Battle of Terok Nor In the mirror universe , the Battle of Terok Nor was a crucial battle in the Terran Rebellion in 2372 , in which the Terran Resistance Forces managed to hold the captured station against a large Klingon - Cardassian Alliance assault fleet . ( ) Prelude . Following the capture of Terok Nor , the rebels had only a few ships left – most of them had been destroyed during the initial attack on the station . Fortunately , during his previous visit to the prime universe the year before , had copied Starfleet ' s schematics for the warship . Using the schematics as a template , the rebels hurriedly constructed their own version of the warship , which they also named " Defiant " . Like her counterpart , the ISS " Defiant " had the potential to be one of the most powerful warships in the entire Alpha Quadrant . Meanwhile , , former second - in - command of Terok Nor , had escaped back to the Alliance , where he was brought before Regent . The Regent was preparing to launch a counterattack against the rebels to recapture the station and put an end to the troublesome uprising . Apart from the massive Regent ' s flagship , the fleet comprised of several Cardassian cruisers and a number of Klingon Birds - of - Prey . The rebels were encountering difficulties in bringing their new warship online , however . The " Defiant " was overpowered for its size , and nearly shook itself apart every time the warp core was brought to full power . To complete the work in time , O ' Brien and recruited Benjamin Sisko , who had overseen the construction of Starfleet ' s " Defiant " , to help them overhaul the ISS " Defiant " s inertial damper s to compensate for the increased stress . However , when word reached the Regent that the rebels were constructing a new warship , he ordered the fleet to increase speed in an attempt to launch the attack before the rebels completed their work . With the Alliance only eight hours away , and took the rebels ' only remaining raider in a desperate attempt to delay the incoming fleet long enough for Sisko and the others to complete work on the " Defiant " . Based on information provided by the captured Intendant , Bashir projected a series of false warp shadow s to fool the Alliance sensor s , making it appear that there was a whole squadron of raiders instead of just one . The warp shadows were successful , drawing away the entire Alliance fleet , even if only temporarily . The Battle . By the time the Alliance fleet finally got to Terok Nor , the " Defiant " was nearly ready . As the station ' s weapons opened fire , the " Defiant " jettisoned its docking scaffold and prepared for departure . Sisko volunteered to remain on as the ship ' s commander , having had more experience with the design than anyone else . The " Defiant " s first shots proved that the whole effort had been worth it – a Bird - of - Prey was immediately vaporized by the ship ' s phaser cannon s . As the " Defiant " began hunting down the other smaller attack ships , the station ' s batteries continued defending against the larger craft . The agile Starfleet - designed warship quickly destroyed several smaller vessels and inflicted major damage to the larger " Galor " - class cruisers . However , the Regent ' s flagship massively outgunned the little " Defiant " , and once it entered weapons range began pummeling the smaller ship with disruptor fire . Sisko ordered the " Defiant " to close to point - blank range ( or as Smiley called it , " Pattern Suicide " ) . The tiny " Defiant " began circling around the more massive cruiser , avoiding much of the return fire while scoring several hits . However , the " Defiant " , though equipped with powerful energy reserves , was gradually losing shield integrity . When it appeared that one more direct hit from the cruiser could leave the Human ship crippled , Sisko personally took the helm and piloted the " Defiant " on a dizzying attack run that left the Klingons reeling . The flagship called for assistance , and one of the few remaining Birds - of - Prey moved in behind the " Defiant " , ready to make the kill and destroy the troublesome ship . However , at the last minute , Bashir ' s raider triumphantly streaked in , destroying the Bird - of - Prey and leaving the " Defiant " clear to continue its attack against the flagship . Together , the two Terran ships continued to pummel the massive cruiser , causing several major hull breach es and shaking the ship to pieces . Recognizing the inevitable defeat , Garak suggested it was time for the Regent to " remove his august presence from the battlefield " . Reluctantly accepting defeat , the Regent ordered a full retreat – leaving the station in the hands of the victorious rebels . Aftermath . With the rebels ' victory , the station remained secure as a base of operations for the rebellion for at least the next three years . The Regent , convinced that he had been betrayed , focused all of the blame for the humiliating defeat on Intendant Kira , whom he believed had arranged for the outcome in order to avoid capture . The Regent was in this regard being cleverly manipulated by Garak , in order to create a useful scapegoat so that both he and the Regent could avoid blame for the disaster . Ultimately , Terok Nor would become a major base of operations for further attacks against the Alliance – attacks that were made possible thanks to their first battlefield victory .