Starship Enterprise

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Enterprise or USS Enterprise is the name of several fictional starships, some of which are the focal point for various TV series and movies in the Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry. Most of these vessels share "NCC-1701" as part of their registry, with later ships appending a letter to the registry to differentiate them.

Contents 1 History 2 Pre-Federation era 3 The Original Series era 4 Between TOS and TNG 5 The Next Generation era 6 Beyond The Next Generation 7 Non-canon 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

[edit] History

During the run of the original Star Trek series, the "U.S.S." preceding the name Enterprise was said to stand for either "United Space Ship" or "United Star Ship". Since Starfleet is unrelated to the United States armed forces, any similarity between this phrase and the American vessel prefix "United States Ship" is purportedly coincidental. However, the prefix was intended to play off of the affinity that many have for famous naval vessels.^{[citation needed]} According to The Star Trek Encyclopedia, the ship's registry number, "NCC-1701"^[1]

“

was devised by Matt Jefferies, art director of the first Star Trek series. Jefferies, who is a pilot, based NCC on 20th century aircraft registration codes. In such 20th century usage, an "N" first letter refers to an aircraft registered in the USA. A "C" second letter refers to a civil aircraft. Jefferies added a second "C", just because he thought it looked better.

”

The name Enterprise itself comes from a long series of ships. The first was the French frigate L'Entreprise, captured by the British in 1705. The British rechristened the ship HMS Enterprise for use by the Royal Navy. The first United States ship to use the name USS Enterprise was a Revolutionary War sloop-of-war. The eighth American ship to bear this name was the world's first nuclear aircraft carrier.

In honor of Star Trek, as well as the real vessels, NASA named an initial flight-test space shuttle Enterprise. For Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, external shots of the aircraft carrier USS Ranger substituted for the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, at sea during filming. In 1994, the real aircraft carrier Enterprise played host to a Star Trek convention and Star Trek memorabilia can be found throughout the ship.

[edit] Pre-Federation era

Two ships predate the United Federation of Planets.

Registry: USS Enterprise (XCV 330)
Class: Declaration (apocryphal)
Service: circa 2130s
Captain: Unknown
Drawings of this ship are visible in background images in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek: Enterprise.

Registry: Enterprise (NX-01)
Class: NX
Service: 2151 – 2161
Captain: Jonathan Archer
The United Earth Starfleet's Enterprise is the main setting of Star Trek: Enterprise.

[edit] The Original Series era

Two ships named USS Enterprise are featured in the original Star Trek television series and the first through sixth Star Trek films.

Registry: USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
Class: Constitution
Service: 2245 – 2285
Captain: Robert April, Christopher Pike, James T. Kirk, Willard Decker, Spock
The Federation Starfleet's first Enterprise is the main setting for Kirk’s historic five-year mission as depicted in the original Star Trek series and The Animated Series (2265–2270). Two-and-a-half years later, the newly refit ship appeared in The Motion Picture, and was again used in The Wrath of Khan, before being destroyed in The Search for Spock.

Registry: USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)
Class: Constitution (refit configuration)
Service: 2286 – 2293
Captain: James T. Kirk
This ship first appeared at the end of The Voyage Home, and is the main setting of the films The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country. The ship is ordered decommissioned at the end of The Undiscovered Country. According to paperwork from the model kit, the ship was mothballed at the Memory Alpha ship museum.

According to the non-canon, alternate-timeline, novel The Ashes of Eden, by William Shatner, the Enterprise-A was removed from the mothball fleet, before being destroyed defending the planet Eden.

[edit] Between TOS and TNG

The Enterprise-B and Enteprise-C and their crews are briefly visible on screen, and are also the subject of several licensed (but non-canon) novels published by Pocket Books.

Registry: USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B)
Class: Excelsior (refit)
Service: 2293 – 2320s
Captain: John Harriman
Launched at the start of Star Trek: Generations. James T. Kirk goes missing during the ship's maiden voyage.

Registry: USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C)
Class: Ambassador
Service: 2330s – 2344
Captain: Rachel Garrett
This ship plays a major role in the Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise". According to dialog in the TNG episode "Redemption, Part II", the ship is destroyed attempting to defend the Klingon outpost Narendra III from Romulan attack. Survivors include Tasha Yar, whose alternate timeline version from Yesterday's Enterprise travels with the ship back in time to the battle over Narendra III.

[edit] The Next Generation era

Two ships named Enterprise are featured in Star Trek: The Next Generation and four TNG-era films.

Registry: USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
Class: Galaxy
Service: 2363 – 2371
Captain: Jean-Luc Picard
The main setting of The Next Generation TV series. She is destroyed in the film Generations. In the alternate future featured in the TNG series finale All Good Things..., this Enterprise is shown intact, albeit heavily refit, in 2395. The refits included a third warp nacelle, new weapons, and a cloaking device.

Registry: USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)
Class: Sovereign
Service: 2372 – Active (as of 2380)
Captain: Jean-Luc Picard
The main setting for the films: First Contact, Insurrection, and Nemesis.

[edit] Beyond The Next Generation

Registry: USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-J)
Class: Unknown
Service: circa 26th century
Captain: Unknown
The "Azati Prime" episode of Star Trek: Enterprise involves time travel and features a scene in which this Enterprise is briefly shown.

The Enterprise-J operates in the 26th century, with a diverse crew that includes members of the Xindi race. The ship, along with a fleet of other Federation vessels, fights and defeats the Sphere Builders at the Battle of Procyon Five. Crewman Daniels brings Captain Jonathan Archer forward from the 22nd century so that Archer can witness the battle. Archer subsequently works with the Xindi in the 22nd century to defeat the Sphere Builders earlier in history.

The Enterprise-J is featured in the 2005 Ships of the Line calendar that features images of the various starships seen from Star Trek throughout the years, as well as in the Ships of the Line book released in 2006. The Enterprise-J is also seen in the "Ships of the Line" poster released in the Star Trek Magazine issue #1.

[edit] Non-canon

Licensed, but non-canon, Star Trek novels and comics present two additional starships named Enterprise:

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-F)

Appears in Peter David's novel Imzadi and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens' novel Millennium.

USS Enterprise (registry unknown)

The Defiant-class USS Monitor is temporarily renamed "USS Enterprise" in William Shatner's novel Return.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Virgin Galactic's VSS Enterprise, proposed first commercial spacecraft, named after the Star Trek vessels.

[edit] External links

• USS Enterprise article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
• NASA link on the naming of the first Space Shuttle
• Star Trek Fans and Stars Visit Real USS Enterprise, US Navy press release
• Carrier Enterprise Meets Starship Enterprise, The Virginian-Pilot, Oct. 28, 1994