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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. 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). 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. 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. NCC-1701 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. 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. NCC-1701-C NCC-1701-D NCC-1701-E NCC-1701-F NCC-1701-J 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. See also | ||||||||||
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