One of the most long lived and hardy of all Federation designs, the Miranda Light Cruiser is a jack of all trades. Serving reliably as a light warship and patrol ship for decades, other models of the Miranda have likewise functioned as cargo transports and the like. Even during the Borg invasion and Dominion War the Miranda served, with new weapons being applied to the aging hull.

The most troublesome ship in the Federation fleet, the Miranda is a borderline MCV. My original incarnation of the ship placed it as such, but further analysis showed that it was not significantly smaller than the Constitution. The added engineering hull to the back of the saucer almost makes up for the loss of the engineering hull section.

The Excelsior is, for the most part, my own vision of what the ship has for weaponry. I armed it adequately for its role as the Federation's mainline cruiser, and it is one of the few Federation ships with a balanced weapons loadout. If there is one ship that could possibly hold its own against published B5 ships, the Excelsior is it. Unlike other Federation ships it can actually protect itself against fighters, the biggest threat to Star Trek vessels.