The USS Odyssey (NCC-71832) was a Federation Template:ShipClass explorer that was in service with Starfleet in the late 24th century.
History
In late 2370, the Odyssey, under the command of Captain Keogh, was assigned to a patrol mission along the Cardassian border.
The Odyssey arrived at Deep Space 9 shortly after it was announced by the Jem'Hadar that they had taken Commander Benjamin Sisko prisoner in the Gamma Quadrant. With news of this, Starfleet suspended all wormhole traffic, and ordered the Odyssey to proceed into the Gamma Quadrant to investigate the Jem'Hadar's threat.
The USS Odyssey's damaged port warp nacelle
During the operation, the Odyssey, along with the USS Mekong and USS Orinoco, engaged three Jem'Hadar attack ships. It was quickly discovered that the Odyssey's shields were ineffective against the Jem'Hadar's phased polaron beams, and she took significant damage from multiple direct hits. Realizing this, Captain Keogh ordered power from the shields be diverted to the phasers in order to inflict more damage on the enemy.
The USS Odyssey seconds after being rammed by a Jem'Hadar fighter
The Jem'Hadar took advantage of this opportunity and rammed the ship as she tried to retreat. The attack ship collided with the Odyssey's secondary hull, the resulting damage leading to the destruction of the vessel. While the rescue attempt was ultimately successful, all hands on-board were lost. Fortunately, most non-essential crewmembers and all civilians had been offloaded at DS9 prior to departure, saving hundreds of lives. (DS9: "The Jem'Hadar")
The destruction of the Odyssey, which became the cornerstone for the Dominion cold war, showed the Federation that the Dominion was a potent and dangerous threat. In response to this provocation, the USS Defiant was brought out of mothballs and put on active duty. (DS9: "The Search, Part I")
USS Odyssey personnel
Template:GalaxyClassStarships
Appendices
Background information
According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia, the Odyssey was named for the command module of the ill-fated Apollo 13 moon mission. Furthermore, that name was taken from the works of Homer, The Odyssey being the epic tale of Odysseus. The Odyssey's dedication plaque bore a quote from Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey: "Its origin and purpose, still a total mystery."
The bridge shown in the episode was a completely different set than the one used for the USS Enterprise-D. The hollow model of the USS Enterprise-D which was blown up for TNG: "Cause and Effect" was again used to blow up the USS Odyssey.
According to the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, the show's writers intentionally made the Odyssey a Galaxy-class ship to emphasize that the Dominion was a much more threatening force than anything the Enterprise-D had encountered during TNG, with the exception of the Borg. The writers wished to show that even the Enterprise-D would stand no chance in the same situation.
The destruction of the Odyssey marked the second loss of a Galaxy-class starship since their introduction in The Next Generation, following the loss of the USS Yamato in "Contagion".
External link
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