Hello all, Ric here looking at the significance of the Klingon Bird of
Prey in a video which is pretty much just going to be me gushing over it for 7 minutes straight.
The B’rel is one of the most iconic vessels of the Klingon Empire, sharing the position perhaps
with the D7 Battle Cruiser and has long been one of my favourite non-starfleet ships. Aside from
their poor security (as they are repeatedly being stolen it seems), they make a strong
addition to the Klingon Defence Force and are one of the longest serving styles of vessel in their
armada. At every period of Klingon spacefaring history, there has been a Bird of Prey in service,
as seen in multiple iterations of Trek. The earliest we see is the Vo’N’Talk Class seen
around the 22nd century and a very similar design to the later ships that would fit the same roll.
The Bird of Prey was an attack vessel, designed along the philosophy of striking with overwhelming
force before pulling back. While not focused on warp speed, they were very manoeuvrable
at impulse which is a good thing as their weaponry was mostly front facing, so they
needed to bring their bow to bear on a target. Generally, the various Birds of Preys are rather
small vessels, however there is a bit of variety here too, but those that were
smaller were capable of atmospheric flight and planetary landing, a feat that larger vessel
cannot accomplish without a significant investment into their structural integrity field.
The typical B’Rel is around 51 metres long and 83 wide, although there were larger versions of this
ship seen. This is partially going to have to be written off as inconsistencies in production,
but there are several different terms given to seemingly identical looking ships, such as
the B’Rel, the K’vort or simply the D12 Class, so along with differing internals and systems,
these could conceivably all relate to different scale versions too.
The general silhouette for the Bird of Prey remains fairly consistent with large wing-like
struts which themselves are positional for several modes. When raised, they are in standard flight
mode, but they can be lowered into an attack mode, or raised above the hull to deploy landing gear.
The reasoning for this positional wing mechanism is not explained, but I have seen several
non-canonical explanations. Well, landing mode is obvious, it just gets the wings out of the way,
but the variation between attack and flight mode is less defined, especially as they can fire or
warp in either position. One explanation is that it alters the power flow, so in attack mode,
energy is routed from the warp drive and that may be the case, but why would you not just design as
system to do that without physically shifting the vessel? Another explanation is that the
warp coils are actually lined throughout the wings, so in order to generate a warp bubble,
they have to raise them to a higher point like Voyager’s Variable Warp Geometry. The inverse
is true for the shields when bringing the wings down, tucking them inside its defensive bubble.
The one most commonly mentioned is that because it is capable of atmospheric flight, the raised
wings are literally to deal with aerodynamics, but then… space. Finally, there’s the suggestions
that it is merely a visible indicator of intent on the Klingon’s part, and considering their culture,
I can see this being so, it’s the spaceship equivalent of cocking the hammer on a revolver.
Much like the Excelsior Class is for the Federation, the Bird of Prey was
continually produced, but refitted with up-to-date technology, keeping the class in
service long after other contemporaries had been set aside for newer builds,
but the length of service of the class does mean that older models are still in circulation,
complete with their outdated gear, such as the one owned by the Duras Sisters. However,
a top of the line B’rel, such as the IKS Rotarran, the flagship of House Martok, was an incredibly
hardy ship that could stand against several Dominion Fighters and return to tell the tale.
The Bird of Prey is also a great exemplar of Klingon technology and their philosophy of combat.
As mentioned, everything is forwards facing, with the occasional exception of a 360 degree turret,
but the most prominent weapons are the main photon torpedo launcher, and twin disruptor canons. These
canons are incredibly powerful, although far less adaptable than say a Federation phaser.
Their impulse engines are prominent and comparatively large for the ship of its size,
giving it it’s extreme mobility. When in flight mode, it could cruise at warp 8 and even burn at
9.6 …for about 5 minutes, keeping pace with even Galaxy Class vessels, which themselves were one of
Starfleet’s beefiest ships in terms of raw power. The addition of widespread cloaking technology
around the mid-23rd century lends itself well to the Bird of Prey’s mission profile, which again,
is to hit hard and fast. Getting a sneak attack critical on an unsuspecting ship is an almost
guaranteed victory for a B’Rel’s captain. The sudden attack, swooping down for a lethal hit
with as little fuss as possible; just like a Bird of Prey. While a single ship can present
a challenge to overcome for a foe, having to deal with its rapid movement and hard hitting
attack runs, the real danger is when there is more than one. In this scenario, it’s akin to
a pack of wolves on a hunt, circling their prey and viciously striking before retreating under
the cover of their allies, maybe even getting a chance to cloak and repeat their initial ambush.
Over the generations, many modifications have been made to the Bird of Prey and its varieties,
and although it is a standardised design, produced by the KDF, many Houses choose to
customise its systems to better suit their personal tactics, leading to an intimate
familiarity with the vessel. While in Starfleet, a Vessel is an assignment for an officer,
with the senior staff often being the only ones stationed on it for the long-haul,
a Bird of Prey can be a work of dedication. It is sometimes produced for a specific house, often
with a specific captain in mind and therefore tailored for that Klingon. The captain has the
final say on who gets to serve on their vessel, and with a crew of only 12 to 24, these ships
tend to produce tight-knit communities, where every officer has to pull their weight. A Bird of
Prey ends up being an extension of its captain and crew, a representative of that Klingon’s
House and their allies, and in my opinion, a character in its own right. Funnily enough,
in the times where we have seen them fall into the hands of non-Klingons, such as Dukat or Kirk,
that tighter-knit atmosphere seems to come to the fore and I think it’s more than coincidence.
In many ways, the B’rel was the Defiant-Class, before the Defiant was cool.
Actually, seriously, the Defiant has a lot in common with the Bird of Prey come to think of it,
like Starfleet looked at the Klingons and went, “Yeah… we’re just gonna do that.”
Thanks for watching this breakdown on the significance of the Klingon Bird of Prey.
It’s one of my favourite starships from Trek, right up there with the D’Deridex and Excelsior.
I’ve been Ric and I’ll see you next time for another video. Thanks again and goodbye!