That was lengthy
Sorry...I get this way with too little sleep and to much caffeine...
Short version:
I think ships have both kinds of shields. Bubble shields and form-fitting shields.
The end.
That was lengthy
While it might not be particularly fast, I think Santaman's avatar would rip up a Sovereign pretty good.But it has to put another ship in its line of fire.
The refit E-D and its canon is powerful. But it has to put another ship in its line of fire. The E-E could take it.
Maneuverability doesn't really mean that much as far as Trek technology goes.
The only time this would be useful is if the targeting scanners are off (otherwise Phaser should never miss their targets) and the tactical officer is a lousy shot (which is not supposed to be the case given their supposed training).
Defiant lasted two minutes with no shields against a Klingon Vorcha class ship. On screen this amounted to 4 shots but it's highly unlikely the klingons fired only for shots sucessfully into the Defiant. Clearly since Dukat says "at least another minute" then the scene was abbreviated. So they potrayed 24 seconds and 4 shots....So proportionallly Defiant Took 20 something shots from a Vorcha class cruiser....WOW. (only moderate damage)In regards to the beating the Defiant can take... it's ablative armor can take only a couple of shots, and not a 'massive assault'.
In the right hands Defiant would be a considerable danger to Sovereign. It could deal out amazing amounts of firepower and absorb more than it's fair share. Depending on which Sovereign it fought...The Defiant would in essence be a mosquito.
One that packs a bit of a punch mind you, but I don't think it would be able to go up against the Sovereign class.
It was able to go up against an extensively upgraded Excelsior class and come out as evenly matched, but power-wise, we don't know if it's on par with larger ships like the Intrepid, Galaxy or the Sovereign.
Don't make me go and get Christopher in here...Depends on one's personal canon..so I think that cannon is canon..
![]()
Valiant took more hits, man. And Defiant was destroyed.Let's keep in mind that the only reason the Defiant usually came out on top against bigger threats was predominantly because it was in fact a hero ship.
Now, I'm all for the prospect that small ships can be made to be on par with their larger counterparts, however, I'm not entirely sold on the premise a Defiant could in fact match a Sovereign in terms of firepower.
As for the Defiant vs the Vor'cha... if you recall, the Defiant had to initiate a tractor beam in order to disrupt the targeting scanners.
The only real reason ships phasers or disruptors miss their targets (when the ship is fine) is mainly due to drama.
The Defiant's armor did not withstand 24 shots as far as I recall because most of the shots missed them.
I would be more inclined to think that it would be able to take a handful of shots.
The armor was not portrayed to be anywhere on the same level as the Voyager 'Endgame' deployable armor for example (which was far more advanced in comparison).
In any case, we know the Defiant was on par with an upgraded Excelsior class.
Was the upgraded Lakota on par with the Galaxy or Sovereign class ships?
We don't know.
Perhaps relatively close.
To be fair, the Oddyssey went up against the Dominion Attack ships when most about the Dominion was an unknown to the Federation.
Since then, I would surmise that the Defiant might have been modified when released under Sisko's command in order to better withstand Dominion weapons.
Similar modifications would ensue throughout the fleet.
In the case of the Valiant... all I can say is the armor held for as long as the plot demanded (plus two of the show's regulars were there, so it was awarded 'temporary hero status').
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.