USS Odyssey

The USS Odyssey (NCC-71832) was a Federation 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.

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 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 a warp core breach that destroyed the vessel, with all hands lost. Fortunately, most non-essential crewmembers and all civilians had been offloaded at DS9 prior to departure, saving hundreds of lives. 

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 (2370) was brought out of mothballs and put on active duty. 

USS Odyssey personnel

 * See: List of USS Odyssey personnel

Background information
According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia, the Odyssey was named for the command module of the ill-fated moon mission. Furthermore, that name was taken from the works of Homer, The Odyssey being the epic tale of Odysseus. The Odysseys dedication plaque bore a quote from 's ': "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 (NCC-1701-D). The hollow model of the USS Enterprise-D which was blown up for 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.

Apocrypha
In the Lost Era novel The Buried Age Starfleet briefly considered giving command of the Odyssey to Captain Jean-Luc Picard before naming him the commanding officer of the Enterprise.

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USS Odyssey USS Odyssey USS Odyssey USS Odyssey (NCC-71832) USSオデッセイ USS Odyssey U.S.S. "Odyssey" NCC-71832