The Steamrunner Heavy Frigate was born from the Federation's need to build a ship to replace the aging Excelsior Cruiser in the role of perimeter patrol and defense missions. Although the Excelsior had served well in these missions for over half a century, it was starting to show its age.

The Steamrunner incorporates many design elements that sets it apart from other Starfleet design endeavors. First, the warp nacelles are integrated into the ship's saucer section increasing their vulnerability to enemy fire. The Steamrunner, too, does not have a standard stardrive section, instead placing its navigational deflector array slung beneath a rollbar assemblage placed between the ship's nacelles.

In the end, the Streamrunner demonstrated an Excelsior's firepower on a more maneuverable space frame. Construction of Streamrunners was low and none saw any major fleet actions until the Dominion War. In this war they proved their worth, being influential factors in several of the major battles fought against the Dominion.