One way to create tension is to make the fleet part of the story's problem rather than a neutral equipment list. The ships may have been built for an older mission, the crews' habits may not suit them, or both conditions may apply. Star Trek's Galaxy class tries to answer almost every mission and therefore becomes only a partial fit for any one crisis. For fictional and historical fleets alike, the practical test is whether mission, force structure, and people reinforce one another before judging an individual ship.
Notable Point · 3:14-4:27
Fleet stories test the fit between mission, ships, and people
A fleet becomes dramatically and institutionally interesting when its ships, assigned mission, and personnel do not fit together perfectly.