Difference between pages "Vesta Class" and "K't'inga class"

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{{Specifications
{{Specification
| image = [[Image:Vestaclass.jpg|275px]]
| image = [[Image:Ktingaclass.jpg]]
| name = Vesta
| displayName = '''''K't'inga'' Class'''
| affiliation = Starfleet
| name = K't'inga
| role = Explorer
| affiliation = *[[Klingon Empire]]
| dateEntered = 2388
*[[Old_Romulan_Star_Empire|Romulan Star Empire]]
| expectedLife = 100 Years
| operator = *[[Klingon Defense Force]]
| expectedRefit = 10 Years
*[[Old_Romulan_Star_Empire#Romulan_Star_Navy|Romulan Star Navy]]
| timeResupply = 5 Years
| status = Active
| crewComplement = 750
| role = Battlecruiser
| type =
| precedingClass = Sech
| succeedingClass = Vor'cha
| dateEntered = 2258
| productionEnd = 2369
| retired =
| expectedDuration = 100 Years
| expectedRefit = 15 Years
| timeResupply = 3 Years
| crewComplement =350
| emergencyCap = 1,500
| emergencyCap = 1,500
| length = 672 meters
| civilians =
| width = 192 meters
| populationCap =
| height = 87 meters
| flightCrew =
| decks = 19
| passengers =
| length = 349.54 meters
| width = 251.76 meters
| diameter =
| height = 98.41 meters
| decks = 25
| propulsionSystem = Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive
| propulsionSystem = Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive
| cruiseSpeed = Warp 8
| cruiseSpeed = Warp 7
| maxSpeed = Warp 9
| maxSpeed = Warp 9.6
| emergencySpeed = Warp 9.985
| emergencySpeed = Warp 9.8 (12 hours)
| energyWeapons =*8x Type-XII Phaser Arrays
| energyWeapons = 6x disruptor cannons
*2x Type-XII Pulse Phase Cannons
| torpLaunchers = *1x forward
| torpLaunchers =*2 forward
*1x aft
* 1 aft
| torpPayload = *150 photon torpedoes
| torpPayload =*300 Photon Torpedoes
*100 plasma torpedoes (Romulan version)
*200 Quantum Torpedoes
| shields = *Deflector shields
| shields =Multi-Layered Shielding System
*Cloaking device
| shuttleBays =1
| dockingfacilities =
| shuttles =10
| shuttleBays =  
| runabouts =2
| shuttles =  
}}
| runabouts =  
| fighters =
| aux =
| msd =
}}The '''''K't'inga''-class battlecruiser''' was historically and prominently the frontline battlecruiser of the [[Klingon Empire]] for the second half of the 23rd century and well into the 24th century. Through various refits and modernizations, the ''K't'inga'' continued service well past her intended design life and into the [[ma:Dominion War|Dominion War]]. Although a much rarer sight in the 25th century with the wide deployment of the [[Vor'cha Class|''Vor'cha''-class]] battlecruiser, the ''K't'inga'' can still be found throughout Klingon space and the frontier as a multi-purposed ship of war.
===Exploration and Science===
Although a ship bred for war and used as a battlecuiser, the ''K't'inga'' is a deceptively adept exploration platform. The original design expectation that the ''K't'inga'' would be forced onto the fringe frontier of Klingon space for months or maybe even years at a time required that the ship be equipped with a suite of sensors to handle the unknown. This served multiple purposes in being able to relay mapping data, both passive and active, back to Klingon command to be analyzed as well as using the ''K't'inga's'' advanced sensor suite in combat situations against perspective targets. Historically, because of the advanced ''K't'inga'' sensors, the ubiquitous nature of the vessel throughout its lifetime, and the data collected over the years, the [[Klingon Defense Force]] was able to passively map out large swaths of the Klingon frontier.


== Class Overview ==
The ''K't'inga'', being the workhorse battlecruiser of the Klingon Empire for almost 100 years, also served as its premier ship of exploration in any sense that the Klingon Empire was interested in such endeavors. Compared to other Klingon vessels of her era, the ''K't'inga'' is the most well-equipped for scientific duties. Although, for a Klingon warship design, that leaves much to be desired. If ever a matter of science or exploration was required, the ''K't'inga'' was the ship that was deployed for such matters during much of its lifetime. In the modern era, ships with more advanced sensor suites such as the ''Vor'cha''-class or [[Negh'Var Class|''Negh'Var''-class]] would primarily be deployed to any exploration assignments of importance.
The ''Vesta''-class is currently the fastest ship in Starfleet, and serves as a bleeding-edge technological testbed for some of the most advanced spaceborne systems ever developed. Rare and extremely prized by their captains, these ships are reserved almost solely for prestigious exploratory missions and are rarely seen in the Federation’s core.


=== Science and Exploration ===
===Diplomacy===
While no vessel can beat a ''Century''-class when it comes to comprehensive scientific capabilities or overall capabilities as an explorer, the ''Vesta'' is built for even longer range missions with a more narrow scope: a ''Century'' surveys a wide area of space, while the ''Vesta'' hits areas of special interest like an arrow, thanks to her incredible top speed. Much more of the space aboard the ''Vesta'' is devoted to navigational and engineering support systems, which limits the number of labs it can have total, but the trade off for this is being able to get to its exploratory zones faster. So, in this sense, a ''Vesta'' might be sent to explore a very specific, far-off star system or nebula and then return samples or intelligence back home, while a ''Century'' would be better able to examine entire sectors of space independently, with the lab space onboard to handle the vast majority of the discoveries it makes. Unlike a ''Galaxy'' or ''Century''-class ship, the majority of the labs aboard a ''Vesta'' are allocated to the primary mission of the day, rather than independent side missions.
Much like exploration, the ''K't'inga''-class was not designed with diplomacy in mind other than through superior firepower against enemy forces. However, the ''K't'inga'' has historically been used by the Klingon Empire as a ship of diplomatic gesture throughout the mid to late 23rd century. To that end, the ''K't'inga'' has been equipped with a limited amount of conference rooms and stately guest quarters for visiting dignitaries.


The ''Vesta''-class has a dedicated runabout pad on the stern of the ship, which supports a complement of scout vessels and runabouts that is significantly greater than other ships of her size. These vessels are used during exploratory missions to speed up scientific surveys, with these auxiliary craft serving as an extremely effective force multiplier.  
===Engineering===
A ship [[ma:Federation-Klingon_War_(2256-57)|born out of and bred for war]], the ''K't'inga''-class was an amalgamation of the best parts of the separate [[Great House|Great House's]] designs rolled into one vaguely familiar frame. The ''K't'inga''-class battlecruiser incorporated aspects of the [[M'Chla class|''M'Chla''-class]], [[Chargh class|''Chargh''-class]], and [[Qugh class|''Qugh''-class]], but especially from the [[Sech class|''Sech''-class]] and [[BortaS bir class|''BortaS bir''-class]]. Overall, the design appeared as a predator stalking the depths of space. The primary hull was almost wing-like, with two nacelles on each side, connecting a long "neck" with a "head" command section.


Computer systems aboard the ''Vesta'' are the most advanced version of bio-neural circuitry currently in production, making her one of the most effective spaceborne computing platforms in service. In practice, a significant amount of this computing power is devoted to her advanced navigational sensors, which help the ship perform effectively at her extremely high top speeds. Starfleet’s goal with this system, however, has been to eventually solve the computational imitations that have prevented the full development of slipstream technology. These systems are extremely maintenance intensive, both in terms of person-hours spent on calibrations and diagnostics, but also in specialized components that are either energy-intensive to replicate or which must be sourced from production facilities in the Federation’s core, which limits this ship’s endurance significantly.
===Tactical===
At the time of its deployment, the ''K't'inga''-class battlecruiser was easily the most formidable ship in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. The ''K't'inga'' excels in combat, boasting an impressive weapons array, a cloaking device, incredibly resilient shields, and a new generation warp drive capable of propelling the ship to sustained speeds of Warp 9. The new warp drive also efficiently routed power through the vessel to its weapons systems, allowing for a more powerful disruptor blast than anything that had been fielded by the Klingons previously. Due to its main weapons array pointing forward from the ship, the thruster design throughout also makes it one of the most maneuverable vessels of its era for its size, able to bring its main weapons to bear against an enemy with ease.


=== Diplomacy ===
The ''K't'inga''-class is also an efficient combat vessel in several other areas including ship-to-ship combat, troop transport and deployment, and orbital or siege bombardment of stationary targets. In fact, compared to its contemporaries at the time, the only real threat to a ''K't'inga''-class battlecruiser in one-on-one combat was the [[Starfleet]] [[Constitution Class|''Constitution''-class]] starship.
Like all explorers, the ''Vesta'' is intended to engage in first contact missions. As such, she has a comfortable suite of diplomatic quarters and facilities, capable of adaptation to any K, L, or M-class environment. With her high top speed, she makes a very effective diplomatic courier, but she is rarely assigned to such duties, given her utility as an explorer. These ships rarely host multiparty talks, but they do have sufficient accommodations to perform approximately as effectively as the tactically-oriented ''Sovereign'' can, lagging behind the ''Galaxy'' and quite far behind the ''Odyssey'' in this regard.


In many respects, Starfleet would prefer to keep the ''Vesta'' away from most diplomatic situations, to avoid giving potential threat powers further opportunities to examine this very advanced vessel up close, given that close to 80% of her systems are highly classified. On the same token, however, they are often deployed on domestic diplomatic missions during their rare visits home to Federation space, where they serve as an example of just how advanced Federation shipbuilding has become. A visit from one of these vessels is often seen as a sign of great respect from Starfleet and the Federation to even founding members like the Vulcans and Andorians.
===Shipboard Life===
The ''K't'inga'' was never built with comfort in mind. With that being said, the vessel was far more comfortable than its previous counterparts or contemporaries. The ship boasted actual leisure facilities; this was specifically unlike the Klingon designs that came before it. Leisure facilities vary between the Klingon and Romulan configurations of the design but largely include a massive mess hall, training facilities including a gym and bat’leth hall, and even limited holo facilities. However, when fully manned with troops for transport, quarters on the ''K't'inga'' are cramped and even the ship's captain would be forced to share accommodations.


=== Engineering ===
==Class History==
Nearly everything onboard the ''Vesta'' is still highly experimental by 2399, which means that it’s an extremely maintenance-intensive ship. Engineering crews here are kept busy making sure that the bleeding-edge technology at work here is kept in running order. This is especially true of her advanced Class-10 warp drive system, as she is the first vessel to employ it outside of testbed scenarios. The warp core spans the height of the ship, powering two massive warp nacelles, which gives the ship the highest top speed in the fleet.  
The ''K't'inga''-class battlecruiser first came to life as a design brought forth to the [[ma:Klingon High Council|Klingon High Council]] by [[ma:Klingon Chancellor|Chancellor]] [[ma:L'Rell|L'Rell]] in 2257. The original design within the ''K't'inga''-class, the D7 spaceframe, was an amalgamation of the greatest successes of the different designs that the Great Houses employed through their individual fleets. These designs were disparate from one another, indicative of the fracturing of the Klingon people during this time period in Klingon history, but all derived from much older designs such as the [[ma:Klingon_Bird-of-Prey_(22nd_century)|''Vo'n'talk''-class]], [[ma:D5_class|''Devastator''-class]], and [[ma:Raptor_class|''Raptor''-class]] of centuries past. Chancellor L'Rell saw the new ''K't'inga''-class as a unifier of the Klingon people and ordered its mass production throughout the Great Houses as a symbol of that Klingon unity. The first ''K't'inga's'' were deployed only a few months later in order to assist the [[ma:USS_Enterprise_(NCC-1701)|USS ''Enterprise'']] against a rogue Federation armada. After this battle, the ''K't'inga'' did finally enter mass production as the Chancellor had asked for and quickly became the flagship and backbone of many of the Great Houses, and therefore, the Klingon Defense Force as a whole.
[[Image:Klingond7.jpg|thumb|left|The original D7 spaceframe of the ''K't'inga''-class firing a torpedo.]]
The first major change to the ''K't'inga'' came in the mid-2260s. By that point, the ''K't'inga'' had been in service for over 5 years and the engineers of the Klingon Defense Force had several suggested refits and remodels for the ship to increase its performance. This lined up with a budding alliance with the [[Romulan Star Empire]], in which the Romulans were incredibly interested in the ''K't'inga'' design. The Klingons, knowing that the original ''K't'inga'' design was about to undergo a significant upgrade, traded the original design to the Romulans in exchange for the Romulans relinquishing all claims to the contested planet of [[ma:Khitomer|Khitomer]], a Klingon stronghold and one of the most strategically important planets in the Empire. Shortly after, the Klingon ''K't'inga's'' were upgraded from the D7 spaceframe to the D7A spaceframe, leaving the Romulans with the older design while the Klingons moved forward.


The ship is quite long at 672 meters long, though comparatively narrow at just 192 meters wide, giving her a very slender appearance, especially on profile. This narrow forward profile is necessary to maintain very high speeds. While it does have distinct primary and secondary hulls, these two structures are joined completely, as with the ''Intrepid''-class. The main and secondary deflector dishes are both oversized compared to peer classes, and the vessel manages to look like it’s going fast even when it’s standing still.  
In subsequent decades, the Klingons continued to upgrade the ''K't'inga'' spaceframe. One of the most infamous iterations of a spaceframe appeared in the 2290s when the flagship of the Klingon Chancellor [[ma:Gorkon|Gorkon]], [[ma:Kronos_One|''Kronos One'']], was deployed under the D7E spaceframe. ''Kronos One'' was vitally important to the signing of the [[ma:Khitomer_Accords|Khitomer Accords]], the [[ma:Treaty_of_Alliance|Federation-Klingon Alliance]] that blossomed from those accords, and the future of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants as a whole. Many years later, as a symbol of peace and friendship, the Klingon Empire gifted ''Kronos One'' to the Federation to be displayed in the [[ma:Fleet_Museum|Starfleet Fleet Museum]] over [[ma:Athan_Prime|Athan Prime]].  


=== Tactical ===
The D7E spaceframe continued as the primary deployment of the ''K't'inga''-class until the 2340s, when the D7F spaceframe was deployed as a significant upgrade to the internal systems of the ''K't'inga''-class. The ''K't'inga''-class continued for another 20 years undisturbed until the development and deployment of the ''Vor'cha''-class battlecruiser. Seen as the first significant class in the Empire in over a generation, the ''Vor'cha'' was slated to replace the ''K't'inga'' within a decade as a massive improvement in every aspect. However, as the next decade rolled around and a new enemy came into sight, the lifespan of the ''K't'inga'' was artificially inflated.  
Given that they are often weeks, months, or even ''years'' beyond reinforcements, the ''Vesta'' was defined with the teeth to be able to protect itself from nearly any threat, rivaling the ''Sovereign''-class in this regard. All-around Type-XII phaser coverage is provided, along with two forward and two aft burst-fire torpedo launchers. Rather unusually for a large starship, she is also equipped with two forward-firing pulse phaser cannons, which can be used to great effect against clumsier vessels during combat. Considering that they are often so far from support, a ''Vesta''-class ship must often be prepared not just to wound an enemy and then escape but to inflict sufficient damage to discourage further pursuit, though when she ''does'' manage to escape, there are nearly no threat vessels that could catch her.


Unlike a ''Sovereign'', a ''Vesta'' is not meant to lead a column of starships into battle; her tactical abilities are geared towards self-defense and long-term sustainability, and so these vessels are rarely deployed in fleet engagements. As such, they have few to no command and control systems, apart from those necessary to control her small fleet of runabouts for exploratory missions. As such, she is still primarily an explorer, rather than a deep space tactical vessel, despite her armaments.
Hundreds of ''K't'inga's'' in service at the start of the Cold War with the Dominion were slated for decommissioning and scrapping to use their raw materials to build a new fleet of ''Vor'cha's''. However, when the severity of the Changeling infiltration issue was realized by then-Chancellor [[ma:Gowron|Gowron]], the ''K't'inga's'' were instead repurposed back to war as the [[ma:Klingon-Cardassian_War|Klingon Empire invaded the Cardassian Union]] in 2372. When full-scale war broke out between the Dominion, now fully allied with the [[Cardassian Union]], and the Federation-Klingon-Romulan Alliance, the ''K't'inga's'' made up a huge backbone of the Klingon fleet. The designs, while older, were still a fearsome ship of war. The ''K't'inga'' took heavy losses during the war which was on par with the overall heavy losses of the Klingon Empire. However, by wars end, the ''K't'inga'' still numbered in the hundreds. With the decimation that the Klingon fleet took overall, the ''K't'inga'' again had its lifespan artificially increased to allow the Klingon Defense Force to build its own forces.  


=== Shipboard Life ===
As the Klingon forces recovered, the ''K't'inga'' began to be slowly phased out by the Great Houses. By the early 25th century, the ''K't'inga''-class continues to serve many of the Houses but is no longer the backbone of most forces and becomes an increasingly dwindling sight in Klingon space.
Assignment to a ''Vesta''-class ship is something highly sought by ambitious officers, as it is only granted to the absolute best in every area. While their missions might be shorter, these ships are sent to areas which Starfleet is interested in examining quickly and effectively with little external support, so they have to be prepared for anything. As such, this leads to a sense among ''Vesta'' crews that they are elite units, leading to both positive displays of comradeship as well as sometimes exclusionary and cliquish practices which make it difficult for new crewmembers to integrate, especially if a crew has already been deployed in the field.


Recreational facilities aboard a ''Vesta'' are quite comprehensive, though the ship’s size and shape keep her from having quite the luxury of a ''Galaxy'' or ''Odyssey''-class ship. Holodecks, holosuites, and recreational lounges are plentiful and most crew members have their own quarters.
==Romulan D7==
[[Image:romuland7.jpg|thumb|left|The Romulan configuration of the ''D7'', easily notable by the feathered wings painted onto the hull.]]During a short alliance between the Klingons and Romulans in the mid-2260s, several deals and accords were struck; this included a swap of the D7 spaceframe design of the ''K't'inga'' from the Klingons to the Romulans. This exchange immediately altered the history of the D7 spaceframe forever by adding the class to the Romulan fleet at the time when the ''K't'inga'' was receiving upgrades within the Klingon fleet.


Department head roles aboard this class are often seen as direct stepping stones towards the command track on other explorers, with a tour on one of these ships being enough to catapult many officers up to executive officer positions. On that token, however, these assignments are so popular that crews will often stay together for many years.
By the 2270s, active development and construction of the D7 spaceframe had been discontinued by the Romulans in favor of their own, unique refit design on the platform. Eventually, the Romulans deployed their own improvement in the Stormbird-class.


== Class History ==
The only substantial tactical difference between the Romulan and Klingon versions of the ''K't'inga'' over its production run was the inclusion of plasma torpedoes on the Romulan version.
The ''Vesta''-class starship development began with the return of the starship ''Voyager'' in 2378, with the goal of using the advances that ship had discovered to create a new, purpose-built explorer that could break all previous speed records. The long-term goal was to develop a vessel capable of implementing the failed slipstream drive project started by Seven of Nine and B’Elanna Torres during ''Voyager''’s journey home, though the engineering requirements for this were still well beyond what Starfleet was capable of in the late 2370s.


The design process continued apace, though resources were diverted to other projects in the mid-2380s during the Federation’s attempted evacuation of Romulus, so it wasn’t until 2393 that the ''Vesta'' finally left spacedock. Following a year-long shakedown operation close to home, she was sent on her first long-range mission while her sisters were under construction. Performance was rated extremely highly, but the maintenance demands meant that this class could never be built in large numbers, so as of 2399 they remain a rare and highly advanced vessel in Starfleet.
==In Play==
*The original D7 spaceframe has long since been retired by the Romulans and isn't a common sight for the Klingons anymore. However, over the years some have been lost, sold, or otherwise unaccounted for. This has led to these ships falling into the hands of civilians and outside of the government’s hands.  
*Although these ships are antiquated by 2401, they are still a formidable opponent that should not be underestimated.
*The Romulan configuration is most likely to be found in the hands of petty warlords or regional overlords that have popped up within Romulan space since the fall of Romulus.


== In Play ==
==Additional Information==
*Due to the mention of the ''K't'inga'' by Captain Pike by name in SNW: Supspace Rhapsody which is set in 2259, Bravo Fleet has taken the stance that all of the ships were of the ''K't'inga''-class and that the "D7" is the specific variant of the class that changes over time. A real world example of such a thing would be the [[wikipedia:Arleigh_Burke-class_destroyer#Variants|''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyer variants]] in the real world US Navy. The ships are outwardly identical or similar overall but have significant upgrades to technology over the years.


* While all of the ‘big three’ explorers (Sovereign, Century, and Odyssey) are very advanced, the Vesta is a whole step out in front of them in terms of the advanced technologies built into her spaceframe. She’s one of the most complicated vessels in Starfleet history, which means she needs a highly trained engineering team, but she makes up for that by being a full third faster than even the Century at all out sprint speeds. She is currently the rarest of the explorer-type vessels, and is only sent on the most urgent and important long-range exploratory missions.
{{clear}}
* This is an incredibly desirable command for nearly any captain, especially given how few of these vessels there are currently in service. In 2399, the main way an officer would be assigned to command a ship like this would have been to be in command of a lesser vessel, or executive officer of an explorer for an extended period of time.
* Encountering this vessel as an NPC would be extremely unusual; this isn’t a vessel you’d see as a ‘ship of the week’ with any sort of regularity, given that they’re designed to spend years out of contact.
 
[[Category:Federation starship classes]]
[[Category:Explorers]]

Revision as of 21:15, 7 March 2024

Ktingaclass.jpg
K't'inga Class
Information
Affiliation
Status

Active

Role

Battlecruiser

Lineage
Preceding Class

Sech-class

Succeeding Class Vor'cha-class
Service
Operator
Entered Service

2258

Production Ended

2369

Endurance
Expected Design Life

100 Years

Expected Refit Cycle

15 Years

Expected Resupply Cycle

3 Years

Crew Capacity
Standard Complement

350

Emergency Capacity

1,500

Dimensions
Length

349.54 meters

Width

251.76 meters

Height

98.41 meters

Decks

25

Propulsion
Propulsion Systems

Matter/Antimatter powered warp drive

Cruise Speed

Warp 7

Maximum Speed

Warp 9.6

Emergency Speed

Warp 9.8 (12 hours)

Armaments
Energy Weapons

6x disruptor cannons

Torpedo Launchers
  • 1x forward
  • 1x aft
Torpedo Payload
  • 150 photon torpedoes
  • 100 plasma torpedoes (Romulan version)
Shields
  • Deflector shields
  • Cloaking device
Template:Specification

The K't'inga-class battlecruiser was historically and prominently the frontline battlecruiser of the Klingon Empire for the second half of the 23rd century and well into the 24th century. Through various refits and modernizations, the K't'inga continued service well past her intended design life and into the Dominion War. Although a much rarer sight in the 25th century with the wide deployment of the Vor'cha-class battlecruiser, the K't'inga can still be found throughout Klingon space and the frontier as a multi-purposed ship of war.

Exploration and Science

Although a ship bred for war and used as a battlecuiser, the K't'inga is a deceptively adept exploration platform. The original design expectation that the K't'inga would be forced onto the fringe frontier of Klingon space for months or maybe even years at a time required that the ship be equipped with a suite of sensors to handle the unknown. This served multiple purposes in being able to relay mapping data, both passive and active, back to Klingon command to be analyzed as well as using the K't'inga's advanced sensor suite in combat situations against perspective targets. Historically, because of the advanced K't'inga sensors, the ubiquitous nature of the vessel throughout its lifetime, and the data collected over the years, the Klingon Defense Force was able to passively map out large swaths of the Klingon frontier.

The K't'inga, being the workhorse battlecruiser of the Klingon Empire for almost 100 years, also served as its premier ship of exploration in any sense that the Klingon Empire was interested in such endeavors. Compared to other Klingon vessels of her era, the K't'inga is the most well-equipped for scientific duties. Although, for a Klingon warship design, that leaves much to be desired. If ever a matter of science or exploration was required, the K't'inga was the ship that was deployed for such matters during much of its lifetime. In the modern era, ships with more advanced sensor suites such as the Vor'cha-class or Negh'Var-class would primarily be deployed to any exploration assignments of importance.

Diplomacy

Much like exploration, the K't'inga-class was not designed with diplomacy in mind other than through superior firepower against enemy forces. However, the K't'inga has historically been used by the Klingon Empire as a ship of diplomatic gesture throughout the mid to late 23rd century. To that end, the K't'inga has been equipped with a limited amount of conference rooms and stately guest quarters for visiting dignitaries.

Engineering

A ship born out of and bred for war, the K't'inga-class was an amalgamation of the best parts of the separate Great House's designs rolled into one vaguely familiar frame. The K't'inga-class battlecruiser incorporated aspects of the M'Chla-class, Chargh-class, and Qugh-class, but especially from the Sech-class and BortaS bir-class. Overall, the design appeared as a predator stalking the depths of space. The primary hull was almost wing-like, with two nacelles on each side, connecting a long "neck" with a "head" command section.

Tactical

At the time of its deployment, the K't'inga-class battlecruiser was easily the most formidable ship in the Alpha or Beta Quadrants. The K't'inga excels in combat, boasting an impressive weapons array, a cloaking device, incredibly resilient shields, and a new generation warp drive capable of propelling the ship to sustained speeds of Warp 9. The new warp drive also efficiently routed power through the vessel to its weapons systems, allowing for a more powerful disruptor blast than anything that had been fielded by the Klingons previously. Due to its main weapons array pointing forward from the ship, the thruster design throughout also makes it one of the most maneuverable vessels of its era for its size, able to bring its main weapons to bear against an enemy with ease.

The K't'inga-class is also an efficient combat vessel in several other areas including ship-to-ship combat, troop transport and deployment, and orbital or siege bombardment of stationary targets. In fact, compared to its contemporaries at the time, the only real threat to a K't'inga-class battlecruiser in one-on-one combat was the Starfleet Constitution-class starship.

Shipboard Life

The K't'inga was never built with comfort in mind. With that being said, the vessel was far more comfortable than its previous counterparts or contemporaries. The ship boasted actual leisure facilities; this was specifically unlike the Klingon designs that came before it. Leisure facilities vary between the Klingon and Romulan configurations of the design but largely include a massive mess hall, training facilities including a gym and bat’leth hall, and even limited holo facilities. However, when fully manned with troops for transport, quarters on the K't'inga are cramped and even the ship's captain would be forced to share accommodations.

Class History

The K't'inga-class battlecruiser first came to life as a design brought forth to the Klingon High Council by Chancellor L'Rell in 2257. The original design within the K't'inga-class, the D7 spaceframe, was an amalgamation of the greatest successes of the different designs that the Great Houses employed through their individual fleets. These designs were disparate from one another, indicative of the fracturing of the Klingon people during this time period in Klingon history, but all derived from much older designs such as the Vo'n'talk-class, Devastator-class, and Raptor-class of centuries past. Chancellor L'Rell saw the new K't'inga-class as a unifier of the Klingon people and ordered its mass production throughout the Great Houses as a symbol of that Klingon unity. The first K't'inga's were deployed only a few months later in order to assist the USS Enterprise against a rogue Federation armada. After this battle, the K't'inga did finally enter mass production as the Chancellor had asked for and quickly became the flagship and backbone of many of the Great Houses, and therefore, the Klingon Defense Force as a whole.

The original D7 spaceframe of the K't'inga-class firing a torpedo.

The first major change to the K't'inga came in the mid-2260s. By that point, the K't'inga had been in service for over 5 years and the engineers of the Klingon Defense Force had several suggested refits and remodels for the ship to increase its performance. This lined up with a budding alliance with the Romulan Star Empire, in which the Romulans were incredibly interested in the K't'inga design. The Klingons, knowing that the original K't'inga design was about to undergo a significant upgrade, traded the original design to the Romulans in exchange for the Romulans relinquishing all claims to the contested planet of Khitomer, a Klingon stronghold and one of the most strategically important planets in the Empire. Shortly after, the Klingon K't'inga's were upgraded from the D7 spaceframe to the D7A spaceframe, leaving the Romulans with the older design while the Klingons moved forward.

In subsequent decades, the Klingons continued to upgrade the K't'inga spaceframe. One of the most infamous iterations of a spaceframe appeared in the 2290s when the flagship of the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon, Kronos One, was deployed under the D7E spaceframe. Kronos One was vitally important to the signing of the Khitomer Accords, the Federation-Klingon Alliance that blossomed from those accords, and the future of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants as a whole. Many years later, as a symbol of peace and friendship, the Klingon Empire gifted Kronos One to the Federation to be displayed in the Starfleet Fleet Museum over Athan Prime.

The D7E spaceframe continued as the primary deployment of the K't'inga-class until the 2340s, when the D7F spaceframe was deployed as a significant upgrade to the internal systems of the K't'inga-class. The K't'inga-class continued for another 20 years undisturbed until the development and deployment of the Vor'cha-class battlecruiser. Seen as the first significant class in the Empire in over a generation, the Vor'cha was slated to replace the K't'inga within a decade as a massive improvement in every aspect. However, as the next decade rolled around and a new enemy came into sight, the lifespan of the K't'inga was artificially inflated.

Hundreds of K't'inga's in service at the start of the Cold War with the Dominion were slated for decommissioning and scrapping to use their raw materials to build a new fleet of Vor'cha's. However, when the severity of the Changeling infiltration issue was realized by then-Chancellor Gowron, the K't'inga's were instead repurposed back to war as the Klingon Empire invaded the Cardassian Union in 2372. When full-scale war broke out between the Dominion, now fully allied with the Cardassian Union, and the Federation-Klingon-Romulan Alliance, the K't'inga's made up a huge backbone of the Klingon fleet. The designs, while older, were still a fearsome ship of war. The K't'inga took heavy losses during the war which was on par with the overall heavy losses of the Klingon Empire. However, by wars end, the K't'inga still numbered in the hundreds. With the decimation that the Klingon fleet took overall, the K't'inga again had its lifespan artificially increased to allow the Klingon Defense Force to build its own forces.

As the Klingon forces recovered, the K't'inga began to be slowly phased out by the Great Houses. By the early 25th century, the K't'inga-class continues to serve many of the Houses but is no longer the backbone of most forces and becomes an increasingly dwindling sight in Klingon space.

Romulan D7

The Romulan configuration of the D7, easily notable by the feathered wings painted onto the hull.

During a short alliance between the Klingons and Romulans in the mid-2260s, several deals and accords were struck; this included a swap of the D7 spaceframe design of the K't'inga from the Klingons to the Romulans. This exchange immediately altered the history of the D7 spaceframe forever by adding the class to the Romulan fleet at the time when the K't'inga was receiving upgrades within the Klingon fleet.

By the 2270s, active development and construction of the D7 spaceframe had been discontinued by the Romulans in favor of their own, unique refit design on the platform. Eventually, the Romulans deployed their own improvement in the Stormbird-class.

The only substantial tactical difference between the Romulan and Klingon versions of the K't'inga over its production run was the inclusion of plasma torpedoes on the Romulan version.

In Play

  • The original D7 spaceframe has long since been retired by the Romulans and isn't a common sight for the Klingons anymore. However, over the years some have been lost, sold, or otherwise unaccounted for. This has led to these ships falling into the hands of civilians and outside of the government’s hands.
  • Although these ships are antiquated by 2401, they are still a formidable opponent that should not be underestimated.
  • The Romulan configuration is most likely to be found in the hands of petty warlords or regional overlords that have popped up within Romulan space since the fall of Romulus.

Additional Information

  • Due to the mention of the K't'inga by Captain Pike by name in SNW: Supspace Rhapsody which is set in 2259, Bravo Fleet has taken the stance that all of the ships were of the K't'inga-class and that the "D7" is the specific variant of the class that changes over time. A real world example of such a thing would be the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer variants in the real world US Navy. The ships are outwardly identical or similar overall but have significant upgrades to technology over the years.