USS Ranger

About

Intrepid-class • NCC-74658 • Fourth Fleet

The USS Ranger (NCC-74658) is an Intrepid-class light explorer assigned to the Fourth Fleet and captained by Commander Thabo Xhakaza. As part of Endeavour Squadron she is primarily based out of Gateway Station in the Midgard Sector, and is the designated survey vessel of the formation. The Federation’s knowledge of space formerly part of the Neutral Zone or Romulan Star Empire is limited, and operations out of Gateway are charged with exploring, charting, and studying regions, including some very close to the border that Starfleet has only recently been legally able to access.

With the modern and sophisticated USS Endeavour in the squadron, the Ranger is rarely sent to the highest-priority exploration missions. However, Endeavour is also charged with diplomatic outreach to forge further into the Midgard Sector and is the squadron’s designated first responder to emerging situations. The Ranger, as such, is posted to survey missions closer to Gateway, rounding out Starfleet’s knowledge of the immediate reaches of the sector. She is also dispatched to follow-up Endeavour’s explorations, either investing time where the larger ship cannot, or where a higher priority situation has drawn her away. As such, the Ranger’s operations vary between routine study of local space to long-term surveys of locations of intrigue to secondary exploratory operations.

Many of the Ranger’s crew were drawn from the USS Swiftsure, which suffered critical personnel loss during Frontier Day. Junior officers and former XO Commander Xhakaza assumed command of the Swiftsure for a time, only to be reassigned to the Ranger, as an older, more reliable ship expected to deal with less-dynamic challenges. This young crew thus stands committed to uphold the Federation’s principles on this difficult frontier, while seeking to prove their worth and forge their own path.