- For other uses, see Valiant.
- "...it was a good ship, with a good crew, that made a mistake."
- —Nog, 2374[src]
The USS Valiant (NCC-74210) was a Federation Defiant-class escort starship in Starfleet service in the 24th century. This ship was in active service around the Dominion War of the 2370s, and was one of a number of vessels bearing this name of numerous vessels from history, all named for the common meaning of the term "valiant". (DS9 video game: Dominion Wars) The Valiant was launched from the Antares Ship Yards in 2372 (on stardate 49456.5). It was assigned as a training ship for the elite cadet corps Red Squad under the command of Captain Ramirez.
History
In late-2373, the Valiant began a three month training cruise mission to circumnavigate the entire Federation before returning home. The plan was for the cadets to run the ship while the officers aboard observed and critiqued their performance.
The Valiant was assigned as a training ship for the elite cadet corps Red Squad. During the training cruise mission, the ship was transiting the Kepla sector when the Dominion War broke out and the ship was trapped behind enemy lines. During the attempt to return to Federation territory, the Valiant was attacked by a Cardassian battle cruiser near El-Gatark and all the regular officers, including Captain Ramirez, were killed or critically wounded, leaving the cadets in command. The Valiant lost main power and was adrift; fortunately, the Cardassian cruiser was no better off. The cadets got weapons and impulse engines back on-line within three hours, and were able to destroy that cruiser. The next day, just before Ramirez died, he appointed Cadet Tim Watters to take command of the Valiant.
Early in the war, Starfleet ordered the Valiant to track and collect technical data on a previously unidentified Jem'Hadar battleship that was believed to be operating in the area. However, because the Valiant was operating under complete radio silence and limited to a speed of warp 3.2, Starfleet was unaware that the ship's officers were dead, and Watters decided to undertake the mission.
Around Stardate 51825, the Valiant rescued Jake Sisko and Ensign Nog from the runabout Shenandoah, which was fleeing from a Jem'Hadar attack on Starbase 257. Nog assisted the Valiant's crew in repairing their warp drive, and the ship finally managed to catch up to the Dominion battleship and obtain detailed intelligence concerning the enemy's capabilities.
The plan to attack a certain section of the Dominion ship failed to destroy the vessel, which launched its powerful weapons against the Valiant. Jake Sisko, Nog and Dorian Collins were able to escape the Valiant before it was destroyed.
Captain Watters' overconfidence, however, proved to be the Valiant's undoing. Rather than returning the valuable information to Starfleet, Watters decided to attempt to destroy the battleship by exploiting a perceived flaw in her construction. Vastly outgunned, the Valiant was quickly devastated after an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the enemy's antimatter storage system primary support braces. With Captain Watters and most of the bridge crew killed, Nog gave the order to abandon ship. Two of the four escape pods launched were destroyed by the Jem'Hadar ship, while a third was destroyed when it was unable to clear the exploding Valiant. The remaining pod, containing Jake Sisko, Nog and Dorian Collins, was able to escape the Valiant before it was destroyed and flee the battle area and was eventually recovered by the Valiant's sister ship, the USS Defiant.
Out of a crew of 35 (plus Nog and Jake), only three survived the battle. (DS9 episode: "Valiant")
Dorian Collins, the only member of Red Squad to survive, spent some time thinking about her experiences aboard the Valiant. (DS9 short story: "Dorian's Diary")
Starfleet Academy later established the Valiant commendation, an award named for the Valiant and its crew. (ST reference: Celebrations)
Crew
External link
- USS Valiant (NCC-74210) article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
