Starship Lore : Akira Class - A Controversial Warship

[@daniellyon5011]

I see the Akira as the true successor to the Miranda class. It can be whatever the write..... Federation needs it to be. A solid, versatile, tough multirole ship with a heavier emphasis on combat than exploration. It can do almost anything, especially with..... a MINOR REFIT.

[@GeoStreber]

actually, the Nebula class fits the title of Miranda-successor much better.

[@Ranzoe813]

Refit miradas for life!

[@Garvey64LIVE64]

USS Reliant C Akira class?????

[@supercalifragilisticexpial2703]

Hm, that sort of makes sense

[@moodydude565]

The Miranda was stretched way beyond it's capabilities. A minor refit wouldnt do so Akira hit the drawing boards. Could be a freighter could be a man o war

[@combatking0]

Captain: What's our status? Engineer: Main power's down, the warp core's offline, shields and phasers are all depleted, we're out of photon torpedoes and the gelato machine's in about a dozen pieces. Captain: Without that gelato machine, we're dead in the water.

[@koningbolo4700]

Captain: "Can we at least have a latte?"

[@pwnmeisterage]

They might be able to holodeck simulate one of the Utopia Planitia gelato engineering specialists during a crisis.

[@Bloghitterpage]

Systems are critical. The coffee pot is burned out and Wal Wart is 70,000 light years away. Janeway: no life support. Self destruct is our only reasonable option.

[@EvlEgle]

@@Bloghitterpage replicators are online....

[@kenetickups6146]

there's gelato in that nebula

[@raptor2265]

The Akira class's saucer section looks very similar to the saucer on the NX-class. Honestly, I have good memories of watching Star Trek: Enterpise, so this ship is automatically a thumbs-up for me in terms of looks.

[@SirEpifire]

Same. Really cements the ships in the same universe that way.

[@joanned8172]

The designer who came up with the NX for Enterprise used the Akira class as the foundation to make the NX.

[@zuzoscorner]

Somehow i perfer Archers ship to TOS and such.. idk just saucers look off with engines just hanging off the sides. maybe i'm just too used to Battlestar or Stargate based ships that look like they can take punishment.

[@VigilanteAgumon]

The Loknar class from the old Star Trek RPG also look similar to the Akira and NX.

[@MKDumas1981]

If you put the nacelles up and back a smidge, you'd have the NX-class. The nacelle pylons connecting all the way across the struts that join the pylons to the primary hull, is a lot of it.

[@DarinRWagner]

I am a pretty big fan of the starships that debuted in Star Trek: First Contact. I tend to think of the Akira, Steamrunner and Saber classes as those of what I call the "Defiant era" of Starfleet in which Starfleet was beginning to build ships with a more combat oriented philosophy than before. In my head cannon, the Akira specialized in torpedoes and was basically a gunboat while the Steamrunner was designed for durability. The Saber was meant to replace aging Miranda class ships, which had proven themselves useful for over 70 years, and were finally becoming obsolete for even the most mundane of assignments. Again, that's just my head canon. What's fun about these ships is how little has been established about them.

[@stealthirl]

I always viewed the Akira, Steamrunner, Saber and Norway as replacements for older ships like the Excelsior, Ambassador,Constellation and Oberth class ships

[@DarinRWagner]

Yeah, that's similar to what I was thinking. Problem is, the First Contact ships, at least some of them, weren't fully rendered in high def because they were "background" ships. I also think the post Wolf 359 period was one in which Starfleet was doing a lot of experimentation with ship designs... seeing what would work or what would work better.

[@CaptPatrick01]

Similar to what I was thinking about splitting the TNG ships between the Pre-DW and DW/Post-DW vessels. Huge difference in capabilities between them. Pre-DW would be "We are peaceful explorers, nothing bad could possibly come of this..." DW/Post-DW would be after the Borg and Dominion showed up and the Federation realized that "We're getting our asses kicked! We need actual warships!" Galaxys replaced by Soveriegns New Orleans replaced by Akiras Oberths replaced by Novas Mirandas replaced by Sabres and Steamrunners etc.

[@johnlavery3433]

The Galaxy class was the replacement for the excelsior class. The nebula class was meant to be the replacement for the Miranda but the sabre and maybe even the defiant class ended up in that roll, both are nimble ships that are small and easier to produce than larger cruisers. I'd say that the Nova was the replacement for the oberth class, but that intrepid class ships would end up being the main science vessel

[@Sgt_Glory]

@@stealthirl The Norway and Steamrunner both seem like good candidates to replace the hordes of easily exploded Mirandas.

[@Perplexum]

The 15 torpedo tubes are very clearly visible on the ship itself so that statement from Yeager is undeniable.

[@LoreReloaded]

/undeniable/ - /NOT/ able to be denied.. at all.

[@amazingmao]

How do you know that they're all torpedo tubes and not gelato dispensers?

[@CyBorgXG1]

In StarTrek Bridge Commander this ship was my Main. Really great ship in almost all combat situations!

[@LoreReloaded]

Yea, I almost wish they had done this ship instead of the sovereign you get story wise!

[@jeff92k7]

Same here. I loved flying the Akira in ST:BC. It wasa great ship and I love it's look. Fast forward to present day and I'm currently flying it on my main character in ST:online. At the top level in game, it's more of a Battlecruiser/light carrier as the original designer intended, though without the huge number of torpedo launchers (since game mechanics have to stay balanced against the other ships they sell).

[@power01rajo]

@@jeff92k7 You are forgetting the akira/armitage's special ability in STO, the torpedo point defense console. it shoots upto 72 torpedoes at once. that's supposed to represent the 15 torpedo tubes the ship is supposed to have

[@jeff92k7]

I'm not forgetting that console... but in game, that is a console and not an actual weapon slot. It has a long cooldown and isn't buffed by the rest of the build.... thus the "balance" that I referred to. If that ship had tons of torpedo weapon slots, it would be crazy overpowered in game as compared to every other ship.

[@valenrn8657]

@@jeff92k7 In canon, Akira class with Prometheus like double twisted phaser beam technology should be able to stand against three D'deridex-class warbirds.

[@Skyborg97]

Gelato on the Akira, not even the Breen could master that kind of engineering.

[@The_Maori_Taro_Planter]

Gelato probably ain't cold enough for the Breen lol.

[@supercalifragilisticexpial2703]

Indeed.

[@CharlesUrban]

The Akira-class can explore places and do scientific research very well, too! It's not just for fighting, though it does that better than most Starfleet ships.

[@peters6345]

Akira is one beautiful ship, I share the sentiment. Wish it had more screen time

[@stephenjdutton]

You're not alone in wanting to see the Akira class as a hero ship. When I started writing Star Trek fan fiction I used an Akira as the basis for my stories. I do include a carrier element but I didn't give it the roughly 40 fighters claimed because I just don't think it has enough internal volume to store them all so mine just carries a single squadron of 12 fighters and about that many shuttles as well.

[@brucenadeau2172]

36 fighter and 4 spares

[@donaldhill3823]

A logical explanation could be that the general concept or even just the idea for the ship was laid out in the 2360's but was tabled due to the border wars ending. When called to design a new war ship in the 2370's the Engineers could then pull out the rough design and update it with the current tech. In fact it makes sense that an Engineer who had no backing to go forward with the design, could keep tweaking it as a pet project. Engineers like artist like to keep doing what they do on their off time. This is not completely unheard of in the real world and very practical in a Universe that makes heavy use of holographic design allowing the Engineer to play with his/her/other design with out actually building it. This could conceivably shorten actual testing and construction once a real order has come through.

[@G1NZOU]

Similar to how the Luna class was shelved for a few years, and then restarted after the Dominion war.

[@BusoRockin1000]

I think that the Star Trek Starship Spotter had that as the explanation.

[@markhall2960]

This is similar to what I came here to say, so I'll add this as a comment instead. Akira, Defiant etc. may well have been 'on the drawing board' but not built simply because there was no political will to do so, just because Starfleet claim that such thing were never 'conceived' doesn't mean the designers/manufacturers didn't come up with plans. There are plenty of projects that have either not left the drawing boards, or not been commissioned because their was no urgency to complete them, you never know, perhaps now that it's rumoured China's working on an Arsenal Ship, the United States Navy may dust off its plans from the 1990s for one.

[@drewjackson3858]

4:00 I love your homunculus Akira.

[@casbot71]

"Real chocolate ice cream ?" - councillor Diana Troi.

[@krispalermo8133]

Do not forget the "real whip cream" that goes on top. And not that stuff that comes out of a spray can crap either .

[@henryrozelaar3887]

I can't stop grinning from ear to ear about the romulan agents/ empire bit you did. genuinely hysterical

[@HarperStl]

The Akira to me seems like it could be considered a vessel like the Sea Control Ship concepts of the '70s. A small, relatively well armed support vessel that carried a small wing of fighters while still being able to hold ground itself. I think it could easily be a hybrid heavy attack cruiser and light carrier.

[@LoreReloaded]

Yea..possibly for sure

[@jedigecko06]

Harper Steele - Drive thru hanger bays, _AND_ the ability to get in close and knife-fight? Must be a Battlestar.

[@martykarr7058]

@@jedigecko06 While it doesn't have drive through hangers, the Space Battleship Yamato and Andromeda Class EDF ships can do that. And just think what a Wave Motion Gun could do to a Borg Cube.

[@DarenSpinelle]

1) love the gelato comment - actually laughed out loud. 2) where is the warp core? I like when form follows function. 3) I ask for videos comparing parts of ships- sick bay, transporter rooms, engineering, and other rarely talked about things. Avoid bridge, seen that. 4) as for "doesn't know what he is talking about"; in the end, we really shouldn't forget this is all no more real than Harry Potter. It's all imagination without a shred of real physics- yes this is fun but that's it. In other words, I love the videos and keep em coming.

[@ErokCherokee]

Akira class was designed to replace the existing Excelsior class ships aging within the fleet. A cruiser with heavy cruiser capability, well rounded and flexible in a post Wolf 359 fleet.

[@ChadZLumenarcus]

That was a great rundown. Ignore the haters, they just want to be acknowledge. You cite sources, call yourself out and constantly work to right your mistakes. Keep up the good work.

[@clearspira]

The only controversy I see is the fact that Berman ripped it off for ''Enterprise''.

[@DrewLSsix]

clearspira. You cant rippoff what you own.

[@kyle857]

DrewLSsix You can apparently make it worse though.

[@jamesaron1967]

It sucks they couldn't come up with a novel ship design for that series, and instead had to modify an existing popular design permanently throwing off canon ship evolution.

[@creepysplatter9260]

For me it makes sense for the akira class to have drawn inspiration from older ships like the nx class, even if the akira class came first in our time frame.

[@blairbrown4812]

@@creepysplatter9260 The Star Trek Starship spotter, while not exactly Canon, confirms that the Akira-class was a experimental prototype design, not really meant for full-scale production hence her design and name.

[@rvaux16]

I'm running a Star Trek Adventures tabletop RPG campaign, and these videos are invaluable! Thanks so much for putting them together.

[@sebwilkins]

It is a beautifully designed ship, it is one of my favourites also, I can only assume that the ships varied load outs could be down to akira class variants.

[@LoreReloaded]

Possibly.. The ship was meant to be a beast - we can all agree.

[@sebwilkins]

Lore Reloaded oh yes, I loved using this ship in St armada. But it could have a modular interior or variable mission select configuration, such as modern day littoral warships. Thus defiantly was a response to threats faced by the federation.

[@ferrumbruti167]

I remember according to one lore the Akira was in competition with the Nebula class. At the time Starfleet favored the Nebula class as a multi-role cruiser for diplomatic, scientific, and peacekeeping operations. However at one point because of the events from Wolf 359 Starfleet began rethinking their doctrine on starship roles and thus along with streamlining their ships to those like the Defiant, Steamrunner, Sovereign, Norway, and so on? The Akira later became part of that refinement role Starfleet decided to commit with so they would be better prepared for conflicts in the future. Most notably, the Borg themselves.

[@chrissonofpear3657]

Well, there's probably contradictions about when it entered service. Some Nebula-class ships, like the Phoenix, were launched around the same time as the Galaxy-class, but with a lower registry number. So there may some 2360s Akiras per registries.

[@tartaros9426]

The Akira class is sorely underrepresented, among many of the dominion/postdominion war ships. I love the overall silhouette of the ship, a combination of sleek and intimidation.

[@sirtanon1]

Love the look of this ship. The overall look makes me think that someone at Starfleet saw the Klingon and Romulan warships and thought to themselves "I can make something for us that kinda looks like that. The nacelle arrangement, the overall structure. I see Klingon Vor'cha and Romulan Valdore influence..

[@silvantheiss8070]

Vor'cha, the Akira as it presented definately looks like a Starfleet heavy Attack Cruiser

[@matchesburn]

It was a lackluster game in the Star Trek game series, but I remember in Star Trek: Legacy my absolute favorite ship - especially against Borg - was the Akira. It was so hilarious how much larger and seemingly capable vessels struggled taking down Borg cubes with phasers and very limited torpedo fire when you could just roll in with an Akira and just fire a wall of torpedoes at a Borg cube and kill it instantly. The fact that it looks really damn cool as well just enhances it. It's definitely my favorite Federation ship.

[@pinoi78]

Such a beautiful starship design. Definitely in my top five of Starfleet vessels.

[@JDSleeper]

In Star Trek Online the Akira class is one of many "heavy escorts" and "heavy escort carriers". There's a Thunderchild Class, an Armitrage Class, and an Alita Class. They're basically everything they're supposed to be. They can launch a wing of fighters, and consoles for phaser point defense, and one that fires a barrage of photon torps all around the ship. Pretty fun to play.

[@todabrilla]

I prefer having her as a maneuverable warship in a fast battlecruiser type role rather than as a carrier, but then I am not a fan of the idea of fighters in Star Trek.

[@LoreReloaded]

They aren't all that fleshed out unfortunately.

[@Revkor]

I can see variants. the standard Akira being a battlecruiser, with Armitage being a carrier variant

[@SirBroadsword]

Well fighters are canon (and given that shuttles and Runabouts are tough enough to survive encounters with capital ships, it actually makes a lot of sense), but we have no idea what their launching platform actually is.

[@Revkor]

Galaxys, Nebulas, SHelby/Curry class. and vessel that has enough shuttle storage space. the Armitage variant is probably the first to be specifically designed for it.

[@kwameljt]

Fighters make better assault and defense on planet based station

[@rickyssmith]

AS someone that works in the Royal Navy I like to think I have a unique view and I would say that you can have a ship built to perform better in tactical scenarios and it not be a warship. For instance; the Sovereign class. Built for exploration, but also designed to be far superior to the Galaxy class in combat.. :) I also see the Akira as a replacement for the Miranda class and the Intrepid class to replace the Excelsior class. Fleets usually design and build to phase out an older class. The Borg threat seems like as good a reason as any to start phasing out the OLD class ships. Great video, keep it up.

[@dcfrank4904]

The Akira class is basically Starfleets response to the need to have not only more ships dedicated to the combat role, Finally comming out of it's delusion that diplomacy will always work. But also to have MORE ships. The big problem with Starfleet ships is that they tended to be complex and resource intensive to build. Powerful yes but very few in number, and while easily can defend themselves, not made for combat. It's often seen in battles that many ships in battle are the antiquated Miranda class ships and Excelsiors as well. Just to bolster the numbers when a big battle happens. In each case this led to huge losses in battle. The Klingon Empire might not really care about casualties but for the Federation it was a huge concern. So the Akira class was designed to remedy that. It's not only a tough and advanced ship, built primarily for combat. But also much more cost and resource effective so more can be built with less crew needed.

[@waveman0]

one of 4 perimeter defence vessels designed for rapid deployment and carrier duties, it is among the most heavily armed Starfleet vessels of the period. Not only did it carry 15 torpedo tubes (and 900 photon torpedoes) it also housed 30-50 Attack Fighters. The Akira is also my favourite Starfleet class, along with the USS Prometheus.

[@ojisanhoward8940]

But....but...I thought it had 50 torpedo tubes that fired trans-morphic-turbo mark 69 torpedoes! With 100 Phase 21 quantum phasers!

[@loopslytle]

LOL!!!

[@bobbiusshadow6985]

Don't forget the unidirectional planet killer canon and quantum jump drive

[@jpasby779]

lol

[@Im-the-greatest]

Ncc 1337 mega falcon force reporting

[@kookamunga4714]

You had me right up until the exclamation point. After that you lost me...

[@clemo85]

The Miranda was my favourite because of it's different design. When I saw the Akira in First Contact it went straight to the top of the list. Awesome ship design and was made up to see it and two Defiant class ships in that Voyager episode.

[@wjckc79]

I watch a lot of Trek related material across many channels. Yours is by far my favorite. Other than maybe seeing one title I did not click on, I am not much aware of other channels calling you out. However, to whatever extent that is true you should consider it a compliment. They are capitalizing off of you. That is a mark of excellence on your behalf.

[@LoreReloaded]

Glad you like my stuff and I honestly don't mind. I don't mind listening to the criticism, and I don't mind them continuing to tell Google I am relevant ;P I win all the way around ;) So it doesn't necessarily bother me, just intriguing that I can inspire that.

[@wjckc79]

"intriguing that I can inspire that." Spoken like a true Vulcan.

[@dylanlewis3038]

I love the Akira. The Akira was the first ship I bought every version of in Star Trek Online. The 3 piece set gives it point defense phaser turrets, point defense torpedo launchers, and some tachyon burst weapon that I forget to use. I think of it as a Starfleet Battlestar. I named mine the Pegasus, after the Battlestar Pegasus. I’ve mainly been using the Galaxy (the only other ship I bought every version of) because of the TNG 30th, but now I want to go back to my Akira.

[@stanbartsch1984]

I love this ship, and I wish the Special Effect people and Writers had used Jaeger's original design specifications in their stories, but they didn't so the controversy continues. I've always thought this is a "first strike" ship - with 15 torpedo launchers, the battle strategy is "If what we're shooting at survives the first few salvos, that wasn't a fight we were going to win anyway...."

[@SyntheticFrost]

I know this comment is over 5 years old, but you ended up being right. In Star Trek Online, the newest version of the Akira class released earlier this year was actually called the "First Strike Bundle", and came with a very powerful and unique quantum torpedo.

[@3Rayfire]

Another absolute beauty from the Advanced Starship Design Bureau, highlights of the design include the pylons providing side protection for the Bridge and a "safe harbor" approach for the after shuttlebay. One thing the designers said was that the structure forward of the bridge was supposed to be shuttlebay doors, so you could fly in the back of the saucer and out the front, which would've been a really cool feature if we'd gotten to see it. Rapid launch and recovery. It certainly would've been nice to see where all the Peregrines in the Dominion War Came from.

[@Amren3694]

In STO the Akira is said to have been designed as an escort carrier but instead was a heavy escort ship. Apparently though it was refitted later on to launch a few fighters

[@LoreReloaded]

STO is not canon alas, but yea.. I have an akira class!

[@Amren3694]

Lore Reloaded true, although they do fill in a few gaps that have otherwise been left open

[@QixTheDS]

The way you talked about the Akira engaging 3 fully operational D’Deridex Warbirds without flinching gives out a feeling of pride. Don’t know why, but it’s awesome.

[@michaelsaumure7697]

In my Star Trek campaign, the Akira was primarily a torpedo boat. Some were adapted as carriers. When the Dominion War creeped into the game, The two types of Akira made approach in close formation before the carriers launched their fighters and split off. The players used fast escorts to cover the Akiras as they made torpedo runs with carrier based fighters intercepting small craft.

[@LoreReloaded]

What game?

[@phoen1xashes708]

Probably star trek attack wing, love that game.

[@forcewielder2000]

I like the idea that I read once that said that the Akira could be used to help with Federation colonization efforts, which is why is seems to be both a carrier and a warship - the carrier aspect would be used to transport the colonization material and shuttles to move it, while the ship itself would be called on to help provide defense as needed.

[@heartoffire5902]

Watching your ship class videos has me missing building my fleets in Armada and Birth of the Federation. Also, I really appreciate you making these. There's lots of info I didn't have before and discussions raised are enjoyable.

[@antwan1357]

I can even remember they had the actors act different on these ships they where military through and through. Watch any interaction from TNG or was it DS9 ? They acted way more stoic.

[@jeffharrison1090]

As promised, I am leaving a glowing review! This was actually done very well. You covered both sides fairly. And when you interject you own views, you made it clear, it was your personal view and not part of lore. Very well done!

[@hughsmith7504]

I may be totally wrong, but i seem to remember a season 7 DS9 episode (the one with the serial killer vulcan) where a recent transfer from the Thunderchild was talking about fighter ops on the ship

[@LoreReloaded]

+hugh smith I don't think he ever said he was on an akira...I'll Have to go back and watch it again now!

[@lancep2002]

Isn't that the one where Ezri countersnipes the killer? He should do a video on that rifle and why it's never used again

[@andymac4883]

Had a quick look on Memory Alpha, there's mention of a recent transfer to DS9 who performed some pretty impressive manoeuvres at the helm of the Defiant, but nothing about where he transferred in from.

[@insertcognomen]

if worf can cut up borg drones and picard can holo tommy gun them down then the TR-116 should be the ultimate anti borg weapon

[@jedigecko06]

Dan V - I am now imagining the Borg walking into battle, carrying ballistic shields.....

[@jamesclater8876]

i have loved the akira since i first saw it on screen as a kid and then played with it extensively in a little quirky game star trek shipbuilder that came in a pack with some dominion war game (that i cant remember the name of exactly lol)... but you could piece together your own versions of ships using various different components ... i loved a saucer section for the akira that was more spade shaped i felt it fit the rest of the ship much better than round...vid just reminded me of those good ole days

[@CdnFN1]

Personally, I think you’re the best Trek channel. Couldn’t name one best GoT or Star Wars channel. Nothing against trekyards and you have some of the best community interaction hands down. Nobody’s perfect and I could nitpick but kudos

[@LoreReloaded]

Thanks ;) We all have stuff we have to work on. I constantly try to improve. Ironically, the channel concept is supposed to be 'everything lore'.. but I'm good at what I'm good at and embrace it.

[@jaffarebellion292]

I love this thing in Star Trek Online. It's my favorite design in the Escort size classification.

[@Trekyardswebseries]

Great video! Just found your channel and are really digging it. Keep up the great work. Thanks for the call out. And for the compliment. Love the Gelato machine reference. LOL. Bravo man. Maybe we can collaborate!!

[@LoreReloaded]

Thanks, Glad you enjoy it. :) You've actually already talked to me during a live stream and we're currently emailing back and forth about doing a collaboration! Though I'll assume this is Captain Foley given I've been talking to Commander Cockings ;) I look forward to us teaming up and I'd love to just chat with you guys about your youtube and your website. Though I'm going to be honest.. I may keep this a print screen for the humor factor ;)

[@nerdethexperience1392]

Trekyards so cool to see you-tubers I like being active!!

[@Trekyardswebseries]

Lore Reloaded LOL. Yes indeed. This is Captain Foley. Sam has since told me that you 2 have been in contact. Sorry for any confusion. But I enjoy your videos.

[@hosank]

Lore Reloaded praises your channel on pretty much every 2nd episode

[@Ianstuff2023]

Trekyards heaven forbid a distinct competitor to your channel arose 😉

[@aciarduce]

To the point, the Akira-Class was to be a Carrier-Escort torpedo boat. It was meant to get in to the fight, or at least close to it, and launch dozens of torpedoes while it's fighter compliment protected the ship and anything it was escorting. They initially scrapped the carrier aspect, and dropped excessive launchers for more standard phaser arrays, and found that the ship was efficient to make, superb in engagements, and could be use in any number of operations. Later designs based on the Akira did reincorporate the torpedo heavy aspect, as well as the carrier aspect as well years later.

[@XCrawlFan]

Looking forward to my official licenced Akira class toilet tank flapper.

[@geraldward5318]

Great Vid I look at the Akira a bit like the Nebula class endlessly able to be modified due to its design pod/nacelle arrangement so we can have multiple variants of it perhaps base don the heavily armed stock version? I love it in First contact and i think shows its photon torpedo capability very well though again not the number of launchers usually specified. One Akira uses its pod mounted torpedo launchers and another (Could be the same making another pass) uses launchers on the underside of the saucer which is very cool and really shows its a beast of war.

[@PerpetualGM]

This beautiful beast unseated the Excelsior-class as my choice for best (and best-looking) Federation starship. I always assumed it was a torpedo boat and ignored all of the "canon" about it being a fighter carrier. Then again, I think fighter-scale craft have little place in the ST universe. Weapon arrays (as opposed to banks) make anyone willing to strap into a fighter and enter the order of battle a special kind of stupid (or suicidal) IMO.

[@canisarcani]

I believe someone once said something similar about hopping into a flying machine that was literally made from timber and cloth and strapping a machine gun to it. And yet.. Almost (if not) a hundred years later, here we are using aircraft as war machines even though we possess highly advanced automated anti- Air weaponry that's designed specifically to take out anyone stupid enough to make an attack run on a ship or installation. Also.. I'd like to point out that our boys (and girls) of the USAF take great pride in being that "Special kind of stupid", and may the gods bless them for it. :P

[@CaptPatrick01]

Those Peragrine pilots must have cohones the size of Texas...

The point is, the writers and designers have used fairly old registration numbers for these "new" designs, making it seem like this class has long been in service. Besides the Nebula class, all new classes that appeared in TNG and later have got numbers in the 70,000 range: NX-70637 for the Galaxy class prototype NX-72307 for Bradbury Class (from a display in TNG) NCC-72381 and NCC-72701 for the Nova class (Equinox and Rhode Island) NX-74205, NCC-74210 and NCC-75633 for the Defiant class (Defiant, Valiant, Sao Paulo) NCC-74600, NCC-74656, NCC-74705 for the Intrepid class (Intrepid, Voyager, Bellerophon) NX-74913 for the Prometheus class (Interior) NCC-75227 for the Scout class (ST IX) The Steamrunner class only got an NCC-52136, the Saber class NCC-61947, the Akira class an NCC-63497 and the Norway class NCC-64923. Quite a mismatch. So they fit more into the area of the Nebula class (NCC-60205 to NCC-72015). And it was established that this class was designed and built some time before the Galaxy class.

[@thribs]

Just read Before Dishonour where the Thunderchild is tragically lost by being "eaten" by a Borg Cube. Very sad.

[@LoreReloaded]

+Robert Hayes I will have to check that out

[@andljoy]

Farewell Thunderchild .

[@jbaker0203]

Don't know if this has been mentioned but the Akira class was present in First Contact, which, at it's latest, was in 2373 but also reported to have been in 2372. That would mean the Akira was most likely started in design in the very early 2370s or even late 2360s (very early 2370s most likely). My take on the whole situation is the Federation started updating it's fleet of old ships after the Cardassian War but after the borg encounter, the Federation would have raced to get new and improved designs into the field (the Akiras, Steamrunners etc). It fits with the timeline and helps explain the mix of old and new ships during DS9. It would explain the large numbers of galaxy classes in the Dominion war, the numbers of Steamrunners, Sabres, Norways, galaxies and Akiras in the latter half of the Dominion War (I would think it would still take considerable time to design and build all these new ships, even if it were quick).

[@CaptainGeronimo]

Anty Borg line is slowly closing... Soooooo does that means Sovereign will come soon? Because I know a lot about that class and I would love to hear your opinion :) But the Akira is a nice ship

[@LoreReloaded]

Should be on monday

[@ripplecutbuddha]

My favorite class of ship to play on STO, a variant of which is the Thunderchild (rather pleasing visual design, I might add, for the 'heavy escort carrier' class). I would also like to see it share screen time more in the future. Great work, and keep it rockin.

[@daricf3434]

love your haters they're your biggest fans

[@LoreReloaded]

Never said I wasn't happy with people continuing to give me free press :P :)

[@taffyjock1]

Millennium falcon would have still kicked its ass

[@krispalermo8133]

yt-400 light stock friegther is about the same length as a ST runabout

[@stevenewman1393]

🖖😎👍Very cool and very nicely well done and very well informatively explained and executed in every detail and every shape way and form provided indeed, And I myself own alot of the Eaglemoss models including the Akira class as well, which to me looks like a more modified upgraded version of the Enterprise NX-01 clas with the nacelles down ward instead of upwards and more greater fire power and so forth indeed👌.

[@jmfowler9062]

Why does it have to be a gunboat and carrier at the same time? Surely it could be a sub variant for the carrier.

[@jhmcd2]

It most likely would be only because Starfleet seems to love multi-mission ships. Makes since too.

[@forcewielder2000]

I like the idea that I read once that said that the Akira could be used to help with Federation colonization efforts, which is why is seems to be both a carrier and a warship - the carrier aspect would be used to transport the colonization material and shuttles to move it, while the ship itself would be called on to help provide defense as needed.

[@jayburn00]

When conceptualized as a carrier, the design had a hangar bay that went from one end of the saucer to the other, with doors in the back and front.

[@barrybend7189]

one is named the thunderchild now i'm getting War of the Worlds flashbacks.

[@LoreReloaded]

+Barry Bend Kicking myself I didn't include that

[@barrybend7189]

I think it was an in joke as it was crippled During first contact. There were two in the battle.

[@MedionSinger]

That's what it was named after. The class name, Akira-class, is supposedly named for the anime/manga of the same name.

[@barrybend7189]

Katzman 79 I know but thunderchild really and it appeared and was crippled in first contact.

[@SomeBritishDud1]

Goodbye Thunderchild!

[@paulyeoman3167]

My take on the Akira: it was a competing design to the Nebula. It was a combat-oriented ship, arising from the first Cardassian War. A few fames were built, but Starfleet decided to go with the Nebula as more of a multi-role ship and a desire to move away from warships. A few of the ships that were built were left in service as marine transports. The design was able to be quickly reactivated and brought into production following Wolf 359 and for the Dominion War.

[@simonwillis1529]

You got me to order eaglemoss thunderchild Is it wrong I’m 37 and wanna play with it lol Great vid and always enjoyable

[@billydefrancesco2376]

No, because I'm 50 and ordered it...

[@ceilyurie856]

Technically it's a toy...so you are supposed to play with it.

[@steeltimberwolf]

I love almost everything about the Akira class and really love the idea of it being this torpedo boat designed to overpower the shields of a enemy fast as possible with torpedoes and once their shields are down use phaser fire to cripple the ship. The only gripe I've got is the idea of fighters in Star Trek. We are shown time and time again that damage output is equal to reactor size, the larger the power source the stronger the weapons and shields. We see how outclassed smaller ships are to larger vessels. All I see when the idea of the use of fighters in the Star Trek universe are flying coffins designed to slow down larger ships for seconds. They just don't have large enough reactors to generate enough power to stop a capital ships phasers/disruptors. When you have phasers/disruptors capable of pinpoint accuracy and being faster than ships can more on impulse engines a capital ship blows through them like paper. We even see this in ST:TNG Conundrum S5E14 when the Enterprise blows through the Lysian's fighters guarding their central command.

[@UncleFester84]

You forget one important rule: the 'Word of God'. Which in this case means that, until proven differently on screen, the word of the designer of the ship is to be taken as canon.

[@Debbiebabe69]

ST canon is defined as what is seen in the main line series, and the feature films. Nothing else is canon unless seen on screen - even if someone dug up original writings by Gene Rodenberry they would not be canon until put on the small or silver screen.

[@malusignatius]

It's never clearly stated, but to me it makes sense that the groundwork for the Akira, Sabre, Steamrunner etc. happened at the same time as the Defiant (3367-3370) as a part of a fleet restructuring. Ships are rarely designed in a vacuum, and given the scope of what the Federation wanted to do post Wolf 359, it makes sense (to me at least) that they would go for a full fleet redesign instead of piecemeal implementation of new classes.

[@MaddyBee]

Wheres the Kaneda class at?

[@larryfranklin5169]

And dont forget tetsuo lol

[@karrackhalcyon8826]

Hero akira class series is desperately needed

[@leJpeg]

The Akira is an awesome ship. Anyway, when are you going to do the Sovereign?

[@LoreReloaded]

Currently there is a community tab vote on it happening right now (Go to my channel - click on community). It looks like it is going to win, if that's so.. I'll be doing it this monday.

[@allnamesaretakenful]

Remember, if you are going by what is on screen, then you aren't wrong. Some people will just say anything to get views or just attention.

[@leJpeg]

Lore Reloaded Ok. Thanks

[@fezzpop8410]

I always thought the Akira was weapons test platform that Starfleet look at said "Hey put some engines on that thing..." and bam there we go the Akira was born. Made me like it a lot more because it shows the desperation of the Federation after the Borg attack

[@francoisuntel6238]

in bridge commander, akira had quantum torpedoes. case closed. ;-)

[@saquist]

Ah but not canon

[@MKDumas1981]

The Akira class is my one of favorite ships, for non-Canon reasons: chain reaction pulsar.

[@saquist]

I think I liked it just because I got attached to Captain Gregory McCray from Bridge Commander

[@thribs]

If the Excelsior class can get quantums, I’m sure they could.

[@saquist]

-Yes, but not at that time period. Star Trek implies only certain ships get Quantum torpedoes. Defiant, Sovereign, Lakota. Voyager according to B'Elanna could easily be modified to fire Quantum Torpedoes BUT despite the fact that Voyager was sent out on a combat mission, it was specialized instead to fire the Tricobalt devices. -Voyager's registry is 74656 so it was produced well after Defiant and before Prometheus and they still didn't load Quantums. -Prometheus also didn't have Quantums Maybe this was a testing phase. Maybe they didn't want the tech falling into the wrong hands so the limited it's distribution while uping the power of the Mark VI photon torpedo Voyager carriers. Ultimately any ship can fire the quantum torpedo yes.

[@Bluefoot65]

The Akira class is what the writers needed it to be at the time. It was designed to be a general purpose warship modular for quick upgrades and repair. Starfleet could build mission specific modules and put them in as needed making the class more versatile extending the life of the frame. These modules made no two Akira class ships the same. The Akira class could fit whatever purpose starfleet needed at the time. At the time there was still a great deal of residence to a purpose built warship in starfleet as noted in your earlier videos, therefore it was necessary to build and test a sleek fast ship that was modular but smaller than the galaxy class, but could because of it's modular design could fill any role starfleet need. That way they could get the ship past committee and build a large number of spaceframes. When wolf 359 and the wars to follow happened. The frames in production were commandeered for the Akira class. That is why the development organs is fuzzy. That is my opinion based on my understand of federation/starfleet bureaucracy at the time the class developed.

[@jimtilley1158]

From my understanding it had 15 Torpedo tubes. 2 fwd on saucer. 2 each on the starboard and port side of the saucer that fired out sideways and the rest on the rollbar both fore and aft like the Reliant. I get this from Star Trek Magazine with their up close looks ant the ships of First Contact. which provided schematics and concept art. It had a huge shuttle bay, but not the thru-deck design that some places claim for fighter operations. That is mentioned in the article but never shown. Lets face it. Star Trek never had a good fighter design. My problem with that Idea was that if the Galaxy class. A much larger ship carried 250 photon torpedoes. The Galaxy Class could "ripple fire" ten torpedoes at a time from the launchers before reloading. Akira could then fire of 150 torpedoes in rapid succession and deplete its magazines with 2 salvos? It would be amazing to see that on screen and would make sense "If" it was designed as an Anti Borg weapon. Taking out a cube with its opening attack, before it could adapt. Maybe this is a product of war and makes sense. However to keep in operation during peace time. There would almost have to have a refit to remove so many weapons and add more labs and crew to be more multi-role.

[@61089loki]

In the original design specs, the "rollbar" was modular in it's function, being able to be switched out depending on the needs of the current mission. The Tactical module is what added the insane amount of torpedo launchers, but it's also able to be switched out with a sensor module for research & Scientific missions, a diplomatic module with various offices, meeting rooms and other areas for use in diplomatic functions, and a medical module for emergency relief missions. I used to have the source for that, but I cna't find it now, unfortunately.

[@forcewielder2000]

Yes, from what I hear the 15 torpedo tubes number came from the article on the Akira class in Star Trek Magazine. The numbers broke down as follows: Pod: 7 total, 4 in upper section of pod, 3 in lower section, all face forward Saucer: 7 total, 3 forward below the front shuttle bay doors, 4 in dorsal surface, 2 port, 2 starboard. The latter four face out to port and starboard, respectively - so far as I know these are the only torpedo tubes we've ever seen which don't fire parallel to the direction of motion. Finally there is 1 in the lower hull section, just below the deflector dish.

[@Sgt_Glory]

I have the Eaglemoss model and they included the lateral launchers on the edge of the saucer.

[@vaevictis6990]

Galaxy class took 20 years to develop. So it does make sense Starfleet realized it needed new ships to replace Ambassador in 2340's during cardi war and it wasn't ready until 2370's. They even said in DS9 that Defiant class development was slowed after Borg threat wasn't so pressing

[@serge00storms]

Akira Class proof that Starfleet is not the boy scouts

[@LoreReloaded]

Agreed..

[@revolrz22]

Did we need proof? I mean, it's Star Trek. No one but the Federation matters in any and all affairs regarding the universe.

[@mrkoolaidman5975]

Your right they are webloes ok maybe cub scouts nah webloes

[@mrkoolaidman5975]

Your right they are webloes ok maybe cub scouts nah webloes

[@piotrsmolanski8777]

The Federation is a state of social workers. They have conquered the galaxy by Health and Safety regulations and weaponised meetings which caused entire cultures to kill themselves.

[@leesmith7883]

Apparently the pod at the top rear was interchangeable depending on the mission parameters, in an attack/defensive role the pod would be a torpedo launcher, if it was required to act as a carrier, the pod would be switched for a hanger deck pod to add to the ships normal hanger, that all federation cruisers had, if the mission was pure science related it would be switched for more accurate and sensitive sensor equipment, but that is only what I heard on another channel.

[@richardlahan7068]

Looks a lot like the NX-01 class.

[@trevorm9178]

It does because they.judt turned the.model upside down

[@Robert-yn7qo]

Three words Flight Deck Cruiser. I picture it as carrying about half as many fighters and shuttles as a full carrier. This has became one of my favorite ships and I fly the Armitage variant in Star Trek Online

[@enternamehere7639]

A) All the Akira classes can't even survive against one Oberth Class B)Discovery should have been a TNG era show. It should have focused on an Akira or Miranda Class exploring the Galaxy post Dominion war and after all the TNG movies. I mean think about how fun that would be, just another, unknown, insignificant ship exploring (cliffhanger if it wasn't in the Delta)

[@bubba9384]

Enter Name Here: Discovery should have been anything else. But atleast if had been post TNG they wouldent be rewritting all the cannon, and if they had it could be "washed away" in the future by saying it happened in the time Janeway erased by saving Voyagers crew....

[@walleclyde8759]

I hope that you talking about the all the akira class starships against one pure expoldium ship(Oberth class) is a joke.

[@Sgt_Glory]

@@walleclyde8759 "I said only target it's _engines_ !" -Klingon Captain "Uh... I did..." -Gunnery officer. "... Well we're in deep shit..."

[@huskysilverdog]

I've read in a Star Trek book, forget which, that the Akira is basically similar to our modern day guided missile destroyers/cruisers. It was meant to primarily made to use its torpedo launchers for hard hitting strikes. Based on that, I'd like to think that it's meant to be used in conglomeration with other Federation ships to capitalize on enemy vessels that had lost shielding. Who knows. Star Trek is really cool, but it seems a lot of times that the writers of the shows don't seem to know much about the military side of things. Love the ship though.

[@scotshabalam2432]

DON'T EVER MENTION that horrible TNG episode about warp causing subspace tears, that was retarded. I KNOW they were making an allegory for fossil fuels but it was contained mostly to that one episode and only ever mention outside of it a few times and only to pay respect to that episode. It's not even totally canonized because other species like the borg have been using warp for thousands of years and they never had this problem and it causes plot holes in other episodes.

[@LoreReloaded]

It's canon my friend..it may not make sense given other species though ;P

[@scotshabalam2432]

No, there are a few episodes where they did something, realized years later it was stupid or forgot and wrote something completely contradictory because "Time travel" or something. Through a combination of that episode being BAD, the concept lazy, and then other episodes of TNG/9/VOY just completely ignore it- I'm chalking that episode up to retcon and I encourage all Trek writers to do the same, good riddance.

[@alphax4785]

I head canon it to that area being subject to an omega particle explosion that occurred X hundred / thousand years ago such that that area of subspace is 'soft' and extremely easy to disrupt, but with the Omega Directive being in place and having no excuse or justification to break the Directive (since he wasn't dealing with active omega thirty thousand light years from the nearest Federation help), Picard had to just humor the whole 'warp drive pollution' hypothesis and be stuck in the slow lane (unless circumstances permitted) while Starfleet's top brass figured out how to deal with the extremely urgent nonexistent issue of 'warp drive pollution.'

[@Kaziklu]

it is pre first contact canon. Ent-e went back in time altered the time line causing the Enterprise series to occur and eventually leading to "the temporal cold war" nonsense. The Borg with nanite technology assimilated after wolf 359 and knowledge of the Queen developed after Locutus travel to borg space creating the Borg Queen and nanites prior to their original introduction. Resulting in Picard interacting with her in the altered timeline. The film actually takes place in the alternate timeline which is why Picard is still having nightmares, while in the original timeline he isn't. While in the past Geordie makes an adjustment to Zephrem's design in the process of getting it to work to prevent the issue. It is seen in by the Vulcans realize the issue and make the same adjustments. When the tech sharing of the Federation happens all federation ships have the change. Klingon ships see the alteration in salvaged federation ships during a war realize it's importance and also make the change. Romulans use a different Drive technology and so it isn't needed. There we go full on in Canon reason why it is no longer an issue. The temporal cold war silliness also likely is a way to write that out.

[@dragonknightleader1]

Of course, in real life, we still continue to use fossil fuels, so I think everyone just ignores it. Also remember that government owned ships of the line are capable of achieving high speeds because of patrol and defense purposes. Civilian ships seem underpowered in this regard and most likely obey the speed limit because their engines aren't as powerful.

[@dawfydd]

Okay let me ramble a little. I think its perfectly understandable that on the drawing board an updated miranda class type of ship was designed to beat back the cardies, and have more of a low impact quick response look to her but of course starfleet didn't want to build a warship so they might had planned it to become more of a carrier explaining it'd be used for planetary evacuations and the like, but still install the torpedo tubes through out the ship, perhaps not have a massive pool for the ship to use as designed though. So the trouble in how to market this to the brass combined with making sure it could house enough shuttles/still fillthe roles delayed production and when the dominion war broke out many where rushed out without their torpedo tubes in working order or the numbers of smaller craft for it to carrier plus we don't know how the fighters starfleet used were carried around, its possible that minor repairs and travel distance was done inside akira and galaxy class ships. But anyway at its core its an updated miranda its something starfleet did need in order to deal with the cardies having that kind of smaller ship with better armament on hand rather than moving task forces over whenever a problem came up, and it looked like amassing fleets. But i do believe its design trumps what it was used for i don't really think its 100% warship but i mean you can make convincing statements either way.

[@uranusimploding9830]

Yup ...they had to go BACK 200 years to get a design for a starship .... Doesn't make sense ... That would be the US Navy operating the USS Constitution hull design in 2018 ... That is the reason I don't like NX-01's design in the 2100s ... Tooo far advanced for its time .... The Daedelous hull would have been better or even a less advanced design for the first Enterprise ....

[@hudsonball4702]

You DO know the story of how they came up with the NX right? They took a model of the Akira and just flipped it over.

[@davidedens6353]

Here's what I can tell you having gone over several digital models of this ship. The ship does have 6 phaser strips and a large number of torpedo tubes however there is insufficient evidence to support 15 tubes. The ones supposed to be mounted port and starboard on the saucer are not visible on any of the production meshes and never fire even when it would have been advantageous to do so like at the battles of chintoka or during operation return. The ship is supposed to have a through deck hanger in the center of the surcer however on at least one version of the mesh the forward doors are replaced with large windows and the first contact version lacks the texture resolution to determine exactly what is located in this area.

[@farshnuke]

I'll be honest from the design I always assumed this was some kind never used concept for an NX-01 variant. So it's wild to me to see that this was A. used on screen B. in the TNG era. Very interesting video.

[@ShadowStoryteller]

From what I understand, the original concept was to be a hybrid pocket carrier/torpedo boat. That means that there was to be at least one wing (12 fighters) of Perigrin (I know my spelling is wrong) Fighter craft and 4 dedicated tricobalt torpedo tubes. This lady was meant to decimate from a distance and then pick off the stragglers. From what I also understand according to lore, the reason Starfleet Command changed its mind was The Dominion War. The loss of many ships on the front lines caused a radical change in thinking about ship design. To speed up full production, the idea of a carrier/torpedo boat was scrapped so the ship would be launched ahead of schedule to join the fleet en-masse. Again, this is my interpretation of the available info I was made aware of I could be wrong.

[@Aichi1138]

I have to wonder if the Akira is like the AR-15 of starfleet, a reliable and Highly modifiable ship frame that can be kitted out to serve a given mission

[@schiefer1103]

What is the background music at 4:13? Where can I get that?

[@seanwashbrook9235]

The Akira class ship for me is the best looking design they ever came out with. Agreed they should make it a hero ship.

[@christopherg2347]

I know I am a bit late, but some remarks: 1. The Akira *was* made a Hero ship. It was called the "NX-01 Enterprise". I know it is not a perfect match, but the similarities are too striking. 2. Star Trek online solved the Carrier debate, by making a "Strike Wing" variant of the Akira. If there is a carrier variant of the Akira, there might have well been a "15 torpedo launcher" variant of the ship. 3. Compared to directed energy weapons, torpedoes use very little energy. So maybe they thought once: "Hey, what if we put 15 Torpedo Launchers onto one? The whittering continued hail of torpedoes it could maintain should overwhelm the enemy shields!" But after they built one they realized "golly, this thing sure guzzles ammunition!" And since they had a war on and needed torpedoes and the mater/antimater to fuel them everyhwere else, they choose not waste them on more of those variants.

[@michaelmacleod6517]

Thanks to the designer of the Kusanagi Class, i'm gonna headcannon the Akira as a prototype 2270's/2280's design that was later revamped a century later.

[@jamesgray4769]

I love this class i used it alot on star trek online and i love it cuz it looks like the NX class :))

[@axenledgie1423]

This is one of the most beautiful designs for a Starfleet ship ever.

[@100mmtubeofjustice7]

sir, just found your channel, love it, I'm an old school fan boy having seen every episode of ALL shows AND movies up to ST:beyond or discovery, I agree that using the Akira class as some kind of carrier just doesn't make since to me as the FEDs just never really fleshed out a truly workable fighter craft. it seems to me that what "fighters" they had / have were just modded shuttles and or tugs. but I might have missed some thing in the thousands of hours I've logged. LOL!

[@lemminglobber1854]

I love this ship design, the Miranda too. There's just something about those raised torpedo pods.

[@kperry2719]

During the battle in Sacrifice of Angels, could it be possible that the Akira class ships transported the fighters into that fight? I know we never see them launch the fighters, but I think it would make sense that they were in the battle as not only hard hitters but support craft for the fighter wings.

[@forcewielder2000]

It's certainly quite possible. I mean, *someone* had to transport in the fighters, right? So why not the Akiras?

[@SG14ever]

To be honest, I'd like a ship that's just a large warship without being a carrier. This obsession with battlestar-type combination ships would more than likely just hamper a warship's maneuverability while introducing weaknesses in the hangars and hangar protection mechanisms.

[@lukecutter6763]

Nice vids man! Well done.

[@cazcappy]

I love the Akira class it's my favorite class of ship. I love the design and I love using the Akira class in Star Trek Legacy, it feels so smooth and clean. Also I love the name U.S.S Specter which is one of the known names of some Akira class vessels.

[@otankun222]

Seeing the clip of the Akira Class with the Defiant Class leads me to think that the two types of ships were meant to be deployed together, depending on the situation. With the personnel capacity that the Akira Class is capable of, it suggests that it was designed with a type of troop transport in mind. This would go along with them being deployed with Defiant Class ships that would act as escorts. I have two ideas why a troop transport would be designed to fight head-to-head like the Akira Class obviously is. One is that it was meant enter the atmosphere of planets for rapid deployment of ground troops and evacuation of wounded, civilians, ect. A group of 3-4 could set up a base of operations with the Defiant Class providing cover and support. The other, which I think makes more sense, is that it was meant for boarding missions of enemy installations. Space stations do not move, so they have to rely on their shields and weapons for defense. We see the Klingons board DS9 in Way of the Warrior, so trying to capture an installation rather than just destroy it is a tactic that is used. So, you would want a troop transport that is maneuverable, yet can still take a hit, and punch a hole through strong shields. It's not too much to think that a space station would have fighters, so that would add to Akira Class being escorted by Defiant Class to screen the Akiras from fighters.

[@forcewielder2000]

I like the idea that I read once that said that the Akira could be used to help with Federation colonization efforts, which is why is seems to be both a carrier and a warship - the carrier aspect would be used to transport the colonization material and shuttles to move it, while the ship itself would be called on to help provide defense as needed.