in "", the first episode of the third season, the starship uss "defiant" was introduced. "defiant" took over some of the defense and exploration roles previously filled by runabouts. the new starship needed her own shuttles, and a small type 18 shuttlepod was seen in the episode. another type 10 shuttle design was seen aboard "defiant" in later episodes. the new defiant shuttlecraft was introduced towards the end of season 6, in "the sound of her voice" (june 10, 1998 / s6e25)