USSEnterprise (NCC-1701-A)

USSEnterprise

Class:

Constitution II-class

Registry:

NCC-1701-A

Owner:

United Federation of Planets

Operator:

Starfleet

Status:

Preserved(2402)

TheUSSEnterprise (NCC-1701-A) was aConstitution II-class vessel that was operated byStarfleet in the23rd century. It was the secondFederationstarship to bearthe nameEnterprise, and was assigned to the newly-demotedCaptain James T. Kirk and his command crew in2286. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

Unusually, theEnterprise-A included three Captains by rank in its regular crew. In addition to Kirk, its first officerSpock and chief engineerMontgomery Scott also held the rank.

TheEnterprise-A served Starfleet for seven years until in2293 it was scheduled to be stood down. After theEnterprise-A wasdecommissioned following theKhitomer Conference, it was maintained as an exhibit at theFleet Museum. The ship's lineage was continued with the launch of theUSSEnterprise-B later in the same year. (TNG: "Relics";Star Trek Generations)

Lineage

• See:Enterprise history

TheEnterprise-A was named in honor of its predecessor, theUSSEnterprise, which wasscuttled over theGenesis Planet several months prior. (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)

Externally, theEnterprise-A was nearly identical to theEnterprise following itsConstitution II-class refit. The hull was a gun-metal gray color, compared to the pearlescent finish of the originalEnterprise. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

The newEnterprise had several individualized customizations, including maritime antiques in the crew lounge. These included a steering wheel from an old Earth sailing vessel inscribed with the ship's motto,"to boldly go where no man has gone before," (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

Theofficers' mess featured painted portraits of several historical figures, including displayed portraits ofAbraham Lincoln ofEarth andSarek ofVulcan. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

History

Shakedown

In2286, theEnterprise-A was commissioned at theSan Francisco Fleet Yards onstardate 8442.5. It was launched fromSpacedock One on the order of theFederation Council in appreciation of CaptainJames T. Kirk and his crew's efforts to prevent theWhale Probe from devastatingEarth. The crew initially thought they were going to be assigned to a "freighter" at best, according toLeonard McCoy, or theUSSExcelsior, but the newEnterprise was soon revealed, docked beyond theExcelsior. Shortly thereafter theEnterprise-A left Spacedock on ashakedown cruise. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

The shakedown did not proceed as planned, and theEnterprise-A limped back to Spacedock for several weeks of repair under the supervision of CaptainMontgomery Scott. Although itswarp drive was working perfectly, several ship systems and control interfaces were malfunctioning. Thetransporter was also non-operational, requiringshuttles to be used foraway missions.

Sybok and Sha Ka Ree

Before repairs were complete,Enterprise-A was returned to active duty to intervene in a hostage situation onNimbus III. The away team led by Captain Kirk was themselves taken prisoner by the rogueVulcanSybok and hisfollowers, to steal theEnterprise to aid in their quest to findSha Ka Ree. On approach to the ship aboard the shuttleGalileo, CommanderHikaru Sulu was forced to make an emergencycrash landing into theEnterprise landing bay as the craft was pursued byaKlingon Bird-of-Prey, commanded byKlaa. The Bird-of-Prey would follow theEnterprise to the center of the galaxy.

The Bird-of-Prey caught theEnterprise-A off-guard in orbit of Sha Ka Ree and disabled it before the crew could raise shields or arm weapons. However,Klingon ambassadorKorrd, rescued from Nimbus III, relieved Captain Klaa and ordered the Bird-of-Prey to stand down. The Klingon crew were later invited to a reception following the return of theEnterprise-A to Kirk's command, and the discovery that Sha Ka Ree was, in fact, a myth. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

Spock kept a picture of himself and his friends taken on the bridge of theEnterprise-A from this time forthe next century until his death in the year2263 of analternate reality. (Star Trek Beyond)

Sometime after the mission to Sha Ka Ree, Commander Sulu transferred off theEnterprise-A to assume command of theUSSExcelsior. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country;PIC: "The Star Gazer"commemorative plaque)

Gaseous anomaly project

In the early2290s, theEnterprise-A was outfitted with advanced equipment for the study ofgaseous planetary anomalies as part of a fleet-wide initiative. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Final voyage

In2293, theEnterprise-A was due to be retired along with many of its command crew. However, it was unexpectedly assigned as an escort forKlingon chancellorGorkon during the initial stages of peace talks that would lead to theKhitomer Accords. The ship rendezvoused with theKlingonflagship,Kronos One, and was to accompany it toEarth. A joint Starfleet, Klingon, andRomulanconspiracy had an operative,LieutenantValeris, placed aboard the ship as a relief helmsman. Valeris participated in a plan to implicate theEnterprise and Captain Kirk as rogue assailants in Gorkon's murder, to derail the peace process. TheEnterprise appeared to fire twophoton torpedoes atKronos One, temporarily disabling its propulsion and gravity systems. Amid the chaos two space-suited Starfleet crew members,Burke andSamno, beamed aboard andassassinated Gorkon. Valeris altered the ship's databank records to make it seem as if two torpedoes had been fired. The torpedoes came from acloakedprototype Bird-of-Prey positioned directly below theEnterprise, which had been modified to fire while cloaked.

Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy were arrested and tried for themurder, and sentenced tolife imprisonment on the penal colonyRura Penthe. Valeris also provided Kirk's log entries from theEnterprise to the Klingon co-conspirators to further implicate him. TheEnterprise was ordered back to Earth, but Spock ignored these orders and began an investigation aboard the ship. He discovered evidence that linked Valeris to the conspiracy, despite her best efforts tosabotage the investigation. TheEnterprise then entered Klingon space, masquerading as the freighterUrsva, and rescued Kirk and McCoy. Spock forciblymind melded with Valeris and learned more about the conspiracy, including details of the Bird-of-Prey and names of those involved. Captain Sulu aboard the USSExcelsior provided Kirk with the new location of the peace conference, and the two ships raced toKhitomer to prevent the assassination of theFederation President and the new Klingon chancellor,Azetbur.

GeneralChang was waiting in orbit in hisprototype Bird-of-Prey, and theEnterprise was attacked upon arrival. The starship was seriously damaged and suffered ahull breach through its saucer section when itsdeflector shields were depleted. TheExcelsior, too, was unable to track the cloaked ship, and could only give Chang another target to fire at. However, Spock, McCoy, andUhura devised a plan to fire a photon torpedo equipped with sensors capable of tracking ionization from the Bird-of-Prey'simpulse engines. It successfully impacted Chang's vessel, disabling its cloaking device and leaving it vulnerable to attack fromEnterprise andExcelsior. Following the destruction of the Bird-of-Prey, teams from both ships beamed down to theKhitomer Conference and apprehended the conspirators, preventing the assassination. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Following the Khitomer mission, theEnterprise was ordered byStarfleet Command to return toSpacedock to be decommissioned. In response, Captain Kirk ordered a course set for the "second star to the right... and straight on 'til morning." Kirk later recorded in his log that this was to be the final cruise of the starshipEnterprise under his command, commenting, "This ship andher history will shortly become the care of another crew. To them and their posterity will we commit our future. They will continue the voyages we have begun and journey to all the undiscovered countries, boldly going where no man – where noone – has gone before." (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)

Retirement

The next USSEnterprise, therefitExcelsior-classUSSEnterprise-B, was launched later that year. TheEnterprise-A remainedmothballed as of2294, as noted by formerchief engineerMontgomery Scott. (Star Trek Generations;TNG: "Relics")

Following its decommissioning, theEnterprise-A's battle damage was repaired, and the ship was preserved as a museum exhibit.More than a century later, it would be displayed between theUSSVoyager and theUSSExcelsior at theFleet Museum atAthan Prime. Upon seeing the ship in 2401,Jack Crusher identified it as his personal favorite. Calling it "Kirk'sEnterprise," he remarked, "All those perfectly clean retro lines. Yep, I'm definitely aConstitution-class man." (PIC: "The Bounty")

In2402, the rebuiltUSSEnterprise-D was returned to the Fleet Museum and given a place of honor between theEnterprise-A and theUSSStargazer. (PIC: "The Last Generation")

Embarked craft

TheEnterprise-A had at least twoshuttlecraft, including theGalileo and theCopernicus. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

Command crew

• Commanding officer
  • James T. Kirk (2286–2293)
  • Spock (2293)(acting)
• First officer
  • Spock (2286–2293)
• Chief medical officer
  • Leonard McCoy (2286–2293)
• Chief engineer
  • Montgomery Scott (2286–2293)
• Helmsman
  • Hikaru Sulu (2286–2287)
  • Valeris (2293)
• Navigator
  • Pavel Chekov (2286–2293)
• Communications officer
  • Nyota Uhura (2286–2293)
• Science officer
  • Spock (2286–2293)

See also:USSEnterprise (NCC-1701-A) personnel

Appendices

Appearances

Background information

TheEnterprise-A was a reuse of the refitEnterprise model built forStar Trek: The Motion Picture. The ship was designed byAndrew Probert andRichard Taylor, partly based onMatt Jefferies andMike Minor's design sketches forStar Trek: Phase II. Other artists who worked on the refit design wereJoe Jennings,Douglas Trumbull, andHarold Michelson. Michelson also designed the sets for the first film, which were altered to become those ofStar Trek: The Next Generation.

In the first draft script ofStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home but not in the final version of that film, the "A" in thisEnterprise's registry was finished being painted on top of the primary hull just as the shuttle containing Kirk and his senior staff arrived; this scene was retained in thenovelization ofStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Also, the same script described the ship being shown emerging from Spacedock, though that is not depicted on-screen. The scene instead cuts from the vessel being inside Spacedock to being outside the facility, already in space.

The bridge seen inStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home was a simple redress of the existing bridge fromStar Trek III: The Search for Spock. It was painted white and the lighting scheme was slightly altered. In addition,okudagrams replaced the gauges and dials formerly seen on the ship. Only the back half of the bridge was modified, the front portion was left unchanged.[1]

ByStar Trek V: The Final Frontier, most of the movieEnterprise sets had been recycled to become theEnterprise-D ofStar Trek: The Next Generation. The bridge had been irrevocably modified as various Starfleet bridges seen throughout the series, including theEnterprise-Dbattle bridge, and also became severalscience labs and alien interiors.^{(citation needed •edit)} A new bridge was constructed under the supervision of production designerHerman Zimmerman, who wanted to show a transition to the TNG era by introducing carpet and warmer tones to the bridge. The turbolift alcoves were the only parts saved from the previous set, as they were removed during TNG's second season. OtherEnterprise-D sets were reused for the film, specificallysickbay, the transporter room, and the corridors, to save money; much of the signage and graphics were left in place, and TNG-style door labels and control panels can be seen on the sets.

According toMichael andDenise Okuda's text commentary for theStar Trek V: The Final Frontier (Special Edition)DVD, the shuttlebay doors as seen inThe Final Frontier were modified from a portion of the Zamundan Royal Palace set from the 1988Eddie Murphy filmComing to America.

The new bridge was reused inStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country^{(citation needed •edit)} for both theEnterprise and theExcelsior, with some modifications. Director Nick Meyer wanted to give the vessels a much more militaristic feel, and incorporated metal flooring and some tactile control surfaces.Enterprise-D sets were used for engineering, sickbay, the transporter room, the officers' mess, Kirk's and Spock's quarters, and the corridors, but they were disguised better for this film, undergoing several changes.

The bridge set was placed in storage at the end of production. It was later turned into theEnterprise-B bridge and theAmargosa observatory forStar Trek Generations, theExcelsior again in "Flashback", and many "guest" Starfleet ships onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine andStar Trek: Voyager, including theUSSPrometheus (VOY: "Message in a Bottle") and theUSSEquinox. (VOY: "Equinox") The turbolift alcoves eventually became part of theUSSEnterprise-E bridge inStar Trek: First Contact,Star Trek: Insurrection, andStar Trek Nemesis. (Star Trek: Captain's Chair)

The model of theEnterprise-A (lot #1000) was sold at the40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction on7 October2006 for US$240,000.

TheEnterprise-A was pictured on apainting in the waiting area of thesickbay aboard theUSSEnterprise-D in theStar Trek: The Next Generationfifth season episode "Ethics". This unfinished painting was created by Andrew Probert during the first season ofStar Trek: The Next Generation. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Interactive Technical Manual)

The original refitEnterprise was erroneously labeled as theEnterprise-A in theStar Trek: Short Treks episode "Ephraim and Dot". DirectorMichael Giacchino admitted this was a mistake due to a difficult production schedule.[2]

Apocrypha

While the ship's history before its appearance at the end ofStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home has never been officially stated, several non-canon sources offered explanations following the release of the film. The AMT/Ertl Model kit documentation claimed it to be a renamed USSYorktown (NCC-1717), while theStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home Sourcebook Update for theFASA roleplaying game identified it as the newly-builtAtlantis (NCC-1786). The bookMr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise, also published shortly after the film, identifies it as adifferent newly-built starship, the USSTi-Ho (NCC-1798), which in the book had been a test bed fortranswarp technology alongside the USSExcelsior. InStar Trek V: The Final Frontier, Captain Scott alludes to the ship being newly built during its shakedown cruise, stating in his log "This new ship must have been built by monkeys".

According to the paperwork with theBandai model kit, theEnterprise-A was mothballed intoMemory Alpha's museum fleet, which was later supported by Scott's comments in "Relics". This was confirmed in season 3 ofStar Trek: Picard, where a display shows theEnterprise-A at the museum alongside theExcelsior andVoyager.

In thecomic book "TNG Special 3", theEnterprise-A was on display at Starbase 122 (β)'s Starfleet museum in 2369 where it was visited by Scott after his rescue from the Dyson Sphere in "Relics".

According toWilliam Shatner'snovelThe Ashes of Eden, theEnterprise-A was sold by Starfleet to the defense forces of the planet Chal (β), who appointed the now-retired James T. Kirk as its commander. The vessel was later destroyed in thecorona of Chal's sun during a battle with Klingon battle cruisers. These events are later referenced in the novelCast No Shadow.

TheEnterprise-A featured in several computer games set in the motion picture era, includingStar Trek: Starfleet Command andStar Trek: Starfleet Academy, as well as a simulated foe inStar Trek: Klingon Academy.

TheEnterprise-A was featured in the2006 video gamesStar Trek: Encounters andStar Trek: Legacy.

In "Futures, Part One" and "Future Tense" which depicted an alternate timeline created whenYeomanJ.M. Colt was sent forward in time from2254 to2293 after hertricorder scans released thetachyon energy contained in anAlgolian artifact known as a Keepsake, she was succeeded as Captain Pike's yeoman byJames T. Kirk, who had recently graduated fromStarfleet Academy. Due in part to Pike's grief at Colt's disappearance as well as their divergent personalities, Pike and Kirk had an extremely contentious relationship. No longer able to stand being in Pike's presence, Kirk resigned his Starfleet commission and entered the commercial sector. He eventually became the commanding officer of the freighterBounty.

Pike remained in command of theEnterprise until it was decommissioned, after which it became a popular attraction at theSan FranciscoSmithsonian Air and Space Museum. He was then placed in command of the USSEnterprise-A. As of 2293, his senior staff included hisfirst officer andscience officerSpock, thechief medical officer Gabrielle Carlotti (β), thechief engineer Moves-With-Burning-Grace (β), thehelmsmanHikaru Sulu, thenavigatorJosé Tyler and thecommunications officerNyota Uhura whileSaavik was a junior science officer.

External links

• USSEnterprise (NCC-1701-A) atMemory Beta, the wiki for licensedStar Trek works
• USSEnterprise (NCC-1701-A) atWikipedia