Sun Aug 31, 2003 11:34 am by Sherlog
Well, in the game as shipped the Juni Defender is indeed unique because only Juni is allowed to fly it (apart from the scenery background on planets and big bases, where you also see ships like the Starflier's biggest brother, the Starblazer).
Apart from that it is a heavier version of the normal Defender - slightly less agile but class 6 weapon slots and shield, 50 cargo. Similarly, the Blood Dragons are heavier versions of the normal Dragons, with class 9 weapon slots and shield. These two ships were probably left in the game data because certain story NPCs fly them - but it would not have been necessary to create those ships just for the NPCs because the mission scripters can (and do) slap any class weapons/shields on any ships they choose.
There is every indication that the Anubis was originally a class 9 or 10 ship (similar to the Sabre) instead of a slightly better Juni Defender. Just imagine the outer defense perimeter at The Barrier in the last mission filled instead of empty, and real (level 19) Nomad fighters instead of the watered-down pushovers you get now in the mission. Also, imagine battleships that actually fight back instead of letting you pound them with impunity, and consider that there are more than two shield generators at the hypergate and that it is highly unlikely that they were designed without static defenses as they are now ...
A class 10 Anubis would make a lot of sense in such a setting, as would Sunslayers, Rippers, Cannonballs and all the other high-level kit whose only use in the current game is for multiplayer battles. Eagle, Sabre and Titan would be the normal ships for the final missions, Falcon/Hammerhead/Blood Dragon for skilled players who need more of a challenge, and Anubis for people who forgot to bring a decent fighter.