How powerful is a Galaxy class starship?

[Cyke101]

Even the battle of Wolf 359, you have to wonder why the Borg didn't just take out the bridge of each Starship and then assimilate everyone, tremendous waste of resources really.

We are the Borg. Resource efficiency is irrelevant. Targeting measures are irrelevant. Line your ships up like Space Invaders. We *will* have fun. Resistance is futile. PEW PEW PEW.

 

[Infern0]

The Galaxy Class Starship is extremely powerful, and is one of the most advanced ships in the fleet.

It's so powerful, it can be swatted down by a single shot from an 80-year-old Bird of Prey crewed by a disorganized group of Klingon terrorists and their handler.

(NB: Yes, I know the shot went through the shields. No, I don't care. The 1701 Enterprise took a torpedo THROUGH THE SAUCER, and repeated shots to its ENTIRE hull, but kept on trucking).

the "battle" in generations was patheticly scripted.

The klingon ship should have at least been a vorc'ha class

 

[C.E. Evans]

The Galaxy Class Starship is extremely powerful, and is one of the most advanced ships in the fleet.

It's so powerful, it can be swatted down by a single shot from an 80-year-old Bird of Prey crewed by a disorganized group of Klingon terrorists and their handler.

(NB: Yes, I know the shot went through the shields. No, I don't care. The 1701 Enterprise took a torpedo THROUGH THE SAUCER, and repeated shots to its ENTIRE hull, but kept on trucking).

the "battle" in generations was patheticly scripted.

The klingon ship should have at least been a vorc'ha class

The thing was, though, was that under normal conditions, the D12 would have been no match for the Enterprise-D--and that was even said so onscreen. The Duras Sisters used a very rare trick to give them an equally rare advantage they never would have had otherwise.

 

[desfem79]

^

I wouldn't say the Galaxy class is better than the Sovereign class though. I just don't see Starfleet downgrading Picard.

Depends IMO. It's possible that the Sovereign class at the time was more advanced in many areas than the Galaxy class.

Though when figuring out what "most powerful" means can be max warp speed, warp engine power, weapons complement/arsenal, power distribution, armour/shielding, etc.

In some aspects, the Defiant class was more powerful than the Galaxy class, it was faster, more maneuverable, and had better weapons.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I don't think the Defiant-class had better weapons, per se, but it did have a lot of weapons crammed into a relatively small spaceframe. Its really only unique weapon were the forward phaser cannons, which had a very high yield of fire, but had a drawback in that they could only fire in one direction unlike TNG-style phaser arrays and even TOS-style phaser banks.

 

[desfem79]

The Enterprise-D had no quantum torpodoes or pulse phasers. nor ablative armour or a cloak (granted, on loan from the Romulans).

Picard's ship most likely had advanced photon torpodoes, and more more powerful phaser arrays. At least relative to when it was launched.

 

[desfem79]

Even the battle of Wolf 359, you have to wonder why the Borg didn't just take out the bridge of each Starship and then assimilate everyone, tremendous waste of resources really.

We are the Borg. Resource efficiency is irrelevant. Targeting measures are irrelevant. Line your ships up like Space Invaders. We *will* have fun. Resistance is futile. PEW PEW PEW.

or Locutus/HM the Borg Queen wanted to teach the Federation a lesson.

or they didn't care because 39 ships is nothing compared to trillions of Fed citizens. lol..

 

[M.A.C.O.]

Also I believe the Defiant's top speed was warp 9.0. While the ENT-D max was 9.6 and the E's max was warp 9.9. I seem to recall the Defiant's low speed relative to other ships of that era, due to it having problems maintaining structural integrity while at warp.

 

[Cyke101]

Also I believe the Defiant's top speed was warp 9.0. While the ENT-D max was 9.6 and the E's max was warp 9.9. I seem to recall the Defiant's low speed relative to other ships of that era, due to it having problems maintaining structural integrity while at warp.

I think the episode Sound of Her Voice had the Defiant's top speed at 9.5, which is still lower than the E-D and Voyager. Making her slower than the other hero ships could be a deliberate choice on the writers' part. Maybe something had to go in order for her to be more maneuverable than other ships.

 

[C.E. Evans]

The Enterprise-D had no quantum torpodoes or pulse phasers.

As far as onscreen material is concerned, the only difference between photon torpedoes and quantum torpedoes is that the latter is bluish-white when fired. But otherwise, there's nothing to suggest that other ships--including the Galaxy-class--can't also now be stocked with quantum torpedoes (provided they can make enough of them). And pulse phasers aren't all that new--both the original Enterprise and the Reliant had such weapons in Star Trek II. If anything, the Defiant was kind of old-school in that regard.

nor ablative armour or a cloak (granted, on loan from the Romulans).

Those aren't weapons, those are defensive systems, which wasn't the issue raised. As far as weapons are concerned, the Defiant isn't quite all that, but they are very considerable for a ship that small.

 

[desfem79]

The Enterprise-D had no quantum torpodoes or pulse phasers.

As far as onscreen material is concerned, the only difference between photon torpedoes and quantum torpedoes is that the latter is bluish-white when fired. But otherwise, there's nothing to suggest that other ships--including the Galaxy-class--can't also now be stocked with quantum torpedoes (provided they can make enough of them). And pulse phasers aren't all that new--both the original Enterprise and the Reliant had such weapons in Star Trek II. If anything, the Defiant was kind of old-school in that regard.

nor ablative armour or a cloak (granted, on loan from the Romulans).

Those aren't weapons, those are defensive systems, which wasn't the issue raised. As far as weapons are concerned, the Defiant isn't quite all that, but they are very considerable for a ship that small.

but they all add to tactical capability. The pulse phasers in the Defiant are of a higher strength than the Defiant. If we mean Galaxy-class in the Dom War, then yes. But the Enterprise-D specifically, no.

 

[PicardSpeedo]

The Enterprise-D had no quantum torpodoes or pulse phasers.

As far as onscreen material is concerned, the only difference between photon torpedoes and quantum torpedoes is that the latter is bluish-white when fired. But otherwise, there's nothing to suggest that other ships--including the Galaxy-class--can't also now be stocked with quantum torpedoes (provided they can make enough of them). And pulse phasers aren't all that new--both the original Enterprise and the Reliant had such weapons in Star Trek II. If anything, the Defiant was kind of old-school in that regard.

nor ablative armour or a cloak (granted, on loan from the Romulans).

Those aren't weapons, those are defensive systems, which wasn't the issue raised. As far as weapons are concerned, the Defiant isn't quite all that, but they are very considerable for a ship that small.

but they all add to tactical capability. The pulse phasers in the Defiant are of a higher strength than the Defiant. If we mean Galaxy-class in the Dom War, then yes. But the Enterprise-D specifically, no.

Also, the Defiant featured the most technologically-advanced and powerful toilet in the entire fleet, and with good reason - when you put a Klingon, an Irishman, and a Captain with a fondness for crazy-spicy Cajun cooking all in close quarters, you absolutely must ensure that the plumbing works.

 

[C.E. Evans]

The Enterprise-D had no quantum torpodoes or pulse phasers.

As far as onscreen material is concerned, the only difference between photon torpedoes and quantum torpedoes is that the latter is bluish-white when fired. But otherwise, there's nothing to suggest that other ships--including the Galaxy-class--can't also now be stocked with quantum torpedoes (provided they can make enough of them). And pulse phasers aren't all that new--both the original Enterprise and the Reliant had such weapons in Star Trek II. If anything, the Defiant was kind of old-school in that regard.

nor ablative armour or a cloak (granted, on loan from the Romulans).

Those aren't weapons, those are defensive systems, which wasn't the issue raised. As far as weapons are concerned, the Defiant isn't quite all that, but they are very considerable for a ship that small.

but they all add to tactical capability.

So does the shields of a larger vessel. Apples and oranges.

The pulse phasers in the Defiant are of a higher strength than the Defiant. If we mean Galaxy-class in the Dom War, then yes. But the Enterprise-D specifically, no.

There's really nothing to suggest any of that. Pulse phasers are just shorter blasts while standard phasers are continuous blasts. I would contend that pulse phasers are ideally suited for a smaller nimble vessel like the Defiant-class that can bob and weave quickly, but the key to any phaser is contact against an enemy vessel's shields or hull. A Defiant-class ship can do it with a quick salvo at fairly close range, while a larger ship can do it with several shots at a longer range.

I think ideally, Defiant-class ships are supposed to be deployed in a squadron where they can swarm and overwhelm a much larger target, such as a Borg cube. Individually, they have the tactical capability of a larger starship squeezed into a much smaller one.

 

[Rarewolf]

Since she was built to fight the Borg I'd imagine each shot would be a random modulated pulse. She does have at least one normal array too - based near the Bridge and used briefly in Paradise Lost, and on the Mirror Defiant in Shattered Mirror.

I find it rather handy they built a ship to fight the Borg without the normal exposed nacelles, the Borg never took advantage of that weakness, but it was the first thing the Dominion did. Almost as if they knew...

 

[mswood]

^Don't forget it's shields were down and the Dominion ships fired several shots before they realized their weapons alone couldn't disable it. I wouldn't call that Galaxy class weak, I'd call the Dominion desperate to please the Founders.

And yet the Enterprise-E rammed the Scimitar far more forcefully and survived? I guess they fixed the exploding gas tank issue between model years...

The Enterprise was at a dead stop in very close range and rammed the ship, the Jem' Hadar were making full combat maneuvers (put running other vessels who were trying to stop them) and ramming the Galaxy, and what destroyed it was part of the damaged hull hitting the already damaged warp core.

Most of the damage people are talking about are types when the ships are either utterly down, or the weapons of the enemy are of frequencies that the shields don't work on.

Heck you see the Enterprise doing damage to the Borg when they can for brief seconds find its shield weaknesses.

 

[desfem79]

As far as onscreen material is concerned, the only difference between photon torpedoes and quantum torpedoes is that the latter is bluish-white when fired. But otherwise, there's nothing to suggest that other ships--including the Galaxy-class--can't also now be stocked with quantum torpedoes (provided they can make enough of them). And pulse phasers aren't all that new--both the original Enterprise and the Reliant had such weapons in Star Trek II. If anything, the Defiant was kind of old-school in that regard.
Those aren't weapons, those are defensive systems, which wasn't the issue raised. As far as weapons are concerned, the Defiant isn't quite all that, but they are very considerable for a ship that small.

but they all add to tactical capability.

So does the shields of a larger vessel. Apples and oranges.

The pulse phasers in the Defiant are of a higher strength than the Defiant. If we mean Galaxy-class in the Dom War, then yes. But the Enterprise-D specifically, no.

There's really nothing to suggest any of that. Pulse phasers are just shorter blasts while standard phasers are continuous blasts. I would contend that pulse phasers are ideally suited for a smaller nimble vessel like the Defiant-class that can bob and weave quickly, but the key to any phaser is contact against an enemy vessel's shields or hull. A Defiant-class ship can do it with a quick salvo at fairly close range, while a larger ship can do it with several shots at a longer range.

I think ideally, Defiant-class ships are supposed to be deployed in a squadron where they can swarm and overwhelm a much larger target, such as a Borg cube. Individually, they have the tactical capability of a larger starship squeezed into a much smaller one.

So how do you define tactical capability?

As most here may know, a vessel class all hold the same basic design. So as Sisko's ships in DS9 had more advanced weaponry than what we saw of the Enterprise-D, then it reasons to me at the least that Defiant class ships are tactically more able. you mention shielding, but then shielding is defined by capacity to absorb/repel fire, just like in real life. This would depend on the power capacity of the vessel, not the physical size of it.

 

[C.E. Evans]

but they all add to tactical capability.

So does the shields of a larger vessel. Apples and oranges.

The pulse phasers in the Defiant are of a higher strength than the Defiant. If we mean Galaxy-class in the Dom War, then yes. But the Enterprise-D specifically, no.

There's really nothing to suggest any of that. Pulse phasers are just shorter blasts while standard phasers are continuous blasts. I would contend that pulse phasers are ideally suited for a smaller nimble vessel like the Defiant-class that can bob and weave quickly, but the key to any phaser is contact against an enemy vessel's shields or hull. A Defiant-class ship can do it with a quick salvo at fairly close range, while a larger ship can do it with several shots at a longer range.

I think ideally, Defiant-class ships are supposed to be deployed in a squadron where they can swarm and overwhelm a much larger target, such as a Borg cube. Individually, they have the tactical capability of a larger starship squeezed into a much smaller one.

So how do you define tactical capability?

An ability to engage and defend against multiple targets.

As most here may know, a vessel class all hold the same basic design. So as Sisko's ships in DS9 had more advanced weaponry than what we saw of the Enterprise-D, then it reasons to me at the least that Defiant class ships are tactically more able. you mention shielding, but then shielding is defined by capacity to absorb/repel fire, just like in real life. This would depend on the power capacity of the vessel, not the physical size of it.

But see, that it's exactly. You can have two ships--one big, one small--and yet both can the same tactical capability if they have the same kind of power plant and even if their weapons are slightly different (I would argue that the only difference between standard phasers and pulse phasers are their range & rate of fire, and that the only thing preventing every ship from carrying quantum torpedoes is limited availability). The Defiant was described by Sisko as being overpowered for a ship of its size, so it does stand to reason that it wouldn't be considered that if it was larger. I think what the Defiant-class really brings to the table (aside from ablative hull covering) is extreme maneuverability and the ability to attack at almost point-blank range. It truly is a tough little ship.

 

[RunawayStarShip]

It's more than just maneuverability (and the ability for a fleet of Defiant-class ships to swarm a larger target).

The Defiant certainly demonstrated greater firepower than the Odyssey in "The Search" (although, it's possible the Jem'hadar targeted things like power conduits and the forward torpedo launcher to reduce the Odyssey's ability to retaliate). In "Defiant" (which takes place in 2371), Dukat refers to the Defiant as "one of the most heavily armed warships in this quadrant", and Kira says it is "one of the most powerful".

Now, things seem to change with Starfleet's retrofit of the fleet in 2372-73 (?) as demonstrated by the Lakota. The Defiant's undocumented ablative armor is the difference in what Leyton assumed would be a battle that the Lakota would win. The Defiant, at the time, is slightly more than a match for an up-to-date Federation heavy cruiser given its firepower and durability. Like you say, their power plants are probably comparable as well.

That's pretty incredible, given that the Defiant is only 29% the volume of a Constitution while the Lakota is over 4.6 times larger than a Constitution.

 

[C.E. Evans]

From onscreen material, there truly isn't anything that actually says or indicates that the Defiant's weapons are more powerful than a Galaxy-class. It's been colloquially referred to as a heavily armed warship and one of the most powerful, but those terms can also be applied to the Galaxy-class or any big starship, really. I'd submit that it could beat an Excelsior-class ship in a head-on engagement, though, but I do think that's more of a result of being able to outmaneuver it and deliver more direct hits (its biggest advantage against any larger vessel, IMO).

The initial problem with the Defiant was that it had trouble with a power plant that would have been better suited on a larger vessel. It took a little bit to resolve that issue,

 

[anh165]

At the end of the day, the Galaxy class ship can accommodate thousands of people while it takes them across long distances in comfort, and has all the capabilities required for her crew to perform scientific and diplomatic missions, and worst of all survive first time encounters with whatever they run into.

The Defiant logistically falls well short of this and when have we seen it defend herself against UNKNOWN enemy threats? Not very often.