Starfleet, the scientific, diplomatic and military branch of the United Federation of Planets (the Federation), had been charged with, since its' founding (integration) in 2161, "to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before." To perform this task, Starfleet built space vessels that could travel great distances. One particular class of space vessel built by Starfleet in the 2200's was the Constitution class.
Constitution class vessels
initially came into Starfleet service in the mid-2240's. One of these Constitution class vessels, bearing the
registry number NCC-1701, was commissioned USS Enterprise. Between 2245 and 2270, the Enterprise would
have three different commanding officers: Robert April (2245-50), Christopher Pike (2251-56, 2257-64), and James T.
Kirk (2265-70). Captain Kirk gave the Enterprise name recognition and placed it in the history books during his
first five year mission as captain. The ship's adventures and encounters included: crossing the Romulan Neutral Zone
in 2266 and 2268, time travelling to mid-20th Century Earth twice, and the "Doomsday Machine" encounter in star
system L-374. During one of the ship's adventures in 2267, the ship and crew encountered the 20th Century
space vessel Botany Bay and it's geneticlly-engineered crew lead by former dictator Khan Noonien Singh. Khan
and his crew attempted to commandeer the Enterprise but were unsuccessful and were settled on Ceti Alpha V by
Enterprise's crew. Later in the year, Enterprise is on the front lines of a very brief war with the
Klingons in the Organian System. The Organians prevented the war by imposing peace against the two combating
governments and establishing the Federation-Klingon (Organian) Neutral Zone. Originally attempted in 2265 under
different circumstances, Enterprise became the first Federation starship to successfully cross the
Galactic Barrier, leaving the Milky Way Galaxy in 2268. During that trip, the Enterprise had been commandeered
by an extra-galactic alien species known as the Kelvans, who were from the Andromeda Galaxy. They modified the ship's
warp engines to exceed Warp 14. After concluding successful negotiations between Kirk and the Kelvans, the Kelvans
returned the Enterprise to the Milky Way Galaxy. When the five-year mission under Kirk's command ended in 2270,
the Enterprise returned to Earth and her captain was promoted to Admiral and appointed Chief of Operations at
Starfleet Command.
Between 2271 and
2273, Enterprise received an extensive refit, placing it in the forefront of the Federation fleet. While the
Enterprise was still in drydock in 2273, an unknown phenomenon of great power entered Federation space through
Klingon territory, on a direct course for Earth. To encounter the phenomenon before it reached Earth, Admiral Kirk
granted a reduction in rank to Captain and given command the Enterprise from his hand-picked successor, Willard
Decker; to intercept the threat to Earth. It was determined that the V'Ger phenomenon was actually the NASA probe
Voyager 6. Two of the ship's officers, Commander Willard Decker and Lt. Ilia, were considered missing after the
incident. Captain Kirk would command the Enterprise during another five year mission. Upon the ship's return in
2278, the ship's first officer, a Vulcan named Spock, was promoted to Captain and became an instructor at Starfleet
Academy. Under his command, Enterprise was a training vessel for the academy. Kirk would retire; only to return
to Starfleet in 2284 as an instructor at the Academy with the rank of Admiral.
During a routine inspection of his old command one year later, Admiral Kirk received a message from the director of Project Genesis, Dr. Carol Marcus. Dr. Marcus was not only a former lover of the admiral but was also the mother of his child, Dr. David Marcus. Carol Marcus was attempting to confirm an order she received to deliver all material regarding her project over to USS Reliant. Reliant was supposed to be at the disposal of Marcus and her team at the Regula I space station. Unknown to them and the rest of Starfleet, one of Kirk's old nemeses, Khan Noonien Singh and his followers successfully commandeered the Reliant. Learning of Genesis, Khan used it and the science team as bait to lure Kirk out and seek his revenge. Kirk unknowingly took the bait through the message from Dr. Carol Marcus. Since Kirk was the senior officer on board and the ship was going on "actual duty", Spock gave Kirk command of the Enterprise and the ship departed for Regula I at Warp 5. While on route Enterprise would encounter, and be attacked by, the hijacked Reliant. Kirk learned who was commanding the Reliant and successfully fought back, disabling Khan's ship and then continuing on to Regula. After the Enterprise arrived at Regula I; Admiral Kirk, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard McCoy, and Lt. Savvik located Reliant's captain, Clark Terrell, and first officer, Pavel Chekov, the remaining members of the Genesis project team and the Genesis Device. Believing that the Enterprise would not have main power for six days and using Chekov and Terrell as mind controlled pawns, Khan beamed the Genesis Device up to his ship but not before Terrell committed suicide while attempting to follow orders to kill Kirk. After only a few hours in the Genesis cave on Regula I, Kirk and the others returned to the Enterprise which main power had been partially restored. Kirk ordered the ship to the Mutara Nebula to elude Khan and his followers. Once both vessels entered the nebula, a cat- and-mouse game took place with the Enterprise causing severe damage to the Reliant. Khan, however, still had a card to play. He activated the Genesis Device, which was set to detonate in four minutes. When this was discovered by the Enterprise's crew, Kirk tried to contact Chief Engineer Commander Montgomery Scott in Enginneering, but received no response. While Kirk attempted to contact Scott no one saw Captain Spock leave his station and head for the Engine Room. As Dr. McCoy treated injuries to personnel in Engineering, Spock used his nerve pinch on the doctor then melded with him, transferring his katra or soul to the doctor. Spock successfully restored main power to full capacity and reactivating the ship's warp drive but not before receiving a lethal dose of radiation. Kirk orders helm officer Commander Hikaru Sulu to take the ship to warp mere seconds before the Reliant explodes. Kirk contacts the engine room to congratulate Mr. Scott but is told by Dr. McCoy that he should get there quickly. With McCoy and Scott present, Kirk speaks with his dying friend and stays until his passing. Captain Spock receives a military funeral in the torpedo room and his torpedo casket is launched and eventually lands on the surface of the new Genesis planet. The Enterprise departs the planet for Ceti Alpha V to pick up the crew of the Reliant and then for Earth.
Upon returning home to Earth, the ship and crew were met by Admiral Morrow, Starfleet's Commander-in-Chief. Morrow granted extended shore leave to all Enterprise personnel except Chief Engineer Scott who was immediately transferred to the experimental USS Excelsior as Captain of Engineering. Days later at the admiral's San Fransisco apartment, Kirk would be met by Spock's father, Ambassador Sarek, concerning Spock and his katra. This meeting lead to a meeting with Morrow in an attempt to regain command of Enterprise and locate Spock's body and return it to Vulcan. Morrow told Kirk that Genesis was off limits. Kirk and his crew went ahead with stealing the Enterprise from Spacedock to retrieve the body of Captain Spock. The Enterprise was pursued, unsuccessfully, by Excelsior, which had been sabotaged by its' Chief Engineer, Captain Scott. At the newly formed, yet unstable Genesis planet in the Mutara sector, Enterprise, and its very small crew, encountered a small Klingon Bird-of-Prey scout ship with an ambitious commander named Kruge. The Bird-of-Prey destroyed the Oberth-class science vessel USS Grissom with virtually all hands. However two of the Grissom's crew, Lieutenant Saavik and Kirk's son, Dr. David Marcus, survived on the surface of the Genesis planet. Marcus and Saavik had beamed down to the surface to investigate a lifeform the Grissom's sensors detected from orbit. They would discover that Captain Spock's body had been regenerated and was rapidly growing. The three of them would be captured by Klingon landing party lead by Kruge just prior to the arrival of Adm. Kirk and the Enterprise. After Enterprise's arrival Kruge returned to his ship, a brief scuffle took place between the two ships and both were disabled. Kirk requested "a truce to confer" and during that conversation, Kirk and his crew learned that Saavik, Marcus and a certain Vulcan of his aquaintance were on the surface. Kruge ordered the death of any one of the prisoners. Forfieting his life, David Marcus saved Saavik and Spock from death delivered by a Klingon dagger. Distraught over the death of his son, Kirk surrendered his ship to Kruge, but only as a ruse. With Scott and Commander Pavel Chekov, Kirk set the ship's auto destruct sequence. He and his crew transported down to the Genesis surface as the Klingon boarding party beamed on board the ship. As the ship destroyed herself, the boarding party was killed on the bridge. As Kirk and his crew looked for Saavik and Spock the planet began its' deaththrows. Kirk would kill the last member of the Klingon landing party and pay final respects to his dead son. Dr. McCoy examined the unconscious Spock, determining that he was suffering from rapid ageing. Kirk located a Klingon communicator and spoke to Kruge. Kruge beamed down, confronting Kirk and his crew. Kruge ordered everyone transported up to his ship except Kirk and Spock. As the Genesis planet tore itself apart, Kirk and the Klingon commander fought in hand-to-hand combat with Kirk winning. He would beam up with Spock to the Bird-of-Prey. Just as Genesis was destroying itself, he and his company left the planet and the Mutara Sector for Vulcan. After arriving on Vulcan, Spock's katra was transferred from McCoy to Spock's body, leading to his "rebirth".
With the loss of the original
Enterprise and a three month exile on Vulcan, Adm. Kirk and his crew departed to face trial on Earth for
"eight violations of Starfleet regulations". While on route to Earth in their stolen Klingon vessel, an interstellar
probe visited the planet, disabling Starfleet assets and causing environmental havoc. Kirk's crew, along with a
restored Spock, determined that the message being sent by the probe was in fact whale song, specifically humpback
whale song. Unfortunately the species was extinct on Earth and did not exist on any other inhabited planet. In order
to locate humpback whales and save Earth in the process the crew would have to go back in time to the 20th
Century. After making the journey back to the 20th Century, Enterprise's former communications
officer, Commander Uhura, located whale song in San Fransisco Bay. Sulu successfully landed the Bird-of-Prey in
Golden Gate Park. Captain Scott informed Kirk that the dilithium crystals of their ship's warp drive had begun to
drain and there was no known way to reenergize them. Spock theorized that atomic particles from fission reactors
would reenergize the crystals and the reactors could be found on naval vessels. Uhura and Chekov would "procure" the
necessary atomic particles to re-energize the dilithium crystals from the naval vessel USS Enterprise while
Scott, McCoy & Sulu assisted by Spock, build the holding tanks for the humpback whales. With the Bird-of-Prey
restored to full power, the crew retrieve two humpback whales and return to their own time, crash-landing in San
Francisco Bay. The whales answer the "call" of the probe, saving Earth. Due to the crew's selfless deed, the
Federation Council (governing body of the Federation) dismiss seven of the charges against Kirk and his crew. The
sole charge of disobeying a superior officer was solely against Admiral Kirk. His punishment was reduction in rank to
Captain, thus allowing him to command a starship again. By the end of 2286, He and his crew were assigned to another
Constitution class vessel bearing the registry number NCC-1701-A and commissioned as USS Enterprise.
Shortly after the shakedown cruise of the Enterprise-A in 2287, she was sent to the Nimbus III, "Planet of Galactic Peace", to free hostages from unknown persons. The assault team, lead by Kirk, was captured in the only settlement on the planet. The leader of the group was a Vulcan named Sybok. Kirk, with most of his command crew, return to the Enterprise with Sybok and the former hostages (now Sybok followers) via a shuttlecraft, which was nearly hit by a torpedo from a Klingon vessel. Sybok hijacks the Enterprise by "freeing" the minds of Sulu, Uhura, and Chekov. While the ship travels at high warp to the center of the galaxy to find the planet Sha-Ka-Ree; Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy were placed in the brig. As the trio sat in the brig Spock reveals that Sybok is his half brother. They eventually escape with the assistance of the Chief Engineer Scott. The Enterprise passes through the "Great Barrier" unharmed and reaches the center; discovering a planet there. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Sybok travel to the planet's surface by shuttlecraft and encounter a supernatural being on the surface Sybok is killed during the encounter and the supernatural is destroyed by the Klingon vessel that attacked the shuttle and Enterprise at Nimbus III. Enterprise and the Klingon vessel return home to their respective spaces.
While traveling through the Beta Quadrant in 2293, USS Excelsior (NCC-2000), under the command of Captain Hikaru Sulu, is hit by a shockwave generated from the explosion of the Klingon moon Praxis. Because of the destruction of the Praxis, Kirk and his crew are thrown into intergalactic politics when the Enterprise is ordered to escort Gorkon, Chancellor of the Klingon High Council, and his staff to Earth for peace negotiations. En route, the chancellor's ship, Kronos 1, is fired upon and damaged. Aboard the vessel, the chancellor and members of his staff are assassinated. After transporting over to Kronos 1 in an attempt to help, Kirk and McCoy are arrested for the assassination of the chancellor. They are taken to Qo'noS, the Klingon homeworld, and put on trial for the assassination. Kirk and McCoy are found guilty however, instead of being sentenced to death, they are sent to the "...dilithium mines of the penal asteroid of Rura Penthe. There to spend the rest of your natural lives". Rura Pethe was "known throughout the galaxy as the aliens' graveyard". After escaping the penal colony, Kirk and McCoy are picked up by the Enterprise and it is determined that members of Starfleet Command and the Klingon High Command were conspiring together to prevent peace. It was also determined that the Klingons have a vessel that could fire torpedoes while it was cloaked. With assistance from Captain Sulu of the Excelsior on the location of the peace conference, the Enterprise travels at high warp to Camp Khitomer, near the Romulan border, to prevent another assassination. Upon arrival, the Enterprise is attacked by the "fire while cloaked" Klingon vessel. The ship suffers heavy damage, including a hull breach. Enterprise and Excelsior destroy the Klingon ship and crew members from both ships prevent the assassination of the Federation President. Enterprise would eventually return to Earth, not for repairs, but to be decommissioned.
Later that same year,
Starfleet commissions and launches the Excelsior-class Enterprise (NCC-1701-B), making it the third
vessel to bear the name with John Harriman as her commanding officer. On the ship's maiden voyage. Captains James T.
Kirk, Montgomery Scott and Commander Pavel Chekov of the 1st and 2nd Enterprise are on
board. During the voyage, Enterprise-B receives a distress signal from the Lakul, an El-Aurian refugee
vessel. It and another similar vessel are caught in a energy ribbon. This energy ribbon eventually destroys both
vessels but not before the Enterprise saved 47 passengers from the Lakul. Enterprise herself is
caught in the ribbon and is severely damaged by it. Captain James T. Kirk is presumed killed saving the ship from
destruction. Following the repairs conducted after the incident Enterprise would go on to serve Starfleet with
distinction; charting 142 star systems and making first contact with 17 civilizations over the course of its service.