Galaxy class a failure?

[Praetor]

Those first six would of course be:

USS Galaxy
USS Challenger
USS Yamato (lost)
USS Enterprise (lost)
USS Odyssey (lost)
USS Venture

The Yamato was lost thanks to an ancient virus in "Contagion," the Odyssey was destroyed to emphasize the dangers of the Dominion by a kamikaze Jem'Hadar, and the Enterprise was destroyed by a pair of Klingon sisters who bugged Geordi to learn the ship's shield frequency because the producers wanted a new Enterprise.

Geordi commanded the Challenger in the "Timeless" (VGR) future, but its registry indicates it was built (or at least contracted) second. The Venture and Galaxy both appeared on DS9. I believe Galaxy suffered a bit of damage in "Tears of the Prophets" (DS9) but wasn't destroyed at least on screen.

Logic would probably indicate that Starfleet would have finished at leat three more of the six to replace the other three before the war even started. For my money, they probably just went ahead and finished all of them, but rushed them all as the DS9 TM states. MA suggests that at least nine were shown in "Favor the Bold" and "Sacrifice of Angels" on DS9, and five were in the fleet at Earth in "Endgame." (VGR)

One could conceivably argue that there were "really" no more than nine total so long as no more than nine have been seen in a single scene, but I fiind this unlikely. Additionally, I find it unlikely that five of them, if there only were nine, would all coincidentally be present at Earth in "Endgame."

 

[Hober Mallow]

so was the galaxy class a failure?

Yes. Of bad writing! ;-)

QFT. The Enterprise D survives the Borg but is destroyed by the Klingon Olsen twins. Gimme a break.

 

[RyuRoots]

Just to note. The USS Galaxy, as of 2379, was still in active service. Its name and registry appeared onscreen in Star Trek: Nemesis when Data displays the fleet waiting for the Enterprise-E.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

Also, I think it's important to note that the Galaxy class wasn't just an exploratory ship. It was designed to do lots of things, and for my money was the closest thing the 24th century Starfleet had to a full-fledged battleship

It's also the closest thing they have to an aircraft carrier as well - going off of the MSD and the Sternbach plans (and da Whitefire plans as well), the Galaxy has a crapload of shuttle and cargo space. That and its sheer size and no doubt massive personell support capability. It makes sense to operate them close to home, not as fast cruisers, but rather as the backbone of fleet operations - mobile bases.

 

[Praetor]

Well said, good Jitty.

 

[Sci]

Also, I think it's important to note that the Galaxy class wasn't just an exploratory ship. It was designed to do lots of things, and for my money was the closest thing the 24th century Starfleet had to a full-fledged battleship

It's also the closest thing they have to an aircraft carrier as well - going off of the MSD and the Sternbach plans (and da Whitefire plans as well), the Galaxy has a crapload of shuttle and cargo space. That and its sheer size and no doubt massive personell support capability. It makes sense to operate them close to home, not as fast cruisers, but rather as the backbone of fleet operations - mobile bases.

I don't really think it's accurate to compare any starships in Starfleet to aircraft carriers. Aircraft carriers are as large as they are only so that they can launch planes, which are far deadlier than ship-to-ship combat. But in Trek, small fighter craft are more useful against planet-based targets and are fairly useless against larger ships; ship-to-ship combat tends to be deadlier. So the Galaxy's ability to deploy a lot of shuttles is really useless, combat-wise.

 

[cwl]

in the end starfleet always wins- bad writing is there to make it more dramatic. besides the good guys cant lose in a fair fight can they?

 

[Sci]

in the end starfleet always wins- bad writing is there to make it more dramatic. besides the good guys cant lose in a fair fight can they?

Um. The good guys lost plenty of fair fights during the Dominion War.

 

[RyuRoots]

in the end starfleet always wins- bad writing is there to make it more dramatic. besides the good guys cant lose in a fair fight can they?

Um. The good guys lost plenty of fair fights during the Dominion War.

Indeed. It sure wasn't a curb stomp in the Federation's favor.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

Also, I think it's important to note that the Galaxy class wasn't just an exploratory ship. It was designed to do lots of things, and for my money was the closest thing the 24th century Starfleet had to a full-fledged battleship

It's also the closest thing they have to an aircraft carrier as well - going off of the MSD and the Sternbach plans (and da Whitefire plans as well), the Galaxy has a crapload of shuttle and cargo space. That and its sheer size and no doubt massive personell support capability. It makes sense to operate them close to home, not as fast cruisers, but rather as the backbone of fleet operations - mobile bases.

I don't really think it's accurate to compare any starships in Starfleet to aircraft carriers. Aircraft carriers are as large as they are only so that they can launch planes, which are far deadlier than ship-to-ship combat. But in Trek, small fighter craft are more useful against planet-based targets and are fairly useless against larger ships; ship-to-ship combat tends to be deadlier. So the Galaxy's ability to deploy a lot of shuttles is really useless, combat-wise.

It isn't a comparison of combat capabilites, it's a comparison of transport and launch capabilities. An aircraft carrier isn't an excellent direct comparison, but it was the closest I could think of. Regardless, my speculation about the Galaxy's main use stands.

Besides, in that context, the Galaxy would be able to deploy far more troops and support craft than any other Federation ship we've seen onscreen, which makes it more of a carrier than anything else.

 

[The Wormhole]

Not really a failure. The Yamato was destroyed by an advanced computer virus, and the Odyssey by another ship ramming into it. Both of these could easily take down another ship. However, the Enterprise being taken down by an outdated Bird of Prey is something that should not have been possible.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

At least the Galaxy-class didn't get its ass kicked by a bunch of botox victims or an emo french kid and his vampire buddies in bondage gear.

 

[Kross]

*snip*

Beat me to it! As for the Odyssey, I concur, you ram anything with an object going close to the speed of light and its going down. I mean hell, in Star Wars, the Executor was taken out by an errant A-Wing colliding into its bridge.

The Galaxy Class rocked! It's to bad the producers didn't want the old bird flying through FC, INS, and NEM... I think she was a fine ship! They always said one of the biggest characters in Star Trek was the Enterprise, and they destroyed her right in front of us! Which was the bigger character assassination, James T. Kirk, or Enterprise 1701-D?

Rhetorical question? Kirk. :P

 

[Hober Mallow]

in the end starfleet always wins- bad writing is there to make it more dramatic. besides the good guys cant lose in a fair fight can they?

Not according to the A-Team.

 

[miraclefan]

At least the Galaxy-class didn't get its ass kicked by a bunch of botox victims or an emo french kid and his vampire buddies in bondage gear.

 

[Captain Fine]

Geordi commanded the Challenger in the "Timeless" (VGR) future, but its registry indicates it was built (or at least contracted) second. The Venture and Galaxy both appeared on DS9. I believe Galaxy suffered a bit of damage in "Tears of the Prophets" (DS9) but wasn't destroyed at least on screen.

A snippet from Memory Alpha about the Challenger:

The registry number, NCC-71099, is likely a tribute to the space shuttle orbiter Challenger, OV-099, lost in January 1986

So that explains the registry, in real-life anyway. I like the tribute personally.

Yamato is 71807, so I guess it was built after Challenger. Maybe both Enterprise and Yamato were built after Galaxy (70637) and Challenger (71099).

 

[Star Wolf]

yep but it's kinda embarrassing when the biggest & baddest ship in starfleet is destroyed by a bugship.

Prior to that engagement I doubt the Federation had met an enemy who would openly ram your starship with theirs while your retreating.

Outside of the Universe explanation - The Writers needed to establish the Dominion as a threat, and the visual cue of this new bad guy blowing up the Enterprise (Yes, I know it isnt THE Enterprise but a ship of the same if not greater ability none the less) is a powerful one.

well i'm pretty sure somebody got rammed in the 200 years of the federation.

Why do you say that. The other total war beside the Dominion War we know about was against the Romulans and they don't seem the type to do Kamikaze runs. The Klingons conflict was a cold war in nature and from the results of the Cardassian war seemed to be a limited war. The Xindi never used such tactics either.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

The Kzinti possibly, if you consider TAS to be canon (which I do, but some people insist it isn't).

The Tzenkethi, numerous numerous numerous countless non-Federation powers like the Talarians and what have you. The "big" empires weren't the only boys with military-grade toys on the block, you know.

 

[Praetor]

Geordi commanded the Challenger in the "Timeless" (VGR) future, but its registry indicates it was built (or at least contracted) second. The Venture and Galaxy both appeared on DS9. I believe Galaxy suffered a bit of damage in "Tears of the Prophets" (DS9) but wasn't destroyed at least on screen.

A snippet from Memory Alpha about the Challenger:

The registry number, NCC-71099, is likely a tribute to the space shuttle orbiter Challenger, OV-099, lost in January 1986

So that explains the registry, in real-life anyway. I like the tribute personally.

Yamato is 71807, so I guess it was built after Challenger. Maybe both Enterprise and Yamato were built after Galaxy (70637) and Challenger (71099).

Good memory! I'd forgotten that. I think the TNG TM suggests it went Galaxy -> Yamato -> Enterprise, so I'd be fine to just stick the Challenger between the Galaxy and Yamato, and perhaps suggest it launched after either of those even if it was contracted first.

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

I wish the Yamato had survived long enough to get the Galaxy-X upgrades for AGT. The least they could have done is give Riker a fuller, whiter beard. And a hat.

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