For other uses, see USS Rio Grande.

The USS Rio Grande (NCC-72452) was a Danube-class Federation runabout assigned to Deep Space 9 in the 2360s and 2370s. The Rio Grande was one of three runabouts offloaded to DS9 by the USS Enterprise-D in 2369, and the only one of the more than a dozen such ships to have not been destroyed. (ST reference: Encyclopedia)

In the DS9 novel: Warpath, Kira Nerys experienced a vision where Jamin rides a zhom named Denigarro, which is an anagram of Rio Grande.

Contents 1 Service history 1.1 2369 1.2 2370 1.3 2373 1.4 2375 1.5 2376 1.6 2377 2 External link

Service historyEdit

2369Edit

The Rio Grande became one of the most famous runabouts in 2369, when Commander Benjamin Sisko and Lieutenant Jadzia Dax took the Rio Grande into the Denorios Belt and discovered the Bajoran wormhole that led to the Gamma Quadrant. Sisko later used the Rio Grande to tow Gul Skrain Dukat's Galor-class vessel back to the Alpha Quadrant. (DS9 episode: "Emissary")

2370Edit

In early 2370, Captain Picard, Commander Sisko, Lieutenant Commander La Forge, and Chief O'Brien took the Rio Grande to the boundary of the Bajoran wormhole to study the increasing instability which had been caused by interference by the Cardassians and the "Othersiders". (TNG - DS9 comic: "Prophets and Losses")

In late 2370, the Rio Grande was captured by the Bajoran terrorist, Orta, when he managed to gain control of a Malkus artifact and defeated his opponents. Fortunately, the Rio Grande's computer systems were equipped with anti-Maquis countermeasures, and Orta was stopped in his tracks and apprehended by the USS Odyssey. (DS9 short story: "The Second Artifact")

Shortly after, Commander Sisko used the Rio Grande to take Jake Sisko, Quark, and Nog on a field expedition to a planet in the Gamma Quadrant. Unfortunately, the party encountered the Jem'Hadar for the first time and Commander Sisko and Quark were taken prisoner. Fortunately, Jake and Nog were able to break the Rio Grande out of orbit and signal for help. (DS9 episode: "The Jem'Hadar")

2373Edit

In 2373, Commander Sisko and Lt. Commander Dax used to Rio Grande as transport to a meeting with Starfleet Command during the Federation-Klingon War of 2373. En route back to DS9, the Rio Grande was ambushed by Klingon forces and sustained moderate damage. (DS9 episode: "Apocalypse Rising")

Shortly after, Sisko asked for the Rio Grande for a mission he and Captain Picard were to undertake into the Badlands, but it was taking part in a mineral survey and unavailable. Sisko later explained the Rio Grande's history to Picard, expressing his opinion that the ship was "blessed". (TNG - Slings and Arrows eBook: Enterprises of Great Pitch and Moment)

2375Edit

Added by The doctor

In 2375, Odo used the Rio Grande to enter Cardassian space and meet with an ex-informant. It later turned out that he had been tricked by a defective Weyoun clone who wanted to defect to the Federation. The Rio Grande was chased back to Federation space by the Jem'Hadar and the defective Weyoun had to sacrifice his life so that Odo could return to DS9. (DS9 episode: "Treachery, Faith, and the Great River")

2376Edit

In April 2376, the Rio Grande was launched to rescue the crew of the USS Defiant, which had been disabled by a Jem'Hadar attack. (DS9 novel: Avatar)

Later that month, the Rio Grande assisted the USS Sungari in towing Empok Nor's fusion core to Deep Space 9. (DS9 novel: Abyss)

Sam Bowers and Gerda Roness piloted the Rio Grande during the evacuation of Europa Nova. The runabout was assisted in gathering Europani from the northern continent by the Halloran. Later, the Rio Grande recovered Taran'atar, who had launched an escape pod from the Malon tanker Apsac. (DS9 novel: Demons of Air and Darkness)

Later that year, Julian Bashir and Ezri Dax took the Rio Grande to Trill. (DS9 novel: Trill: Unjoined)

In December, Kira Nerys brought the Rio Grande to a rendezvous with the USS Mjolnir, to take possession of the USS Yolja. After leaving the Mjolnir, Kira took Taran'atar to Ananke Alpha to meet the Female Changeling. (DS9 novel: The Dominion: Olympus Descending)

2377Edit

In January 2377, Ezri Dax prepared the Rio Grande for launch in case Elias Vaughn and the Defiant crew needed its assistance. (DS9 novel: Warpath)

Several days later, Kira Nerys assigned Prynn Tenmei to analyze the Rio Grande and find the reason why it traveled to the mirror universe seven years earlier. (DS9 novel: Fearful Symmetry)

Tenmei was unable to find a way how the Rio Grande's uncollapsed warp field or leaking plasma injector could have sent it to the mirror universe. Tenmei would later theorize that it was the Prophets who sent the Rio Grande into the alternate universe, rather than any malfunction in the Rio Grande being responsible. (DS9 novel: The Soul Key)

Danube-class runabouts
	Amazon • Brahmaputra • Danube • Euphrates • Gander • Ganges • Genesee • Hudson • Inwood • Irrawaddy • Marquand • Mekong • Mississippi • Missouri • Nile • Orinoco • Platte • Rio Grande • Rubicon • Seine • Shenandoah • St. Lawrence • Sungari • Volga • Yangtzee Kiang • Yolja • Yukon • Zambesi

External linkEdit

• USS Rio Grande article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.