History PlayingWith / TheDreadedDreadnought

** To 4 and 5: Dreadnoughts are ''far'' from PointDefenseless/are retrofitted with hilarious ammounts of CIWS's, because their abysmal engine power was noted during prototyping (and/or the berk who suggested not having anything capable of engaging smaller ships is subjected to a near-fatal DopeSlap and a 72-hour long loop of the Trench Run scene from ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]''). Any enemy lured into range by its lumbering top speed is quickly shredded. Including cruise missiles. [[AirstrikeImpossible What few daring fighters and Mighty Mice, and lucky missiles that can penetrate the flak curtain]] will only do ScratchDamage to its mighty bulk. And don't even ''think'' about going for the exhaust ports; they're the most heavily-defended areas possible.

** Warfare degenerates into a single Dreadnought and Arsenal sitting on opposite sides of the Universe ineffectually shooting at each other and VolleyingInsults over the anisible. And then an AcePilot from {{Countrystan}} in a Mighty Mouse swoops in and takes both out with two [[AirstrikeImpossible well timed sneak attacks]].

** ''Dreadnought''-class ships are the biggest, baddest ships the Empire can build. They're matched by the Federation's ''Battlestar''-class ships, but the main characters are in a scouting vessel, not a ''Battlestar'', so "dreadnought inbound" is still an OhCrap moment.

*** Decommissioned ''Dreadnoughts'' are re-tooled into hostile-environment science vessels, as their huge magazines make wonderful laboratories; complete with a launcher for probes and collection drones (ie, the mass-driver cannons). Furthermore, their massive laser cannon mounts can be converted into observatories with minimal fuss. Their shields and armor also protect from radiation belts, coronal mass ejections, asteroid strikes, and any other hazard that make enemy salvoes of missiles and {{Photoprotoneutron Torpedo}}es look like pebbles by comparison. They retain the moniker of ''Dreadnought'' in a sort of AcademicAthlete fashion; as in "We brave the deepest, darkest depths of the universe ForScience"

** The most powerful ship in the story is the ''Dreadnought''-class ''Mighty Mouse'', [[PintSizedPowerhouse a corvette-tier vessel that can one-shot a fellow Dreadnought-class vessel]] with a [[WaveMotionGun big fuckoff cannon]] and/or ''JustForFun/{{egregious}}'' usage of GatlingGood / MoreDakka.

*** Decommissioned ''Dreadnoughts'' are re-tooled into hostile-environment science vessels, as their huge magazines make wonderful laboratories; complete with a launcher for probes and collection drones (ie, the mass-driver cannons). Furthermore, their massive laser cannon mounts can be converted into observatories with minimal fuss. Their shields and armor also protect from radiation belts, coronal mass ejections, asteroid strikes, and any other hazard that make enemy salvoes of missiles and {{Photoprotoneutron Torpedo}}es look like pebbles by comparison. They retain the moniker of ''Dreadnought'' in a sort of AcademicAthlete fashion; as in "We brave the darkest depths of the universe ForScience"

*** Decommissioned ''Dreadnoughts'' are re-tooled into hostile-environment science vessels, as their huge magazines make wonderful laboratories; complete with a launcher for probes and collection drones (ie, the mass-driver cannons). Furthermore, their massive laser cannon mounts can be converted into observatories with minimal fuss. Their shields and armor also protect from radiation belts, coronal mass ejections, asteroid strikes, and any other hazard even more dangerous than enemy salvoes. They retain the moniker of ''Dreadnought'' in a sort of AcademicAthlete fashion; as in "We brave the darkest depths of the universe ForScience"

** The most powerful ship in the story is the ''Dreadnought''-class ''Mighty Mouse'', [[PintSizedPowerhouse a corvette-sized vessel that can one-shot a battlestar]] with a [[WaveMotionGun big fuckoff cannon]] and/or ''JustForFun/{{egregious}}'' usage of GatlingGood / MoreDakka.

*** Decommissioned ''Dreadnoughts'' are re-tooled into hostile-environment science vessels, as their huge magazines make wonderful laboratories; complete with a launcher for probes and collection drones (ie, the mass-driver cannons). Furthermore, their massive laser cannon mounts can be converted into observatories with minimal fuss. Their shields and armor also protect from radiation belts, coronal mass ejections, and asteroid strikes even better than enemy salvoes. They retain the moniker of ''Dreadnought'' in a sort of AcademicAthlete fashion; as in "these nerds fear nothing."

*** Dreadnoughts make for great hospital and repair/tender ships, as they have loads of room for patients and mission-killed ships once all the guns are stripped off. Reprogram the MobileFactory deck for medicines and medical equipment and/or spare parts, and an engine of destruction becomes the key to rebuilding afterwards. Their intimidating name is then taken to mean "have no fear; help is here!" (But then again, the nine most terrifying words are [[GovernmentExploitedCrisis "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."]])

** The Dreadnought ''is'' the scariest ship when it's first introduced, and intended to stay that way. However, as the work's series goes on, [[SequelEscalation things escalate]], and ''Juggernaut''-class ships reduce it to being SoLastSeason. Today's Dreadnought inevitably becomes tomorrow's baseline warship, as happened between WW1 and WW2.

** The Dreadnought ''is'' the scariest ship when it's first introduced, and intended to stay that way. However, as the work's series goes on, [[SequelEscalation things escalate]], and ''Juggernaut''-class ships reduce it to being SoLastSeason.

** The Dreadnought's engine has such a hard time lugging around all its fun little toys that it's a MightyGlacier that most other ships can fly rings around. They're regarded as something of a joke or showpeice.

** The Empire doesn't consider anything smaller than a cruiser to be any threat to their Dreadnoughts. Ergo, Dread's have nothing that can engage frigates and smaller. This leads to the Federation deploying "rat-swarms" of Mighty Mice to [[DeathOfAThousandCuts nibble them to death]], and Rebels sending {{Space Fighter}}s to fire torpedoes up their auxilary exhaust-ports.

** To 4 and 6: Dreadnoughts are ''far'' from PointDefenseless/are retrofitted with hilarious ammounts of CIWS's, because their abysmal engine power was noted during prototyping (and/or the berk who suggested not having anything capable of engaging smaller ships is subjected to a near-fatal DopeSlap and a 72-hour long loop of the Trench Run scene from ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]''). Any enemy lured into range by its lumbering top speed is quickly shredded. Including cruise missiles. [[AirstrikeImpossible What few daring fighters and Mighty Mice, and lucky missiles that can penetrate the flak curtain]] will only do ScratchDamage to its mighty bulk. And don't even ''think'' about going for the exhaust ports; they're the most heavily-defended areas possible.
** To 5: The losses of several different Dreadnought-class ships against Arsenal-class ships is exactly why the SS ''Tropenought'' has conceptualized, developed, and finally installed ''several'' {{Wave Motion Gun}}s that can fire in any direction and has a targeting range of ''several galaxies away'', which means [[AnythingYouCanDoICanDoBetter whatever the Arsenal can do to out-range it, the SS]] ''[[AnythingYouCanDoICanDoBetter Tropenought]]'' [[AnythingYouCanDoICanDoBetter has already thought of it and has installed better versions of it lightyears before the Arsenal even conceptualized it]]. The only reason ''Tropenought'' can still even move is so the enemy can't find it to target it for retaliatory strikes.

** Dreadnoughts become RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap by a combination of competent captains ("Ever wonder ''why'' I broke so many promising young captains accross the Dreadnought's stern?") and advances in Logistical technology.

** Dreadnoughts are PoweredByABlackHole and huge by nescessity, so they need more weapons to cover more angles of attack from those pesky rebels and feds. Might as well make its primary armaments wave-motion cannons too, since there's petawatts of energy to throw around, and suddenly you have a TacticalSuperweaponUnit ready to rock.

* '''Parodied''': SS ''Tropenought'' is ''Lovenought''-class, the biggest and most powerful party bus in the universe!

*** Decommissioned ''Dreadnought''-class hulls are re-tooled into hostile-environment science vessels, as their huge magazines make wonderful laboratories; complete with a launcher for probes and collection drones (ie, the mass-driver cannons). Furthermore, their massive laser cannon mounts can be converted into observatories with minimal fuss. Their shields and armor also protect from radiation belts, coronal mass ejections, and asteroid strikes even better than enemy salvoes. They retain the moniker of ''Dreadnought'' in a sort of AcademicAthlete fashion; as in "these nerds fear nothing."
*** Dreadnought hulls make for great hospital and repair/tender ships, as they have loads of room for patients and mission-killed ships once all the guns are stripped off. Reprogram the MobileFactory deck for medicines and medical equipment and/or spare parts, and an engine of destruction becomes the key to rebuilding afterwards. Their intimidating name is then taken to mean "have no fear; help is here!" (But then again, the nine most terrifying words are [[GovernmentExploitedCrisis "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."]])

** Warfare degenerates into a single Dreadnought and Arsenal sitting on opposite sides of the Universe ineffectually shooting at each other and VolleyingInsults over the anisible.

** The ''Tropenought'' only failed because she was sabotaged. Her sister ship, SS ''Destructor'', is just as powerful as she should be.
** The ''Juggernaut''-class ships are bigger, scarier, and better armed than ''Dreadnought''s, but suffer [[AchillesHeel critical weaknesses]] due to their size and power draw. ''Dreadnought''-class ships can beat a ''Juggernaut'' one-on-one once these weaknesses are known.
** Dreadnoughts are ''far'' from PointDefenseless/are retrofitted with hilarious ammounts of CIWS's, because their abysmal engine power was noted during prototyping (and/or the berk who suggested not having anything capable of engaging smaller ships is subjected to a near-fatal DopeSlap and a 72-hour long loop of the Trench Run scene from ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]''). Any enemy lured into range by its lumbering top speed is quickly shredded. Including cruise missiles. [[AirstrikeImpossible What few daring fighters and Mighty Mice, and lucky missiles that can penetrate the flak curtain]] will only do ScratchDamage to its mighty bulk. And don't even ''think'' about going for the exhaust ports; they're the most heavily-defended areas possible.
** The losses of several different Dreadnought-class ships against Arsenal-class ships is exactly why the SS ''Tropenought'' has conceptualized, developed, and finally installed ''several'' {{Wave Motion Gun}}s that can fire in any direction and has a targeting range of ''several galaxies away'', which means [[AnythingYouCanDoICanDoBetter whatever the Arsenal can do to out-range it, the SS]] ''[[AnythingYouCanDoICanDoBetter Tropenought]]'' [[AnythingYouCanDoICanDoBetter has already thought of it and has installed better versions of it lightyears before the Arsenal even conceptualized it]]. The only reason ''Tropenaught'' can still even move is so the enemy can't find it to target it for retaliatory strikes.

** Dreadnoughts are ''so'' scary that they're the core of the Empire's "[[GoLookAtTheDistraction Distraction Dreadnought!]]" strategy. Everyone's so focused on taking out the Dread's that they don't notice the rest of the Imperial Fleet actually accomplishing objectives under their noses.

** Dreadnoughts are routinely taken out by logistical issues. They're derisively referred to as "White Elephants," and it's said that "Whom the Emperor wishes to destroy, he first assigns as captain of a Dread'."

* The SS ''Tropenought'' was such a colossal boondoggle, costing so many resources, taking years and years to be designed, partially built, redesigned midway through construction, rebuilt, refitted, features added and removed and added again that it never worked when finally launched, and was eventually scrapped or just relegated to a junkyard somewhere.
* Warfare degenerates into a single Dreadnought and Arsenal sitting on opposite sides of the Universe ineffectually shooting at each other and VolleyingInsults over the anisible.

** Dreadnoughts are ''so'' scary that they're the core of the Empire's "[[LookAtTheDistraction Distraction Dreadnought!]]" strategy. Everyone's so focused on taking out the Dread's that they don't notice the rest of the Imperial Fleet actually accomplishing objectives under their noses.

** Dreadnoughts are ''so'' scary that they're the core of the Empire's "Distraction Dreadnought!" strategy. Everyone's so focused on taking out the Dread's that they don't notice the rest of the Imperial Fleet actually accomplishing objectives under their noses.

* '''Played For Laughs''': The SS ''Tropenought'' was such a colossal boondoggle, costing so many resources, taking years and years to be designed, partially built, redesigned midway through construction, rebuilt, refitted, features added and removed and added again that it never worked when finally launched, and was eventually scrapped or just relegated to a junkyard somewhere.