The Riskadh-class Heavy Battlecruiser is named for the house of Kahless the Unforgettable, and it is an ample name for such a majestic and deadly warship. Sharing many of the typical Klingon design elements found in the D7 lineage, the Riskadh was design in such a way to maximize internal volume so that more weapons and associated equipment could be loaded into the hull.

The net effect was a seriously over-gunned battlecruiser that was more than a match for almost any other ship in the fleet, including the C8 Dreadnought that followed only a few years on the heels of the Riskadh. Despite the improved weaponry and shielding systems, though, the Riskadh had its failings. The Riskadh was tragically slow, with less linear thrust abilities than the larger C8 Dreadnought. The ship could only maneuver marginally better than that ship, either. These two factors made the the Riskadh cumbersome, and unable to stay in formation with faster and more maneuverable D7 Battlecruiser contingents. It also did not help that the Riskadh Heavy Battlecruiser was unable to take much damage after its shields had failed, being little more survivable than the D7 Battlecruiser in this area.