The Unfortunate Record Shared by Enterprises A and D

The Legacy of USS Enterprise-A and USS Enterprise-D

Enterprises A and D share an unfortunate record. Star Trek's USS Enterprise-A, the second ship to be commanded by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) shares a weird thing in common with Star Trek: The Next Generation's USS Enterprise-D.

The-Enterprise-D-&-(Patrick-Stewart-as-Picard)-from-Star-Trek-Generations

The Enterprise-A was first introduced at the end of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and remained under Kirk's command until it was decommissioned at the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Kirk's second Enterprise was last seen on display in Star Trek: Picard's Starfleet museum, where the USS Enterprise-D was undergoing extensive reconstruction.

Star Trek Generations Enterprise-D Saucer Crash

The reconstruction was carried out in secret by Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), following the Enterprise's crash in Star Trek Generations. In contrast to the USS Enterprise-A, Star Trek: The Next Generation's hero ship was decommissioned - albeit more violently - at the start of the movie series, and not the end. However, despite the clear differences between the unreliable USS Enterprise-A and the legendary starship commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), the two Enterprises share one surprising similarity.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, USS Enterprise-A and Klingon vessel

Short-lived Legacies

Kirk’s USS Enterprise-A & Picard’s Enterprise-D Only Lasted 7 Years - Both the USS Enterprise-A and USS Enterprise-D only lasted for seven years from first to final flight. Picard's Enterprise was launched in 2363 and served as the Federation's flagship for the seven years that Star Trek: The Next Generation was on the air. In 2371, the Enterprise crashed on Veridian III after the warp core was breached in an encounter with the Duras sisters. The destruction of the Enterprise-D in 2381 meant that the Federation flagship never completed its eighth year of service, reflecting the similarly short record of one of its predecessors.

The Enterprise-A flies over a planet from Star Trek

Launched in 2286, Kirk's Enterprise-A in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was still a little rough around the edges on its first mission. At some point between the Enterprise-A being assigned to Kirk at the end of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and the start of the next movie, various flaws were exposed by its first shakedown cruise. Captain Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) was seen still making repairs to the vessel in Star Trek V. Despite the teething problems, the Enterprise-A was decommissioned after seven years in 2293, to make way for the brand-new, top-of-the-line USS Enterprise-B, and the next generation of Starfleet officers.

Star Trek VI The Undiscovered Country, Enterprise crew, William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard McCoy, Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov, James Doohan as Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott, Nichelle Nichols as Nyota Uhura

Comparing Starship Enterprises

How Long Other Starship Enterprise Lasted In Star Trek - Seven years is a comparatively short amount of time for the service of a Starfleet vessel in the Star Trek universe. The USS Enterprise-A's direct predecessor, the iconic USS Enterprise NCC-1701, was in service for 40 years, albeit with several refits, under the command of Captains Robert April (Adrian Holmes), Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), and James T. Kirk, respectively. 94 years before the USS Enterprise launched, the Enterprise NX-01 made its first flight in 2151. Commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), the NX-01 was in service for ten years before it was decommissioned in 2161.

Star Trek ships

In the 24th century, the USS Enterprise-E lasted for ten years. During its ten years of service, the Enterprise-E was commanded by Jean-Luc Picard and Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) before it, like its predecessor, was rendered unusable. The flagship's replacement, the USS Enterprise-F was launched in 2386, and was commanded by several officers across its fifteen years of service. The fact that the Enterprise-D had a shorter tenure than its two replacements may account for its poor reputation as 'the fat one' in Star Trek: Picard season 3. However, the Enterprise-D's glorious resurrection in the Picard finale re-established it as one of Star Trek's finest ships.