The USS Defiant (NX-74205)

For the article on the original Starfleet vessel Defiant, please see USS Defiant (NCC-1764)

The USS Defiant (NX-74205) is the lead ship of an experimental class of starship design in the Star Trek fictional universe. It was featured in the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as well as the feature film Star Trek: First Contact. The ship first appeared in the Deep Space Nine episode "The Search, Part I," after which it continued to play a significant role through the rest of the series.

This ship was reportedly named after the Constitution class starship USS Defiant (NCC-1764) from The Original Series.

Type: Escort

Length: 170.68 meters

Beam: 134.11 meters

Height: 30.1 meters

Mass: 355,000 metric tonnes

Armament: 4 class 1 rapid fire phaser pulse cannon
1 Type X phaser bank, total output 70,000 terawatts<bt> 3 pulse fire quantum torpedo tube
1 probe/photon equivalent to standard photon torpedo tube plus 120 torpedoes

The Defiant was a prototype vessel for the Defiant class of warships, originally developed to counter the threat of the Borg. Following the Borg invasion of 2366–2367 the Federation approved a project committed to enhancing the strength of Starfleet's offensive and defensive military capabilities. Benjamin Sisko was assigned to Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards to oversee the project after the Battle of Wolf 359.

Designed to be fast, highly maneuverable, and have extremely powerful weaponry, the ship's warp engine was almost too powerful and needed extensive work done to keep it from tearing the ship apart. The ship was designed specifically for the task of battle, and was relatively spartan by Starfleet standards of the time. The ship was not designed to carry family members, had no science labs, and had a limited infirmary.

Additionally, the Defiant was the first Starfleet ship to legally carry a cloaking device. Supplied by the Romulan government, it was meant to be operated by an agent of that government for the crew of the ship. Primarily, the cloak would only be used in the Gamma Quadrant, but the cloaking device also ended up being used (illegally) in the Alpha Quadrant.

After failed systems tests on the original pathfinder the project was scrapped in 2368 with the prototype mothballed until first contact with the Jem'Hadar (the shock troops of the Dominion) in 2370. The following year the prototype was launched under the command of Benjamin Sisko and stationed at Deep Space Nine. It allowed the crew of DS9 to travel faster and farther and with more firepower than they could with the Danube-class runabouts that had originally been supplied to the station.

In 2373, the Defiant played a crucial role in the Battle of Sector 001, but was facing destruction by the Borg before the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard arrived and was successful at leading the remaining Federation vessels to destroy the Borg Cube. During the battle the Defiant was under the command of Lieutenant Commander Worf.

The Defiant was destroyed in early 2375 by the Breen during the invasion of the Chin'toka system. During the planning of the invasion of Cardassia some months later, a new Defiant class starship, the USS São Paulo (NCC-75633) was stationed at Deep Space Nine. At Captain Sisko's request the São Paulo was renamed Defiant for the invasion.

External links

• USS Defiant (NX-74205) (http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/index.php/USS_Defiant_(NX-74205)) at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek WikiWiki.
• USS Defiant (NCC-75633) (http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/index.php/USS_Defiant_(NCC-75633)) at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek WikiWiki.
• Maximum Defiant (http://www.maximumdefiant.net/)