A Deeper Dive into DS9's Ships

Continuing our deep dive into some of the most iconic ships from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, here’s a look at another four of the vessels that made a lasting impact on the Star Trek universe. Once again, all are available to own at special 25th Anniversary savings, either as part of your subscription to the Official Star Trek Starships Collection or as individual purchases from the Eaglemoss Shop or your favorite comic shop.

06: Jem’Hadar Fighter

Commonly used by the Dominion at the front lines of battle, the Jem’Hadar Fighter (Issue #29) was an attack ship typically deployed in groups of three. At only about half the size (68 meters) of the U.S.S. Defiant, this beetle-shaped warship held about 40 Dominion troops, and, with highly advanced transporter systems, was able to beam them directly onto even shielded Federation ships. Other advanced offensive capabilities included three phased polaron beam weapon emitters at the front and another rear facing weapon turret. Later in the Dominion War, they were outfitted with a Breen energy-dampening weapon, which proved devastating to Federation forces and their allies until countermeasures were eventually developed.

Defenses included shields able to repel even tractor beams, though this shielding did have a weakness that eventually became known and exploited. There was no viewscreen on the bridge. Instead, the commanding Vorta and Jem’Hadar “First” wore headsets that projected the outside view of ship directly into the brain, something very much like modern VR headsets. With a sustainable top speed of warp 9.6, these fighters were also able to maneuver well within a planet's atmosphere, in addition to being able to land and lift off vertically.

07: Bajoran Raider

Though a 24th-century craft capable of space flight, the Bajoran Raider (Issue #74) looked as if it might have hailed from the 22nd Century, if not earlier. Made from spare parts and whatever the Bajoran Resistance engineers could scrounge together, it resembled a jet fighter with a cramped interior and downward curved wings with a single large engine exhaust port at the rear. Motive power was created by a chemical/air ramjet. Hardly up to modern 24th-century designs, it was a true underdog’s fighter, not even capable of impulse speeds in space, let alone warp.

But within a planet's atmosphere, where more advanced ships’ impulse engines were no longer usable, these sub-impulse strike fighters showed their teeth, often attacking in groups, and proving themselves faster and more maneuverable than ships that otherwise outclassed them. Even though the only defenses were two forward facing laser cannons, targeting sensors, combined with atmospheric agility and a highly focused and determined crew, were a very effective combination.

08: Romulan Shuttle

The Romulan Shuttle (Issue #77) is in many ways a comparable ship class to the Federation Danube Class Runabout, but with a very distinctive Romulan design and features. This included the fact that its power was generated by an artificial quantum singularity – amazing for its small 24.23 meter length. Essentially a small, contained black hole, it gave the shuttle a top speed of around warp 9.6. Another element it had in common with its much larger Romulan counterparts was a cloaking device that rendered the ship invisible to sensors as well as the naked eye. Yet, as with those larger cousins, its use resulted in a reduced top speed of warp 6 and an inability to fire weapons or raise shields while cloaked. In typically Romulan fashion, the shuttle boasted plentiful weapons, with no less than six disruptors and two photon torpedo launchers.

Uses could range from high speed reconnaissance missions to ferrying diplomatic envoys, personnel or cargo. The shuttle had multiple sensor pallets positioned around the ship, so scientific “exploration” would certainly be possible.

This fan favorite design, with its gorgeous metallic green, orange and yellow accents plus classic Romulan lines, comes to us by way of veteran Star Trek design artist Doug Drexler, with some of his original inspiration coming from his pet parrot, B’kr.

09: Klingon Vor’cha Class

The mighty Vor’cha class battlecruiser (Issue #20) replaced the K’t’Inga class, with the Vor’cha at a massive 481.32 meters in length and a crew of nearly 1,900 Klingon warriors. It featured heavily in all the defining battles of the Dominion War and was the flagship of choice for General Martok, as well as Chancellors Gowron and K’mpec.

While it was clearly recognizable as a Klingon attack cruiser, years of peace and sharing of technology with the Federation influenced the design of the warp nacelles, which had glowing red Bussard collectors and propelled the ship at a max speed of warp 9.6.

But this was still a Klingon ship, with the bridge section at the front of an extended neck, linking it to the engineering hull, and outstretched wings at the rear half of the ship, making it instantly recognizable as Klingon. Hull plating was aggressive, raised and visible, fanning out in sections to resemble the feathers of a large bird. The powerful main disruptor cannon was mounted between the double-pronged, fork-like nose of the ship with other disruptor cannons and photon torpedo launchers distributed at strategic locations.

So, there you have it. The ships of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine that forever changed the landscape of Star Trek lore. To commemorate this critically important turning point in Star Trek history, Eaglemoss Collections is making some history of its own. New subscribers in the U.S. to the Official Star Trek Starships Collection will not only get their first ship  – TNG’s U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D – for only $4.95, but also receive the U.S.S. Defiant NX-74205 for half price – both with free shipping. Plus, every subscription includes a selection of free gifts valued at over $90 and additional savings of up to 20% off each ship in the collection. In the U.S., fans can visit st-starships.com for more details.

UK customers can start the collection with the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D and receive the U.S.S. Defiant NX-74205 as issue 9 at the regular price. To subscribe in the UK visit Eaglemoss UK Starship Collection.

Not ready to subscribe? Then drop by the Eaglemoss U.S. Shop to enjoy 10% off (U.S. only) the purchase of any or all DS9 ships, including our Deep Space Nine 25th Anniversary Bundle, which includes a special edition Deep Space Nine space station and two ships from Season 2. Or look for them at your local comic shop.

UK customers can visit Eaglemoss UK Shop to view the Deep Space Nine Collection and all of the full line of Starship collections from The Original Series to Discovery.