"Hang on!"
"Well done ensign."
In response to the disastrous Battle of Wolf 359, the Federation started work
on new ships to defend against the superior force that was the Borg.
First among these new designs was the Defiant class, a small but extremely powerful vessel
with none of the luxuries or science labs that Starfleet vessels were ordinarily equipped with.
In essence, it was Starfleet's first dedicated warship.
During shakedown, it was discovered the vessel
could barely contain the power generated by its own engines.
This, combined with the diminishing presence of the Borg,
meant that Starfleet shelved the project.
It wasn't until the threat of the Dominion that the vessel was given a second chance.
Unlike other starfleet vessels the Defiant class did away with the
customary saucer, engineering, and nacelle layouts in favor of a lean, almost single part body.
The swept back nacelles combined with the hulls subtle teardrop shape
and the protruding deflector dish gave the whole craft a sense of speed and purpose.
Breaking from the standard Starfleet vessel design towards a compact and concise form
exemplified the shift in design philosophy required for a warship.
This pattern of simple practicality continued internally;
hallways were narrow,
crew quarters were spartan and had double bunks,
transporter pads were compact,
mess halls were grim looking,
and the bridge in engineering had the bare minimum to function.
It was a utilitarian ship and everything about the design supported that.
A set of forward-facing phaser cannons made up the primary armament of the class.
These differed from standard phasers by firing a volley of projectiles that were
much more devastating on impact, at the cost of significantly limiting the range.
To make up for these shortfalls, a number of standard phaser emitters were also installed.
Torpedo launchers were mounted in the shoulders and aft of the main hull.
These were capable of firing both standard photon torpedoes,
and advanced quantum torpedoes, as well as various scientific probes.
Mines could also be deployed from the ventral surface,
but it is not clear exactly what they were deployed from.
Standard deflector shields were the main defensive system on board,
but the class had a number of design features to further improve survivability.
Its high maneuverability and small size
drastically decreased the probability of being hit,
and the almost total lack of windows and inset bridge reduced the likelihood of serious damage.
The USS Defiant herself also had special ablative armor
designed to disperse incoming energy weapons fire.
This allowed the Defiant to do things other vessels couldn't do;
such as safely dropping shields to use transporters while under fire,
or deploy things that would have been interfered with by the shield.
Another unique feature of the USS Defiant was a cloaking device
loaned to the Federation by the Romulan Empire.
This was in exchange for intelligence on the Gamma Quadrant and the Dominion.
The focus on powerful front-facing weapons meant the Defiant class engaged in dogfights
with similarly sized opponents, and strafing runs against larger targets.
Having supplementary phaser emitters and aft torpedo launchers allowed
continued strikes after a strafing run, or engagements on chasing craft.
These tactics worked especially well in restricted battlefields and against oversized opponents.
The need to close to short range left Defiants vulnerable,
but this was offset by being able to take hits or even completely avoid incoming fire.
However such a strong offensive focus meant the class was vulnerable when taken by surprise
and its small size led to boarding actions being extremely effective.
An experienced crew and captain with familiarity with these issues
was tantamount to getting the most out of the ship.
Sickbay was very small and was only intended for patient stabilization
before moving them to other facilities as needed.
"This ship simply wasn't designed to handle many casualties."
As the prototype of the class, the USS Defiant had a number of unique problems.
After being pressed into service, her overpowered engines meant work
on the structural integrity fields was required, and the Romulan cloak wasn't
strong enough to fully mask the vessel without powering down other systems.
The austere shared crew quarters, and the lack of any recreational facilities on board,
made long-term deployments hard on morale for personnel used to other Starfleet facilities.
This meant key assignments like escort duty were not the favorite of Defiant crews.
When docked the Defiant class was always shown with the deflector dish facing the docking port,
but there was no way for people to move between the craft and what it was docked to.
The Master Systems Display (or MSD) confirms that the
docking mechanism was supposed to be in the nose.
This could have been a retractable docking tunnel under a hatch, but there wasn't one present.
The MSD also shows a set of retractable landing gear, though these are never mentioned or used.
Another oddity was the ventral shuttle bay doors which shared
their position with a tractor beam assembly.
This could be explained by a refit, but there is at least one instance
of a shuttle being launched before that particular tractor beam is shown on screen,
and there are no other visible shuttle bays.
Like many things in visual effects, the scale of the Defiant class changed dramatically.
Sometimes it's comparable to a much larger Vor'cha, sometimes it's dwarfed by a Sovereign.
Some sources say the deflector nose segment could be used as an oversized detachable torpedo
in a last resort situation, but the MSD doesn't support this capability.
The one chance shown on screen to use it, Lieutenant Commander Worf instead opted to
"Prepare for ramming speed!"
Starfleet's first warship was very successful in combat when it had the appropriate support,
and saw deployment as part of fleet actions and smaller battle groups with others of its class.
Against the Borg it took hits that would have completely destroyed older vessels
and survived with heavy damage.
"The Defiant?"
"Adrift but salvageable."
Throughout the Dominion war the class distinguished itself by
playing key roles in a number of engagements.
Though the class was very competent at its intended role in combat, it is far from perfect.
The stark differences between it and typical Starfleet craft, as well as the distinct
strengths and weaknesses, all contribute to the fantastic character present in the ship.
This is epitomized in the line's namesake;
The USS Defiant.
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