS9: "Paradise Lost", "The Die is Cast")

The Defiant-class vessels' deflector arrays could also be refitted into a makeshift phaser emitter, providing one-shot capability in extreme emergency. The phaser emission was generated by the nose/deflector unit. (DS9: "Starship Down")

[edit] Torpedo launchers

Defiant-class vessels had a total of four torpedo launchers, two forward and two aft. Two of the forward launchers were located on the hull just ahead of each of the warp nacelles. The two aft torpedo launchers were tucked in near the back end of the warp nacelles.

Along with the Sovereign-class, Defiant-class vessels were the only starships in the fleet normally outfitted with quantum torpedoes. But, like all Starfleet vessels, the launchers on board a Defiant-class starship were capable of firing standard photon torpedoes as well.

[edit] Deflector shields

The Defiant-class was equipped with deflector shields.

[edit] Ablative armor

At least one Defiant-class vessel, USS Defiant NX-74205, was equipped with ablative armor. (DS9: "The Way of the Warrior", "Paradise Lost")

It was never made clear whether the ablative armor was ever added to the official Starfleet Defiant-class specification. As late as 2372, Starfleet Operations had not been informed that the Defiant had been so equipped. (DS9: "Paradise Lost")

[edit] Cloaking Device

A special amendment to the Treaty of Algeron allowed the USS Defiant to be fitted with a Romulan cloaking device. (DS9: "The Search, Part I", "Defiant")

The Romulans loaned and allowed the limited supervised use of at least one cloaking device. Operation of the cloaking device was to be limited to the Gamma Quadrant and in return, the Federation would provide the Romulans any and all intelligence collected in the Gamma Quadrant and about the Dominion. (DS9: "The Search, Part I", "Visionary") The USS Defiant was the only Federation ship to be seen regularly operating a cloaking device.

It is of note, that soon after the cloaking device was brought into use the Dominion developed a way to penetrate the cloak using certain types of antiproton beams. The Defiant was especially vulnerable as the power of the warp engines in relation size of the ship led to a high power signature that wasn't fully masked by the cloaking device. It did however, at times provide a significant tactical advantage that was exploited on countless occasions. (DS9: "The Search, Part I")

[edit] Interior design

Due to the militaristic nature of the Defiant-class starship, the interior design is the most spartan in Starfleet. The Defiant class has four decks, and two sub-decks.

• Deck 1: main bridge, captain's ready room, transporter room 1, phaser cannons (2), upper main engineering, plasma exhaust vents, upper sensor array, officer and crew quarters, deuterium storage.
• Deck 2: lower main engineering, main impulse engines, computer core, targeting sensors, mess hall, warp coils, sickbay, medical and science laboratory, transporter room 2, officer and crew quarters, warhead control room.
• Deck 3: main impulse engines, warhead impulse engines, shuttlebays 1-3, antimatter storage, cargo bays 1-4, airlocks (2), aft torpedo magazine, warp coils, shuttle and workbee maintenance.
• Deck 4: landing struts, navigational deflector, pulse phaser cannons (2), forward and aft torpedo magazines, aft torpedo launchers (2), forward torpedo launcher (1), lower sensor array, shuttlebay 1-2 exterior doors and elevator system, main tractor beam emitter.

[edit] Main bridge

The bridge layout of the Defiant was compact, but nonetheless accommodated the familiar engineering, tactical, science, conn, and ops stations.

The main bridge acted as the nerve center of the vessel, and the entire module was sunken into a much larger deck 1 than on most Federation starships to provide added protection during combat situations. Access to the bridge was provided by two doorways at the back, located on both port and starboard sides. Just forward of the starboard entryway was the location of the ship's dedication plaque, as well as an auxiliary computer access panel.

The port side of the bridge housed the engineering and tactical I stations, while the starboard side featured the science and tactical II consoles. Because of its nearly exclusive role as a combat vessel, stations aboard Defiant-class vessels were designed with speed in mind.

The center of the bridge featured the lone captain's chair, which was on a raised platform and had a clear view of all bridge stations, as well as of the main viewscreen. On both sides of the command chair were separate control panels, allowing the occupant access to virtually every system aboard the ship.

Between the command chair and the viewscreen was an integrated flight control and operations panel, capable of performing the joint duties of those stations' larger counterparts on other Federation starships. Like all of the bridge stations on Defiant, the conn had been designed for maximum speed and efficiency of commands input by the operator, allowing the craft to be handled almost like a fighter when under the hands of a skilled pilot.

The engineering station allowed for a direct link to the impulse and warp engines, as well as monitoring of the other various systems vital to the operation of the ship. This single station was capable of mirroring all the readouts and consoles located in main engineering, allowing the chief engineer or another engineering officer to issue commands from the bridge.

Mirroring the engineering station on the port side of the bridge was the science station. Normally occupied by the ship's chief science officer, the panels and readouts on this station allowed direct access to the ship's sensor systems. Capable of taking high resolution scans of both natural and artificial phenomena, this station played a vital role during reconnaissance missions.

Flanking both sides of the viewscreen were two tactical stations, which had primary access to the ship's powerful pulse phaser cannons, torpedo launchers and various other special ordinance packages. Working closely with conn, the officers stationed at these consoles were responsible for firing the various weapons aboard Defiant-class vessels during combat operations. The purpose of the Tactical II station was to lighten the load on its sister station, particularly in battle.

Some time after the commission of the Defiant-class in 2371, various aspects of the bridge were redesigned. The captain's chair area was redone to remove the fencing and add new consoles, the dedication plaque was moved to the starboard door area, and additional consoles were added to the side stations and the rear wall. (DS9: "Equilibrium")

Some time in 2372, Starfleet vessels were fitted with the new holographic viewscreen technology. A hologrid on the bridge could create a holo-simulation of the communique. (DS9: "For the Uniform")

[edit] Medical facilities

The main sickbay was located on Deck 2 between the mess hall and science labs. Containing four biobeds, this room served as the primary crew support facility during emergency situations. The room was equipped with limited surgical facilities and was primarily intended to stabilize patients until they could be delivered to a nearby friendly starbase medical facility.

In its limited role as a reconnaissance starship, the Defiant-class was equipped with two dedicated science and medical labs for field testing and investigations. These rooms mirrored their counterparts on larger Federation starships by making use of scaled down devices that could commonly be found on those ships. (DS9: "Broken Link")

[edit] Crew quarters

Each cabin was equipped with one replicator port and one standard computer terminal. Overall, crew quarters aboard Defiant-class vessels were the most spartan when compared to other ships in the fleet.

With emphasis towards the tactical systems being the foremost priority in the vessel designers' minds, crewmembers had to share their quarters with at least one other crewmate during normal times of operation. Only the ship's commanding officer was given his own room on Deck 1, which doubled as an informal ready room.

[edit] Mess hall

Ships of the Defiant-class lacked any sort of recreational facilities, and the only place for informal gathering were the two mess hall areas located on the port side of Deck 2. Like all the equipment and materials aboard the ship, the mess hall was spartan and compact. At the head of the room were three open slots that served as dispensers for the replicators. A counter extended from the underside and was used for the placement of trays, mugs and eating utensils. Seating inside the mess hall was provided by four metallic tables arranged in a semicircle at the wider end of the room. These tables were approximately one meter square, and each had four stools connected to its legs. In addition, the mess hall doubled as a makeshift meeting area that could be used to conduct crew briefings and mission profiles. A tall screen panel located on one of the walls could be used as a visual aid to display tactical graphics. (DS9: "Valiant")

[edit] Ships commissioned

Named

• USS Defiant (NX-74205)
• USS São Paulo, renamed USS Defiant (NCC-75633)
• USS Valiant (NCC-74210)

Unnamed

• Unnamed Defiant-class starships

Mirror universe

• Defiant

[edit] Appendices

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Background

• The Defiant-class was designed by James Martin under the direction of Herman Zimmerman and Gary Hutzel. According to Martin, the initial instruction for the designers was that it was a "beefy runabout." His initial designs based upon this guideline however were not accepted by the producers. Martin next turned to more traditional starship designs, but Herman Zimmerman told him that a completely new look was needed, like nothing ever seen on Star Trek before. Ultimately, Martin went to a design he had done for a Maquis fighter for the episode "The Maquis, Part II", and he brought it to the producers, who approved it as the basis for the Defiant-class. So Martin tweaked the design a little and then gave the schematic to model maker Tony Meininger. The main problem with the design at that stage was that it didn't look fast enough, so Meininger, a car enthusiast, got some posters of Ferraris, and used them to help him design the 'streamlined' look of the ship, making it very compact and sleek. Indeed, Herman Zimmerman has stated that the compact design of the Defiant-class influenced the design of the Enterprise NX-01 for Star Trek: Enterprise. (DS9 Season 3 DVD special features)
• Gary Hutzel says that during the early development stages of the ship, the idea was that it "a new hot battleship that would really set a new standard for an action ship in the series. First, there was lots of talk like 'How big is the Defiant?' Well, we'll make it really small and really powerful, that it would be so powerful and scary, nobody would mess with it." Herman Zimmerman also points out that, "It was very clear it could not look like NCC-1701-A, B, C, D. It was to be an entirely new ship." (DS9 Season 3 DVD special features)
• Initial drawings described the class as the Valiant-class. Indeed, Doug Drexler even constructed an initial dedication plaque for the Defiant that referred to it as the "Valiant-class," before a new plaque was recreated that simply stated "the first ship of her class." The plaque was later given to Rob Bonchune. [1]

Early Defiant-class concept art

Early Defiant-class concept art

Early Defiant-class concept art (when it was planned to have a "beefy runabout" look)

Maquis fighter concept art which became basis for USS Defiant and all Defiant-class ships

• The interior sets were supervised by Herman Zimmerman. The CGI Defiant, as it appeared in Star Trek: First Contact was built by Vision Art and rendered by Industrial Light & Magic.
• While Jadzia Dax once said there was a plasma leak on "Deck 5", on screen evidence and the master systems display suggest a four-deck Defiant. The only evidence that the Defiant has a Deck 5 and 6 is the appearance of several portholes at the back underside of the Defiant model, but it is not certain whether these are windows or possibly something else.
• The deck layout comes from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual. There is limited on-screen evidence to support this. There is also some confusion about the ship's size, as many on-screen appearances make the Defiant look smaller than the 170 meters in length.

• The original MSD that appeared in "The Search, Part I" was inaccurate. It was later replaced with an accurate MSD in such episodes as "Shattered Mirror", although it was used on displays until the end of Deep Space Nine.
• When Captain Jonathan Archer and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed accessed the database of temporal agent Daniels, they saw schematics of the Defiant-class. (ENT: "Shockwave")

[edit] Technical Manual

While the Technical Manual itself is not canon, it is a Memory Alpha permitted resource. Information that is exclusively from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual is as follows:

[edit] Specifications

• Type: Escort
• Production Base: ASDB Integration Facility, Antares Fleet Yards, Antares IV
• Accommodation: 40 officers and crew; 150 personal evacuation limit
• Power Plant: One 1,500+ Cochrane warp core feeding two nacelles; two impulse system
• Length: 170.68 meters
• Beam: 134.11 meters
• Draft: 30.1 meters
• Mass: 355,000 metric tons
• Performance: Warp 9.982 for 12 hours
• Armament: Four pulse phaser cannons; two photon torpedo launchers

[edit] Warhead

The notched forward hull containing the vessel's navigational deflector and main sensors was a detachable single-use last-resort missile. This missile was equipped with a small impulse engine and a magazine with six torpedo warheads. These torpedo warheads were part of the ship's auto-destruct system and under more normal circumstances could be fired from the forward launcher. Any torpedo warheads left in the magazine would become the missile's warhead upon the missile's separation from the rest of the ship. If no torpedo warheads remain, then the missile would have to rely on kinetic energy alone. The ship would be unable to travel at high warp speeds without the missile since the latter contained the ship's navigational deflector.

[edit] References

• Sternbach, Rick, et al. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual. New York: Pocket Books, 1998. ISBN 067101563X
• Sternbach, Rick. "Designing the USS Defiant". Star Trek: The Magazine. August 1999. pp. ???
• Martin, Jim. "Jim Martin Interview". Star Trek: The Magazine. May 2002. pp. ???
• Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens; The Art of Star Trek; Pocket Books (hardcover, 1995).

[edit] Apocrypha

• The unseen USS Valiant (NCC-75418) listed on a tactical display in Star Trek Nemesis could be a Defiant-class replacement for the previous vessel of that name, in accordance with the practice of commissioning another USS Defiant of the same class. However, it could just as easily be another ship type.

• The William Shatner series of novels has featured another Defiant-class vessel, the USS Monitor, which is a modified vessel with a cloaking device and sensor reflective hull plating (Although in Star Trek: Away Team, the USS Monitor was another type of Starfleet vessel). In Shatner's novel The Return, the Monitor is temporarily renamed Enterprise during a mission to the Borg homeworld using a stolen transwarp drive, commanded by both Captain Kirk and Captain Picard.

• The Decipher role-playing supplement Starships lists many other conjectural vessels of this class including the USS Gallant (NCC-74206), USS Incessant (NCC-75636), USS Redoubtable (NCC-75634), and USS Stalwart (NCC-75635).

• In both Star Trek Armada I and in Star Trek Armada II, the ship, especially the Avenger carries antimatter mines

• A Defiant-class starship appeared as an escort in the video game Star Trek: The Next Generation - Birth of the Federation.

[edit] External links

• Defiant class at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Defiant class starship at Wikipedia
• Defiant Problems at Ex Astris Scientia - a comprehensive look at the scaling issues of the Defiant-class
• Jim Martin Interview; Designing the USS Defiant - an article by Jim Martin taken from the August 1999, Issue 4 and May 2000, Issue 13 of the Star Trek: The Magazine