Wouldn't you expect more Defiants in the current timeline?

[Rojixus]

Recent history offers more hope. The Kamemor regime that came to power on Romulus in Rough Beasts of Empire is the most moderate and reasonable one we've seen in pretty much all the time the Federation has known of the Romulans.

Well, the Ael regime was fairly friendly to the Federation.
(Frankly, I've assumed since reading The Empty Chair that Ael's Romulus was allied with the Federation for some time afterward, which would explain Nanclus's presence at the Operation Retrieve briefing in The Undiscovered Country.)

Kamemor could be for the Romulans what Gorkon and Azetbur were for the Klingons.

I certainly hope so. I'm very tired of seeing growth in unfriendliness to the Federation. The years after the Dominion War seemed very much full of hope until the last few years of real-world novels: peace, perhaps even alliance with the Cardassians; dialogue at last with Romulus (then somewhat more than dialogue with Donatra's Imperial State); peaceful, rational dealings with the Gorn. But now, between Donatra's death, Andor's succession, the pointless Borg invasion, etc. I'm very tired of grim news in Star Trek literature.

I really don't know why I keep holding out hope. Outside of standalone TOS novels, everything seems to be growing bleaker. Even Vanguard (never full of brightness) has undone nearly every note of triumph the series had allowed. I think there may be something morally wrong with us (in the old sense); has our world grown so dim that we can find no promise in it? It was not so long ago that the future was a place as well as a time - an undiscovered country, not merely an untraveled one.

Why do I hold out hope?

This. Just this.

 

[Xander]

i agree with christopher in that the pact is not necessarily a "villain" i think at the moment the pact could go either way "villain" or friend and ally, depending on future events.

as for the defiant, i think it is pretty simple, the defiant was designed for a time of war, but that is over and now it is a time for peace and exploration, so just like war the need for the defiant class has past.

 

[Sci]

For the record, for all that I agree that the Typhon Pact and Federation need not automatically become enemies, I think that we are seeing a nascent cold war of sorts emerge between them. From Zero Sum Game, page 331:

"Look on the bright side, Madam President: at least we're not at war."

Bacco heaved a sigh and sank into her chair. "Yes, we are. It's last century's goddamned Klingon Crisis all over again, except this time we have six enemies plotting against us instead of just one." Noting the smirk on Piñiero's face, she asked, "What's so funny?"

"A sixfold increase in enemies?" Piñiero said. "If that's not progress, Madam President, I don't know what is."

The question is, will it remain a state of cold war, or will the Federation and Typhon Pact find a way to, so to speak, break the ice?

 

[MatthiasRussell]

^ There you go. Right from a book and Bacco's mouth.

No one has said the Pact is a villain but they are a POTENTIAL enemy. If you stumble upon a rattlesnake coiled and rattling, back away slowly, but keep your eyes and sidearm pointed at it until the danger passes. Mothball the fleet if you like, but if you get bit, you've only yourselves to blame.

 

[Sxottlan]

I could see Defiants used as assigned protection for certain permanent facilities like Memory Alpha mentioned above or planetary bases. Or mining installations. Or convoys. I see a lot of roles it could still easily fill. They may be warships, but the "escort" classification isn't really a lie either. Seems to be splitting hairs over definitions.

They could also be re-purposed for other roles: heavy scouts, surveillance, etc.

I think as for why we don't see many Defiants, I think they like to keep the class of whatever ship headlines a series pretty much to that series.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I think as for why we don't see many Defiants, I think they like to keep the class of whatever ship headlines a series pretty much to that series.

That was exactly the reason. It was why we only saw the Intrepid-class once in Deep Space Nine. It was why we never saw the Sovereign-class at all outside the movies. the thought of the production team was that audiences would be confused by seeing another series' hero ship in a different series.

 

[shanejayell]

I'm kind of urprised there aren't a few Defiants stationed near Earth, Vulcan, etc as a last line of defense?

 

[DonIago]

Given the last time we saw Earth was a pretty brief shot in Endgame, perhaps there are.

 

[DS9forever]

Perhaps more of the Defiant-class may become training vessels like the Valiant.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

^ I hoped they learned their lesson about that being a bad idea. Training vessels are usually and/or unarmed. Manning a state of the art warship with cadets and putting them in a war zone makes a good story but a little unbelievable.

 

[j3067]

^ It is a good thing the Enterprise was armed when it shipped out during the events of The Wrath of Kahn. Eventually live fire is a requirement for training. I think you are right that state-of-the art ships are unlikely to be allocated for academy training. The whole Red Squad concept seemed to fall on its face whenever they were on screen.

 

[MatthiasRussell]

Don't know if anyone is interested, but I've run 2 polls at st.com on this subject. Not about Defiants in the relaunch but during DS9 and after the war. The Defiant has more fans than I expected, especially in the topics of what kind of ship DS9 needed and when.

http://www.startrek.com/boards-topic/33345648/did-ds9-need-a-ship

http://www.startrek.com/boards-topi...-the-defiant-class-have-a-long-production-run

 

[Rojixus]

^ I hoped they learned their lesson about that being a bad idea. Training vessels are usually and/or unarmed. Manning a state of the art warship with cadets and putting them in a war zone makes a good story but a little unbelievable.

No it doesn't! Trust me on this one, the last time they did an episode like that it fell apart like a wet cardboard box!