Star Trek McBain's Fighting Starships (Star Trek Edition) - Ranking Game

[Husky_Khan]

Just a basic fun idea to classify science fiction starships, preferably those of a capital grade. The basic idea is to (through disgusting consensus of all things) classify the power rankings of a starship largely on a linear numerical scale.

For example, someone lists a sampling of starships and would lay out the following information... most of their their (hopefully) informed opinion. I kinda cribbed ideas from those classic websites like Daystrom Institute Technical Library and Galactic Empire Data Bank Main where all of the starship minutiae is laid out in an almost RPG stat style format. So... for example a Galaxy-Class Starship would be given "baseline" values.

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Galaxy-Class Starship
Affiliation: United Federation of Planets
Class: Cruiser? (more of our opinion then whatever it is in-universe (ie an Imperial Star Destroyer would be a Battleship/Battlecarrier)
Size:
Crew:
Armament:
Complement:
Special Abilities: (Cloaking, Detect Cloaking, Gravity Wells, Maneuver in Atmosphere, Transporters, Regeneration, Special Super Laser Weapon etc)
Ratings: (This would be the main thing I suppose we'd be able to vomit our opinions on, not sure if it needs more categories)
Hull Strength/Armor: 10000
Shields: 10000
Weapon Strength: 10000
Sensors & Targeting: 10000
Maneuverability: 10000
Speed: 10000
Average: 10000 (kinda pointless but whatevs)

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The main thing would be the choose a 'class' for the vessels generally independent of how they are classified in the franchise. (Monitor/Gunboat, Patrol Boat, Raider/Heavy Fighter, Escort/Sloop, Corvette, Frigate, Destroyer, Cruiser (light and heavy), Battlecruiser, Battleship, Battlecarrier, Escort Earrier, Carrier, and maybe larger classes if it comes to that) If you feel I need to narrow or add more, please lemme know!

And deciding on a numerical ratings/rankings on the various aspects of the ship.

Perhaps we could start with some of the more iconic ships of the franchise.

Excelsior-class
Miranda-class
Intrepid-class
Defiant-class
D'deridex-class Warbird
Jem Hadar Attack Ship
Galor-class
B'rel-class Bird of Prey

 

[LTR]

Just a basic fun idea to classify science fiction starships, preferably those of a capital grade. The basic idea is to (through disgusting consensus of all things) classify the power rankings of a starship largely on a linear numerical scale.

For example, someone lists a sampling of starships and would lay out the following information... most of their their (hopefully) informed opinion. I kinda cribbed ideas from those classic websites like Daystrom Institute Technical Library and Galactic Empire Data Bank Main where all of the starship minutiae is laid out in an almost RPG stat style format. So... for example a Galaxy-Class Starship would be given "baseline" values.

---

Galaxy-Class Starship
Affiliation: United Federation of Planets
Class: Cruiser? (more of our opinion then whatever it is in-universe (ie an Imperial Star Destroyer would be a Battleship/Battlecarrier)
Size:
Crew:
Armament:
Complement:
Special Abilities: (Cloaking, Detect Cloaking, Gravity Wells, Maneuver in Atmosphere, Transporters, Regeneration, Special Super Laser Weapon etc)
Ratings: (This would be the main thing I suppose we'd be able to vomit our opinions on, not sure if it needs more categories)
Hull Strength/Armor: 10000
Shields: 10000
Weapon Strength: 10000
Sensors & Targeting: 10000
Maneuverability: 10000
Speed: 10000
Average: 10000 (kinda pointless but whatevs)

Excelsior-class
Miranda-class
Intrepid-class
Defiant-class
D'deridex-class Warbird
Jem Hadar Attack Ship
Galor-class
B'rel-class Bird of Prey[/hr]

Speed is a weird thing in space but... whatever.

Excelsior-class (assuming it's not that fancy USS Lakota)
Class: Cruiser
Hull Strength/Armor: 8000
Shields: 8000
Weapon Strength: 5000
Sensors & Targeting: 9000
Maneuverability: 9000
Speed: 10000
Average: 8167

It's often used as a flagship and is like an old fashioned version of the Galaxy-class... only a century older. I'm sure they were refitted even before the Dominion War short of the USS Lakota upgrade. So I envision them as diet Galaxy-Class, just a smidgen lower overall.

Miranda-class
Class: Frigate
Hull Strength/Armor: 1000
Shields: 1000
Weapon Strength: 2000
Sensors & Targeting: No Idea
Maneuverability: 10000
Speed: 9000
Average: 4600

Speed and maneuverability saved these explodium ships from them being ranked even lower. I kinda initially assumed the Miranda-class would be more maneuverable but they always end up exploding so maybe not.

Intrepid-class
Class: Destroyer
Hull Strength/Armor: 5000
Shields: 5000
Weapon Strength: 4000
Sensors & Targeting: 12500
Maneuverability: 15000
Speed: 12500
Average: 9000

The Intrepid-class was supposed to hunt down Maquis in the Badlands and was said to be pretty maneuverable but I never saw it as agile as a Defiant or anything. Plus I'm assuming it had a smidgen better sensors and 'speed' and while it seems small, it survived a lot in the Voyager TV series. Can't all be attributed to plot armor.

Defiant-class
Class: Escort
Hull Strength/Armor: 22500
Shields: 15000
Weapon Strength: 20000
Sensors & Targeting: 10000
Maneuverability: 20000
Speed: 15000
Average: 17083

Defiant is mean. When they first encountered the Jem'Hadar a Galaxy-class was taken out by ramming and later in the series the Defiant is blasting apart Dominion Attack Bugs left and right. It was tanking loads of damage when planting the minefield. And it maneuvers even better then the Voyager. It also tanked a few hits from the Borg in the Battle of Sector 001. So saying it's twice as well armored at least as a Galaxy class makes sense to me. Plus it can cloak.

D'deridex-class Warbird
Class: Heavy Cruiser
Hull Strength/Armor: 5000
Shields: 5000
Weapon Strength: 11000
Sensors & Targeting: 11000
Maneuverability: 10000
Speed: 9500
Average: 8583

They're big but whenever you see them in battle... they tend to have a problem of exploding. I'm guessing it's because Warbirds are meant to be surprising and ambush type of vessels. They often used numbers when confronting the USS Enterprise and so I figure that the weakness which was shown in the Dominion War is that the poor Warbirds were underarmored and undershielded when facing the Dominion and suffered accordingly since they weren't cloaking and ambushing.

Jem Hadar Attack Ship
Class: Heavy Fighter
Hull Strength/Armor: 1500
Shields: 1000
Weapon Strength: 2500
Sensors & Targeting: No Idea
Maneuverability: 16000
Speed: 14000
Average: 7000

They seem a bit durable or did early on. But then they all explode a lot. Still those beam weapons pack a punch against anything that isn't a Defiant or mega flagship.

B'rel-class Bird of Prey
Class: Heavy Fighter
Hull Strength/Armor: 2000
Shields: 1000
Weapon Strength: 3000
Sensors & Targeting: No Idea
Maneuverability: 16000
Speed: 15000
Average: 7400

Kinda like the Bug Fighter of the Dominion, I see these as slightly more durable and maybe a bit speedier but... they tend to explode a lot as well. After adapting to the Dominion weapons though they seemed a bit harder hitting... unless it was ramming.

 

[GooseActual]

Akira-Class Starship
Affiliation: United Federation of Planets
Class: Heavy Cruiser
Size: 464 m Length
Crew: 500 crew + 80 air crew + 1 company of Marines
Armament: 6x Type 10 Phasers, 15x Burst Fire Torpedo Tubes firing Photon, Quantum, Tricobalt, Probes. Mission Dependent
Complement: 20x Peregrine Attack fighters, 5x Marine Landing Craft, 5x Type 9 Shuttles. 1x Delta Class heavy Shuttle (Post 2380)
Special Abilities:

Ratings:
Hull Strength/Armor: 9500 (Roughly comparable to a War Era Galaxy Class)
Shields: 10000 (Again, almost comparable but does not have the same levels of sustained power generation
Weapon Strength: 4500 (Phasers) 16000 (Torpedos)
Sensors & Targeting: 8000
Maneuverability: 13000
Speed: 12000 (Warp 9.8 for 12 hours maximum velocity)

A warship through and through. Built Post Wolf 359 alongside the Defiant, Saber and Steamrunner Classes to modernize a much more combat capable fleet, the Akira stands the heaviest and among the deadliest. She serves as the premier Heavy Cruiser of the fleet, replaces the venerable Excelsior and the underwhelming Ambassador.

Originally envisioned during the Federation-Cardassian war as a cruiser/light carrier, the class was originally armed with 6x type IX phasers and 3x Torpedo Tubes with her fly through hanger carrying as many as 40 of the aging "Sparrow Hawk" fighters. She lacked the distinctive roll bar mission pod but had excellent endurance and crew amenities. However just as the class was approved, the war winded down and the incoming Federation President balked at building further warships. The USS Akira was mothballed at only 20% completion.

After the massacre of Wolf 359 a much more pragmatic Starfleet command saw the immediate need for a much more combat capable vessels while still not straying from its peaceful intentions. The mothballed Akira class was brought up as the second suggestion after the Defiant. Of course, her current weaponry was in dire need of an upgrade. To achieve this, the Advance Star Ship Design Bureau was basically given carte blanche ability to modify the initial designs. When the new designs were rolled out, the resulting vessel bore little resemblance to her original design.

She had received upgraded phaser arrays, a whopping 15 torpedo tubes that had a three shot burst ability (followed by a 9 second reload) Her fly through hanger had been reduced in size to accommodate the frankly absurd amount of torpedos carried on board. But even with this she could still carry 20x of the new state of the art Peregrine class attack fighters as well as other parasite craft depending on mission profile.

Her compact catamaran design was protected by a high density armor and a 35% ablative armor coverage over critical areas (Bridge, engineering, torpedo magazines, etc) and the new High Capacity auto modulating shield grid also featured on the upgraded Galaxy and Nebula Classes. The design also helps her make very tight maneuvers without ripping herself apart from her heavy mass.

To assist in combat, the Akira Class was given the most state of the art Combat Information Center system available in the fleet. allowing her to track and engage dozens of targets simultaneously.

All this does come at a cost though, the Akira is one of the most spartan vessels when accounting for crew accommodations. No Holodecks are available, only two holosuites are available but are usually reserved for combat drills. Other entertainment is provided by a gymnasium, holofilm theater, and the messhall serving a social gathering area. Only the Senior Officers and CoB are given solo quarters, all NCOs and junior officers are given shared suites and junior enlisted stay in a squadbay like arrangements, albiet with slightly more privacy.

During times of conflict, the Akira serves as the premier heavy cruiser during fleet operations focusing on long range bombardment and fighter support, however, they also function as independent "Wolf Pack" flagships; Overseeing no more than five vessels in small Search and Destroy and Hunter Killer Operations. This was observed with the USS Spectre and two Defiant classes engaged an entire Tal Shiar Battlefleet as well as the captured USS Prometheus.

During peacetime, despite not having the comprehensive sensor suite as a Galaxy, Nebula, Sovereign, Nova or Intrepid, the Akira still has a place in the sciences. A very solid niche for astrogation and star charting, other than that, her torpedo tubes allow her to launch a huge number of probes to study phenomena, her large hangerspace allows for huge amount of cargo or survey craft to be carried. She can also engage in anti-piracy or deterrence patrols.

[sorry for the head canon brain dump, just got started and was having too much fun to quit, should i keep going with another underexposed vessel?]

 

[Husky_Khan]

Oh no that was perfect. I did enjoy the head canon brain dump, it really adds a bit of realism to it as if This was a sourcebook on starships. Also enjoyed the full lay out of ship details and especially the breakdown of the ratings, in particular between phasers and torpedoes.

And the Akira is honestly my favorite Federation Starfleet ship design. Ever since I saw it dumping torpedoes into a Borg Cube in First Contact... Mmmm... Talk about first impressions.

 

[GooseActual]

Saber Class Starship
Affiliation: United Federation of Planets
Class: Patrol Destroyer
Size: 160 m Length
Crew: 90 crew
Armament: 5x Type 10 Phasers, 3x Torpedo Tubes firing Photon, Quantum, Tricobalt, Probes. Mission Dependent
Complement: 3x Type 9 Shuttles

Ratings:
Hull Strength/Armor: 6000
Shields: 5000
Weapon Strength: 4500 (Phasers) 4000 (Torpedoes)
Sensors & Targeting: 6000
Maneuverability: 17000
Speed: 11000 (Warp 9.7 for 12 hours maximum velocity)

[For referance, I assumed a Pre-war Galaxy class has 10,000 stats down the line as a point of reference]

For nearly 100 years, thousands of Miranda class vessels were the workhorse of the Federation fleet; serving in scientific, shipping, deterrence, anti- piracy, anti-smuggling, medical, and astrogation roles, by the 2360s, the class was beginning to show its age. This was exacerbated by the loss of the USS Jubilation and its entire crew when a routine patrol resulted in a Nausicaan pirate vessel overpowering and destroying the Federation ship. Designs for a more small, combat focused class to take over these policing patrols became increasingly popular for the sake of Federation border security. The massacre at Wolf 359 only exacerbated this need as every single Miranda Class was lost with only the USS Saratoga having time to evacuate any of its crew.

Enter the Saber class. While the Defiant class was meant to be a designated warship, possessing the firepower to overwhelm almost any opponent and the shields and armor to take its fair share of hits, it had a limited endurance and poor crew accommodations. The Saber sought to create a flexible, long endurance patrol ship that could over-match any non peer opponent and stand toe to toe with even the most determined peer opponent assault.

The class entered production in 2369 with the USS Saber entering service in late 2370. The class was considered an immediate success after multiple patrols to deter Maquis Raiders and the ever increasing pirate threat with the Nausicaans, emboldened by deteriorating Federation/Cardassian relations. Within the next 2 years, hundreds of Sabers were commissioned into the fleet, relieving many over stressed Mirandas to support roles. When the war with the Dominion began, production of the Sabers skyrocketed but not a rate able to match the loss of Mirandas forced into combat, nevertheless, the class performed admirably and with the wars end, assumed over 30% of deterrence patrols and 70% of Anti-Piracy/smuggling patrols.

With an emphasis on sustainability, the Saber could easily make 6 month patrols, while its counterpart the Defiant Class was only designed to handle 3 months of sustained operations. With 5x Type 10 Phasers and 3x Torpedo Lauchers (Same type featured on the Intrepid Class) she did not possess the overwhelming offensive firepower of the Defiant, but she certainly had the bite to warrant a second thought from any uppity pirate captain or even an aggressive Vorta commander.

Defensively she was no slouch either, her standard capacity shield grid was improved by the addition of 60% more auto-modulating emitters than a vessel her size would normally be equipped with. While this did not improve overall shield power, it did allow for an overlapping effect that vastly increased effectiveness, especially during prolonged engagements. She was further equipped with the high density armor plating featured on all post Wolf 359 classes and 20% ablative coverage over her engineering compartment and torpedo magazines.

One of the features that made her so effective at her roles was her extreme sublight acceleration, while she couldnt out-turn a Defiant, she would smoke check it in a straight line with room to spare, this allowed her to run down even the slipperiest Maquis raider.


[Brain dump head canon 2 here, if you have any requests, or want me to expand at all, im happy to oblige, more tomorrow!