During their conflict with the Cardassians, the Maquis are forced to use old Federation vessels which they adapt to meet their purposes. The typical Maquis Fighter is a small, agile ship.

The mission for a Maquis fighter is quite simple: reconnoiter the enemy, engage in ship-to-ship combat, and perform covert missions. As a warp-capable craft, the Maquis Fighter is a decent combat vessel. However, the real power of the ship is seen when combined with other Maquis vessels. A ten-ship squadron, flying in a tight combat formation, can create havoc on encountering an enemy convoy.

The Maquis use a variety of vessels, including small Peregrine-class interceptors; larger vessels such as Chakotay's fighter have a crew of more than thirty. The Maquis also use a smaller ship which appears very similar to Chakotay's fighter from the outside, but the Raider only has a crew of two. Both these models have an upturned nose and sweptback wings. On the aft wing, closest to the ship's hull, is a blue light, and the ship's rear thrusters are distinguised by their orange colour. There are no other markings on the ship, neither Federation nor Maquis. During a battle, the Maquis distinguish each vessel by an alphanumeric call-sign, such as 'Alpha One'.

Both designs of Maquis fighter are capable of achieving warp speeds and although they cannot outrun Cardassian Galor-class ships, they are highly maneuverable. When attacked by Gul Evek's warship (in "Caretaker"), Chakotay executes evasive pattern 'Omega'. This maneuver is seen as turning sharply to the right and down. In the process, he fires a volley of photon torpedoes at the pursuing Cardassian vessel and makes his escape.

The Maquis often retreat into the area of space known as The Badlands, where they can take advantage of their vessels' agility to safely fly through the constant plasma storms. Before he sees the Voyager, Tom Paris, who has flown for the Maquis, claims that he has never seen a Federation vessel that is capable of navigating through this area.

Federation Design

The smaller version of the fighter is larger than a Federation shuttle, but considerably smaller than a starship; the control consoles are recongnizably of a Federation design, and the layout of the cockpit is very similar to that of a Starfleet Runabout. The wall panels of this part of the ship have a hexagonal pattern; the rear compartment is a step up from the pilot's cabin. This area can carry supplies and is equipped with a transporter.

Maquis fighters are normally equipped with protective shields, phasers and photon torpedos. The Maquis fighter can direct phaser fire from the top of the main cabin, and torpedos are fired from an area between the rear thrusters. The Maquis use type VIII phasers. These are surface- mounted weapons and are not commonly part of the ship's original components. When fired, these phasers produce an orange beam. The shields are strong enough to take a six percent drop in strength per shot. In a battle with a Galor-class warship, the larger Maquis fighter's shield strength will still be in the region of sixty percent after it has taken as many as six hits.

It is possible to quickly divert all weapon power to the engines in an emergency. In 2371, the engine on Chakotay's Maquis fighter is thirty-nine years old and has been rebuilt at least once.

The interior of this larger Maquis fighter is a light tan, and the seating arrangement is close and tight. The C.O. sits in the fore position, supported by a highback, padded swivel chair. Here he has access to the visual comm link monitor, which is at eye-level. The guidance system is at his fingertips.

Triangular windows provide visibility to the side and front of the vessel. As on it's smaller counterpart, most of the visual display consoles which run along the side of the cockpit are very similar to those found on Federation vessels. Input is controlled by touch screens.

Maquis Crew

Maquis fighters are manned by a compliment of Federation and Bajoran colonists, some of whom are former Starfleet personnel. The Maquis crew members are well trained for battle, although at times they are ill-equipped, technically. Chakotay's crew is fairly typical. Sitting to his port and starboard are his officers; usually, a Klingon/Human female, B'Elanna Torres, takes the port side, providing engineering and weapons controls and to Chakotay's starboard sits another officer, Tuvok, a male Vulcan. His responsibility is communications and scanning. Other crew members use the central compartment, where there is another display unit along the starboard wall.

Information gathered and transcribed from "The Official Star Trek Fact Files"
[ The ORB ] [ What's New? ] [ Profile ] [ Tribe ] [ Wheel ] [ Maquis ] [ Ship ] [ Command ] [ Office ] [ J/C ] [ Articles ] [ Art n Pics ] [ Poll ] [ Screensavers ] [ Links ] [ Home ]