Just trying to get a feel for an idea I've had.
With the end of the Dominion War, and the (apparent) scaling back of the Borg threat, can anyone see Starfleet continuing with production of the Defiant-class as a full-on warship?
I was thinking they might re-evaluate the design, chop the weapons back a bit (fit with photon torpedoes instead of quantum, replace the power-hungry pulse phasers with standard emitters), cut down the power output, forget about the ablative armour, and maybe increase the scientific & living-condition quality of the ship.
The idea being, of course, that the Defiant-class could be quickly upgraded during wartime, but during peace-time, it could function as a long-range scout-ship or perimeter patrol vessel.
Whaddya think?