Cruiser
Where other ships are defined by their weapons, or their specific mission profile, the Cruiser is defined primarily by its range. These are ships that are designed to operate for long periods of time, over long distances, and often away from supporting infrastructure. This necessitates a large crew, lots of supplies, and lots of reaction-mass. Since these ships will often operate far from home, they need to be able to defend themselves and carry their own support to handle whatever kind of mission they may be tasked with.
This means Cruisers are large ships, filled with gear, capable of going anywhere and doing anything. While these ships aren't particularly good at any one mission, and are easily outclassed by ships dedicated to a single task, they are often the only ships that can conduct long range missions or patrols, and are often the only ships that conduct power-projection operations. Cruisers wave the flag for their home nation, and act as the multi-tool that can get any job done.
The Statesmen is perhaps the most well known type of Cruiser in service. The American Union operates over multiple star systems, and often requires battlegroups to handle a range of missions from patrol and defense to humanitarian aid. The large internal space of the Statesmen can be reconfigured for a range of missions, and its ample fuel supply along with the expensive onboard FTL systems allows the American Union to respond to problems across the Human Sphere. The ships are well armed, and one on one can easily deal with smaller Rangers or Artillery ships. However in terms of numbers, pound for pound a statesmen is easily overwhelmed by smaller purpose-built warships.
“President Theodore Roosevelt dispatched sixteen new Atlantic Fleet Battleships to sail around the world showing our colors and strength." - Captain Hank Bracker
Where other ships are defined by their weapons, or their specific mission profile, the Cruiser is defined primarily by its range. These are ships that are designed to operate for long periods of time, over long distances, and often away from supporting infrastructure. This necessitates a large crew, lots of supplies, and lots of reaction-mass. Since these ships will often operate far from home, they need to be able to defend themselves and carry their own support to handle whatever kind of mission they may be tasked with.
This means Cruisers are large ships, filled with gear, capable of going anywhere and doing anything. While these ships aren't particularly good at any one mission, and are easily outclassed by ships dedicated to a single task, they are often the only ships that can conduct long range missions or patrols, and are often the only ships that conduct power-projection operations. Cruisers wave the flag for their home nation, and act as the multi-tool that can get any job done.
The Statesmen is perhaps the most well known type of Cruiser in service. The American Union operates over multiple star systems, and often requires battlegroups to handle a range of missions from patrol and defense to humanitarian aid. The large internal space of the Statesmen can be reconfigured for a range of missions, and its ample fuel supply along with the expensive onboard FTL systems allows the American Union to respond to problems across the Human Sphere. The ships are well armed, and one on one can easily deal with smaller Rangers or Artillery ships. However in terms of numbers, pound for pound a statesmen is easily overwhelmed by smaller purpose-built warships.