Francais | English | Espanõl

Starship Enterprise

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Image:USS Enterprise (XCV 330).jpg
Enterprise (NX-01) (from United Earth’s Starfleet)
Image:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), ENT1231.jpg
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) (the Federation's second so named)
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B) (the Federation's third so named)
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C) (the Federation's fourth so named)
Image:NCC-1701-D.jpg
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) (the Federation's sixth so named)

Image:USS Enterprise NCC-1701-J.jpg

In the Star Trek fictional universe, the USS Enterprise is the name given to a series of starships. Several of these vessels are focal points in the fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry. It is often portrayed as the flagship of the Federation's Starfleet. Most of these vessels also share the "NCC-1701" registry number, with later ships appending a letter to the number to differentiate them.

Contents

[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 is intended to play off of the affinity that many have for the USS Enterprise series of naval vessels. In 1966, the World War II generation was still in its vital prime, and many remembered the heroic exploits of the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CV-6) at the Battle of Midway and many other engagements during the war. The name Enterprise itself comes from a long series of ships, first British (HMS Enterprise), then American (USS Enterprise), spawned by the capture in 1705 of the French frigate L'Entreprise by the British ship Tryton. The captured Entreprise is known to have been the first ship of the name.

In honor of Star Trek, as well as the real vessels, NASA named an initial (flight-test) space shuttle Enterprise. To return the favor, the second Earth starship in Star Trek: Enterprise was named for the second (but first space-worthy) space shuttle, Columbia, lost in 2003. The second USS Enterprise aircraft carrier appears in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. However, the USS Enterprise featured in the movie was actually the USS Ranger (CVA-61): the actual USS Enterprise was at sea during filming. It is questionable whether the United States Navy would have allowed the filming crew aboard Enterprise had she been available; at the time, the internal arrangements of the U.S. Navy's nuclear carrier engineering plants were classified. However, the aircraft carrier's crew is apparently proud of their ship's association with Star Trek - in 1994, the Enterprise played host to a Star Trek convention and Star Trek memorabilia can be found throughout the ship.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] List of starships bearing the name

The starships Enterprise that have been seen in the various Star Trek series and movies to date are as follows:

The first spaceship/starship Enterprise is visible in an illustration on display in the recreation room of the NCC-1701 in The Motion Picture. This ship is the USS Enterprise (XCV 330). A ship of the same class is later visible on a wall in 2143 San Francisco in the Enterprise episode "First Flight", meaning that its top speed was apparently less than warp 2. The ring-shaped design suggests application of Vulcan propulsion technology.

The existence of an Enterprise-J implies the existence of an Enterprise-F, -G, -H, and -I at some point in history, however as yet no canonical information has been provided regarding these vessels. Since the future in which the Enterprise-J is depicted in "Azati Prime" is undone by the ending of the Xindi threat and the collapse of the Temporal Cold War, it remains to be seen if the vessel will ever actually exist in any future canon.

Enterprises found only in novels: USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-F) – from two novels: Peter David's Imzadi and Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens' Millennium. Also unlettered Enterprise featured in William Shatner's novel Return, a temporarily renamed USS Monitor (Defiant class ship).

[edit] List of commanding officers

The lists below are of captains officially recognized in the Star Trek canon, with additional non-canon captains of note listed afterward.

[edit] NX-01

Text on a computer screen about the USS Defiant, visible in the "In a Mirror, Darkly", gives 2160 as the year Archer's command of Enterprise ends, but this is contradicted by the finale episode "These Are the Voyages...", which takes place at the founding of the Federation, previously established as occurring in 2161, though it is theorized that what was founded was not the Federation itself, but a percursor to it, which would counter any contradiction in the timeline.

[edit] NCC-1701

  • Thought to be Robert April, but the first captain of the NCC-1701 has officially never been identified in the canon.<ref name="fn_1">The existence of a captain prior to Pike is suggested by computer screen data visible in the Enterprise episode "In a Mirror, Darkly Part II" which confirms that the NCC-1701 launched in 2245; although a year range for Pike's tenure has never been established, it would suggest that the NCC-1701 was already approximately a decade old at the time of "The Cage", which in turn takes place more than a decade before the episode "The Menagerie" in the original series, leaving time for another captain to serve prior to Pike. Various reference works (The Star Trek Encyclopedia, Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual) and the animated series episode "The Counter-Clock Incident" identify Robert April as the first captain of the Enterprise (at Roddenberry's suggestion). The novel "Final Frontier" by Diane Carey further identifies Kirk's father, George Samuel Kirk, as the original first officer of the Enterprise, albeit on a top-secret mission, under April; however, due to these not being considered canon by Paramount (at most only semi-canon), this has yet to be made official. No Star Trek episode provides the name of the first captain of the NCC-1701 (despite reports to the contrary, no visible computer screen in the Enterprise episode "In a Mirror Darkly, Part II" actually identifies the first captain of the NCC-1701 as April.)</ref>
  • Christopher Pike — Star Trek pilot episode "The Cage"
  • James T. Kirk<ref name="fn_2">Kirk was twice named as captain of NCC-1701; his initial command was the five-year mission shown in the original Star Trek series, while his second is during and after the events of The Motion Picture (which can be assumed to be followed by the unseen events of the aborted Star Trek: Phase II series). His later command of the NCC-1701 in The Wrath of Khan was due to Starfleet regulations rather than an official appointment, and his final days commanding the vessel in The Search for Spock were, of course, unofficial.</ref> — Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
  • Matt Decker - During the incident dealing with an alien WMD (The Doomsday Machine), he pulled rank to command the ship; he later flew a shuttlecraft into the alien device.
  • Commodore Stocker - During an incident in which Kirk became senile due to rapid-aging syndrome (The Deadly Years), Stocker pulled rank and took the ship into the Romulan Neutral Zone against advice not to; Kirk recovered in time to retake command and defuse an encounter with the Romulans.
  • Willard Decker — Star Trek: The Motion Picture
  • Spock — Capt. Kirk was officially declared dead by Mr. Spock who subsequently took over as captain. (The Tholian Web), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Crossover" strongly suggests that Spock took command of the Mirror Universe ISS Enterprise from Kirk soon after the events of "Mirror, Mirror".

<references />

[edit] NCC-1701-A

Though Kirk is commanding officer of the Enterprise-A through the 2280s into the 2290s, Spock and Montgomery Scott also hold the rank of captain, endowing the ship with an unusual command structure. However, Spock is still considered first officer and assumes temporary command as usual in the event Kirk is off-ship, as in Star Trek VI.

  • According to Gene Roddenberry, the NCC-1701-A was not a newly constructed ship, but instead was the renamed USS Yorktown, a nod to the name of the starship in his original pitch for Star Trek. This is based on the fact that it is difficult to believe that Starfleet could build a whole new ship in such a short time. If so, it suggests that the Yorktown, damaged during the events of The Voyage Home, was able to return to Earth in order to be repaired, refitted and finally renamed Enterprise within a relatively short timespan. Neither scenario is without its flaws, and no firm explanation has been given in canon. However, the early retirement of the Enterprise-A could be further justified if the ship had been in service for many years under another name.
  • In Mr Scott's Guide to the Enterprise, it is noted that the USS Ti-Ho was completed shortly before the events of TWOK, TSFS and TVH, and was rechristened Enterprise-A.

[edit] NCC-1701-B

Several non-canon sources have also named other captains of the Enterprise-B and are, thus, unofficial. According to several novels, Harriman is succeeded by Demora Sulu. A poster of the NCC-1701-D by Christopher Cushman also lists a Captain Tomas Johnson Jr. as captain of the -B, but no information is offered as to when he may have commanded the vessel. Non-canon sources also suggest that Harriman's command ended shortly after the Tomed Incident of 2311; Demora Sulu allegedly assumed command of the Enterprise-B sometime afterward.

[edit] NCC-1701-C

  • Rachel Garrett (?–2344) — in Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Yesterday's Enterprise", the Enterprise-C is transported 22 years into an alternate future; Garrett actually dies in an alternate 2366.
  • Richard Castillo (2344) — succeeds Garrett when the Enterprise-C returns to 2344 and is assumed to have died in the ensuing battle with Romulan forces upon the vessel's return to the proper timeline. Castillo retains his rank of lieutenant as he takes command.

[edit] NCC-1701-D

[edit] NCC-1701-E

[edit] NCC-1701-F

  • As yet unrevealed. A non-canonical novel (Imzadi by Peter David) features Data as the captain of the Enterprise-F. However, even in the non-canonical story that future is undone, and the death of Data in Star Trek: Nemesis renders it unlikely any element of this storyline would become canon. However his memories reside in a Soong android prototype B-4, making the possibility that Data could return (like Spock in his new body in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)
  • Another non-canonical novel series, (Millennium by Judith and Garfield Reeve-Stevens) features Will Riker as captain of the Enterprise class Enterprise-F in an alternate future following the discovery of the Red Orbs of Jalbador and the Pah-Wraith Wormhole. This ship is destroyed in the first five minutes of the Battle for Earth between the Federation and the Grigari (a biomechanical race from the far reaches of the Delta Quadrant), followed by the destruction of Earth itself. This future is eventually undone by the Emissary of the Prophets, Benjamin Sisko.
  • Another non-canonical novel (The Return by William Shatner) features a Defiant-class starship named the USS Monitor, which is temporarily renamed the Enterprise in the book's penultimate clash.

[edit] NCC-1701-J

  • Captain Archer is transported through time to the 26th century and aboard the Enterprise-J to discuss his role in history in the episode Azati Prime. The captain of this vessel is not revealed.

As of 2006, no canonical television series or film has made reference to the Enterprise-F, -G, -H or -I, although the introduction of the Enterprise-J would imply that these vessels may exist in the centuries following the events of Star Trek: Nemesis.

[edit] See also

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

[edit] External links

de:Enterprise (Raumschiff) es:Enterprise fr:Enterprise id:Enterprise (Star Trek) it:Astronave Enterprise nl:Enterprise (Star Trek) ja:エンタープライズ (スタートレック) pl:Enterprise (Star Trek) hu:Enterprise csillaghajó pt:Enterprise (Star Trek) tr: Yıldız Gemisi Atılgan

Retrieved from "http://en.wikivisual.com/index.php/Starship_Enterprise"
Personal tools