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The idea for the runabout came from the need to provide a way for characters to move away from Deep Space Nine, and also allowed the show to explore Star Treks themes of exploration and discovery despite DS9 being set on an immobile space station.

In order to help the new show establish its own identity separate from The Next Generation, the decision was made to have something larger and more capable than the shuttlecraft seen in previous series of Star Trek.

The series bible describes the Danube class vessels as " the symbol of the Federation presence in