Sussman said that he knew people were going to complain that he gave the ship rear photons, but points out that this is the Defiant and not the Enterprise (also, he felt that, if his ship had them, he should give it to the original as well).
Finally got to watch my tape last night and, thus, open this thread. I recall lifting my eyebrows on that scene.
Archer <to Reed>: Does this thing have aft firing torpedos?
Me <to myself>: No, it doesn't. You'd better do something clever
Reed <to Archer>: You bet it does.
And away the torpedos go......
Well, this I don't really get.
He clearly intended this to be "our" Defiant, from
The Tholian Wev. He knows aft torpedos aren't in the source material, and he knows they will upset people. And he's the writer, so he can set the story up anyway he wants such that aft torps aren't even needed. But he sticks them in anyway just 'cause he thinks they are cool.
It's a minor point in the middle of a story I enjoyed. But it's an odd way to write a prequel
-S'Cipio