Trekipedia

D-7 class

The D-7 was probably the most infamous cruiser ever to stalk the spacelanes. These ships were associated with death and destruction on a scale second to none. When first introduced in late 2244, these vessels captured the minds and spirits of the Klingon commanders so fully that for many years they were viewed by outsiders as the symbol of Klingon tyrrany. This design was developed from the earlier d’ama (D-4) class cruiser and incorporated all of its most popular features. The command pod mounted forward on the boom assembly and the wing-like main hull were altered slightly, but all of the basic concepts were retained.^[4]

In all models, the command pod could be jettisoned in case of emergency. A small impulse drive system, mounted into the pod for such situations, allowed the pod to maneuver itself and travel short distances. A pod could maintain the life support systems and operate short-range sensors and weapons for up to one year. The pod’s weapons systems, including disruptors and a forward-facing torpedo launcher, remained fully functional even in the event of pod separation and also allowed for self-destruction of the pod if capture was imminent.^[4]

The secondary bridge and all engineering facilites were located in the main hull. Separated from the command pod, this section of the vessel was capable of maintaining fully functional life support, weapons, and engine systems for up to two years. Of course, this section was capable of warp speeds and would affect its own recovery much quicker than the command pod. Within the engineering section of the main hull was the matter/antimatter mix chamber. All D-7 models were capable of jettisoning the warp engines in case of an uncontrolled mix in the matter/antimatter chamber; this would leave the ship with only the impulse engines for power.^[4]

The class, designated D-7 by Starfleet, enjoyed many names from its Klingon builders, including K’t’agga (“painbringer”), K’t’kara (“bringer of destiny”), and K’t’alla (“truthbringer”). The K’t’inga (“bringer of destruction”) class was a further evolution of this design.^[4]

Ships of the class:

• I.K.S. Ch’dan IKC-4176^{[2, 5]}
• I.K.S. Gr’oth IKC-4175^{[1, 3, 5]}

References

• 1. “The Trouble With Tribbles.” Star Trek, Episode 42. Television. 29 December 1967.
• 2. “Day of the Dove.” Star Trek, Episode 66. Television. 1 November 1968.
• 3. “Trials and Tribble-ations.” Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Episode 503. Television. 4 November 1996.
• 4. “Klingon Ship Recognition Manual.” Star Trek: The Roleplaying Game, Book 2301. Game. FASA. 1985.
• 5. “Starships.” Star Trek Roleplaying Game, Book 4. Game. Decipher, Inc. 2003.