The Defiant

USS Defiant's history began after the USS Enterprise was hurled into system J-25 in the Delta Quadrant, where it encountered the Borg for the first time. After the Enterprise presented its report on the capabilities of the Borg, Starfleet began a project to develop new technologies to combat the Borg threat. Design and research was nearing completion when the Borg invaded the Sol system. Unfortunately, the advancements made under Project Defiant were still only conceptual, with no working prototype at the time. Had production been completed, perhaps the incident at Wolf 359 could have been avoided.

The Battle of Wolf 359 only clarified the need for better defensive weapons and sped up production. Less than one year after the Borg ship was destroyed, USS Defiant was completed in its secret construction facility. The Defiant's weapons systems make it the most powerful warship in the Alpha Quadrant: twin fountain stream phaser cannons capable of destroying the shields of an enemy vessel and then devastating its hull, and new developments of photon torpedoes which remain classified. Added to these, the Defiant is extremely maneuverable and quick -- the fastest sublight ship ever constructed.

The Defiant is small and very automated, requiring a crew of 10-12, with a skeleton crew of only four. Not only is Defiant a technological marvel, it is also a diplomatic marvel -- the Federation was able to convince the Romulan Empire to fit it with a cloaking device. USS Defiant has now been stationed at Deep Space 9, under the command of Captain Benjamin Sisko, who was assigned to Defiant's enginnering team after his former ship was lost at Wolf 359. Defiant currently is the only Federation ship assigned to explore the Gamma Quadrant.