Defiant class

For other uses, see Defiant.

The Defiant-class was a type of Federation starship in use by Starfleet in the 24th century. Although officially designated as an escort, the Defiant ships were the first type of starship Starfleet ever created as a dedicated-purpose warship, and they are sometimes referred to as destroyers. (DS9 episode & novelization: The Search; ST video games: Armada, Armada II)

Overview

The Defiant was conceived as Starfleet's first warship in response to the many new threats faced by the Federation in the mid-24th century but primarily the Borg. The vessels were purposed as a compact design, packing a great deal of weaponry into a very small, maneuverable ship. As such, many of these vessels were fielded in battle during the Dominion War. The class has a compact warp core that produces enough energy to power a vessel four times its size. (DS9 episode: "Call to Arms"; DS9 reference: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual; ST reference: Starship Spotter)

History

Defiant-patch — *Defiant*-class design patch

The Defiant-class was one of many new Starfleet classes developed in response to the Borg threat following Starfleet's tragic losses in the Battle of Wolf 359. The class was the first that Starfleet ever developed purely as a warship—but for years following the Borg's early incursions, the expected invasion never materialized—the prototype USS Defiant spent much of its time in space dock in the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. Rising hostilities with the Dominion spurred the Defiant into full service, assigned to Deep Space 9 in 2371 and fitted with a Romulan cloaking device to defend the station from Dominion attack and conduct undercover operations in the Gamma Quadrant.

By the time the situation escalated into full-scale war, several Defiant-class starships had been put into service and performed admirably. The original USS Defiant was destroyed by a Breen energy dampening weapon in 2375.

Following the Dominion War Starfleet developed a ship based on the lessons of the Defiant-class, the first and so far only vessel of this type, the USS Incursion is fitted with a holographic masking system and is operated by Starfleet Intelligence. (ST video game: Away Team)

Specifications

Defiant-class vessels crewed 50 officers and crew, with room for a maximum of 150 in evacuation situations. The Defiant vessels weighed 355,000 metric tons, measured 170.68 meters in length, 134.11 meters in width and 30.1 meters in height. The Defiant had a warp core power plant rated at over 1,500 cochrane units in output, feeding two warp nacelles. The warp drive was rated for a maximum output of warp factor 9.982 for 12 hours. The ships of the Defiant-class were also fitted with two impulse engine fusion reactor plants and thrust emitters.

The vessels have ablative armor to absorb enemy weapons fire and were fitted with beam weapons consisting of four pulse phaser cannons, capable of firing from numerous phaser arrays along the hull. Defiant ships also are equipped with two launchers, capable of firing either photon torpedoes or quantum torpedoes from numerous emplacements along the hull. In an extreme situation the Defiant-class's nose section, which contained the vessels stock of torpedoes, could be separated as a last resort to act as a large projectile. (DS9 reference: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual)

In official and licensed sources alike, the Defiant is always listed as having four phasers and two torpedo launchers. Onscreen canon evidence has shown that these weapons can be fired from more numerous points along the hull.

The Defiant-class was one of the few classes of Starfleet starships capable of planetary landing and lift-off. (DS9 reference: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual; ST - Tales of the Dominion War short story: "Safe Harbors")

The compact type-10 shuttlecraft was designed alongside the Defiant-class and two can be held in its shuttle bay.

In the later 24th century, the Defiant-class was slated to continue production at the ASDB Integration Facility at Antares Fleet Yards shipyards, on Antares IV. (DS9 reference: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine dedication plaque)

Like other Federation and starfleet ship designs, the Defiant-class was fitted with intercooler systems to cool the warp and impulse engines and the power transfer grid. The plasma intercooler was fitted with safeties which could be taken offline at the discretion of the ship's chief engineer. Both Miles O'Brien and Nog had performed this action, in order to coax better performance from the engines, aboard the USS Defiant and the USS Valiant, respectively. (DS9 episode: "Valiant")

Known vessels

Incursion type

USS Incursion (NX-74808)

Mirror universe

The following Defiant-class starships were built in the mirror universe.

Appendices

Connections

Starship classes of the Dominion War
Federation Alliance
Federation, Starfleet (and civilian auxiliaries)	Akira • Centaur • *Defiant* • Galaxy • Excelsior • Miranda • Nebula • Norway • Raging Queen • Saber • Sovereign • Federation light cruiser (Constitution variant) • Federation light cruiser (Intrepid variant) • Federation medium cruiser (Excelsior variant) • Federation medium cruiser (Intrepid/Constitution variant)
Klingon Empire, Klingon Defense Force	B'rel • K't'inga • K'vort • Negh'Var • Vor'cha	Romulan Star Empire, Imperial Fleet	D'Deridex • 24th century Romulan shuttle
Dominion forces
Dominion and Jem'Hadar	Jem'Hadar battleship • Jem'Hadar battlecruiser • Jem'Hadar fighter • Jem'Hadar strike cruiser • Jem'Hadar super carrier • Jem'Hadar warship
Cardassian Union, Cardassian Guard (and Obsidian Order)	Galor • Groumall • Hideki • Keldon	Breen Confederacy	Breen battlecruiser • Breen destroyer • Breen fighter
Other combatants and neutral parties
Bajoran Provisional Government, Bajoran Militia	Bajoran starship • Janitza • Perikian • Bajoran raider • Bajoran transport

Starship classes of the Federation Starfleet
subclass groups	*Akira* (Alita • Armitage • Thunderchild) • *Ambassador* (Alaska • Narendra • Yamaguchi) • *Apollo* (Akula frigate / light cruiser) • *Cardenas* (Buran) • *Chesapeake* (Mongrel) • *Cheyenne* (Dakota • Stargazer) • *Concorde* (Geneva battlecruiser • Presidio) • *Constellation* (Challenger deep space explorer) • Chimera heavy destroyer (Manticore) • *Constitution* (Achernar • Bonhomme Richard • Tikopai • Enterprise • Exeter • Excalibur • Vesper • Kirk • *Crossfield* (Glenn • 32nd century refit) • *Danube* (Yellowstone) • *Decatur* (Dreadnought) • *Defiant* (Gallant • Incursion • Nachthexen • Sao Paulo • Valiant • Vigilant escort) • *Dervish* (Gryphon • Hermes escort • Maelstrom • Tempest) • *Destiny* (Nimbus • Oracle • Trident) • *Engle* (Earhart) • *Excelsior* (Bismarck • Curry • Kirov • New Jersey • Resolute) • *Galaxy* (Andromeda (25th century) • Celestial • Envoy • Galaxy X • Monarch cruiser • Ross • Venture cruiser • Yamato dreadnought) • Hermes scout (Cygnus • Monoceros) • *Inquiry* (Avenger battlecruiser • Arbiter) • *Hoover* (Edison) • *Intrepid* (Bellerophon • Cochrane science vessel • Discovery (25th century) • Janeway • Pathfinder • Trailblazer • Yeager) • *Kumari* (Charal • Khyzon) • *Luna* (Comet • Polaris • Sol • Titan) • *Magee* (Shran (escort)) • *Malachowski* (Helios (tug)) • *Miranda* (Anton • Reliant • Soyuz) • *Merian* (Merian (dreadnought)) • *Nebula* (Magellan) • *New Orleans* (Lafayette) • *Nimitz* (Europa) • *Norway* (Oslo) • *Nova* (Aurora • Quasar • Rhode Island) • NX (Columbia • Poseidon) • *Oberth* (Clarke • Gagarin (23rd century) • Grissom • Sagan) • *Odyssey* (Verity • Yorktown (cruiser)) • *Olympic* (Hope • Horizon science vessel) • *Prometheus* (Cerberus • Hephaestus • Hestia • Phoenix) • *Ptolemy* (Dollond • Doppler • Keppler) • *Remora* (Charger) • *Saladin* (Cochise • Siva) • *Santa Fe* (Newport) • *Saber* (Gladius • Rapier • Ushaan) • *Sentinel* (Emissary • Nomad cruiser • Vanguard) • *Shepard* (Gagarin (25th century)) • *Solanae* (Helios • Montgomery • Omega) • *Sovereign* (Archon • Imperial • Majestic • Noble cruiser • Regent) • *Steamrunner* (Appalachia • Zephyr) • *Vesta* (Aventine • Rademaker) • *Walker* (Georgiou • Shenzhou ) • *Wells* (Eternal • Ouroboros • Verne)
other named classes	AA class • Aakenn • Achilles • Advance • Aegian • Aeolus • Aerie • Akula destroyer / escort • Ambassador Hardin • Andes • Andor • Andromeda (24th century) • Angelou • Antares • Apache • Aquarius • Archer • Archimedes • Ark Royal • Ariel • Ascendant • Atrox • Avenger (scout) • Babcock • Bader • Baker • Baton Rouge • Berena • Bode • Bolarus • Bonaventure • Bradbury • Brenton • California • Canada • Canopus • Capella • Castor • Centaur • Centaurus • Ceres • Cestus • Challenger • Chandley • Chariot • Chimer • Chimera fast frigate • Christopher • Clarke (25th century) • Cle Dan • Cochrane transport • Columbia • Condor (raider) • Continent • Contortrix • Copernicus • Courage • Daedalus • Dauntless • Decker • Defender • Delta • D'Kyr • Deneva • Derf • Drexler • Durrett • Eagle • Eclipse • Edward • Einstein • Eisenberg • El Dorado • future Enterprise • Epoch • Epsilon • Erewon • Eternal • Federation • Fenlon • Fermi • Fiji • Freedom • Friendship • Frontier • Gagarin (24th century) • Galen • Gallant • Ganges • Geneva • Genser • Graceful • Grayson • Griffon • Guardian • Gemini • Hale • Hermes fast cruiser • Heston • Hogan • Hokule'a • Horizon cruiser • Icarus • Ilthirin • Indomitable • Intrepid (22nd century) • Iowa • Istanbul • Iwo Jima • Class J • Jupiter • Karekh • Keith • Kethkin • Kiev • K'Kmarak • Kolm-An • Korolev • Larson • Lauro • Laweya • Legacy • Lenthal • Lexington • Liberty • Loki • Loknar • London • Madison • Makin • Mann • Marklin • Mars • Marshall • M'Benga • Mediterranean • Merced • Mercury (courier) • Mercury (escort) • Mercury (scout) • Merian • Merian (dreadnought) • Messier • Meteor • Midway • Mission • Missouri • Mobulai • MoKal • Moscow • Mulciber• Narcine • Nautilus • Nelson • Niagara • Noble laboratory vessel • Nomad escort • Northampton • Oberon • Odin • Odysseus • Okinawa • Oppenheimer • Orion • Osaka • Overfield • Paladin battlecruiser • Paladin destroyer • Parliament • Paladin (24th century) • Perseus • Pioneer • Phalanx • Phantom • Philadelphia • Pinnacle • Piper • Pollux • Portsmith • Pralim • Premonition • Protostar • Proxima • Pyotr Velikiy • Pyrenees • Rakota • Ranger battlecruiser • Ranger explorer • Ranger scout • Renaissance • Rickenbacker • Rigel • Rochester • Royal Sovereign • Sagittarius • Samson • Saturn • Sawyer • Scorpio • Scryer • Scylla • Sequoia • Sevaijen • ShiKahr • Sierra • Solar • Springfield • Sulek • Surak • Sydney • Tangent • Theophrastus • Thomas Paine • Thucydides • Thufir • Tiberius • Ticonderoga • Universe •Theseus • Tripper • Tritium • Typhon • Typhoon • Ukora • Ulysses • Ural • Utah • Venture scout • Vigilant scout • Voyager • Wallenberg • Wambundu • Wei-Fa • Wellington • Wilkerson • Wizard • Yamato • Yorkshire • Yorktown • Zodiac • unnamed
general type	Defiant pathfinder • Raging Queen • Sun Tzu • Valley Forge • Federation assault ship • Federation battleship • Federation cargo ship • Federation colony ship • Federation construction ship • Federation cruiser • deep galaxy ship • Federation dreadnought • Federation freighter • Federation frigate • Federation galaxy ship • Federation holoship • Federation heavy cruiser (2380s heavy cruiser) • Federation light cruiser (Constitution-variant light cruiser • Intrepid-variant light cruiser) • Federation medium cruiser (Excelsior-variant medium cruiser) • Federation mining freighter • Federation repair ship • Starfleet tanker

Background

The USS Defiant first appeared in canon in DS9 episode: "The Search".

Apocrypha

The ebook Dominion War Sourcebook: The Fires of Armageddon from Last Unicorn Games released after they had lost their Star Trek license mentions additional ships USS Victorious (NCC-66012) and USS Nemesis (NCC-72495).

Several more previously unheard-of ships of this class were described in unused code that can be decompiled from the software of the video game Legacy. These vessels include the USS MacGoohan, USS Portmeirion, USS Drake, USS Harmony and USS Grainer.

External links

Defiant class article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
class Defiant class article at The Star Trek Online Wiki.

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki