| USSEnterprise | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek vehicle | |
%2c_ENT1231.jpg) USSEnterprise (NCC-1701) as it appeared in promotional material for the remasteredoriginalStar Trek series | |
| First appearance |
|
| Last appearance |
|
| Created by | Matt Jefferies |
| Information | |
| Affiliation | United Federation of Planets Starfleet |
| Launched | 2245[1] |
| Captain | Robert April Christopher Pike James T. Kirk Willard Decker Spock |
| Auxiliary vehicles | Shuttlecraft |
| General characteristics | |
| Class | Constitution[1] |
| Registry | NCC-1701 |
| Armaments | Phasers Photon torpedoes |
| Defenses | Deflector shields |
| Propulsion | Thrusters Impulse drive Warp drive |
| Power | Matter/antimatter reaction |
USSEnterprise is a series ofstarships in theStar Trek media franchise.Enterprise is the main setting ofthe originalStar Trek television series (1966–69), nineStar Trek films, andStar Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present). The vessels carry their crew on a mission "to explore strange, new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly gowhere no man has gone before."
Matt Jefferies designed theEnterprise for television, and its core components – aflying saucer-shaped primary hull, two offset enginenacelles, and a cylindrical secondary hull – persisted across several television and film redesigns. The vessel influenced the design of subsequent franchise spacecraft, includingother vessels namedEnterprise, and the model filmed for the originalStar Trek TV series has been on display for decades at theNational Air and Space Museum.
Initially a vision of the potential for human spaceflight, theEnterprise became a popular culture icon. TheEnterprise has repeatedly been identified as one of the best-designed and most influential science fiction spacecraft.
Series creatorGene Roddenberry reviewed hundreds ofscience fiction magazines, dating back to 1931, to gather ideas about what he wantedStar Trek's main vessel to look like. Despite the research, he was more confident in what he did not want than what he did want.[2] He set several parameters:
We're [...] out in deep space, on the equivalent of a cruiser-size spaceship. We don't know what the mode of power is, but I don't want to see any trails of fire. No streaks of smoke, no jet intakes, rocket exhaust, or anything like that [...]. It will be like a deep space exploration vehicle, operating throughout our galaxy.[3]
Roddenberry further specified that the ship would have a crew of 100–150 and be incredibly fast.[5] Art directorPato Guzman's assistant,Matt Jefferies, was responsible for designing the ship and several of its sets.[2] Jefferies and Roddenberry did not want the vessel to look like any of the rocket ships already used by the aerospace industry or in popular culture;[6][7] many designs were rejected for being "too conventional".[8] To meet Roddenberry's requirement that the ship look believable, Jefferies tried "to visualize what the fourth, fifth or tenth generation of present-day equipment would be like".[9] Jefferies' experience withaviation let him imbue his designs with what he called "aircraft logic".[10] He imagined the ship's engines would be too powerful to be near the crew, requiring them to be set apart from the hull.[8] Jefferies initially rejected a disk-shaped component, worried about the similarities toflying saucers; however, a spherical module eventually flattened into a disk.[8][11] Because the ship would be expected to flash by quickly on television screens, Jefferies wanted the design to be "very simple, but immediately identifiable – a shape that you could instantly pick out."[12]
During a visit with Jefferies, Roddenberry and NBC staff were drawn to a sketch of the ship resembling its final configuration.[13] Jefferies had created a small model of this design that, when held from a string, hung upside-down – an appearance he had to "unsell".[13] He kept the hull smooth, with a sense that the ship's components were serviced from inside.[14] He designed theKlingon starship seen in the third season by rearranging and changing the shape ofEnterprise's basic modules: a main body, two engine pods, and a neck with a head on it.[15] Some of Jefferies' rejected design concepts – such as spherical hull sections and warp engines that encircle a ship – inspired futureStar Trek vessel designs.[16]
TheEnterprise was originally namedYorktown, but Roddenberry was fascinated by the aircraft carrierEnterprise and had "always been proud of that ship and wanted to use the name."[17][18] TheNCC-1701 registry stems fromNC being one of the internationalaircraft registration codes assigned to the United States. The secondC was added because Soviet aircraft usedCs, and Jefferies believed a venture into space would be a joint operation by the United States and Russia.[19][20] Jefferies rejected3,6,8, and9 as "too easily confused" on screen;[20] he eventually reasoned theEnterprise was the first vessel of Starfleet's 17th starship design, hence1701.[21]The Making of Star Trek explains thatUSS means "United Space Ship" and that "Enterprise is a member of the Starship Class".[22] Licensed texts, on-screen graphics, and dialogue later describe the ship as aConstitution-class vessel.
The first miniature built from Jefferies' drawings was a 4-inch (100 mm) scale model.[6]Desilu Studios, which producedStar Trek, hired Richard C. Datin to make a pre-production model.[23][24] Datin used a subcontractor with a largelathe for major subcomponents and otherwise worked on the model for approximately 110 hours during November 1964.[24] The 33-inch (0.84 m) model was made mostly of pine, with Plexiglass and brass details.[24][25] Datin made minor changes after Roddenberry's review, and he submitted the completed model – which cost about $600 (equivalent to $6,083 in 2024) – to Desilu in December 1964.[24]
Desilu then ordered a larger filming model, which Datin contracted to Volmer Jensen and Production Model Shop inBurbank.[25] Datin supervised the work and did detailing on the model,[27] which was constructed from plaster, sheet metal, and wood.[28] When completed, it was 135 inches (3.43 m) long, weighed 125 kilograms (276 lb), and cost $6,000 (equivalent to $59,867 in 2024).[29][27][28] The model was delivered too late to be used much for the initialpilot, "The Cage".[30] When Roddenberry was approved to film the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (1966), various details of this 11-foot model were altered, and the starboard windows and running lights were internally illuminated.[30] When the series went into production, the model was altered again,[30] and it was regularly modified throughout its active filming.[31] Most of the fine details on the large model were not visible to television viewers.[32] Wiring for the interior lighting ran into the model on its left side, so it could only be filmed from the right; for shots requiring the other side of theEnterprise, the footage was either flipped or filmed using the 33-inch model.[33] Because of this, some of the fine details added to the model were added only to its right side.[33] The model was filmed with an 18mm lens "to accentuate the speed of travel as well as retain an adequate depth of field."[34]
The 11-foot model was initially filmed by Howard Anderson.[25] Anderson's team struggled to film the model in a way that suggested it was moving at tremendous speeds, as the producers wanted to avoid the cliched look of a spacecraft drifting through space.[35] Additionally, the model was so large there was little room in the filming space for the camera to move around it.[36] Anderson could not keep up with the filming and special effects needs for regular production, so producers hired several other studios to contribute effects and additional footage.[37]Motion control equipment was too expensive, so the ship was filmed withstop motion.[38] Filming was often delayed by the heat generated by the studio and model's lights.[39] Most third-season footage of theEnterprise was reused first- or second-season footage.[30] Special effects were produced as cheaply as possible.[25] Animators forStar Trek: The Animated Series (1973–75)rotoscopedEnterprise footage to recreate the ship's movements, contributing to the impression of the animated series being a fourth season of the original.[40] The animated show's limited color palette could not accommodate all of the ship's various colors, so theEnterprise was depicted as a consistent gray.[41]
TheEnterprise was meant to serve as a familiar, recurring setting, similar to Dodge City inGunsmoke and Blair General Hospital inDr. Kildare.[42] The bridge was monochromatic for "The Cage", but it was redecorated for "Where No Man Has Gone Before" because of the increasing popularity of color televisions.[43] The first pilot episode's bridge set was rigid, making it difficult for cameras to move in.[44] For series production, the bridge set was rebuilt modularly, allowing large sections to be removed to make camera movement easier.[44] The complicated electronics that provided bridge set readouts and lights required expensive air conditioning to avoid overheating.[45] The chairs used on the bridge and other sets were manufactured by Burke ofDallas and were similar to thetulip chair designed byEero Saarinen.[46][47] When production ended after the third season, major elements of the bridge set were donated to the UCLA Theater Arts Department; the remaining components were discarded.[48]
Reusing sets helped address Desilu's budget concerns.[42] The engine room, whose sense of scale was enhanced by the use offorced perspective,[49] was redressed as the shuttlebay.[45] Other sets that were redressed to save costs included the briefing room, which also served as the recreation room and cargo deck; and Kirk's cabin, which was also Spock's.[45] Going into the show's second season, NBC executives pressed the production to have fewer episodes based on the ship, and more that occur on alien worlds. In April 1968, Roddenberry pushed back, comparing theEnterprise to the home and ranch onBonanza, the location of some of that show's best episodes. He also said they would create newEnterprise sets to "help counteract any 'sameness' about the ship".[50] Roddenberry described the ship's hallways as "Des MoinesHoliday Inn Style".[51] To keep the ship from looking too sterile,Mike Minor created paintings that hung in Kirk's quarters, the recreation area, and the upper rim of the bridge.[52]
As production continued, standing sets like the engine room and bridge became increasingly detailed.[53] Jefferies and associate producerBob Justman walked through the production lots looking for "serendipitous items" that could be modified into set details to enhance the interiors.[54] Jefferies added new details to a portable maintenance tunnel set each time it was used.[45] The production staff called the set the "Jefferies tube" as aninside joke, and the term is used in dialogue to describe similarcrawl spaces in spinoffs.[55]
Sound effects designerDoug Grindstaff created sounds for different parts of the vessel: console sound effects were often created with a Hammondelectric organ or other musical instrument, and engine sounds were created in part with a noisy air conditioner.[56] Although there is no sound in space, producers thought that dramatic license required the ship to make noise during exterior shots.[57] The sound of the ship "whoosh"ing past in the main title sequence was recorded by composerAlexander Courage.[58]
Although the interior inThe Animated Series was largely recreated from the live action series, a second turbolift was added to the bridge in response to Roddenberry being asked, "What do they do if the [one turbolift's] doors get stuck?"[59] Franz Joseph designed fullEnterprise interior deck plans in 1974 with approval from Roddenberry.[60]
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Soon after the animatedStar Trek went off the air, pre-production began onStar Trek: Planet of the Titans.[62]Ken Adam andRalph McQuarrie designed a newEnterprise with a triangular hull that later inspired the appearance of the eponymous ship inStar Trek: Discovery.[62][63]Planet of the Titans was dropped in favor of a return to television withStar Trek: Phase II, for which Jefferies designed a newEnterprise.[64] He began with the original design and identified components, such as the engines, that would have been upgraded.[65] Some elements, like the sensor dish, would move inside the ship to be more easily serviced.[65] AbandoningPhase II in favor of producingStar Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) necessitated additionalEnterprise redesigns because the film medium would resolve more detail than television,[64] and one of the most difficult challenges facing the producers was recreating theEnterprise.[28] Roddenberry toldCinefantastique that the changes to theEnterprise would be explained within the story as the outcome of a majorrefit.[66]
When Jefferies left the project, art director Richard Taylor wanted to start over with designing theEnterprise; however, Roddenberry convinced him to continue working with Jefferies' design.[67] Taylor brought onAndrew Probert to help refine the ship's details.[67] Probert added items such as phaser banks, control thrusters, and hatches for saucer section landing gear; Taylor redesigned the edge of the saucer and elements of the warp nacelles.[68] Art directorJoe Jennings and conceptual illustrator Mike Minor added additional details.[67] David Kimble created diagrams and deck plans for the updatedEnterprise that were provided to model makers, toy companies, and other licensed product manufacturers.[69]
Jim Dow was in charge of building the model.[71]Paramount Pictures subsidiary Magicam spent 14 months and $150,000 building the 8-foot (2.4 m), 39-kilogram (86 lb) model.[28] An arc-welded aluminum skeleton ensured parts of the ship would not sag, bend, or shake.[72] While the originalEnterprise model was seen in only 17 poses, the new model had five articulation points and could be shot from any angle.[28] Paul Olsen painted the "Aztec" hull pattern to provide an additional level of detail and to suggest the presence of interlocking panels providing strength.[73][74] The effect was made possible by small particles ofmica in the paint, which altered its apparent color.[75] However, the paint created light flare that made it hard to discern the edge of the ship against a dark background, andbluescreen light reflected by the pearlescent paint also complicated filming.[28][76] Effects supervisorDouglas Trumbull relit the ship as if it were an ocean liner, "a grand lady of the seas at night", because there would be no external light source in deep space.[77] A 20-inch (51 cm) model was used for long shots.[72]
Production designerHarold Michelson was responsible for the ship's interior design.[78] TheEnterprise interiors were designed to be distinct from the film's Klingon ship, and certain support structure designs were used throughout theEnterprise sets to convey a shared motif. A new bridge had been designed and partially built forPhase II, and Michelson largely retained the design and its consoles. The weapons console was rotated 90 degrees to break the monotony of stations facing the wall. Designer Lee Cole brought logic and function to the console designs, though Michelson wanted to remain focused on "drama, spectacle and beauty" over accuracy and logic.Rear projection films for bridge displays came initially from Stowmar Enterprises. When production exhausted the films faster than Stowmar could supply them, production designers manufactured their own fromoscilloscopes, medical imagery, and an experimental computer lab.[79]
Set designer Lewis Splittgerber described the engine room set as the most difficult to realize. Through forced perspective and small actors, the 40-foot (12 m) set was depicted as a 100-foot (30 m) engineering space.[80] Corridors were initially a straight-wall design similar to the television series, and Michelson changed them to an angular design with light radiating upward. DirectorRobert Wise wanted the corridors to be narrower than on the television series, and mirrors gave the impression that they were longer than they actually were.[81] Wise was also responsible for the ship's drab interior color scheme: the muted colors were meant to be comfortable across a five-year journey.[82][79] The 2001 director's cut replaced several bridge computer voices with human voices to "warm up" the film.[76]
TheEnterprise model was slightly refurbished forStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), with its exterior shine dulled and extra detail added to the frame.[83]Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) staff found theEnterprise difficult to work with: it took eight people to mount the model and aforklift to move it.[83] Illustrator Mike Minor described the ship as a "sculpture" with an "aerodynamic shape," requiring careful filming so that its movements did not appear "silly".[84] ILM developed several techniques to depict battle damage to theEnterprise without actually harming the model.[85]
The smallerWrath of Khan budget required the reuse of existing sets, but they presented challenges in realizing directorNicholas Meyer's desire for a "livelier" tone.[84] TheEnterprise was given aship's bell,boatswain's call, and more blinking lights and signage to match the nautical atmosphere Meyer wanted to convey.[85][86][87] Rear-projection systems for bridge displays were replaced with monitors looping taped material created by graphic designer Lee Cole at theJet Propulsion Laboratory.[84] The bridge set was "unbuttoned" so segments could be removed to better accommodate filming more dynamic action,[84] though filming on the 360-degree set was still challenging.[88] Further complicating the set was that it served three roles in the film: theEnterprise bridge, theReliant bridge, and theStarfleet Academy bridge simulator.[88] The production crew made several "plugs" to cover consoles and alcoves, and pyrotechnics could destroy the plugs during combat sequences without damaging the underlying set.[88] Kirk's quarters were redressed with more personal items and a more naval appearance, and the same set depictedSpock's more "monastic" quarters.[84] The torpedo bay set is a redress of the Klingon bridge fromThe Motion Picture,[84] and David Kimble's deck plans fromThe Motion Picture influenced how previously unseen interior arrangements like the torpedo bay were depicted inThe Wrath of Khan.[69]
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Recognizing the plot ofStar Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) was otherwise predictable, producer and screenwriterHarve Bennett decided to have theEnterprise destroyed.[89] News of the ship's demise leaked despite Bennett's instance that it kept secret.[89][90] Visual effects supervisorKen Ralston hated theEnterprise model and reveled in its destruction.[6] Rather than damage the large and expensive model, several less expensive miniatures and modules were created and destroyed.[6] One of the destroyed models had been created by Brick Price Movie Miniatures forStar Trek Phase II.[91]
Ralston hoped the ship's destruction would lead to a redesigned ship for future sequels, but the producers ofStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) decided to have the crew assigned to a newEnterprise that is virtually identical to the previous ship.[92] It took ILM more than six weeks to restore and repaint the original model to appear as the new USSEnterprise, NCC-1701-A.[92] After visiting ILM,Majel Barrett described the model as "gorgeous," and she said some of its details – such as the windows into the arboretum – were not done justice by photographs.[93] The existing bridge set was refurbished and repainted to serve as theEnterprise-A bridge at the end ofThe Voyage Home, and the set's sleek "Okudagrams" designed by scenic artistMichael Okuda were adopted in subsequent productions.[94] A new $250,000 bridge set was built forStar Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989).[95] Director Nicholas Meyer wanted theEnterprise to feel grittier and more realistic forStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), but realizing that vision was limited by the need to use existing sets.[96] CinematographerHiro Narita changed the clean, bright look of the bridge fromThe Final Frontier by lighting it differently inThe Undiscovered Country.[96]
SeveralEnterprise film sets were redressed forStar Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994); likewise, someNext Generation sets were used to depict interiors of theEnterprise-A.[97] For example, Kirk's quarters inThe Motion Picture were redressed asData's quarters inThe Next Generation, and the set then served as Kirk's and Spock's quarters inThe Undiscovered Country.[98]
Producers working on theStar Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics" (1992), in whichMontgomery Scott visits a recreation of theEnterprise, initially planned to use the film-era set. Ultimately, recreations of the original television series' captain's chair, navigation console, and engineering console were rented from fans, and the rest was filled in with archival footage andgreenscreen technology.[99][100] The bridge was again partially recreated, with other parts added digitally, for theDeep Space Nine episode "Trials and Tribble-ations" (1996), in which the crew visits theEnterprise during the events of "The Trouble With Tribbles" (1967).[101] Okuda used a computer to recreate the graphics seen on theEnterprise sets, and others were drawn by artistDoug Drexler.[102] Set designer Laura Richarz's biggest challenge was finding Burke chairs to populate the ship: she found just one, and the production team make molds to create more.[103]
"Trials and Tribble-ations" also required exterior shots of theEnterprise.Greg Jein created anEnterprise model exactly half the size of the 11-foot original, and it was the first production model of the starship to be built in more than 30 years.[102][104] Although the eight-foot film model's original pearlescent paint had been covered and it was redressed as theEnterprise-A, it was used as a referent for theCGIEnterprise created for the 2001 director's cut ofThe Motion Picture.[76] A CGIEnterprise makes acameo appearance at the end of theStar Trek: Enterprise series finale, "These Are the Voyages..." (2005). Artists creating a CGIEnterprise for the remastered original series had to ensure the model was not so detailed that it was incongruous with the overall 1960s production.[105]
TheEnterprise was redesigned for the 2009Star Trek film. Previsualization lead David Dozoretz credits the designers for overcoming the challenge of doing "a 2009 version of the '60s".[106] DirectorJ. J. Abrams wantedEnterprise to have a "hot rod" look while retaining the traditional shape, and he otherwise gave designers leeway. The designers wanted theEnterprise to appear as carefully crafted as a luxury car.[107] Concept artistRyan Church retained much of the originalEnterprise design and focused on the functionality behind the familiar components.[106] His initial designs were modeled and refined by set designer Joseph Hiura. This design was then given to ILM for further refinement and developed into photo-realistic models byAlex Jaeger's team.[108] ILM'sRoger Guyett, recalling the originalEnterprise as being "very static", added moving parts.[75] ILM retained subtle geometric forms and patterns to allude to the originalEnterprise, and the model's digital paint recreated the "Aztec" hull pattern from the first films.[75] The large engine nacelles had a sleeker finish and shape compared to the original ship's otherwise simple nacelles.[75] Sean Hargreaves' redesign of the successor NCC-1701-A "beef[ed] up" the vessel's support pylons, which are depicted as vulnerabilities inStar Trek Beyond (2016).[109]
According to Abrams, recreating the original bridge would have been ridiculous and too small.[110] Abrams' enthusiasm for a newiPhone influenced Church's bridge redesign.[111] Sophisticated technology became a motif on the new set, with multiple displays and computer graphics.[112] The viewscreen from the television series was kept, and giving different characters their own computer displays suggested the idea of a team working together.[112] Because the original series transporter room seemed flat to Abrams, he used swirling light and camera movement to make the new set and effects more dynamic.[113] The budget prevented the creation of a huge, functional engineering room set, and producers instead filmed at aBudweiser plant.[114]Ben Burtt consulted with original series sound designerDouglas Grindstaff on sound design for the newEnterprise.[56]
TheEnterprise appears briefly at the end ofStar Trek: Discovery's first-season finale (2018) and occasionally during the show'ssecond season (2019).John Eaves, Scott Schneider, and William Budge redesigned theEnterprise forDiscovery, which occurs about a decade before the originalStar Trek.[115] The designers usually had only a few weeks to design a vessel, but they worked onEnterprise from April to October 2017.[116] Other than a few small notes, they were given no explicit direction about the ship's appearance; Schneider called the redesign project the trio's "golden hour".[117]
They considered but quickly rejected a design significantly different from Jefferies' original.[117] Eaves created 10 relatively similar sketches that streamlined the originalEnterprise to appear more consistent withDiscovery's sleek aesthetic, and the team selected one to refine.[118] They developed the vessel with the assumption that components like the warp nacelles and impulse engines would be replaced over time; the modules for theEnterprise's appearance inDiscovery are meant to appear more primitive than what is depicted inStar Trek.[118] The designers tried to incorporate elements from other ships that precede and succeed theEnterprise, such as the 21st-centuryPhoenix inStar Trek: First Contact (1996), the 22nd-centuryEnterprise inStar Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005), and the USSEnterprise-B inStar Trek Generations (1994).[119] They also included elements from theEnterprise refit forThe Motion Picture.[120] One distinct challenge was the hull: Jefferies' design featured a smooth hull, but the lack of features would appear too simple on modern high-definition displays.[121] The designers added details, such as phaser banks and control thrusters, that "must have been there" on the originalEnterprise but were not depicted on theStar Trek models.[122] The ship's scale also fluctuated, which meant the designers had to adjust window sizes and patterns.[123]
Budge kept the designers in check by ensuring details and features added to theEnterprise were consistent with otherDiscovery ships, such as whether the bridge would have a window: mostDiscovery ship bridges have a front-facing window, but theEnterprise had never been depicted with one.[124] The solution was to depict theEnterprise bridge as having a large piece of transparent aluminum at its front that can become either transparent or opaque.[125] Eaves sent the design team's model to the visual effects team, which made further design changes.[126]Discovery producerGretchen J. Berg said she hoped fans see theEnterprise's appearance inDiscovery as a blend of old and newStar Trek.[127] AnotherDiscovery producer,Aaron Harberts, wasn't worried whether fans were satisfied with the ship's redesign: while many of the staff who developed the new appearance wereStar Trek fans, Harberts said fans rarely agree on anything.[127]
TheEnterprise bridge appears in the second season's finale. Production designer Tamara Deverell and her team wanted to honor the original bridge but needed to create the set using current techniques and to meet modern audience expectations. The production'swidescreen format, as opposed to the original series'4:3 aspect ratio, required the set design to be more "stretched out" horizontally; designers referencedStar Trek film bridges – also recorded in widescreen – to assist with designing for the different ratio. The bridge was a fully constructed set, save forgreenscreen for the main viewer. The set maintained the original's layout and included references and details fromStar Trek, such asSulu's and Spock's console scanners, red bridge railings, and turbolift handles. They also created new elements, such as a corridor running behind the bridge. According to Deverell, the hardest part of designing the bridge was choosing the color palette. The bridge chairs were nearly identical to those used inStar Trek, and the captain's chair was heavily influenced by Captain Kirk's original.[128] A fan-created replica of the original bridge – later opened as museum – sent the production team hundreds of buttons for the set's consoles.[129]
Enterprise is the main setting ofStar Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022–present), which depicts the ship led by CaptainChristopher Pike.Anson Mount, who plays Pike, saidStrange New Worlds has a "big idea of the week" like the originalStar Trek, and as such theEnterprise is "the star of the show".[130]Rebecca Romijn, who playsfirst officer Una Chin-Riley, called theEnterprise "sexy, and groovy, and fun."[131] According to producerAkiva Goldsman, the show's designers "tried to evoke the experience of watching [the originalStar Trek], but with the grammar available to us today." Goldsman describes the ship as aspirational and meant to pull audiences into an imagined future.[132]
TheEnterprise inStrange New Worlds differs slightly from itsDiscovery appearance.[133] The bridge set forStrange New Worlds was more compact than the one built forDiscovery to bring it closer to the size of the original series set. The sets were designed to function like a practical starship, with moving components and pre-programmed monitor graphics that reacted to the actors.[130] While the viewscreen was a visual effect inDiscovery, it was physically built into theStrange New Worlds set.[134] Sickbay was an entirely new design, meant to convey a large scale and capable of accommodating many camera movements.[134] Designers relied on a massive augmented reality LED volume to depict the scale of main engineering.[134][135] Due toCOVID-19, some sets were not complete when filming began; Goldsman said they were "building theEnterprise around shooting on theEnterprise."[132] Production designers also changed the color scheme, "warming" it from itsDiscovery palette.[134] A specific shade of red is used as a secondary color throughout the ship, complementing warm and cold off-whites.[136]
Starfleet commissioned theEnterprise in 2245.Robert April is theEnterprise's first captain, succeeded byChristopher Pike. Pike leads theEnterprise for approximately a decade, and he is the commanding officer inthe originalStar Trek pilot, the second season ofStar Trek: Discovery, andStar Trek: Strange New Worlds. Throughout the first live action and animatedStar Trek television series, CaptainJames T. Kirk commands the ship and its 430-person crew on an exploration mission from 2264 to 2269.Star Trek: The Motion Picture takes place in the 2270's as theEnterprise is completing an 18-month refit overseen by its new captain,Willard Decker. Decker describes the refit vessel as "an almost totally newEnterprise" when Admiral Kirk takes command to address a threat to Earth.Star Trek novels and other media depict a second five-year mission under Kirk's command between the events of the first and second films.[1]
CaptainSpock commands theEnterprise, serving as a training ship, at the beginning ofStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 2285.[1] Kirk assumes command to investigate problems at space station Regula 1. The USSReliant, hijacked byKhan Noonien Singh, seriously damages theEnterprise; Spock sacrifices his life to save the ship. Starfleet decides todecommission the damagedEnterprise at the beginning ofStar Trek III: The Search for Spock, and Kirk and his senior officers steal the ship as part of their plan to restore Spock's life. During their mission, aKlingon attack disables theEnterprise. Kirk lures most of the Klingons onto the immobilized vessel, which he and his officers set to self-destruct before abandoning ship.
When Kirk and his officers return to Earth inStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Kirk is demoted to captain and given command of a new USSEnterprise, with the registry NCC-1701-A. Various licensed materials describe the ship's history before its commissioning asEnterprise, such as it being re-named from USSYorktown,[137] USSTi-Ho,[138] or USSAtlantis.[139] Spock's half-brother Sybok hijacks theEnterprise-A and takes it to the center of the galaxy inStar Trek V: The Final Frontier. InStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,Enterprise thwarts the renegade Klingon GeneralChang's attempt to disrupt a peace summit. At the film's conclusion,Enterprise is ordered to report to spacedock to be decommissioned. TheEnterprise-A is part of the Fleet Museum inStar Trek: Picard's third season (2023).[140]
The 2009reboot filmStar Trek and its sequels occur in a different timeline than the originalStar Trek. TheEnterprise first appears while under construction inRiverside, Iowa, in 2255. Captain Christopher Pike commandsEnterprise on its 2258 maiden voyage to respond to aVulcan distress call. At the film's conclusion, James Kirk is promoted to captain and receives command of theEnterprise. The vessel is destroyed inStar Trek Beyond and a newEnterprise, NCC-1701-A, is commissioned under Kirk's command.
LikeotherStar Trek ships with the same name, the originalEnterprise is "a character in its own right,"[14] and the ship "was just as important ... as Kirk, Spock, andMcCoy".[141] According to film critic Scott Jordan Harris, theEnterprise was the franchise's most important character, pointing out:
Crucially, the famous words that begin each episode of the TV show, and that recur in the films, are not "These are the voyages of Captain Kirk ..." or "These are the voyages of Starfleet ..." They are "These are the voyages of the StarshipEnterprise ..."[142]
Writing in theJournal of Popular Film & Television,National Air and Space Museum curator Margaret Weitekamp identifies two distinct celebrityEnterprises: the fictional starshipEnterprise as a character or popular culture icon, and the actual physical objects (for example, the filming models) as an iconic design.[143] According to Weitekamp, "The twoEnterprises overlap, and are clearly related, but they do not map completely onto each other," and unpacking distinctions between them contributes to scholarly analysis of popular and material culture and of "this significant television artifact".[143]
TheEnterprise's design, which influenced future starships in the franchise, is iconic.[144][145] The design came at the end of a trend for science-fiction spaceships to resemble rockets, and just as real spacecraft began to influence sci-fi designs.[146] When it first appeared on television, theEnterprise was called an "elegant and weird looking behemoth".[14] Design expertJonathan Glancey described the "convincing and exciting"Enterprise as having the same aesthetic appeal as theConcorde jet,B-17 bomber, andQueen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner.[147] The interiors are also exemplars of 1960s design.[47]Popular Mechanics said the originalEnterprise has the best design of the franchise's various ships namedEnterprise.[148]io9 ranked the original design as the best version of theEnterprise, characterizing the original as superior to ten later versions of its namesake.[144]
Harris included theEnterprise as one of the 50 most significant objects to appear in film, alongside theruby slippers inThe Wizard of Oz, theMaschinenmensch inMetropolis, and theBatmobile inBatman Begins.[142]Time called the ship's redesign forThe Motion Picture "bold" and "handsome".[149] Conversely,Harlan Ellison called theEnterprise a "jalopy" inThe Motion Picture, andThe Washington Post said theEnterprise looked "like a toy boat in a lava lamp" inThe Wrath of Khan.[150][151]Entertainment Weekly wrote that, after being depicted as a complicated vessel requiring detailed care inThe Wrath of Khan, it seemed "a bit loony" for theEnterprise to be operable by just a handful of officers inStar Trek III: The Search for Spock.[152] Jill Sherwin suggested that the agingEnterprise inThe Search for Spock served as ametaphor for the agingStar Trek franchise.[153]io9 ranked the film appearance as the second-best design of anEnterprise.[144]
The destruction of theEnterprise inStar Trek III: The Search for Spock has been described as "truly iconic" and "a good way to go",[154][155] thoughDavid Gerrold wrote that it "casts a pall" overThe Search for Spock that even Spock's resurrection does not displace.[156] In her biography ofDeForest Kelley, Terry Lee Rioux calls theEnterprise a "mother goddess" who, consistent with "one of the oldest and highest myths" in humanity, sacrifices herself so her children, the crew, can live on.[157] David C. Fein, who produced the director's cut ofThe Motion Picture, described theEnterprise as Kirk's lover, and said destroying the ship meant Kirk "killed the woman that he loves more than any existing being in the world."[76]Popular Mechanics ranked the ship's destruction the 32nd greatest scene in science fiction.[158]
The New York Times called it "a joy" to see the originalEnterprise as redesigned forDiscovery's second-season premiere.[159]Engadget called theEnterprise inStrange New Worlds "gorgeous inside and out."[160] Writing forTor.com,Keith DeCandido praisedStrange New Worlds' producers for balancing theEnterprise's original 1960s look with what audiences expect from modern productions.[161]TrekCore saidStrange New Worlds' set dressing and use show theEnterprise "as both a character unto herself and as a mirror reflecting the people who inhabit her."[162]
The originalEnterprise and 1979 film designs have affected subsequentStar Trek productions. The USSExcelsior inStar Trek III is meant to make theEnterprise "look old and out of date".[163] Model makerBill George tried to imagine what theEnterprise would look like if it were designed by the Japanese, and he used that impression as the basis for his refinement of theExcelsior model.[163] Andrew Probert returned toStar Trek to designa new USSEnterprise, NCC-1701-D, forStar Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994), which takes place 100 years after the originalStar Trek. TheEnterprise-D retains the hallmarks of Matt Jefferies'Enterprise design: a saucer section, engineering section, and a pair of engine nacelles.[164] Probert did this in part to assuage skeptical fans who were concerned about the originalEnterprise being "replaced".[165] Much of Probert's design is based on a "what if?" painting he made after finalizing the 1979 filmEnterprise design.[164] The USSTitan inStar Trek: Picard's third season draws inspiration from the film redesign, which producerTerry Matalas called "the best starship design ever made.[166]
The starshipEnterprise has had considerable cultural impact,[167] and the original ship's model is "a living cultural object".[29]Bjo Trimble said the originalStar Trek received more fan letters about theEnterprise than any of the actors.[156] According to film critic Scott Jordan Harris, although the contemporaneousApollo program prompted intellectual awareness of the possibilities of space travel, it was theEnterprise of the 1960s that sparked space travel fantasies.[142] A 1976 write-in campaign led to the firstSpace Shuttle being namedEnterprise rather thanConstitution.[168] In 2009,Virgin Galactic named its first commercial spaceshipVSS Enterprise to honor theStar Trek vessel.[169] TheUnited States Navy evaluated the efficiency of theEnterprise bridge's style and layout,[170] and theUSSIndependence's bridge andUSSZumwalt's Ship's Mission Center have been compared to theEnterprise bridge.[171][172] AnEnterprise bridge replica created for aStar Trek fan series was later opened as a public exhibit.[173] The distinct beeps emitted byR2-D2 inStar Wars are "an offspring" of the melodic sounds created for theEnterprise's bridge console.[56]Vulcan,Alberta, created a 31-foot (9.4 m) model starship inspired by theEnterprise.[174]
TheEnterprise design has been licensed for use in variety of games, models, and toys.AMT's 1966Enterprise model is one of the company's highest-selling kits:[175] one million kits sold during the show's first year of production; the previous bestseller, a car fromThe Munsters, took two years to reach one million sales.[176]Ballantine Books released a set ofEnterprise blueprints in April 1975, and by December 1976 they were in their seventh printing.[177] The first run of acutaway drawing of theEnterprise forThe Motion Picture sold over one million prints.[69] In 2010,Simon & Schuster'sGallery Books published aHaynes Manual for "owners" of the USSEnterprise. TheUnited States Postal Service has released several USSEnterprise stamps.[178]Pulitzer Prize–winningeditorial cartoonistMike Luckovich has used theEnterprise as the setting for two of his illustrations forThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution.[179][180]
The three-foot model was loaned out during the production ofThe Motion Picture and lost until 2024.[181]Paramount Pictures donated the 11-foot model to theSmithsonian Institution in 1974, disassembled across three crates and dirty.[27][30][29] In shipping the model, Paramount estimated the value of the model at $5,000.[182] Starting in 1976, it hung at an exhibit gallery entrance at theNational Air and Space Museum before being moved to the gift shop, where it stayed for 14 years.[143] In the first of its initial restorations, the model was altered to look more like the starshipEnterprise and less like a studio filming model.[183] The model underwent restorations in 1974, 1984, 1992, and 2016.[184] For much of its time on display, fans have been surprised at the differences between the model and their expectations about how the "real" spacecraft should appear.[31] A substantial, multi-year restoration culminated in 2016 with the unveiling of a new display in the Milestones of Flight Hall.[27][185] This restoration highlighted the duality of theEnterprise as both a filming model and inspirational starship.[186]
The original captain's chair prop sold at auction for $304,750.[187] In 2006,Paul Allen bought theEnterprise model created for the originalStar Trek films for $240,000; it is on display at theMuseum of Pop Culture.[28] Another model of the film version is on display at aerospace companyBlue Origin.[188]
Perhaps the most famous example of Star Trek inspiring real-life took place in the 1970s. (...)
Visitors to Independence's pilot-house see many resemblances to the bridge of the Starship Enterprise...
The SMC looks like a miniature version of a war room at the Pentagon and works in a similar fashion to the bridge seen on Star Trek.
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