Truth OR Myth- Klingon Starships- The Vor’cha Class

Hello and welcome to another episode of Truth OR Myth, a Star Trek web series that looks at the Truth, or canon, information to dispel the myths that have surfaced on a given topic. With a clear design lineage all the way back to the D7 Battlecruiser, the Vor’cha class was a mainstay of the Klingon Imperial Fleet in the mid to late 24th century.

In today’s episode, we’re taking a look at the Vor’cha Class of the Klingon Imperial Fleet, in an effort to better understand it’s placed in Star Trek history.

Unlike Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire didn’t believe in having and testing many starship designs, preferring to update tried and truly established designs for hundreds of years.

(CBS) The Vor’cha Class

But just as Starfleet and the Romulan Empire began to test new designs and develop new technologies, the Klingon Empire realized it was time to introduce a new starship class to stay current within the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. And so the Vor’cha class born.

Originally the few ships constructed of this class would remain at the disposal of the Klingon Chancellor or the high councils use. But as it proved itself the design quickly became a staple in the Klingon Fleet designed to replace the ageing K’Tinga Classes still in service.

Having similar design lines to that of the D-7 and K’Tinga Classes, this starship was approximately 481 meters in length with a width of approximately 342 meters. This class was crewed by 1900 Klingon Warriors with additional accommodations for troops should the mission require it.

The maximum speed this class could achieve was warp factor 9.6, though its standard cruising velocity was believed to be warp factor 6. The Vor’cha Class had 18 ship-mounted disruptor canons, one large forward disruptor and 3 torpedo launchers.

Heavily armed, the forward disruptor canon was capable of firing solid and intermittent disruptor beams and was one of the most powerful disruptor canons ever created by any galactic power.

The Vor’chas had a reputation for having enough firepower to threaten a deep subterranean base. Despite this reputation, the Vor’cha did have its limitations against heavily fortified targets. During the Dominion War when the Klingon Chancellor chose to attack Sarpedion V, he wanted the initial strike to be lead by fifteen Vor’cha-class battlecruisers, however, according to Starfleet analysis, fifteen battle cruisers would barely scratch the surface of the Dominion defences.

(CBS) IKS Bortas – TNG “Redemption”

This class also contained the latest versions of the Klingon Cloaking Device, which although an excellent system for tactically keeping a target undetected, the power required to keep this class cloaked meant it still had the flaw that this class had to decloak in order to fire any of its weapons.

Shielding for this class was standard for that of Klingon ships of the time. The design of the Vor’cha classes main bridge shared numerous similarities to other Klingon bridge designs, such as the variants of the Klingon Bird of Preys and that of the K’Tinga Class Battle Cruiser.

Though each ship of this class could have non-standardized bridge designs, there were design elements that were standard to each. Located in the front of the bridge, against the forward bulkhead, was the ship’s main viewscreen. Also, the command chair was located forward of the crew stations to show trust in the captain’s crew, and had the ability to swivel 360 degrees, allowing the captain to visually monitor all bridge operations. At the rear of the bridge were several aft stations, including the tactical position.

The ready room aboard a Vor’cha Class starship was designed to emphasize the prestige and prowess of the ship’s Klingon captain. Along its walls, the captain would display weapons and trophies received in combat.

(CBS) The Vor’cha Class In Orbit Above Ty’Gokor – DS9 “Apocalypse Rising”

The main engineering section of the ship, which contained the reactor core, was located on Deck 26. And although increased in size and power output when compared to previous classes, essentially was the same reactor core the Klingon Empire had used for centuries. The computer core aboard the Vor’cha class could be accessed from a small unmanned room. This room had computer consoles and equipment placed in a semi-circle, located in the centre of the room, as well as several located along the perimeter bulkheads. The computer room allowed unobstructed access to the defence system database, as well as the computer core diagnostic and navigational control systems. Access to the computer room required DNA-based handprint verification.

Crew quarters were standard for this class. As Klingon Warriors did not believe or require the simple comforts that Starfleet officers then to take for granted, the crew aboard the Vor’cha class would be bunked up with multiple warriors occupying a very small space.

The VIP quarters aboard the Vor’cha class were large cabins intended for visiting dignitaries. Luxurious by Klingon standards, these cabins often contained walls emblazoned with weapons and decorative banners of the Klingon Empire. There were also several movable chairs and tables located in the centre of the room. The Vor’cha-class was one of the most powerful ships in the Klingon Defense Forces; it was also one of the largest warships in the Empire, carrying a formidable armament and demonstrating great manoeuvrability considering their relatively large size. This status was short-lived however as when a New Klingon Chancellor, Gowron was named the Successor to Kem’Pec, he immediately ordered Klingon Starship designers to come up with a new, larger starship for him to command. it is unknown whether this was due to Gowrons more forward and progressive thinking ways when compared to other Klingons, or if it was simply done to show off to all the other powers in the Galaxy. Either way the Vor’cha Class Attack cruiser would be outdone when the Negh’Var Class debuted in 2371, meaning the Vor’Cha Class retained its top-dog status for less than a decade.

(CBS) The Negh’var class – DS9 “Way Of The Warrior”

Despite the fact this class was no longer the flagship of the Imperial Fleet, they maintained a strong presence during both the Klingon-Cardassian War and Federation-Klingon War of 2372-2373. They also saw combat during the First Battle of Deep Space 9 and, later that year, several were used to deploy a secret minefield around Bajoran space, though they were ultimately unsuccessful in that plan.

The class later served as capital ships during the Dominion War, beginning in 2374. They saw action during Operation Return, the First and Second Battle of Chin’toka and the final battle of the Dominion War, the Battle of Cardassia and although Klingon Starship are often viewed in terms of their combat capacity, it should be noted that this class also contained some of the most advanced scientific systems available in the Empire. In fact, when the Bajoran Wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant was discovered in 2369, some of the first starships sent to explore this new space were Klingon Vor’cha classes.

Like the few other classes in the Klingon Empire, the Vor’Cha class would continue to serve the Empire with Honor and valour, earning this classes place in both Klingon and Starfleet history…

Thank you for watching today’s episode of Truth or Myth, what do you think of the Vor’Cha Class? Well leave your comments in the section below and don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to the channel, hitting that little bell icon so you won’t miss a single video we release.

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Thanks again for watching, Live long and prosper…

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