u/Rutschberg

Officially the Oberth Class starship was used as a science vessel to "study astronomical phenomena". But is it a coincidence that an Oberth class ship is seen in every major event? Wolf 359, The Battle of Sector 001, even in the Dominion War during the time a certain Romulan senator was allegedly killed by the Dominion, an Oberth was just located within reach.

It is obvious this ship is being used for something other than science. The tip of the iceberg was revealed, when the Federation wanted to illegally test a cloaking device. So did they put it in a battle tested Miranda class or a flagship Galaxy class? No. They tested it in the Oberth class. A "science vessel" that according to the Federation is no match for a Klingon Bird of Prey or a Romulan Warbird. (Also: aren't all Starfleet vessels "science vessels" after all?!)

And what about the unusual design? It seems unnecessary to have such a small vessel carry a much bigger detached secondary hull. I mean the Miranda class didn't need it and it did quite well for more than a century. Smaller warp capable shuttles or runabouts also don't need it. So what does Starfleet hide in the detached secondary hull which supposedly only has some sensor arrays and other systems that could've easily been placed on the primary hull?

I think it is clear that the secondary hull is more of a giant cover for Starfleet's most secret technologies and destructive weapons. It offers enough space to operate a huge transporter system to beam in and out, say, Section 31 operatives, maybe? The secondary hull is perfectly positioned to be launched at a target, too. It offers sufficient space to load it with enough explosive material to blow up a star.

Think of the primary hull as the perfect delivery system of the giant torpedo that is the secondary hull. The primary hull has the warp nacelles, the warp core and the impulse engines. So an Oberth class can cripple the defensive systems of anything by warping in at its target just a kilometer away, releasing the secondary hull loaded with explosives, and warp off just in time to avoid the blast. Mind you, all this can be operated by a minimum crew complement of five, making sure secrecy can be maintained at all times. Genius concept if you think of it. This way the defensive systems of for example a space station can be defeated in an instant to make way for the rest of the fleet to invade.

Ultimately, being so obviously shaped like a giant torpedo, everybody had to be convinced that the Oberth class is an underpowered, ugly looking, small science vessel. And the propaganda worked.

And in case you're not convinced yet: Where does the name Oberth come from? Does it come from Hermann Oberth, a human who worked on the V-2 rocket? Or does it come from the so-called Oberth spacecraft maneuver of Earth? Or from both, a rocket / torpedo delivered by a maneuver? Think about it.