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USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A)
Encyclopedia
The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-A (or Enterprise-A) is a starship in the fourth, fifth, and sixth Star Trek films.
The existing Enterprise sets from the first through fourth films were redressed for use on Star Trek: The Next Generation
; some of these Next Generation sets were reused for subsequent Enterprise film appearances, while others were built new.
On October 5, 6 and 7th of 2006 Christie's auctioned off many of the props used in the Star Trek films and TV shows. In that auction the model of the USS Enterprise-A used for the films was sold for $240,000.
. It is the second Federation starship to carry the name Enterprise. While the ship's history prior to its recommissioning as Enterprise has never been officially stated, several non-canon sources (Such as the AMT/Ertl Model kit documentation ) have claimed it to formerly be the USS Yorktown (NCC-1717); others cite it as the former USS Ti-Ho (NCC-1798). The ship is placed under the command of newly demoted Captain James T. Kirk
(William Shatner
) as "punishment" for his and his crew's actions in the rescue of Captain Spock
(Leonard Nimoy
) in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
. It replaces the original USS Enterprise
(NCC-1701), destroyed in Star Trek III. Though outwardly identical to its refitted and updated predecessor, in its debut, the new ship is beset with teething problems and Chief Engineer Scott
and Commander Uhura
are shown making numerous repairs and reconfigurations to the new ship before deployment.
In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
, the ship is dispatched to rescue hostages on Nimbus III. The Vulcan
renegade Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill
) and his followers hijack the ship and take it to a planet at the center of the galaxy, where Kirk and his crew eventually regain control of the ship. Several novels and comics explore the six-year period between the fifth and sixth films. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
, the Enterprise escorts Klingon chancellor Gorkon (David Warner
) to a peace summit on Earth. The renegade Klingon general Chang
(Christopher Plummer
), assisted by traitors aboard the Enterprise, makes it appear that the Enterprise had fired on the chancellor's vessel. The Klingons take Kirk and Leonard McCoy
(DeForest Kelley
) prisoner; Spock and the Enterprise crew disregard Starfleet
orders and instead rescue Kirk and McCoy. The Enterprise encounters and, with aid from the USS Excelsior
, destroys Chang's ship, and the crew protects the Federation President from an assassination attempt. The film concludes with Starfleet ordering the ship to return to spacedock to be decommissioned, an order which Kirk and the crew gleefully disregard.
There is no canon
information about the ship's fate beyond Star Trek VI. In the epilogue of Star Trek VI, Uhura had stated they received a communication from Starfleet Command
that ordered the Enterprise to report to space dock to be decommissioned; and Captain Kirk states that the ship "will become the care of another crew," but no further information is given. Documentation provided with the Bandai model states that the ship was displayed in the Starfleet Museum at Memory Alpha. According to the novel The Ashes of Eden, written by William Shatner, Starfleet Commander-in-Chief Androvar Drake orders the Enterprise-A decommissioned and destroyed during war games and weapons testing, but the Chal government intervenes. Ultimately, the Enterprise is destroyed to prevent Drake's completion of a disastrous personal agenda.
Origin and design
The Enterprise-A used the same shooting model as the preceding NCC-1701. When first unveiled in the concluding sequences of Star Trek IV, the main hull numbers are changed to NCC-1701-A, but the smaller hull numbers on the side of the lower part of the model still read NCC-1701, an oversight by the effects crew.The existing Enterprise sets from the first through fourth films were redressed for use on Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
; some of these Next Generation sets were reused for subsequent Enterprise film appearances, while others were built new.
On October 5, 6 and 7th of 2006 Christie's auctioned off many of the props used in the Star Trek films and TV shows. In that auction the model of the USS Enterprise-A used for the films was sold for $240,000.
Depiction
The Constitution-class starship Enterprise-A was commissioned in 2286, at the end of the events depicted in Star Trek IV: The Voyage HomeStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is a 1986 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series and completes the story arc begun in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The...
. It is the second Federation starship to carry the name Enterprise. While the ship's history prior to its recommissioning as Enterprise has never been officially stated, several non-canon sources (Such as the AMT/Ertl Model kit documentation ) have claimed it to formerly be the USS Yorktown (NCC-1717); others cite it as the former USS Ti-Ho (NCC-1798). The ship is placed under the command of newly demoted Captain James T. Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
(William Shatner
William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
) as "punishment" for his and his crew's actions in the rescue of Captain Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
(Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
) in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the center of a three-film story arc that begins with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and concludes with Star Trek IV:...
. It replaces the original USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, is a fictional starship in the Star Trek media franchise. The original Star Trek series depicts her crew's mission "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before" under the command of Captain James...
(NCC-1701), destroyed in Star Trek III. Though outwardly identical to its refitted and updated predecessor, in its debut, the new ship is beset with teething problems and Chief Engineer Scott
Montgomery Scott
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is a Scottish engineer in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by James Doohan in the original Star Trek series, Scotty also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Relics", and in numerous...
and Commander Uhura
Uhura
Nyota Uhura is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, the first six Star Trek films, and the 2009 film Star Trek...
are shown making numerous repairs and reconfigurations to the new ship before deployment.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a 1989 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth feature in the franchise and the penultimate to star the cast of the original Star Trek science fiction television series...
, the ship is dispatched to rescue hostages on Nimbus III. The Vulcan
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
renegade Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill
Laurence Luckinbill
Laurence George Luckinbill is an American actor.-Life and career:Luckinbill was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the son of Agnes and Laurence Benedict Luckinbill. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1956 and The Catholic University of America in 1958.He starred in the 1976 Broadway play...
) and his followers hijack the ship and take it to a planet at the center of the galaxy, where Kirk and his crew eventually regain control of the ship. Several novels and comics explore the six-year period between the fifth and sixth films. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire main cast of the 1960s Star Trek television series. Released in 1991 by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Nicholas Meyer and...
, the Enterprise escorts Klingon chancellor Gorkon (David Warner
David Warner (actor)
David Warner is an English actor who is known for playing both romantic leads and sinister or villainous characters, both in film and animation...
) to a peace summit on Earth. The renegade Klingon general Chang
Chang (Star Trek)
General Chang is a fictional character from the Star Trek fictional universe who was portrayed by Christopher Plummer in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country....
(Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
), assisted by traitors aboard the Enterprise, makes it appear that the Enterprise had fired on the chancellor's vessel. The Klingons take Kirk and Leonard McCoy
Leonard McCoy
Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series, McCoy also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in numerous books,...
(DeForest Kelley
DeForest Kelley
Jackson DeForest Kelley was an American actor known for his iconic roles in Westerns and as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of the USS Enterprise in the television and film series Star Trek.-Early life:...
) prisoner; Spock and the Enterprise crew disregard Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
orders and instead rescue Kirk and McCoy. The Enterprise encounters and, with aid from the USS Excelsior
USS Excelsior (Star Trek)
The USS Excelsior is a starship in the Star Trek universe. The Excelsior was first seen in the 1984 film, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. It later appeared in the 1986 film, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home...
, destroys Chang's ship, and the crew protects the Federation President from an assassination attempt. The film concludes with Starfleet ordering the ship to return to spacedock to be decommissioned, an order which Kirk and the crew gleefully disregard.
There is no canon
Canon (Star Trek)
The Star Trek canon is the set of all canonical material in the Star Trek universe. It is usually defined as comprising the television series Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and the motion pictures in the franchise...
information about the ship's fate beyond Star Trek VI. In the epilogue of Star Trek VI, Uhura had stated they received a communication from Starfleet Command
Starfleet Command
Starfleet Command may refer to:*Starfleet Command, headquarters/command center of Starfleet in Star Trek.*Star Trek: Starfleet Command, a space battle simulation game set in the Star Trek universe....
that ordered the Enterprise to report to space dock to be decommissioned; and Captain Kirk states that the ship "will become the care of another crew," but no further information is given. Documentation provided with the Bandai model states that the ship was displayed in the Starfleet Museum at Memory Alpha. According to the novel The Ashes of Eden, written by William Shatner, Starfleet Commander-in-Chief Androvar Drake orders the Enterprise-A decommissioned and destroyed during war games and weapons testing, but the Chal government intervenes. Ultimately, the Enterprise is destroyed to prevent Drake's completion of a disastrous personal agenda.