The third Federation starship to bear the name, the Athena was launched in 2365 under the command of Captain Raymond Kelso. Like her predecessors, the NCC 71225 was optimized for long-range reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions in addition to her exploration, scientific and diplomatic duties.

During the Dominion War, she served Starfleet Special Operations Command as the flagship for Task Force 96. She fought on the front lines only when absolutely necessary, and spent most of the war as a mobile SOCOM base while her escorts and shuttle contingent conducted covert ops.

At the beginning of the war, Kelso stepped up to serve as task force CO at the rank of Commodore, while his XO Nisha Powell took over as the ship’s captain.