Designing the Avenger Class Battle Cruiser

Since the war with the Klingon Empire began, Starfleet engineers have been working on ship designs intended for battle as well as exploration. One of the designs to come out of this effort was the Avenger Class Battle Cruiser.

When we started to design the Avenger, we knew it would be a combat vessel, but it wasn’t an escort. It needed to be smaller than a standard cruiser, so it could be more agile, but still be a ship that could take some hits and survive.

That sensibility influenced the visual aesthetic of the Avenger. This is a gunship. Taking the 2409 Federation design of traditionally elegant sweeping lines and pushing it toward a more combative style was one of our biggest challenges. The Avenger needed to look aggressive, but still like a Starfleet vessel.

We first started by really increasing the “battlefield” feel of the Avenger. It has visible, modeled hard points for all of its weapons. The windows are inset to give them a more protected, armored look. The deflector dish is rectangular, which gives it a stronger feel. The neck is thicker, which makes the ship look a little chunkier and more ready for combat.

The Avenger’s style is also influenced by its capabilities. The ship has a special console (the Variable Auto-Targeting Armament), which is a very versatile torpedo weapon. So we made the ship’s torpedo bays larger and more visible.

But, because this is still a Starfleet vessel, we couldn’t go completely combat with it. So we used influences from the Akira (the protected bridge) and the Odyssey (split neck and saucer/hull integration) to make the Avenger look like an iteration of Starfleet design, and not something completely new.

We’re really pleased with how the Avenger turned out, and we hope you’ll be flying one into battle soon! Keep hailing frequencies open for more information on the Avenger Class Battle Cruiser – more images and details, including stats and abilities, will be posted in tomorrow’s Dev Blog.

See you in-game!

- The STO Ship Team

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