IKS Bortas (Vor'cha class)

There have been at least two Klingon warships named IKS Bortas.

IKS Bortas (D5 class)

File:D5 class battlecruiser.jpg

The IKS Bortas fires its' disruptors.

The first warship Bortas was a D5 class battle cruiser in service during the 2150s, under the command of Duras. The Bortas was assigned to capture a refugee ship from Rha'darus that was attempting to escape from the Klingon Empire. It attacked the Enterprise (NX-01) when it found the latter ship providing aid to the refugees. However, the Enterprise managed to escape by detonating a spatial torpedo inside the rings of a gas giant that disabled the Klingons' sensors. For his incompetence, Duras was demoted from captain to second weapons officer. (ENT: "Judgment")

IKS Bortas (Vor'cha-class)

File:Bortas disruptor cannon.jpg

The IKS Bortas fires its' disruptor cannon.

The second warship Bortas was a Vor'cha-class attack cruiser in service during the 2360s.

In 2366, the USS Enterprise-D was contacted by the Bortas when Captain Picard requested reinforcements prior to entering the Romulan Neutral Zone to investigate a protential Romulan military base on Nelvana III. (TNG: "The Defector")

The Bortas was later Gowron's flagship during the Klingon Civil War in 2367-68. It took heavy damage during a surprise attack by ships loyal to the House of Duras at the beginning of the war, but drove off the attackers with assistance from the IKS Hegh'ta. (TNG: "Redemption, Part I")

In late 2368, Gowron traveled aboard the Bortas to rendezvous with the Enterprise-D when the latter ship was transporting the reincarnation of Kahless the Unforgettable to Qo'noS. (TNG: "Rightful Heir")

In the Klingon language, bortaS means "revenge." An early draft of the script for "The Defector" mentioned the name Patakt, which would later changed to Bortas by the time of the final airing of the episode.