Star Trek: Armada III begins with the first stirrings of the Dominion War and allows players to take command of five unique factions, the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the Romulan Star Empire, the Cardassian Union/Dominion Alliance, and the Borg Collective. Explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before.
Developed to directly contend with Starfleet's emerging Excelsior-class starships, the Imperial Navy's Heavy Defender entered service in the late 2290s and served as the Romulan Star Empire's foremost heavy cruiser for the first half of the 24th Century. Displaying elements of the flowing, elegant style prevalent on later Romulan warbirds, the Heavy Defender, like its Federation counterpart, represented a major leap forward in Romulan starship design.
The Heavy Defender served during a troubled period in Romulan history. Struggling economically and facing internal political upheaval, the Romulans entered a period of prolonged isolation, cutting the Empire off from the affairs of the rest of the galaxy and tending to their own needs. As the Empire reconsolidated its power in solitude, the Heavy Defender gained a reputation for sturdiness, fighting off several Klingon incursions into Romulan territory. Tested in battle, the Heavy Defender remains a favoured starship among many Romulan officers to this day.
With its age beginning to show the Heavy Defender has been supplanted by its younger brothers, the Falcon and Harpy cruisers. Its age notwithstanding, however, the Heavy Defender has been upgraded through the years and remains as sturdy as she ever was. While she may be old, no cruiser in the Imperial Navy holds the line quite like the Heavy Defender. Though her best days are behind her, she is still far from useless and continues to serve the Empire proudly.
DAT LORE!
I've never been a huge fan of the looks of this ship (always liked the Winged Defender design better). However, the lore behind its design makes sense, and it's a solid cruiser.
The Loef loves it.