AH>I Thought it was againest the prime directive for the
AH>Federation to build any ship for the soul pourpous of
AH>combat.(The Defient would be the exception as it was biult
AH>in secret)
AH>                               Growlin' Grizzly
        I don't know if it's against the Prime Directive.  I guess it's
 against the philosophy of Starfleet.
        The way I see it, the primary purpose of Starfleet is
 exploration and science.  Military action and defense is a secondary
 purpose for them.
        For the Defiant, warfare is the primary purpose.  Exploration
 and science are distant seconds on the Defiant's list.
        I have heard some people say that Starfleet *is* a military
 force, or that to have Starfleet as a defense force when warfare isn't
 their prime focus would be idiotic.
        Maybe so, but I like Trek when it's about exploration.  Not only
 of space and distant planets but also when it's about exploring the
 characters.  Sometimes war and bad times help illuminate the
 characters.  I especially liked the recent episode of DS9 which
 featured the crew and a squad of Jem'Hadar stranded on a planet.
        But I also know that the war against the Dominion won't last
 forever.  It's not the "War against the Dominion" show.
Jay 
 * OLX 2.1 TD * "Bejeeses, I'm no good at speeches." - Fredric March
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