K ' t ' inga class The " K ' t ' inga " - class battle cruiser was a primary class of warship in service with the Klingon Imperial Fleet in the late 23rd century and with the Klingon Defense Force in the mid - to - late 24th century . History . Introduced in the early 2270s , the " K ' t ' inga " - class cruiser was considered one of the most powerful warship s in the Klingon Defense Force s , even serving as a flagship of the Imperial Fleet for a time during the 2290s . ( ; ) " K ' t ' inga " - class cruisers were in service as early as the 2270s , when the Epsilon IX station recorded the destruction of three " K ' t ' inga " - class vessels by the " V ' ger " entity . ( ) Starfleet ' s interest in the " K ' t ' inga " - class cruiser was such that in 2285 , the class of ship appeared in the Kobayashi Maru training scenario at Starfleet Academy . ( ) For nearly a century , the " K ' t ' inga " - class cruiser proved to be a rugged , sturdy design that saw continuous use . In that aspect they were much like their Federation counterparts the and starship s , whose usefulness outlived contemporaries such as the cruiser . With marked improvements , these warships saw continuous use as front - line and border patrol ships throughout the Second Klingon - Federation War and the Dominion War of the early - 2370s . ( ) They were not always the ship of choice for all missions , however , as more agile craft like the Klingon Bird - of - Prey were better suited for some tasks . ( ) Technical data . The " K ' t ' inga " - class cruiser was one of the most advanced and versatile warships in the Klingon Imperial Fleet . Although the tactical effectiveness of the K ' t ' inga relative to other ships was never firmly established in true canon , it was capable of challenging a " Constitution " class cruiser without fear ( ) , threatening an " Excelsior " class cruiser in a stand - off situation , and in small numbers it could inflict severe damage on an " Excelsior " class cruiser ( ) . Physical arrangement . The outboard plan of the " K ' t ' inga " design incorporated the same basic shape and classic design lineage dating back over one hundred years to the D5 class battle cruiser . ( , " et al . " ) The " K ' t ' inga " - cruiser was a direct offshoot in design - lineage from the venerable D7 class battle cruiser introduced sometime prior to 2267 . ( , " et al . " ) The bulk of the ship ' s overall mass was incorporated in the aft section of the ship . The bridge module was located on a bulbous forward section , which was separated from the aft section by a relatively thin connective section that attached to and flared into the aft section . Located on the caudal section of the ship were the ship ' s impulse engine s . Jutting from below the port and starboard side of the ship ' s aft section were the ship ' s warp nacelle s . Aside from possessing a slightly sleeker shape and contour than its D7 - class predecessor , the most notable design variations between the two classes included a less bulbous forward section , a larger bridge dome , differently - designed warp nacelles , and more extensive external hull plating . ( , " et al . " ) Tactical systems . The weapon systems aboard the " K ' t ' inga " - class cruisers have included phaser s , disruptor s , photon torpedo launchers , and concussive charge s . ( ; ; ; ) The torpedo launchers included one torpedo tube in the forward section , and one aft . The forward torpedo bay was located below the bridge , in the foremost part of the ship , while the aft torpedo bay was located between the impulse engines . During the arming sequence , the interior perimeter of the torpedo tube area glowed a bright red until the torpedo or torpedoes were fired . ( ; ; ) This class of ship was also equipped with two forward mounted phasers . ( ) This phaser and torpedo weaponry was considered state of the art during the 2290s . They were no match for a starship of the 2360s , but were , however , more than a match for any weakly - defended colony or outpost at the time . ( ) By the late 24th century , " K ' t ' inga " - class battle cruisers had been retrofit ted to keep up with the advances of technology . In the 2370s , their forward torpedo launchers included a powerful disruptor emitter , allowing these vessels to remain formidable adversaries . ( ) Cloaking device . These vessels also had incorporated , like many Klingon starships of the time , a cloaking device , which hid them from detection in most evasive situations . ( ; ) " K ' t ' inga " - class cruisers underwent several cloak upgrades during their years of service . Those cruisers equipped with cloaks installed prior to 2290 were known for the particular weakness of not being 100 % efficient at blocking gamma radiation . ( ) Propulsion systems . The warp drive of the " K ' t ' inga " - class enabled it to reach the speed of warp 5 . ( ) During an encounter between the and the , " Enterprise " chief engineer Geordi La Forge figured that the " Enterprise " could probably knock out the " T ' Ong " s warp engines without damaging the rest of the ship , as a means of disabling the vessel . ( ) Additional systems . Some " K ' t ' inga " - class cruisers were equipped with cryonic technology , which allowed crews of the late 23rd century to be placed in cryogenic sleep for long voyages . ( ) Interior design . The primary color scheme aboard " K ' t ' inga " - class cruisers was distinctively earth - tone colors , such as beige and gray . In contrast to the corridors found aboard contemporary vessels , such as the Bird - of - Prey , these vessels were considerably spacious in size . ( ) Main bridge . The configuration of the darkened main bridge design of the " K ' t ' inga " - class cruiser set the tone for many of the later Klingon bridge layouts , including the later Bird - of - Prey and cruisers . The main bridge was located at the top portion of the forward section of the vessel . Located in the front of the bridge , against the forward bulkhead , was the ship ' s main viewscreen , used by the ship ' s captain . Featured in the center of the bridge , on a raised platform , directly behind the viewscreen was the command chair , which had the ability to swivel 360 degrees . This positioning provided the commanding officer an unobstructed view of the screen , as well as allowed the commander to visually monitor all bridge operations . Directly behind the command chair were two manned consoles . The port side position had control over the viewscreen display and could take the ship into evasive maneuvers ( as with helm control on a ship . Lastly , at the rear of the bridge were two pivoting weapons targeting stations , which contained the ship ' s targeting systems . ( ) An alternate bridge style was also used on ships by the early 2360s . It featured the captain ' s chair at the back of a smokey and dimly lit bridge with banners of the Federation and Klingon Empire on the rear wall . ( ) Transporter room . The transporter room aboard a " K ' t ' inga " - class cruiser contained five transporter pads , arranged linearly . At an angle , and to the right of the pads , was the transporter control console , with an operator ' s chair ; to the left was the doorway . ( ) Stateroom . The stateroom aboard the " Kronos One " was the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon ' s private dining and conference room . This room featured a large transparent pedestal - table , with an overhead chandelier , set on a raised platform with surrounding chairs . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Origins . In the " " script , written by Harold Livingston , entitled " In Thy Image " , the three Klingon warships were identified as " Koro " - class . They were later changed to " K ' t ' inga " - class in Gene Roddenberry ' s novelization of " " . Although this designation was never referenced in any on - screen displays or dialogue , it was adopted by the , where it was referred to as a " conjectural designation . " Nevertheless , the designation had been recognized by the production staff as this design ' s name . This class might possibly have been named after the star K ' t ' inga . Interior . In the words of " The Motion Picture " s special photographic effects director , Douglas Trumbull , the Klingon battle cruiser interior should look like " an enemy submarine in World War II that ' s been out at sea for too long . " ( " " ) Probert recalled , " " Doug wanted something like the interior of a Japanese submarine ; he wanted a bridge suspended between big shock - absorbing supports , with mechanically operating stations for the crewmen . For my own guidance , I worked up a sketch showing the orientation of the bridge within the shape of the ship . I came up with a design that apparently everybody was happy with , and Doug brought in an art director for the construction of the Klingon bridge - who added some outstanding ideas of his own . In my humble opinion , the Klingon bridge is the most exciting set in the movie . " " ( " " , No . 32 , March 1980 , p . 63 ) The movies " Star Trek : The Motion Picture " and " Star Trek : The Undiscovered Country " both heavily featured the interior of the " K ' t ' inga " - class cruiser – the only glimpses we ' ve had into one of the oldest , yet most unexplored designs featured on " Star Trek " . " Technical Manual " . The following information of specifications and defenses comes exclusively from the " " : Inconsistencies . The " K ' t ' inga " - class studio model that appeared in was incorrectly identified as a " D7 class cruiser " in the dialogue . According to writer Mike Sussman , he had assumed the D7 studio model created for was going to be used in the episode . In post production , the special effects staff instead used a low resolution CGI model of a " K ' t ' inga " - class to represent the ship in the story , rather than the D7 model , as described . Sussman stated that if he had known that the " K ' t ' inga " model was going to used , he would have ( re ) written the script so as to avoid this discrepancy . For more information on that particular vessel , see Kohlar ' s battle cruiser . The same low - resolution CGI " K ' t ' inga " - class model was later used as an alternative to the " D4 - class " model that was designed to appear in , nearly 120 years before the original appearance of the vessel . For more information on that vessel and model , see Vorok ' s battle cruiser .