Any ships named Enterprise after NX-01 before 1701?

[ConRefit79]

Seems strange to me that Earth's first Warp 5 ship NX-01 would not have a successor for more than 80+ years until the Constitution class 1701 is built. If you go by the extended Enterprise novel series she is decommissioned in 2161. And the Constitution class 1701 Enterprise doesn't start her first 5yr mission until 2245. Has there ever been any mention of another class ship named Enterprise that existed between NX-01 and 1701?

 

[ItIsGreen]

I don't know, perhaps while the NX-01 Enterprise was well-known and respected on Earth for its exploits and achievements, the name didn't mean much to the wider Federation. Maybe when NCC-1701 was built they just reused the name without much thought, and it was only this Enterprise that cemented the legacy of the name in Federation history?

 

[Tim Thomason]

I like the idea that they retired the name Enterprise after 2161, only for some admiral or something to bring it back (with much fanfare) 84 years later. And Kirk's ship ended up eclipsing that of the NX-01 in the history books.

Now it's a legacy name, with very little chance of being retired again.

 

[Nerys Myk]

My assumption is the Enterprise had a mix reputation among the Federation's early members, so they kept the name in mothballs for a while. Once things "cooled off", Earth began floating the name for a new ship.

 

[ConRefit79]

My assumption is the Enterprise had a mix reputation among the Federation's early members

They saved the Alpha Quadrant from the Sphere builders. The Vulcans and Andorians from themselves. And the unknowingly saved the Vulcans from the Romulans and helped restore the teachings of Surak. I would think that would be more than enough overcome their missteps.

 

[Nerys Myk]

They saved the Alpha Quadrant from the Sphere builders. The Vulcans and Andorians from themselves. And the unknowingly saved the Vulcans from the Romulans and helped restore the teachings of Surak. I would think that would be more than enough overcome their missteps.

Tellerites hold a grudge.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Has there ever been any mention of another class ship named Enterprise that existed between NX-01 and 1701?

Based on this dialogue from "Trials and Tribble-ations", there pretty much can't be:

DULMUR: Be specific, Captain. Which Enterprise? There've been five.
LUCSLY: Six.
SISKO: This was the first Enterprise. Constitution class.

Canonically, NCC-1701 was the first Enterprise in Federation service.

If it had been made, Harve Bennett's "Starfleet Academy" movie would have shown an Enterprise prior to NCC-1701. But it didn't get made, so...

 

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

NX-01 became a museum ship per "These Are The Voyages..." so maybe the name wasn't re-used because she was technically still serving in that capacity, as the real-life U.S.S. Constitution still is in the U.S. Navy today.

It was said at the outset of the episode that she was scheduled for "decommissioning protocols" but Archer had yet to approve them. Perhaps he held out and suggested the museum ship idea instead of putting her "in mothballs" as had been planned.

 

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

On the other hand, Reed did say Archer thought there'd "be another Enterprise before too long."

DULMUR: Be specific, Captain. Which Enterprise? There've been five.
LUCSLY: Six.
SISKO: This was the first Enterprise. Constitution class.

Canonically, NCC-1701 was the first Enterprise in Federation service.

If it had been made, Harve Bennett's "Starfleet Academy" movie would have shown an Enterprise prior to NCC-1701. But it didn't get made, so...

You know, in retrospect we actually could interpret Sisko's statement as referring to the first Constitution-class Enterprise, since there were two of those. (Doesn't really get us around the Temporal Investigator's numbers, though. Yet if one of them was already wrong, I suppose they both could be! The dedication plaques of the Enterprises A-D did all specify that they were the [1+x]th starships to bear the name, but I don't think any of them were ever clearly readable onscreen...)

 

[Timo]

There is also "Remember Me" where the E-D computer says "this vessel is the fifth starship to bear the name USS Enterprise". Naturally, that's a fictional computer from a ship reimagined to the specs of Crusher's troubled mind, but the point of the scene is that Crusher can still differentiate between "true" and "false" facts and accepts the above (easy even for a relative layman to tell whether it's right or wrong, I guess), plus the launch stardate (requires more detailed knowledge, but she says "that sounds about right"), while balking at the crew count of exactly one person.

In "Relics", an uncompromised computer claims "there have been five Federation ships with that name". We could argue it's leaving unsaid "in addition to this one", but that would make little sense in the context, as Scotty could very well be asking the computer to offer him the goodies on this very ship, rather than some past one.

It would be difficult to shoehorn in further Federation starships by that name, then. Other vessels that aren't Federation starships might perhaps be included, but "TATV" at least allows us to think NX-01 never was in UFP starship registry.

Would the name Enterprise be expected to see constant use? That the second one got the name was in recognition of Kirk's personal achievements. That the third one got it sounds like a marketing gimmick, along with inviting Kirk to witness the launch. We don't know whether the fourth one immediately followed the third, but we do know the fifth one did not follow the fourth until after several decades. The sixth one again seems to be in honor of Picard - perhaps such things are actually pretty rare in Starfleet?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

Thanks for those other catches, @Timo! It just goes to show that when I try to assume your role, I'm generally not half so good at it as you are!

(Not that I was actually in favor of the idea, anyway.)

 

[F. King Daniel]

If they could retcon in NX-01 Enterprise and get away with it (after all, "Trials and Tribble-arions" specifies that Kirk's was first, and makes no special "Federation" distinction), should they be determined they could do so again.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I like the idea that they retired the name Enterprise after 2161, only for some admiral or something to bring it back (with much fanfare) 84 years later. And Kirk's ship ended up eclipsing that of the NX-01 in the history books.

Now it's a legacy name, with very little chance of being retired again.

Dang skippy right!

 

[Kemaiku]

In Nemesis, isn't the new gold ship model collection joined by an NX-01?

 

[The Wormhole]

In Nemesis, isn't the new gold ship model collection joined by an NX-01?

No, although the display case in Nemesis is different than the one in First Contact, there's still no NX-01 in it.

And the key thing everyone overlooks when pointing out all the references to "there have been five Enterprises" not specifying Federation ships is that if they are including pre-Federation ships with that figure, than they're wrong since they're forgetting the ring-ship from TMP.

 

[ConRefit79]

The 5 ships could also refer to sharing virtually the same registry.

Spoiler: ST Beyond

Which begs the question what did nuKirk and JJ Prise do in their short lives to get the -A registry? Wait I enjoyed Beyond. I don't want to nit pick it.

 

[cultcross]

Spoiler: ST Beyond

We've seen other reused registries. There's nothing to say it was explicitly continued because the Enterprise was famous. And even in Kelvinverse, the E had saved the planet twice and Starbase Yorktown.

 

[Richard Baker]

No, although the display case in Nemesis is different than the one in First Contact, there's still no NX-01 in it.

And the key thing everyone overlooks when pointing out all the references to "there have been five Enterprises" not specifying Federation ships is that if they are including pre-Federation ships with that figure, than they're wrong since they're forgetting the ring-ship from TMP.

Didn't that wall of golden ships also have the aircraft carrier in it?

 

[The Wormhole]

Didn't that wall of golden ships also have the aircraft carrier in it?

You mean from TNG's first four seasons? Yes, one of the aircraft carriers was there.

 

[C.E. Evans]

The 5 ships could also refer to sharing virtually the same registry.

Spoiler: ST Beyond

Which begs the question what did nuKirk and JJ Prise do in their short lives to get the -A registry?

Spoiler: ST Beyond

Save Earth and the Federation from Nero, uncover a conspiracy that would have plunged the Federation into a nasty war with the Klingons, and probably a lot of untold stuff that occurred in the years between Into Darkness and Beyond.