Starship appreciation: the Miranda-class from Star Trek

There are a lot of Starfleet ships that I would love to command - the Akira, Galaxy, Steamrunner, Excelsior, Intrepid, and of course, a Constitution class, amongst others - and the Miranda class is definitely high on the list.

Memory Alpha.

Though, to be perfectly honest, I would not want to command one during the 24th century, especially during the Dominion War or a Borg attack. I like the Mirandas, but not that much! Anyway, what I like about the class is how different they look. They don't have a deflector dish or a secondary hull like most of the other ship classes, and that rollbar just makes the ship look cool. It certainly doesn't hurt that the USS Reliant was able to cream the Enterprise's corn in short order, showing that a Miranda can go toe-to-toe with the big guys.

I also like its modularity. We've seen different versions of the Miranda on TNG - with and without the rollbar, some with sensor pods, and such. It seems that by the 24th century, a good chunk of the Mirandas were being used in secondary roles as transports and cargo ships. Not surprising, given their age.

Their age also worked against them during combat. I would actually cringe while watching the space battles on Deep Space Nine, anytime a Miranda charged into the fray. As tough as they were in the 23rd century, they weren't up to snuff in the 24th. It was like watching a senior citizen take a roundhouse kick from Chuck Norris.

Still, I would jump at the chance to sit in the captain's chair of one back during its heyday. Just not the Reliant, because I know how that shit goes down.