An advanced warship born from the first Borg attack on Federation holdings, the Defiant is a showcase for advanced Federation technologies and engineering ideologies. Foregoing the saucer section typical of most Starfleet designs, the Defiant is a small, compact, agile warship designed specifically for combat at the expense of more extensive scientific and diplomatic facilities.

The major advantage of the Defiant Escort is its use of the new pulse phaser cannon, a weapon which fires as individual pulses rather than a raking beam typical of older phasers. This coupled with a good rate of fire and high damage output makes the Defiant an excellent choice for combating enemy starships of even capital ship size.