Akira class starship (Star Trek)
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| Akira class | |
|---|---|
 The USS Thunderchild (NCC-63549) |
|
| First appearance | Star Trek: First Contact |
| Last appearance | Endgame |
| General Characteristics | |
| Armaments | Phasers Photon torpedoes |
| Defense | Deflector shields |
The Akira class starship is a type of Starfleet starship in the Star Trek fictional universe, appearing first in Star Trek: First Contact and subsequently in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Akira class starships are frequently present in Starfleet battle fleets.
Ships of the Akira class are large vessels composed of a circular, saucer-shaped primary hull with a low-slung navigational deflector and two beams rising from the top heading aft; the beams attach to an arch that supports two warp nacelles at its ends and a weapons pod that fires photon torpedoes at its zenith. Like the Steamrunner class, the main bridge, primary dorsal phaser strip and lifeboats are embedded into the saucer to provide for better protection from enemy fire by blocking against attacks. The ventral saucer is occupied with the navigational deflector, a photon torpedo tube and additional lifeboats. The Akira class design superficially resembles a catamaran and the NX class, particularly from the dorsal profile.
In the real world, Alex Jaeger of Industrial Light and Magic designed the Akira class, which is named for the anime movie Akira[1]. Jaeger's non-canon comments on the ship's design in an interview with Star Trek Magazine include: "This was my gunship/battlecruiser/aircraft carrier. It has 15 torpedo launchers and two shuttlebays - one in front, with three doors, and one in the back. I really got into it with this one, with the whole idea that the front bay would be the launching bay, and then to return they'd come into the back, because they'd be protected by the rest of the ship." Fifteen torpedo tubes is a notably large number compared to other featured starship designs - in particular the larger Galaxy class, which has only three torpedo launchers. Its status as a warship is also questionable: in the Deep Space 9 episode "The Search", set in 2371, Major Kira indicates that Starfleet doesn't have warships – a 2371 flashback scene in the Voyager episode "Relativity", however, includes an Akira class starship. It is arguable that this is one of the earliest Akira vessels, developed in response to the Borg threat.
[edit] Known Akira class starships
- USS Thunderchild (NCC-63549)
- The starship Thunderchild fights at the Battle of Sector 001 (Star Trek: First Contact). The ship is named for the fictional HMS Thunder Child in H. G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds.
[edit] References
- ^ Star Trek: The Next Generation: Sketchbook: The Movies
[edit] External links
- Akira class article at Memory Alpha, the Star Trek wiki.
| Star Trek starship classes |
|---|
| Starfleet: Starfleet starships |
| Akira | Ambassador | Constellation | Constitution | Danube | Defiant | Excelsior | Galaxy | Hope/Olympic | Intrepid | Miranda | Nebula New Orleans | Nova | NX† | Oberth | Prometheus | Saber | Sovereign | Steamrunner | Wells | Other Starfleet ships |
| Other |
| Andorian Imperial Guard: Kumari | Borg Collective: Borg starships | Cardassian Union: Cardassian starships | Ferengi Alliance: D'Kora Jem'Hadar: Jem'Hadar starships | Kazon Sects: Kazon ship classes | Klingon Empire: Klingon starships Romulan Empire: Romulan starships | Suliban Cabal: Suliban cell ship | Vulcan: Vulcan starships | Xindi: Xindi starships |
|
† – Pre-Federation |
