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Galor-class cruisers were the primary class of warship used by the Cardassian military during the latter half of the 24th century.

History[]

Commonly referred to as "warships" or "war vessels", this class was also designated by the Cardassians and the Maquis as "cruisers". (TNG: "The Chase"; DS9: "Past Prologue", "Defiant"; VOY: "Fury")

During the late 2360s, these warships had at least three sub-classes, with the Galor-class, Type-3 considered to be "top of the line." (TNG: "Ensign Ro")

During the Dominion War, these vessels were classified by Starfleet as "destroyers" and by the Dominion as "assault vessels". (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels", "Image in the Sand")

In early 2374, the Cardassians were constructing a number of these vessels at their Monac shipyard. (DS9: "Image in the Sand", "Shadows and Symbols")

Technical data[]

Physical arrangement[]

Quantum resonance scan

Vessel overview

The overall appearance of Galor-class was roughly anhk-shaped, with a half moon structure that sat atop the primary hull, which made up the ship's port and starboard blades, and further contained the warp nacelles. An additional structure sat atop the forward most section of the ship, where the bridge sat.

The primary hull was also the main component used in the design of the Keldon-class counterparts, which bore an additional superstructure above the Galor-class spaceframe. (DS9: "Defiant")

Tactical systems[]

The arsenals of Galor-class warships varied, though typically they were armed with numerous phaser arrays.

Cardassian phaser fire was originally created with a pinkish coloring; it later became yellow.

Following the Cardassian evacuation of Terok Nor, it was said that the defensive capabilities of the newly renamed Deep Space 9 "could not defend itself against one Cardassian warship." (DS9: "Emissary")

Although the Galor-class vessels were considerably inferior to the Federation's Galaxy-class starships, they proved to be very effective against Miranda-class starships, as well as Klingon Birds-of-Prey. (TNG: "The Wounded"; DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels", "Once More Unto the Breach")

In 2369, Captain Edward Jellico ordered a fleet of Galor-class starships to leave the McAllister C-5 Nebula one-by-one, ejecting their primary phaser coils. (TNG: "Chain Of Command, Part II")

In 2370, Cardassian colonists living in the Demilitarized Zone modified Cardassian shuttles, which they equipped with Galor-class phaser banks to protect their colonial interests. (DS9: "The Maquis, Part I")

In "Ensign Ro", the two type-3 warships fired a weapon that resembled something along the lines of a photon or plasma torpedo. No distinct description was ever given to describe this weapon type, nor was the effect ever seen again in subsequent appearances. The only clue given, as vague as it may be, can be found in the script, which stated that they "fire several rounds."

While recalling Maquis tactics against the Cardassians, where it was explained how they used to lure them into the Badlands, B'Elanna Torres noted that once inside, "those Galor-class cruisers had nowhere to run." (VOY: "Fury") This was notably the case with the Vetar, which upon observing its pursuit of the Val Jean into the Badlands, that "Gul Evek must feel daring today." (VOY: "Caretaker")

The Galor-class was also utilized in the mirror universe by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance where they were described by Intendant Kira Nerys as being "quick and powerful". These vessels, however, were not without their weaknesses, specifically, their targeting systems could be easily fooled. (DS9: "Shattered Mirror")

Additional systems[]

In 2367, the Cardassian warships lacked the ability to read Federation starships transponder codes, an ability the latter possessed. The Cardassians were granted this ability when Captain Picard gave Gul Macet the Federation's codes to track the USS Phoenix. (TNG: "The Wounded")

Federation starships also had superior terminal interface systems. (TNG: "The Wounded")

As well, their transporting system operated with active feed pattern buffers. (TNG: "The Wounded")

Their aft shield generators were located in the ship's "tail", near where the "prong" was attached. (TNG: "The Wounded")

Interior design[]

Main bridge[]

Ships of the class[]

Named
Unnamed

Appendices[]

Appearances[]

Background information[]

The Galor-class warship first appeared in "The Wounded", and was first identified by name in "Ensign Ro".

For information on the studio model, please see Galor-class model.

Brandon MacDougall posted the real-world length of the LightWave model he built for the sixth and seventh seasons of DS9: "I loaded the 3D model up and she's around 368m [1207 feet]. I would've checked with Rick [Sternbach] at one time regarding the size when laying it out." [1](X) A camera test model from an auction contains a handwritten note: "Cardassian 1200 ft [366 meters]". [2] Visual Effects Supervisor David Stipes noted that the "Galor is about 1,200 ft. [3]

When asked whether he had a definitive size, Rick Sternbach replied:

Definitive? Not really, but I can try to make a guess. I pegged it at ~371m in the DS9TM, and just now measuring a reduced xerox of my starboard elevation ortho (and assuming a humanoid-comfortable deck height of ~3.8m), I get 379.6m, not far off from what I thought for the book. Will there ever be an authoritative figure? Probably not, but the number I get could be considered "original intent," ... [4](X)

A couple of sources imply that the Galor was intended to be approximately ¾ as long as the Enterprise-D. An article in the magazine Sci-Fi & Fantasy Models #16 states that the Galor miniature was in scale with the four-foot miniature of the Enterprise-D. [5] Ed Miarecki also recalled such a consensus between him and Rick Sternbach. [6](X) If so, the overall length can be estimated at (~37 inches / ~49.25 inches) * 2,108 feet = ~1,580 feet (~480 meters). Larry Nemecek likewise wrote that "Rick S[ternbach]'s original length was 1,587 ft, or @ ¾ the length of the Galaxy-class." [7]

Technical Manual[]

The following specifications, which describes this vessel as a Galor-class attack cruiser, comes exclusively from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual:

  • Production Base: Cardassia Prime Orbital Three Assembly Facility
  • Type: Medium Cruiser
  • Accommodation: 300 plus flight crew and troops
  • Power Plant: One and possibly two M/A warp systems; three or more impulse systems
  • Dimensions: Length, 371.88 meters; beam, 192.33 meters; height, 59 meters
  • Mass: 1,678,000 metric tons (est.)
  • Performance: Warp 9.6 (observed)
  • Armament: Eight or more spiral-wave disruptors; one large aft disruptor wave cannon; possibly other weapons

Apocrypha[]

According to the Starships RPG sourcebook, the Galor-class was named after a mythical Cardassian warrior.

External links[]

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