The galaxy is a divided and dangerous place, each race is out for themselves and, while cooperation is not uncommon, a race must be ready to defend itself in the depths of space from those who would see them dead, enslaved, or worse. The tools for this defense are warships, which each fill an important role in the space forces of the groups that field them. From the cheap yet powerful gunship, to the near invincible dreadnought, to the almost omni purpose cruiser, each has a role to play.
Fighters:
The smallest manned craft used in space combat, the fighter fills a multitude of small but vital roles. Most of the time, fighters are used for short range patrols and reconnaissance, having the power to deal with most civilian vessels, while being cheap enough to be fielded in great numbers. During battle, fighters are used to strike precision blows at enemy warships. While a larger vessel may be able to deal more damage overall than any reasonable number of fighters, a fighter can move to closer ranges and unload their firepower, both mounted weapons and munitions, on specific targets on a ship's hull such as sensors, weapons, and radiators. Most large vessels carry some fighters at minimum, if simply to defend against enemy fighters. Carriers however, alongside some other vessels, can deploy large units of fighters, adding a valuable long range strike option to any formation. Fighters are deployed by almost all militaries, their low cost making them a simple solution to defense.
Fighters can be divided into three categories. Light fighters are usually only used to attack other fighters, lacking the firepower to deal with larger vessels. Their low cost makes them appealing for groups with less funds such as minor powers or raiders, though larger powers like the Centauri also use them to patrol their large domains. Medium fighters serve as the workhorses of most militaries, capable of striking larger ships while also retaining a reasonable price. Heavy fighters are somewhat rare, with only a few powers such as the Narn Regime using them in great numbers. They provide a far greater punch than medium fighters, though at a higher cost and moderate vulnerability to smaller fighters.
Gunships:
The smallest type of proper warship, gunships usually lack protection, sacrificing it for speed and firepower. While a single gunship can't defeat most warships larger than a corvette, their low cost allows them to be produced in large numbers even by minor powers, meaning few battles include only a single gunship.
Most gunships lack range, acting only as short range patrol and defense ships with limited onboard supplies and no Jump Engine. Some vessels are designed for extended operations, though they sacrifice some combat ability for that ability.
The gunship is favored by smaller powers, who can't afford to deploy significant numbers of larger ships, and who usually don't do long range operations, making the short range of most gunships no burden.
Corvettes:
Primarily used for patrolling and escort, corvettes are rarely direct combatants, instead dealing with pirates and serving secondary duties such as anti-fighter escort. Most corvettes are designed for a specific role, increased supplies and crew amenities for long patrols, or point defense weapons for fleet escort, or even large missile racks for bombardment. While some corvettes are meant for a single role, some designs fulfill multiple, either in single vessels, or with different loadouts on a single hull design.
Corvettes lack Jump Engines, being too small to be economically fitted with them. Some advanced races do have Jump capable corvettes, but they are rare. Corvettes usually work either alone or in large mixed formations, flotillas of solely corvettes being a rare site.
Frigates:
The smallest warship considered a threat on its own, the frigate is commonly seen in smaller navies due to their comparatively low cost and effectiveness in both peacetime and wartime roles. The frigate is cheap enough to make an effective patrol ship during peaceful periods, hunting down raiders and helping civilians, while still providing firepower to any fleets needing it during times of conflict. Lacking Jump Engines, frigates require the assistance of Jumpgates or a Jump capable vessel to travel beyond a single system, making them less useful, outside of large fleets, for militaries with large interstellar commitments. This further increases the popularity of the frigate with smaller powers that lack such ambitions, providing protection while not appearing as a threat to neighboring powers.
The use of frigates as escort vessels for larger ships is relatively common as they can protect themselves against larger warships, unlike corvettes.
Cruisers:
The backbone of most large and intermediate navies, the cruiser is the smallest ship type to be equipped with a Jump Engines as standard, putting it among the larger capital ships compared to lesser gunships, corvettes, and frigates. The deployment of a single or small group of cruisers is a common and economical solution to many problems, providing a sufficient amount of firepower for almost any situation, while having the operational independence through their Jump Engines to respond quickly. All while being cheaper, quicker, and less politically dangerous than sending a larger vessel.
Even most minor powers have a small cadre of cruisers due to their independent Jump capabilities. Expeditionary forces from less powerful militaries are constructed with a single cruiser or carrier supported by a number of smaller warships lacking Jump Engines, limiting the number of the expensive engines needed, while retaining the strategic mobility they provide. This organization has a fatal flaw in its reliance on the central vessel, which if destroyed would strand the remaining ships, either until they could burn to the local Jumpgate, or, if none exist in the system, until another Jump capable vessel can rescue them, a rare occurrence. This was proven quite brutally during the Dilgar War, causing the loss of many League formations not to enemy action, but to starvation, having been lost in isolated systems after their command ships were destroyed by the Dilgar. This led to the single engine system falling out of favor, though many militaries continued it either due to lack of concern or lack of funds.
Most intermediate militaries, such as the Earth Alliance and Narn Regime for most of their existences, use the cruiser as their main warship, building their fleet around a core of large capital ships supported by many cruisers that fulfilled most missions.
Carriers:
A rather unique ship type, it is often quite difficult to tell what is a carrier and what is not. Usually, a carrier is a warship designed to carry fighters into battle, but many vessels often considered carriers have substantial weapons batteries, while many not considered carriers have fighter complements greater than some carriers.
According to the Earth Alliance's threat designation system, a carrier is a large, Jump capable warship of greater size than a cruiser, with minimal offensive capabilities. Vessels of equal or lesser size to cruisers with the same characteristics are considered light carriers, while some far and beyond this are considered supercarriers.
Carriers are often the largest ships used by many minor or less militant powers, their integrated Jump capabilities and built-in command facilities for fighters making them effective command ships, while also having potential peacetime capabilities through disaster relief and even, in the case of some more mercantile powers, transport.
Battlecruisers/War Cruisers/Destroyers:
A trio of titles with only a few differences, these intermediate warships fall into the interesting position of not being as prestigious or powerful as battleships or dreadnoughts, but also being uneconomical for most powers to field. Due to this, these types of vessels are almost exclusively seen in the service of the largest military powers. Due to both the higher budgets and more advanced technology, it is often the case that vessels of these types are larger and/or more powerful than the battleships and dreadnoughts of lesser militaries.
The differences between battlecruisers, war cruisers, and destroyers are small, but notable enough for the Earth Alliance to distinguish them as different ship types. Battlecruisers, as often used by the Centauri Republic, have a focus on speed and firepower, and are designed to defeat lesser ships instead of standing against pier opponents. Destroyers, as used by the Earth Alliance, are similar to battlecruisers, but are instead focused on general operations and fighting against more powerful vessels. Due to this, destroyers have an even greater focus than battlecruisers on firepower. War cruisers, as used by the Minbari Federation, are designed along the lines of oversized cruisers, meant for fulfilling the same roles as cruisers. This would be an extreme waste of resources for almost any other power, it is only the extreme militancy and power of the Federation that allows them to put so much resources into their line units.
Battleships/Dreadnoughts
The largest types of warships in service among the Younger Races, both battleships and dreadnoughts are massive investments on resources into singular centers of power. Even the largest militaries field a relatively limited number of these craft, with single battleships or dreadnoughts often being objects of strategic interest for a minor power. The difference between battleships and dreadnoughts is a relatively minor one mostly caused by political forces in the Earth Alliance, a wish to make the new Nova class vessels sound more impressive. In Alliance war books, dreadnoughts have a greater focus on offensive firepower and protection, while battleships have a greater emphasis on speed.
Battleships and dreadnoughts often serve as the flagships of large or important formations, providing additional firepower and an exceptionally secure flagship for a unit.
