2139 (Columbia)

The starship Daedalus is launched, testing an experimental ion drive warp engine, designed by Professor Victor Brodesser in competition with the Warp Five engine designed for the NX class by Henry Archer. The Daedalus, commanded by Captain Monique Duvall, is destroyed upon launch when the ion drive is activated, killing all aboard, including Brodesser. (ENT: '"Daedalus" (Novel)) The class is refit with a standard warp drive, however, and enters into service with the Earth Starfleet, (ENT: "The Romulan War: Beneath the Raptor's Wings") and the class remains in active service until 2196, (TNG 215: "Power Play") although a few ships remain in service into the 23rd century. (Star Trek: Unlimited #4: "None But the Brave" (TOS), SCE #64: "What's Past, Book Four: Distant Early Warning")