Predator Class

Universe :	Prime Timeline
Affiliation :	Kazon
Class Name :	Predator Class
Type :	General purpose starship/warship
Unit Run :	Unknown; believed to be 20 ships in service with the Trabe plus 40 in service with the Kazon sects.
Commissioned :	2320 - 2345, class remains in service
Dimensions :	Length : 1,920 m [1] Beam : 350 m Height : 590 m [2] Decks : 152
Mass :	60,000,000 metric tons
Crew :	1,500
Armament :	60 x phaser banks, total output 54,000 TeraWatts 2 x torpedo tube equivalent to Starfleet standard photon torpedo tube with 200 rounds
Defence Systems :	Standard shield system, total capacity 594,000 TeraJoules Light Monotanium Single hull. Standard level Structural Integrity Field
Warp Speeds (TNG scale) :	Normal Cruise : 5 Maximum Cruise : 6 Maximum Rated : 7.2 for 8 hours.
Strength Indices : (Galaxy class = 1,000)	Beam Firepower : 1,080 Torpedo Firepower : 250 Weapon Range and Accuracy : 440 Shield Strength : 220 Hull Armour : 1.25 Speed : 376 Combat Manoeuvrability : 350
Overall Strength Index :	486
Diplomatic Capability :	No purpose designed diplomatic facilities, but could serve this function if required
Expected Hull Life :	100
Refit Cycle :	Minor : 5 year Standard : 5 years Major : 25 years

Notes

The Predator design was fielded by the Trabe species [3] during the period 2320 - 2345. The ships were originally designed as freighters, their huge size allowing them to carry up to twenty million tons of cargo. Some thirty of these vessels were built over the twenty five years they were in production, and they became a common and impressive sight among the Trabe worlds.

When the Kazon overthrew the Trabe and forced them to retreat from their worlds, the prodigious size of the Predator class ships made them a natural choice for refugee transports. Knowing this, the Kazon sects attempted to capture or destroy as many of these ships as they could. The Trabe escaped with five vessels, the Kazon captured about fifteen, the remaining ten being destroyed.

Both the Trabe and the Kazon have extensively refitted their Predators, in the former case to enhance living standards and in the latter to install weaponry. Their size and prodigious energy output would theoretically allow the Kazon ships to be fitted with a very heavy armament, and indeed the Predator class vessels are amongst the most powerful in the area. However, indications are that the Kazon have not been willing or capable of providing the support and maintenance facilities required to keep these ships in top condition. They therefore tend to perform far below the level which might otherwise be accomplished.

To date the Predator has been involved in combat against only one Starfleet vessel; the USS Voyager and a Raider class craft were attacked by a Predator and two Kazon Raiders near the Caretaker's Array in the delta quadrant. The Predator class proved to have an armament approximately equal to Voyager, and the Kazon had the upper hand for much of the battle. [4] Nevertheless Voyager was able to cause intermittent failure in several of the Kazon ship's shields; using one of these the damaged Raider rammed the Kazon vessel, causing it to lose all helm control and collide with the Array. The ship was destroyed by this collision (see images page). [4] Voyager has engaged these ships on several subsequent occasions. [5]

Colour key

References

#	Series	Season	Source	Comment
1			Generic official information	Based on the scale diagram on page 580 of the new Encyclopedia which compares the Predator to the D'Deridex, Negh'Var, and Dominion Battlecruiser. Note that this diagram is on the small side; the length could easily be ten or twenty metres off either way.
2			Generic official information
3	VOY	2	Alliances
4	VOY	1	Caretaker
5			Various Voyager episodes

Comments

The Predator first appeared in 'Caretaker', where one of them fought with the USS Voyager to get control of the Caretakers array. Although the ship is many, many times the size of Voyager it's firepower didn't seem to be all that much higher. Part of this could be due to the Kazons inferior weapon technology, but the Predator didn't seem all that heavily armed even by Kazon standards, at least not in relation to its size. I've tried to reconcile this by making the ships converted freighters, which seemed reasonable given their huge size.

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Last updated : 22 Oct 2021

Series :	VOY Season 2
Episode :	Alliances

Series :	VOY Season 1
Episode :	Caretaker

Series :	VOY Season
Episode :	Various Voyager episodes