Category:Dominion Starship Classes

"Negotiations with the Dominion can be a very dangerous thing. The Dominion decides that you have something that they want, and then they come and take it - by negotiation or by force."

    —Eris, Vorta spy

Dominion starships, as encountered by Starfleet to date, have all been built with a singular primary purpose - the application of force in support of the political agenda of the Dominion's leadership. Dominion starship design doctrine is varied, with designs fitting into clear roles and marked by a distinct lack of any real multi-mission or multi-role starships. While this might result in ships not being ideal in small encounters, when Dominion fleets do mass for large-scale combat operations, each ship has a clear purpose and role. With rigorous training of the starship operators and the tacticians responsible for their actions, Dominion starships make for highly capable and dangerous foes.

Jem'Hadar Fighter

The Jem'Hadar Attack Fighter is the primary vessel of Dominion forces encountered by Starfleet during the Dominion War. Small, quick to build and with small crew compliments, the Dominion could field incredibly large numbers of these vessels at all stages of the war, even with the loss of multiple shipyards as Alliance forces advanced into Cardassian territory.

Armed primarily with Phase Polaron beam weaponry, these vessels were able to scythe through Starfleet forces in the initial stages of the war due to Federation shielding technology not being able to cope with these weapon systems. This would result in Starfleet officers regarding these vessels as extremely capable and deadly combatants long after their technological edge had been dulled.

With the advent of updated shielding technology to overcome this handicap, it was quickly realised these vessels were lightly shielded and armoured, making them easy targets for ships that could now stand up to their assaults. Because of this, the Dominion began to deploy them in groups of two or three for routine operations and larger swarms during fleet engagements in order to mitigate the loss of a few vessels. While swarm tactics made for a viable strategy, should an attack be reduced in number sufficiently it wasn't unknown for Dominion crews to commit suicide ramming in an attempt to use their vessels to quickly incapacitate larger vessels.

In Play

• The Dominion built these vessels in staggeringly high numbers during the Dominion War. There is reason enough to believe that within the Dominion these vessels are built in equally large numbers in order for the Dominion to have a presence everywhere at all times. When one thinks of a Dominion starship, this is the first thing that comes to mind.
• While these ships might be encountered by themselves, with their technological edge blunted somewhat, they now operate in groups in order to leverage their combat capabilities and the tactics and training they clearly undertake. Fast, nimble and small cross sections on the x and y axis, these ships prefer repeated multi-directional attack runs to attempt to overwhelm their foes.
• When facing defeat Dominion vessels will retreat. However if the objective calls for it, or an attack fighter is too damaged to retreat, rather than risk being captured they will resort to suicide rams in order to maximise damage and prevent Dominion technology falling into enemy hands.

Jem'Hadar Battlecruiser

The Jem'Hadar Battlecruiser is the closest vessel the Dominion has to a multi-role combatant, sturdier than the Attack Fighter and capable of both absorbing and directing considerable firepower, particularly in fleet engagements and siege attacks. Considerable amounts of the ship's volume is given over to redundant combat systems, weapon emplacements as well as crew accommodation for troop transport or replacement crews for damaged vessels within their formations.

This vessel's deployment is a statement by the Dominion either in an offensive or defensive role. These ships form the core of Dominion fleets, acting as command ships, bunkerage vessels and troop transports alongside their primary role as a heavy combatant. The primary tactic utilised by these vessels is to engage an enemy force's own heavy starships to draw their attention, allowing for attack fighters to commit unopposed. Their considerable combat capabilities also lend these vessels over to being used as VIP transports as they are highly resistant to ambush attacks and able to hold their own until reinforcements arrive.

Heavily armed, armoured and shielded these vessels suffer in terms of manoeuvrability at impulse and warp speed. In combat, these deficiencies are supposed to be neutralised by the use of attack fighters to either harass an enemy into position or to protect the more vulnerable arcs of this vessel. It is rare to see these vessels unescorted outside of the Dominion's few attempts at diplomacy before committing to an aggressive posture.

In Play

• The battle cruiser is primarily the bulk of Dominion fleets and is rarely seen outside of a fleet or task force deployment. This is mainly due to the Dominion recognising the flaws in their design and resolving them through tactics and operational policies in conjunction with existing starship designs.
• While a 'lumbering beast' of a starship, they are not to be taken lightly. Capable combatants in their own right, any light ship attempting to take advantage of the battlecruiser's deficiencies by itself must be incredibly careful as straying into a weapon arc will allow the Jem'Hadar to bring this ship's extensive weapon systems to bare.

Jem'Hadar Battleship

Starfleet's intelligence in regard to the Jem'Hadar battleship is still lacking even decades after the Dominion War. It is believed only a handful of these vessels were ever built in the Cardassian Union during the conflict due to the size, complexity and extensive resource requirements and the majority seen where from the Gamma Quadrant during the initial technological transfers into the Union.

Estimations for how many are operational within the Dominion are inconclusive due to a lack of intelligence and operational purpose with estimations ranging from dozens to hundreds of such vessels active at any one time.

Less a starship and more of a mobile combat platform, Dominion battleships are extremely heavy combatants, primarily tasked with defensive formations and absolutely terrifying if ever brought to bear in an offensive operation. These vessels are slow, with a rather sedate maximum warp speed observed to date for them, this is made up for with a near-starbase level of shielding and weapons systems, with weapon blindspots reduced to an absolute minimum. The confidence of the Dominion in these vessels is so high that during reassignment they are willing to allow these ships to travel unescorted.

It is assumed these vessels may have a higher top speed, but with the size of the vessel, its combat capabilities and the limited size of its warp nacelles, it's presumed to not be much higher. This limiting factor is what leads the thinking that these vessels are primarily a defensive tool. If however they were brought into an offensive situation they would prove nigh-unstoppable juggernauts. Their top speed limitations mean that any force faced with one of these can easily evade and they would likely only be used in this capacity when assaulting fixed fortifications (starbases and planetary defence systems) or a high value target where the Dominion expects a spirited defence that requires elimination.

Several of these ships formed the core for the Dominion's final defence of Cardassia in planetary orbit. With imminent defeat upon them, these vessels turned their weapons on Cardassia itself and were ultimately only brought down by the timely arrival of the Alliance fleet and the Cardassian ships turning on them in defence of their homeworld.

In Play

• Dominion battleships are a grave threat to any operational area they appear in. Their slow speed however prevents them from pursuing retreating vessels and manoeuvring around a battleship is a trivial matter as long as one has sufficient warning.
• In defence these vessels will form the final line of the Dominion's deployment, an anchor for their ships and a fallback point as required. On the offensive, these ships act as battering rams. They will set a course and proceed at their best speed, bringing their extensive weapon systems to bear on any target foolish enough to come into range while they pursue their objective.
• In a planetary assault these ships will soften targets as required before deploying thousands of Jem'Hadar soldiers to the battlefield. If one of these ships is used to take a planet, it is a clear sign the Dominion intend to win and has made sure to bring enough troops to ensure victory.