Second of all, if the Intrepid class is a scout, why would it need to have top of the line phasers anyway?
Third of all, type has more to do with size than power. A modern Type III rifle is probably quite a bit more powerful than a Type IV or V cannon from TOS days.
------------------ "Oh, it's an anti-anti-WTO song. It's essentially a pro-Starbucks song. I saw this picture of a guy sticking his foot through a plate-glass window in a Starbucks in Seattle, and he was wearing a Nike. Man, couldn't you just change your shoes?" -- M. Doughty
posted
It's never really stated what type of ship the Intrepid class represents. Scout is unlikely, since the two times we have heard Starfleet scouts mentioned were in connection with the Oberth class Grissom (a small and weakly armed vessel) and the craft flown by Data in "Insurrection" (even smaller). The alien vessels specified as "scouts" have also been very small.
Type 8 phasers aren't wimpy or anything. They have been specified for the E-B and for the Prometheus of "Message in a Bottle" fame, and seem to be full-fledged capital ship weapons. They sound like the most logical choice for the Intrepids as well, given how these are so similar in size to the Prometheii.
I'd probably classify the Intrepid as a light cruiser. We already know "heavy cruiser" in the TNG timeframe is something in the ballpark of the Ambassador class, and "frigate" is a New Orleans style vessel, so the Intrepid would fit between those if sheer mass or volume is the defining criterium. She's also a size-mate to the Constellations, which are still called "cruisers" (possibly light cruisers if we could hear the exact designation) in the TNG timeframe. Finally, wasn't the near-identical Prometheus considered a cruiser of some sort as well?
She also seems to have multipurpose equipment aboard, suggesting she is not a specialized vessel like a courier or a minelayer or a reconaissance ship.
posted
According to Janeway in "Relativity", Voyager is a short-term explorer. Going by that, I'd call her a scoutship.
------------------ "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
------------------ "Oh, it's an anti-anti-WTO song. It's essentially a pro-Starbucks song. I saw this picture of a guy sticking his foot through a plate-glass window in a Starbucks in Seattle, and he was wearing a Nike. Man, couldn't you just change your shoes?" -- M. Doughty
posted
Well, I guess Starfleet can ditch the 'short-term' part, aftre they get back
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