USS Sutherland (NCC-72015) was a Template:ShipClass Federation starship in service during the 24th century. It was built at the San Francisco Fleet Yards orbiting Earth and completed in 2367, on stardate 44820.5. Her propulsion systems were constructed by the Yoyodyne Division.
The Sutherland in drydock at Starbase 234
In early 2368, the Sutherland was docked at Starbase 234's spacedock for major repairs. It was prematurely deployed, despite the yard superintendent's belief the ship was not ready for launch, to serve as part of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's task force used to interdict the supply lines between the Romulan Star Empire and the House of Duras during the Klingon Civil War. For the duration of that mission, the Sutherland was temporarily commanded by Lieutenant Commander Data, with Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hobson as his first officer.
During the blockade, the Sutherland was hit by a massive tachyon pulse by the Romulans, which disabled the tachyon detection grid in a radius of 10 million kilometers around the ship. Data disobeyed Picard's orders to regroup at Gamma Eridon and instead was able modify the Sutherland sensors to detect a residual tachyon signature around the cloaked Romulan ships. He then exposed the ships using modified low-yield photon torpedoes. (TNG: "Redemption II")
During the mid-2370s, the Sutherland was assigned to the Ninth Fleet near Bajor, during the Dominion War, under the command of Captain Shelby. In mid-2374, it docked at Deep Space 9 to be resupplied along with the USS Exeter, the USS Akagi, and the USS Potemkin. (DS9: "You Are Cordially Invited") The Sutherland was due to revisit Deep Space 9 a few months later. (DS9: "Change of Heart")
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Crewmembers
Background
- The dedication plaque of the Sutherland reads "There will be an answer, let it be..." which is quoted from Let it Be, written by Paul McCartney in 1969 and performed by The Beatles.
- In scene cut from TNG: "Chain of Command, Part II", where the Cardassians threatened to invade Minos Korva, the USS Aries, Sutherland and USS Berlin were dispatched to the sector to assist the USS Enterprise-D. However, because the ships were three days away, the Enterprise was forced to find an alternative means of preventing the invasion.
Jadzia with unnamed members of the Sutherland crew
- Sutherland is a district of the Scottish Highlands.
- Three British Royal Navy ships bore the name HMS Sutherland (and had formed strong links with the affiliated Scottish district), as well as the fictional command of Horatio Hornblower in the novel Ship of the Line by C.S. Forester.
- According to writer Ronald D. Moore in an extra feature on the DS9 Season 6 DVD, the Sutherland crew was to have been a more regular element on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The concept, according to Moore, was that the Sutherland maintained a number of Hawaiian and Polynesian traditions, and would have appeared when a script called for "wacky party guys". Originally, the fire dancer seen in "You Are Cordially Invited" was to have been joined by an even more elaborate Polynesian band than the small triplet seen. Financial considerations, however, restrained Moore's love note to Polynesia.