Galor Class

Galor Class cruisers were the primary class of warship by the Cardassian Guard during the latter half of the 24th century.

Technical Data

Design

The Galor Class shared the same basic superstructure as their Keldon Class counterparts, but were used far more frequently by the Cardassian military. (DS9: "Defiant")

Commonly referred to as "warships" or "war vessels", this class was also designated by the Cardassians and the Maquis as "cruisers". (TNG: "The Chase"; DS9: "Past Prologue", "Defiant"; VOY: "Fury")

During the late 2360s, these warships had three sub-classes, with the Galor-class, Type-3 being considered to be "top of the line." (TNG: "Ensign Ro")

During the Dominion War, these vessels were classified by Starfleet as "destroyers", in relation to their Dominion counterparts. (DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels")

Tactical systems

The arsenals of Galor Class warships vary, though typically they are armed with numerous phaser arrays. Although the Galor Class vessels were decidedly inferior to the Federation's Galaxy Class starships, they proved to be very effective against Miranda Class and other older Federation starships. (TNG: "The Wounded", DS9: "Sacrifice of Angels", "Waltz")

In the episode "The Wounded", Jean-Luc Picard stated that he was running from a "Cardassian warship" while Captain of the USS Stargazer. This may be a reference to a Galor Class ship, or yet another unseen vessel. Furthermore, in 2367, the USS Phoenix was able to destroy a Cardassian warship with relative ease, while in 2374, a wing of Cardassian warships cooperated in destroying of the Nebula-class USS Honshu.

In 2369, Captain Edward Jellico ordered a fleet of Galor class starships to leave the McAllister C-5 Nebula one-by-one, ejecting their primary phaser coils. (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part II")

In 2370, Cardassian colonists living in the Demilitarized Zone modified Cardassian Shuttles, which they equipped with Galor Class phaser banks, to protect their colonial interests. (DS9: "The Maquis, Part I")

In "Ensign Ro", the two Type-3 warships fired a weapon that resembled something along the lines of a photon or Plasma Torpedo. No distinct description was ever given to describe this weapon type, nor was the effect ever seen again in subsequent appearances. The only clue given, as vague as it may be, can be found in the script, which stated that they "fire several rounds."

The Galor Class was also utilized in the Mirror Universe by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance where they were described by Intendant Kira Nerys as being "quick and powerful". These vessels, however, were not without their weaknesses, specifically, their targeting systems could be easily fooled. (DS9: "Shattered Mirror")

Subsystems

In 2367, the Cardassian warships lacked the ability to read Federation starships transponder codes, while the latter had that ability. The Cardassians were granted this ability when Captain Picard gave Gul Macet the Federation's codes to track the USS Phoenix. Federation starships also had superior terminal interface systems. (TNG: "The Wounded")