U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701
Perhaps the most famous spacecraft in the history of space exploration, the Constitution class[3] Starship Enterprise was launched in 2245[4] from the San Francisco Fleet Yards[5] orbiting Earth. The Enterprise was first commanded by Captain Robert April,[6] who was later succeeded by his first officer, Christopher Pike,[7] in 2253.[8] During Pike's command, the Enterprise had a crew complement of 203, though it was unclear if this figure included Pike himself.[5] According to Ensign Tyler, the ship's power was "enough to blast half a continent."[5] Superbly equipped for research in deep space, the Enterprise had 14 science labs.[9] The ship achieved legendary status during the first five-year mission under its third captain, James T. Kirk, from 2265 to 2270.[10]
The Enterprise was refit several times during its lifetime, most notably from 2270 to 2273, when the ship was virtually rebuilt from the inside out.[12] On Stardate 7523.2 — April 7, 2270 — the Enterprise returned to Earth orbit following her last, historic five-year mission. Although the decision had been made three months earlier to decommission and scrap the Enterprise, the ship had come to be seen as a symbol of Starfleet and the Federation. This public opinion drove a motion in the Federation Council that led to the reversal of Starfleet's plans. The Enterprise, however, was still twenty-five years old; her systems were becoming outdated, and it soon became obvious that only a major refit could keep the ship at the forefront of the fleet, and what began as a simple refit evolved into a redesign of the entire vessel.[13]
Though commanded by Captain Will Decker during the refit, Kirk—who had been promoted to admiral in 2270—took temporary command of the vessel during the V'ger incident of 2273; Decker was lost during the mission,[12] and Kirk took command of the Enterprise for another five-year mission.[14][15] Eventually, Kirk retired[16] and the ship became a training vessel at Starfleet Academy under Captain Spock[11] in 2284.[17] In 2285, Kirk had returned to duty as commandant of the academy, and took temporary command of the Enterprise while overseeing a cadet cruise when the ship encountered Khan Noonien Singh in the Mutara sector. Spock was killed saving the ship,[11] but the Enterprise was destroyed some time later by Admiral Kirk just prior to its anticipated decommissioning, in order to prevent the it from falling into Klingon hands during a mission to recover the body of Captain Spock.[18]
References
- ↑ "Spock's Brain." Star Trek, Episode 61. Television. 20 September 1968.
- ↑ "Dagger of the Mind."Star Trek, Episode 10. Television. 3 November 1966.
- ↑ "The Trouble With Tribbles." Star Trek, Episode 42. Television. 29 December 1967.
- ↑ "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II." Star Trek: Enterprise, Episode 95. Television. 29 April 2005.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "The Cage." Star Trek, Episode 00. Television. 1965 (Unaired).
- ↑ "The Counter-Clock Incident." Star Trek: The Animated Series, Episode 22. Television. 12 October 1974.
- ↑ "Crisis on Vulcan." Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Book 1. Young Adult Novel. August 1996. Pocket Books.
- ↑ "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock Sourcebook Update." Star Trek: The Roleplaying Game, Supplement 2214. Game. 1984. FASA.
- ↑ "Operation--Annihilate!" Star Trek, Episode 29. Television. 13 April 1967.
- ↑ "Q2." Star Trek: Voyager, Episode 265. Television. 11 April 2001.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Film. 4 June 1982.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Film. 7 December 1979.
- ↑ "Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise." Star Trek. Book. July 1987. Pocket Books.
- ↑ "Renewal." Star Trek: Untold Voyages, Issue 1. Comic Book. March 1998. Marvel Comics.
- ↑ "Ex Machina." Star Trek. Novel. January 2005. Pocket Books.
- ↑ Star Trek: Generations. Film. 18 November 1994.
- ↑ "Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual." Star Trek: The Next Generation. Book. November 1991. Pocket Books.
- ↑ Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Film. 1 June 1984.
