Agave-class picket ship

Agave-class picket ship The Agave-class picket ship was a tactical/operational reconnaissance ship produced under the New Republic's New Class modernization program. Task force commanders sent these ships ahead of the main battlegroup to either scout quietly, or in force.

Characteristics
Agave-class pickets were equipped with Class 1 hyperdrives, powerful sensors, a good stealth package, and shotgun hypertransceivers which allowed them to report information back to the battlegroup with a minimal risk of detection. Some also apparently have interdiction field generators, as was used by the armada chasing the Teljkon Vagabond. In the event of detection, an Agave-class ship could quickly jump into the safety of hyperspace. Agave-class picket ships' sublight engines provided moderate speed, but were capable of dealing with enemy patrols.

Following New Class focus on efficiency, the basic hull and systems of the Agave-class was also used for the Warrior-class.

Behind the scenes
The only official image of the Agave-class picket ship is found in the RPG sourcebook Cracken's Threat Dossier. Like the pictures of other New Class ships, this picture contradicts information from the Black Fleet Crisis novels, on which Cracken's Threat Dossier is based. The Warrior and Agave-classes look nothing alike, even though they are supposed to be built on the same hull. Because of this, the picture has been labeled as erroneous and dismissed by many fans.