U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-B

U.S.S. Enterprise

U.S.S. Enterprise

The Excelsior class Starship Enterprise was launched from Earth orbit in late October 2292, with Captain John Harriman commanding. There was some opposition to the new Enterprise being an Excelsior class ship. If Starfleet wanted to retain the Enterprise name, they argued, it should go to one of the Constellation class cruisers, with their distinctive quadruple nacelle design. In the end, the Excelsior class kept the Enterprise name because that class was becoming the new workhorse of Starfleet, much like the Constitution class in decades past, and Starfleet believed that the Enterprise name should be given to a ship class that would have high visibility.

The vessel's maiden voyage was planned as a publicity junket consisting of a brief trip out past Pluto. Guests of honor aboard the new Enterprise included Captains Kirk and Scott and Commander Chekov. During this flight, the Enterprise responded to an emergency distress call from two transport ships carrying El-Aurian refugees to Earth. The ships were trapped in the Nexus energy ribbon and were on the verge of structural collapse. Problems with the Enterprise's incomplete equipment prevented the rescue of one ship, the S.S. Robert Fox NFT-1327, but 47 survivors from the second ship, the S.S. Lakul NFT-7793, were transported to safety just as it exploded. Among those rescued were scientist Tolian Soran and future Enterprise-D crew member Guinan. Captain Kirk, who had been making emergency modifications to the deflector system to allow the Enterprise to escape the ribbon, was lost and believed killed in the incident.

Captain Harriman remained in command until after the Tomed Incident in 2311. At that time, his executive officer, Demora Sulu, who had been serving aboard the Enterprise since the ship's launch when she was an ensign, assumed command of the vessel. Loosely assigned to Starbase 12, the Enterprise took part in many engagements in the Romulan Neutral Zone and the Triangle. The Enterprise also served on four separate five-year galaxy exploration tours, playing a key role in the exploration of space beyond the Gourami Sector, was responsible for mapping more than 142 star systems, and made first contact with seventeen civilizations. The career of the Enterprise also boasted the fewest crew losses by death for six years straight, a far cry from her predecessor. The Enterprise often served as a transport for dignitaries: her passengers included, at one time or another, the Klingon Chancellor and his consort, the Romulan Praetor, six of the most powerful Orion families, the entire Vulcan political hierarchy, 50 Starfleet admirals, and the entire Federation Council. Fortunately, they were not all aboard simultaneously. The career of the Enterprise came to a tragic end in the early 23rd century, however, when the ship was destroyed under classified circumstances.