Defiant class The " Defiant " - class starship , officially an escort vessel , began development around 2366 as a small , highly - powered , heavily - armed warship intended to defend the against the Borg . The was the prototype of what was to be a new Federation battle fleet . However , the ship had numerous design problems that were made apparent during its shakedown cruise . These flaws , combined with the decreased urgency of the Borg threat , caused Starfleet to table its plans for a battle fleet and put the " Defiant " in storage . The " Defiant " prototype was pulled out of storage in 2371 when the Dominion threat emerged . After several upgrades by Deep Space 9 Operations Chief Miles O ' Brien , the ship was deemed worthy of use and more ships of the class were constructed . ( ; ) History . The " Defiant " - class starship was a heavily - armed , limited - role Starfleet vessel , a " warship " , the first Starfleet ever truly designed . It was developed in response to the Borg threat as originally encountered in 2365 . After initial and hostile first contact with the Borg , Starfleet did what it hadn ' t done in decades , place greater emphasis on Starfleet ' s essential role in the defense of the Federation . Drafting plans for such a defense required a starship ( s ) capable of fighting against the Borg . Further verified after the Federation ' s devastating defeat in the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2367 losing nearly 40 ships and 11 , 000 personnel to a just a single Borg vessel proved Federation was horribly unprepared . With the knowledge that existing weaponry and defenses would be inadequate to meet this threat , it was recognized that a new type of starship was needed to meet the tactical requirements of facing this superior enemy . Shortly after the massacre at Wolf 359 in 2367 , Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Sisko joined the development team at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards . ( ) The USS " Defiant " was the class prototype . It was Starfleet ' s first dedicated combat vessel , and therefore typical luxuries and provisions for families or diplomatic missions were forsaken . Also its science labs or recreational facilities were extremely limited . It was the first and only Federation vessel to be equipped with a Romulan cloaking device . The " Defiant " - class was heavily armored and incorporated the latest in Starfleet weaponry and defensive technology and was equipped with a class - 7 warp drive . The " Defiant " was considerably smaller than most other Federation starships . ( ) The prototype " Defiant " performed poorly on its trial runs . The vessel was overpowered and over - gunned for a ship of its size – so much so that the " Defiant " nearly shook itself apart when the engines were tested at full power . These design flaws , combined with the decreased urgency of the Borg threat , led Starfleet to abandon the project and place the prototype in storage . ( ) The Dominion threat discovered in 2370 led Benjamin Sisko , now the Commander of the station Deep Space 9 , to pull the prototype vessel out of storage . The ship was assigned to his station and it was officially christened that same year on stardate 47538 . 5 . Thanks to the efforts of DS9 ' s chief of operations , Miles O ' Brien many of the original ship ' s design flaws , such as its structural integrity field , were fixed . ( " Defiant " dedication plaque ; ) Starfleet eventually decided to put the " Defiant " - class into full production . By the end of 2373 , there were a significant number of " Defiant " - class ships in operation , and over the next two years they played a vital role in the Dominion War . ( DS9 Season 7 ; ) In 2373 , the USS " Defiant " was given a chance to do what it had been designed for when it participated in the Battle of Sector 001 , where a Federation fleet engaged a single Borg cube on its way to assimilate Earth . As the cube approached Earth , the " Defiant " , under the command of Lieutenant Commander Worf , was disabled by a tractor beam strike after having sustained massive battle damage . With the ship ' s main power and defensive systems offline , Worf prepared to ram it into the Borg cube when the arrived to assist the tattered Federation fleet . As the " Enterprise " entered the battle , the Defiant lost life support after sustaining another hit from the Borg tractor beam , and the survivors were transported onboard the " Enterprise " . Shortly after the Borg cube was destroyed , Captain Picard noted that the " Defiant " , despite being adrift , was salvageable . ( ) The USS " Defiant " was destroyed by a Breen warship in 2375 , during the Second Battle of Chin ' toka . Another " Defiant " - class ship , the , was then assigned to Deep Space 9 . Given the USS " Defiant " s exceptional record under Captain Benjamin Sisko ' s command , the Chief of Starfleet Operations gave a special dispensation to change the ship ' s name to " Defiant " . On this ship , the shield generators were completely reconfigured so that they would not be affected by the Breen ' s energy - dampening weapon . However unlike the original " Defiant " , this ship was not equipped with a cloaking device . This new " Defiant " played a distinguished role in the final battle with the Dominion at Cardassia Prime , and remained stationed at Deep Space 9 by the end of 2375 . ( ) Knowledge of this class was retained well into the 31st century , as demonstrated when Captain Jonathan Archer and Lieutenant Malcolm Reed viewed schematics on the class in the 22nd century while accessing the database belonging to temporal agent . ( ) Technical data . Propulsion systems . The warp core spanned three decks in the aft section of the ship . The class - 7 warp drive was extremely powerful for a ship of this size , and as such , " Defiant " - class vessels put out a warp signature equivalent to much larger starships . ( ) When energy was diverted from the weapons ' ready reserves , a " Defiant " - class ship could achieve the speed of warp 9 . 5 . ( ) The propulsion systems of the " Defiant " - class were overpowered for her size , to the extent that the original configuration would rip the ship in half if run at full power . This flaw contributed to the mothballing of the prototype . Despite this issue being resolved after the prototype was deployed to DS9 , some ships produced later , such as the USS Valiant , still suffered from similar issues . The large power signature of the engines proved taxing for the USS Defiant ' s cloaking device , and remaining concealed initially required stopping and powering down the ship , although this issue was later addressed . ( ) Tactical systems . Phaser cannons . A total of four phaser cannon assemblies were located in forward - facing locations on board " Defiant " - class vessels . The cannons were located above and below the nacelle root attachments on the main body on both port and starboard sides of the ship . ( , " et al . " ) These cannons had a much higher damage output compared to standard phasers . ( ) Phaser beam emitters . The standard phaser beam emitters aboard " Defiant " - class vessels served as a secondary supplement to the primary phaser cannon array . The " Defiant " - class was equipped with at least three emitters : one each forward and aft , as well as one behind the bridge on the dorsal surface . ( ; ) These arrays were included to allow the " Defiant " to engage multiple targets simultaneously , protect against enemies to the rear , and to allow it to perform strafing runs , all of which could not be accomplished by the forward - facing phaser cannons . ( ; ) The " Defiant " - class vessels ' deflector arrays could also be refitted into a makeshift phaser emitter , providing one - shot capability in extreme emergency . The phaser emission was generated by the nose / deflector unit . ( ) Torpedo launchers . " Defiant " - class vessels had a total of six torpedo launchers , four forward and two aft . The four forward launchers were located on the hull just ahead of each of the warp nacelles in dorsal and ventral pairs . ( ) The two aft torpedo launchers were tucked in near the back end of the warp nacelles . ( ) These torpedo launchers allowed the ship to fire both quantum torpedoes and photon torpedoes . ( , etc . ) Deflector shields . The " Defiant " - class was equipped with deflector shields . During the Dominion War , after the destruction of the first USS " Defiant " , the Federation fleet was modified to be immune to Breen energy dampening weapon technology . ( ) Ablative armor . At least one " Defiant " - class vessel , USS " Defiant " NX - 74205 , was equipped with ablative armor . ( ) Cloaking device . A special amendment to the Treaty of Algeron allowed the USS " Defiant " to be fitted with a Romulan cloaking device . ( ) The Romulans loaned and allowed the limited supervised use of at least one cloaking device . Operation of the cloaking device was to be limited to the Gamma Quadrant and in return , the Federation provided the Romulans any and all intelligence collected in the Gamma Quadrant and about the Dominion . ( ) The USS " Defiant " was the only Federation ship to be seen regularly operating a cloaking device . After the " Defiant " was destroyed by the Breen , her replacement , the former USS " Sao Paulo " , was not equipped with a new cloaking device . ( ) Interior design . Due to the militaristic nature of the " Defiant " - class starship , the interior design was the most spartan in Starfleet . The " Defiant " class had four decks . Main bridge . The bridge layout of the " Defiant " was compact , but nonetheless accommodated the familiar engineering , tactical , science , conn , and ops stations . The main bridge acted as the nerve center of the vessel , and the entire module was sunken into a much larger deck 1 than on most Federation starships to provide added protection during combat situations . Access to the bridge was provided by two doorways at the back , located on both port and starboard sides . Just forward of the starboard entryway was the location of the ship ' s dedication plaque , as well as an auxiliary computer access panel . The port side of the bridge housed the engineering and tactical I stations , while the starboard side featured the science and tactical II consoles . Because of its nearly exclusive role as a combat vessel , stations aboard " Defiant " - class vessels were designed with speed in mind . The center of the bridge featured the lone captain ' s chair , which was on a raised platform and had a clear view of all bridge stations , as well as of the main viewscreen . On both sides of the command chair were separate control panels , allowing the occupant access to virtually every system aboard the ship . Between the command chair and the viewscreen was an integrated flight control and operations panel , capable of performing the joint duties of those stations ' larger counterparts on other Federation starships . Like all of the bridge stations on " Defiant " , the conn had been designed for maximum speed and efficiency of commands input by the operator , allowing the craft to be handled almost like a fighter when under the hands of a skilled pilot . The engineering station allowed for a direct link to the impulse and warp engines , as well as monitoring of the other various systems vital to the operation of the ship . This single station was capable of mirroring all the readouts and consoles located in main engineering , allowing the chief engineer or another engineering officer to issue commands from the bridge . Mirroring the engineering station on the port side of the bridge was the science station . Normally occupied by the ship ' s chief science officer , the panels and readouts on this station allowed direct access to the ship ' s sensor systems . Capable of taking high resolution scans of both natural and artificial phenomena , this station played a vital role during reconnaissance missions . Flanking both sides of the viewscreen were two tactical stations , which had primary access to the ship ' s powerful phaser cannons , torpedo launchers and various other special ordnance packages . Working closely with conn , the officers stationed at these consoles were responsible for firing the various weapons aboard " Defiant " - class vessels during combat operations . The purpose of the tactical II station was to lighten the load on its sister station , particularly in battle . Some time after the commission of the " Defiant " - class in 2371 , various aspects of the bridge were redesigned . The captain ' s chair area was redone to remove the fencing and add new consoles , the dedication plaque was moved to the starboard door area , and additional consoles were added to the side stations and the rear wall . ( ) Some time in 2373 , Starfleet vessels were fitted with new holocommunicator technology . A holographic projector on the bridge could create a holographic simulation of the communique . ( ) This technology was only briefly in service , as it proved inefficient and had minimal advantages compared to communicating via viewscreen . Medical facilities . The main sickbay was located on deck 2 between the mess deck and science labs . Containing four biobeds , this room served as the primary crew support facility during emergency situations . The room was equipped with limited surgical facilities and was primarily intended to stabilize patients until they could be delivered to a nearby friendly starbase medical facility . In its limited role as a reconnaissance starship , the " Defiant " - class was equipped with two dedicated science and medical labs for field testing and investigations . These rooms mirrored their counterparts on larger Federation starships by making use of scaled down devices that could commonly be found on those ships . ( ) Main engineering . Main engineering on the " Defiant " - class was situated on deck 1 with the lower section on deck 2 . The Master Situation Monitor was located in the starboard wall bulkhead . The warp core was placed on an elevated platform in the center of the compartment , opposite the control consoles . Ships of the " Defiant " - class were equipped with a class - 7 warp drive . Crew berthing . Each cabin was equipped with one replicator port and one standard computer terminal . Overall , crew quarters aboard " Defiant " - class vessels were the most austere when compared to other ships in the fleet . With emphasis towards the tactical systems being the foremost priority in the vessel designers ' minds , crewmembers had to share their quarters with at least one other crewmate during normal times of operation . To this end , standard crew quarters had two stacking bunks fitted into the walls of each cabin . Only the ship ' s commanding officer was given his own room on deck 1 , which doubled as an informal ready room . Mess deck . Ships of the " Defiant " - class lacked any sort of recreational facilities , and the only place for informal gathering were the two mess deck areas located on the port side of deck 2 . Like all the rooms and materials aboard the ship , the mess deck was compact and functional . At the head of the room were three open slots that served as dispensers for the replicators . A counter extended from the underside and was used for the placement of trays , mugs and eating utensils . Seating inside the mess deck was provided by four metallic tables arranged in a semicircle at the wider end of the room . These tables were approximately one meter square , and each had four stools connected to its legs . In addition , the mess deck doubled as a makeshift meeting area that could be used to conduct crew briefings and mission profiles . A tall screen panel located on one of the walls could be used as a visual aid to display tactical graphics . ( ) Transporter rooms . " Defiant " - class ships were equipped with two transporter compartments , one located on deck 1 and the other on deck 2 . The transporter pads were much smaller than than the sort found on and starships and could not accommodate as many people at one time . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Design . In the final draft script for " The Search " , the physical appearance of the " Defiant " - class was initially described thus ; " " The ship should look a little clunky compared to other Federation vessels we ' ve seen – this ship was built primarily for battle , not exploration or science . " " The " Defiant " - class was designed by James Martin under the direction of Herman Zimmerman and Gary Hutzel . According to Martin , the initial instruction for the designers was that it was a " beefy runabout . " His initial designs based upon this guideline , however , were not accepted by the producers . Martin next turned to more traditional starship designs , but Zimmerman told him that a " completely " new look was needed , like nothing ever seen on " Star Trek " before . Ultimately , Martin went to a design he had done for a Maquis fighter for the episode , and he brought it to the producers , who approved it as the basis for the " Defiant " - class . After tweaking the design a little , Martin gave the schematic to model maker Tony Meininger who , along with his Brazil Fabrications , was given the nod to bring the design to life . The main problem with the design at that stage was that it didn ' t look fast enough , so Meininger , a car enthusiast , got some posters of Ferraris and used them to help him design the " streamlined " look of the ship , making it very compact and sleek . Indeed , Herman Zimmerman has stated that the compact design of the " Defiant " - class influenced the design of for . He also pointed out , " " It was very clear it could not look like NCC - 1701 - A , B , C , D . It was to be an entirely new ship . " " ( The USS " Defiant " , DS9 Season 3 DVD special features ; ; ; ) The CGI " Defiant " , as it appeared in " First Contact " , was built by Vision Art and rendered by Industrial Light & Magic . For DS9 , a digital model of the " Defiant " was built by Digital Muse , which was then borrowed by the visual effects artists of " Star Trek : Voyager " , as and when required . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 30 , No . 9 / 10 , p . 80 ) A CGI " Defiant " was also used in DS9 ' s title sequence . Stock visual effects shots were used for both the prototype USS " Defiant " and its substitute . ( " " , p . 701 ) The studio model of the " Defiant " , measuring 37 " × 27 " , was sold at the " " auction on for US $ 85 , 000 ( US $ 102 , 000 with buyer ' s premium ) . Additionally , several white foam core camera test models were sold on " It ' s A Wrap ! " sale and auction , selling at prices ranging from US $ 27 . 00 to US $ 384 . 00 . Several pieces of Martin ' s revised sketches of the " Defiant " , dated , were also sold on " It ' s A Wrap ! " , for US $ 502 . 00 . Size . According to Hutzel , during the early development stages of the ship , the " Defiant " was to be " " a new hot battleship that would really set a new standard for an action ship in the series . First , there was lots of talk like ' How big is the " Defiant " ? ' Well , we ' ll make it really small and really powerful , that it would be so powerful and scary , nobody would mess with it " . " ( USS " Defiant " , DS9 Season 3 DVD special features ) According to Doug Drexler , " " The size of the " Defiant " was a hot potato from day one . Rick Berman wanted a small pocket battleship ( a couple times longer than a runabout , with the girth of a regular starship ) , Gary wanted at least 500 ' [ 152 . 4 m ] . " " The scale of the CGI mesh , according to a post in the newsgroup nntp : / / alt . tv . star - trek . ds9 , by DS9 Visual Effects Supervisor David Stipes , was 560 feet ( 170 . 7 meters ) , the length used when he blocked shots in DS9 . This was also the size established in the " DS9 Technical Manual " . The original MSD that appeared in actually depicted an early concept design and did not represent the final product . It was later replaced with an accurate MSD in such episodes as , although it was used on displays until the end of " Deep Space Nine " . Drexler , who was responsible for creating the ship ' s MSD , rationalized " a 420 ′ [ 128 . 0 m ] " Defiant " . " For further analysis on the " Defiant " s scaling , visit the " " Defiant " Problems " link at Ex Astris Scientia below . Designation . Initial drawings described the class as the " Valiant " - class . Indeed , Drexler even constructed an initial dedication plaque for the " Defiant " that referred to it as the " " Valiant " - class , " before a new plaque was recreated that simply stated " the first ship of her class . " The plaque was later given to Rob Bonchune . Bruce Branit also once referred to the class as " the " Valiant " - class . " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 30 , No . 9 / 10 , p . 64 ) Interior . The interior sets of the " Defiant " were supervised by Herman Zimmerman . According to regular background performer Brian Demonbreun , there were special carpets transferred onto the " normally " seen carpet of the " Defiant " in scenes including explosions and sparks . All actors , mostly the background performers , who were near those sparks were made wet , with a light moisture film on their hair and uniform . When it came time to film DS9 Season 3 premiere , the relatively small set used as the " Defiant " challenged the production crew , who had transferred to DS9 from TNG . ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 82 ) They began to find design flaws as soon as they started filming on the new set . " " Initially , it was very hard to shoot in the " Defiant " set , " " confirmed Director Kim Friedman . ( " " , p . 163 ) David Livingston added that this was " " because we hadn ' t been in there a lot , and it ' s cramped ; any time you shake the camera or move the camera it takes a lot more time . " " ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 82 ) With the floor of the " Defiant " s bridge including a central raised platform under the command chair and a frontal raised platform beneath the helmsman ' s station , the filming workers discovered the bridge , whose layout was permanent , didn ' t allow for sufficient room to lay a dolly track , which restricted the camera movements . The tight physical restrictions influenced Friedman to watch old World War II films involving " people sitting in cockpits , " in an effort to increase her familiarity with methods employed when shooting in constrained places . Another issue was that , since the cloaking device was initially only meant to be used during the " The Search " two - parter , the set was not made with variable lighting ; all the light bulbs had to be manually changed ( by stopping filming ) whenever the cloak was used . When the cloak was kept , this made filming nightmarish and reshoots an exercise in hurry up and wait . Subsequent alterations to the " Defiant " bridge set made it a lot easier to film in . ( " " , p . 163 ) Third season DS9 finale introduced a " Defiant " - class engine room and mess hall , which were created as standing sets . " " What we did is we amortized the set costs in our amortization account since they ' re permanent sets , " " explained David Livingston . Ronald D . Moore was highly pleased with the addition of the new sets . ( " Captains ' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages " , p . 99 ) The same sets were used for both the " Defiant " and the " Valiant " . ( " " , p . 572 ) However , these interiors were intentionally not used for the in ( which instead became an ship , permitting the use of the standing sets for ) . " " We could have reused the " Defiant " sets once again [ as in ] , saying the " Bellerophon " was a " Defiant " - class ship , but I didn ' t want to , " " Ron Moore recalled . ( " " , p . 662 ) Elaborating on why he opted not to reuse the " Defiant " - class sets for the " Bellerophon " , Moore critiqued , " " It ' s always a little bit of a push with the audience when you are doing that , because they know what you are doing . They know you are just using the same sets again , and it gets a little boring . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 32 , Nos . 4 / 5 , p . 76 ) " Technical Manual " . The following details and specifications comes exclusively from the " " : Warhead . The notched forward hull containing the vessel ' s navigational deflector and main sensors was a detachable single - use last - resort missile . This missile was equipped with a small impulse engine and a magazine with six torpedo warheads . These torpedo warheads were part of the ship ' s auto - destruct system and under more normal circumstances could be fired from the forward launcher . Any torpedo warheads left in the magazine would become the missile ' s warhead upon the missile ' s separation from the rest of the ship . If no torpedo warheads remained , then the missile would have to rely on kinetic energy alone . The ship would be unable to travel at high warp speeds without the missile since the latter contained the ship ' s navigational deflector . Apocrypha . During the mission " Ambush " in the game " " , the USS " Defiant " was sent to the Etarian Nebula for a test flight of its systems , where the crew found that the Romulans had invaded the nebula waiting for a fugitive . The USS " Enterprise " - D was sent to rescue the " Defiant " with three other starships and to neutralize any Romulan threat remaining .