posted
In the first episode of Voyager, the Intrepid class is depicted as a brand new class with the latest in ship technologies. But I never saw any other Intrepid. Starfleet send the USS Voyager out to the Badlands to fight some Maquis scum. So why didn't they use them in the Dominion War. Has another class already replaced the Intrepids or are they not that suitable for fights anyway?
------------------ "There will be an answer, let it be..." Motto of the USS Sutherland
posted
The sad answer is probably that the DS9 people did not have access to the Voyager model when they needed it to put any Intrepids in the battle scenes. Although the USS Belerophon was seen in one of the Section 31 eps and she was Intrepid Class. I believe the Intrepid that Geordi mentioned in some TNG ep was the prototype for this class too, although she was never seen.
posted
My guess is that only few ships of the Intrepid class have been built so far, maybe only a batch of 4 or 6 ships, of which 3 have already been shown or mentioned. As for the battle capability, it is possible that Starfleet rather relies on well-known designs instead of this brand new ship class.
------------------ "Naomi Wildman, sub-unit of Ensign Samantha Wildman, state your intentions." (VOY: "Infinite Regress")
posted
The Akira and Steamrunner Classes are NOT new designs. We may have seen them for the first time recently, but they have been around for quite awhile. Cjeck the registry numbers. NCC-5XXXX and such.
"...it is possible that Starfleet rather relies on well-known designs instead of this brand new ship class."
My first reaction to the above statement was "HUH?!?" If Starfleet felt it was necessary to invest the time, manpower, and materials in designing a warship of the Intrepid's reputed ability, I doubt they would refrain from using their best fighting ships in battle because they were fraid to lose their investment.
"The Intrepid? Well, of course it's one of our best ships, but we don't want to risk losing any in battle. Let's send all these less-capable vessels instead. Who cares how many extra lives we'll lose?"
Yeah.
Right.
My theory is this: as vast as Federation space must be, it's unlikely these vessels are all deployed in the same location at once. If you see one or two in the same battle, you've seem most of them. If you don't, remember that space is big. Really, really big. They might've been one of those distant dots in the background that you can't figure out what the hell it is.
posted
Also, if the Intrepid ships really are as fast as Lt.Stadi claims in "Caretaker" (although I think she was just stammering in front of Tom "oops, you can read my mind" Paris and said "warp 9.975" when she meant "warp 9.75"), then Starfleet might wish to reserve them for certain special missions. One doesn't send B-52s to drop LGMs, or SR-71s to intercept bombers, even if B-52 is a bomb truck and SR-71 flies really fast and really high. The aircraft simply aren't designed for those missions and would put their special abilities to waste in them.
The high warp speed of an Intrepid would be utterly wasted in fleet action, where the fleet has to move at the speed of the slowest sorry excuse for a starship (Miranda, anyone?), and fight at impulse. Intrepids should operate either independently, or with their heretofore unseen peers; perhaps in slashing raids behind the lines, or perhaps just in important courier missions like the Romulus run of the Bellerophon.
The worst match would be an Intrepid flying with a Defiant (the fragile-boned gepard and the lumbering bull elephant), which is why we never saw an Intrepid in action with the DS9 heroes...
posted
I think there was some caution in producing/using Intrepids after Voyager was lost on its first mission... but when Starfleet got word of Voyager alive and well - I would say they are gonna get Intrepids out there FAST - since the Intrepids have proven themselves VERY capable...
or yes... along with those other ships - they are assigned to different sectors FAR FAR away from the vicinity of Bajor...
------------------ "Its a CLOCK!" - Sisko, "Dramatis Personae" DS9.
posted
I like the idea of Intrepids being used on guerilla raids and such, but Janeway also indicated that the Intrepid class designed for tight manuvering when she told Tom in Caretaker that Voyager could handle the plasma storms in the Badlands when other starships couldn't.
posted
There's no reason to think Voyager can't get up to W9.975. Just because it can get there doesn't mean it can stay there for more than a couple minutes.
------------------ Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to use the 'net, and he won't bother you for weeks.
posted
The Intrepid as a warship? I doubt it. Sure it's got a bit of firepower, but I think it was meant more for scout and reconnaisance(sp?) missions. Afterall, it seems to get the butt kicked out of it alot in the Delta Quad. It's size and weapons would indicate to me that it could probably go one on one with a Galor Class ship.
I agree that it seems unlikely that Starfleet would invest in a brand new class of ships and then be unwilling to use them in battle. Again, a likely explanation is that they were being used for scout and recon missions.
posted
Janeway told some alien that Voyager is a short-term explorer. Which, to me, means she's a scout.
------------------ "The things hollow--it goes on forever--and--oh my God!--it's full of stars!" -David Bowman's last transmission back to Earth, 2001: A Space Odyssey
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