The James-class Cruiser was the first product of Star Control's new defense fleet.  MX missiles were adapted for ship to ship combat, and SDI laser weapons were made to defend against threats too small to be targetted by the MXs.  The point-defense lasers, as they were called, were quite inacurrate at this early stage; frequently a target was only hit when it was mere dozens of meters from the Cruiser's hull. 

  Surely the most famous example of the James-class is the Far Voyager.  Under the command of Captain Rand, this ship made first contact with the VUX.  Rand let slip a crude insult the moment a VUX starship captain's face appeared on his viewscreen, not knowing that the VUX possessed powerful lingua-translation technology.  Human-VUX relations were irretreavably soured.