Battlecrusier’s in the Star Trek Universe? Surely not! Well get ready as today we’ll
be telling you all about a battle cruiser in the Star Trek universe!
and no... this isnt a love letter to the defiant. Regardless of Adam...
The Avenger-class Battlecruiser, a ship designed by Starfleet to be a war horse
rather than a ship of peaceful exploration. See ? the Defiant isnt the only one...
Welcome to Trek Central! I’m your host, LT.Adam, and let’s get into it!
We’ll be talking about the USS Avenger and specifically the Avenger-class Starships. Now,
these ships ONLY exist in the video game Star Trek: Online. As such,
they are not considered the main Star Trek canon, thus the lore and details we talk about
won’t apply to that and should be considered extended canon for the sake of continuity.
Now will all the gate keepers please kindly
line up outside the nearest air lock and i will be with you in a moment.
Before we warp into this video, If you want to keep up to date on all the latest Star Trek news,
lore and more, then make sure to hit that subscribe button
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Okay, ENGAGE !
Officially commissioned in 2408, but not launched until 2409, the Avenger-class was
Starfleet’s response to rising tensions with the Klingon Empire, as well as other threats
that threatened the safety and security of the United Federation of Planets. This time,
the organisation was determined to be ready and thus the Avenger-class Starship was designed.
Coming in at 425 metres, with a crew complement of 430, Starfleet did not
mess around in designing a dedicated Battlecruiser. It was going to be huge !
The Starfleet Inquiry-class cruiser would provide a much-needed foundation
for the new Battlecruiser. The ship's tough hull and no-nonsense approach
to tactical abilities and taking hits was the perfect solution to
serve as a template for the next phase of Starfleet development.
The Avenger class was noted as being overpowered for its size, as such,
it needed reinforced nacelle struts to protect the main EPS
conduits and provide enough circuit length to account for proper degradation ratios
between main systems. Such ship systems include engines, weapons and shields.
Big ship... Big wheels... BIG Suspension,
Warp Core wise, the class would make use of a Rapid-pulse matter/anti-matter warp core that
utilised a higher density plasma output than your traditional Starfleet Warp Cores. However,
this came at a risk. Due to the speed of the damn thing, it would make the Warp-core
more volatile overall. As such, the Avenger class could be compared to a walking bomb.
Thats a scary image...
Weapons of the Avenger class featured multiple Mark XII Phaser arrays,
while also complemented with heavy phasers cannons. These types of phaser cannons were
previously seen onboard the USS Defiant decades earlier. An Aft-phaser turret
was installed on the Avenger-class to make sure the ship could be firing at all angles.
Torpedo-wise, the Avenger-class would carry your typical Starfleet torpedo
complement like Quantum Torpedoes, but it had a hidden trick up its sleeve. The
starship could deploy a ship-killer warhead, known as the Variable Auto-targeting Armament.
Abbreviated as the V.A.T.A. This torpedo employed miniature targeting sensors and
ECCM arrays to increase the warhead's survivability en route to its target.
Think of a Quantum torpedo on a HUGE scale that can dodge things...
The mounting for the V.A.T.A was located right below the starship's main deflector dish. It would
seem Starfleet chose to keep the main deflector in the traditional placement, rather than
somewhere more silly and pointless like built into the massive detachable warhead.
While still exposed, it does appear the Main Deflector Array is more reinforced now.
While focused on outputting damage, the Avenger-class can withstand a fair few
hits due to the impressive defensive systems onboard. Making use of ablative
armour which can deploy during combat around the critical starship systems.
The avenger also makes use of auxiliary shielding and structural integrity fields.
Because without them everyone would be custard...
Using these auxiliary defence systems allows the Avenger-class to take more hits than some might
expect of it. Essentially taking quite a beating before becoming combat ineffective. Combined
with the impressive speed and manoeuvrability of the battlecruiser makes it even more impressive.
In terms of additional systems, the actual USS Avenger is noted as having a cloaking
device installed. While Starfleet’s use of Stealth Technology still remains a
controversial subject, the ship is allowed to use it thanks to the fall of the Romulan Star
Empire. Thus this makes the Treaty of Algeron ineffective. Essentially legalising the use of
cloaking devices on Federation Starships, as determined by the Starfleet Admiralty.
The closing of the 24th Century saw major events taking place in the Star Trek Universe. Following
Shinzon’s coup of the Romulan Star Empire and an open war kicking off between the United Federation
of Planets and the Klingon Empire. Once again Starfleet and the Federation were forced to
look at the Starfleet once again and adapt to the new threats and the changing environments.
With the dissolution of the Khitomer Accords in 2399, Federation and Starfleet officials knew
that meeting the Klingon Empire in battle was only a matter of when not if. As such,
both the Federation and Starfleet were determined to be ready and ensure that victory was theirs.
However, before the new Starfleet Battlecruiser would be born,
there was a predecessor that would lay the groundwork for the next step. This was
of course the Inquiry-class Batrlecrusier. Some Inquiry-classes still served in
Starfleet around 2409-2410, having been upgraded to what would be the next ship.
Launched in 2409, the Avenger class was designed by the Starfleet Corps
of Engineers to compete with the smaller more agile vessels of the Klingon Empire.
Specifically the battlecruisers of the Klingon Defence Force. The emphasis was
more on warfare rather than the typical mission of exploration that Starfleet would focus on.
The USS Avenger would be the first ship launched, leading the charge and still
in operation by 2410. With the launch of the USS Avenger and Starfleet’s introduction of
the class, it would spark a minor arms race between Starfleet and the KDF Engineers.
As such, the Klingon Empire introduced a similar Mogh-class Battlecruiser to their
fleet. All of this, a short while after the Avenger class launched.
Typically the USS Avenger would find itself assigned to Earth Spacedock,
as the class representative. However, during Operation: Delta Rising,
the USS avenger under the command of Captain Brandon Felzcer came to the
rescue of a shuttlecraft. The Avenger and her crew aided the shuttlecraft,
which had fallen into a trap laid by enemies of the Delta Alliance in the Hodos Star System.
Presumably they had trouble keeping the door
closed against the hordes of screaming... oh... nevermind...
Multiple Avenger-class starships were eventually commissioned and
launched in response to the outbreak of the Federation Klingon war once again. As many
as 9 Avenger-class starships are known at this point. These starships include the USS Avenger,
the USS Bellipotent, USS Justicar and the USS Phinda. Additionally, a subclass of the vessel
was launched known as the Arbiter-class, but we’ll talk about that another time.
Following the 2410 Undine Attack on the Sol System and Earth Space Dock, the USS Bellipotent
would find itself docked inside of Earth Space Dock, along with the USS Avenger.
Thus the ships remain on standby to assist in the defence of Earth. Additionally, the
USS Justicar was stationed in Earth Spacedock in 2411, after the shattering of the Klingon Empire.
The Avenger-class USS Phinda was stationed at Deep Space 9 in 2409. While the International
Conference on the Borg was happening, the USS Phinda found itself defending Deep Space 9
and evacuation shuttles following 2800 Jem-Hadar Warships from the Bajoran Wormhole. Thankfully the
ship was rescued by another starship, captained by a hero of the system and thus escaped.
As the Undine situation escalated, the USS Phinda joined the expedition
into Fluidic Space, which was led by Rear Admiral Tuvok. The plan
was to investigate an upswing Undine activity and see what was going on.
By 2411, the Avenger-class was in the process of being succeeded by a new
sub-class vessel known as the Arbiter-class starship. It was designed in response to
the incoming Iconia Empire battles. The design for the Arbity was based on the Avenger-class
design. All these designs for responses to the Iconian War were designed by the Alpha Quadrant
Alliance. Only one known Arbiter-class is known, which is the titular starship.
Of course, the Avenger–class is only featured in Star Trek: Online,
the MMO video game that is on PC and console. While some Star Trek Online starships have made
their way into on-screen Trek via Star Trek: Picard, the Avenger remains in-game right
now. Hopefully, in the future, we might see this class out and about. Wishful thinking.
So we mentioned the actual ship does only appear in the Delta Rising mission by a
random event. Additionally, the Captain of the starship is an actual reference to
the former community manager of Perfect World, publisher of Star Trek: Online.
Brandon Felzer recorded a cameo as the captain before leaving Perfect World in 2014. Thus this
marks the only appearance of the USS Avenger to date in Star Trek Online. He has since left the
company, therefore the chances of seeing Captain Felzer in-game anytime soon are rather slim.
Designing the Starfleet Battlecruiser was a challenging task for the team at Star Trek
Online. In order to start along the right path, they looked at using canonical designs
such as the Akira-class, Defiant-class and the Sovereign-class starships. Additionally,
the team also looked at submissions from the 2011 fan contest which was Design The Next Enterprise.
Of course, the same contest brought to life the USS Enterprise-F, an Odyssey-class starship. Now
the team did find a design by Corey Calloway that had a very unique design feeling to it.
Described as brutalist, it did not meet the requirements for being an Enterprise,
however, it did inspire the team to think about Starfleet Battlecruisers.
The design of the Avenger class actually takes inspiration from the USS Prometheus,
especially for the saucer section. This ship has been seen in Star Trek:
Voyager. STO’s Adam Gibson, who modelled the Avenger described it as a gunship. Adam also
noted that designing the Avenger was a very big challenge. Notably due to the
fact they changed from elegant sweeping lines and moving it to a combat style.
The Avenger-class was designed to look aggressive, but still, have that traditional Starfleet feel
to it. The team noted that this required a constant push and pull when designing the ship
during the concept phase of the design. Even though it was designed to be a battlecruiser,
the fact it was a Starfleet vessel limited the team from going full combat mode with it.
We can see the comparisons between the Odyssey-class and the Akira-class with
the Avenger-class design. The team made use of the Akira’s protected bridge section
and the Odyssey’s split neck and saucer/hull integration. In terms of hull plating designs,
the team went with the high-contrast look that Star Trek Online starships have become known for.
Focusing on the combat look, the design team made sure that the weapon's hard points were notable
visible on the external hull. Additionally, making the windows of the starship inset to
give them a protected and reinforced look. The neck of the starship was designed to be
thicker, thus making the Avenger-class look chunkier and ready for combat.
As mentioned earlier, the USS Avenger and its Avenger class only exist in the Star Trek:
Online storyline. Which has significantly diverged from the main on-screen Star Trek canon
we are seeing through the likes of Star Trek: Picard right now. However,
some ships such as the Ross-class have made their way into Picard Season 2.
The Avenger-class can be flown in Star Trek: Online as a Tier 5 Battlecruiser. Currently,
the ship is purchasable via the in-game Zen store for 2,500 Credits. Its official name
is “Avenger Federation Battle Cruiser.” However,
if you want to physically get your hands on an Avenger-class starship,
the Hero Collector released it as Issue #11 of the Star Trek: Online Official Starships Collection.
AND JUST FOR MOMENT THERE... I THOUGHT IT MEANT FOR REAL AS WELL...
I feel your pain.
So, what did you think of the Avenger-class Starship? Would
you captain this ship in the Star Trek Universe? Let us know what you think in the comments below,
because if you’re talking about Star Trek, then we want to hear about it!
If you want to keep up to date on all the latest Star Trek news, lore and more,
then make sure to hit that subscribe button to never miss a video from the team here at
Trek Central! You can also follow us on social media, or join our Community Discord Server!
For now, I’ve been LT.Adam,
thanks for watching and we’ll see you next time! Live Long and prosper my friends!