A unique vessel, the Thantalus was a debacle from the minute the design crossed the drawing board. The theory among a large minority of the military was that the advanced technologies exhibited by the T'shann should be assimilated into Bintari designs in order to make the Federation "technological equals" to the Sovereign. Though there were grumblings among the Admiralty, the Thantalus was pressed into construction.

Utilizing weapons reverse engineered since the end of the invasion, the Thantalus was armed with a mix of Bintari and T'shann systems in the hope of maintaining a balance that would prove superior to the T'shann's own ships in combat.

During its initial trial run in the summer of 2017, the Thantalus' main engine developed a coolant leak and forced the evacuation of the ship and complete shutdown of the reactor. The ship was towed back to dry dock and repaired. Upon its second trial run the ship did not even make it out of space dock; one of the improvised thrusters exploded unexpectedly. Again the ship was delayed as repairs were made. After eight months of further reviews the ship finally managed to complete a trial run without disaster. Everything together, however, only reaffirmed the Admiralty's overriding concerns and further development on the class was haulted.

The shakedown cruise of the Thantalus went more smoothly than some expected (much to the disgust of those that had bet large sums of money upon its early destruction). The ship patrolled local space for several years, acting as a showpiece for the advancements of the Bintari over other nations.

By the time the Bintari encountered the K'Thonn, the Thantalus was an aging ship and was only two months away from decommissioning. The ship's life was extended when tacticians came to the conclusion that a K'Thonn assault on Bintarus was a possibility, but as soon as that threat was silenced the ship was quietly retired. (Almost too quietly, but nobody paid it any attention. In reality the hull was purchased by the Intraska Corporation and upgraded for their own private use. It is currently stationed at their secret base in another star system).