Depiction
Built between 2243 and 2245 in the Star Trek timeline, Starfleet commissioned the USS Enterprise in 2245. In Star Trek, the ship's dedication plaque lists it as "Starship Class"; later Expanded Universe and episode dialogue in "Relics" (Star Trek: The Next Generation) establish the vessel as a Constitution-class starship. But according to The Making of Star Trek "the Enterprise-class starships have been in existence for about forty years" at the time of the original series. The ship's components were built at the Starfleet Division of the San Francisco Navy Yards and assembled in orbit.
Star Trek: The Animated Series and novels by Diane Carey state that Robert April is the Enterprise's first commanding officer. Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) commanded the Enterprise for a decade, and Pike is the commanding officer in originally un-aired pilot "The Cage". Throughout the first Star Trek series, Captain Kirk commands the ship on a five-year mission of exploration. Prior to the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), the Enterprise undergoes an 18-month refit overseen by its new commanding officer, Willard Decker (Stephen Collins). In early scenes of the film, Decker describes the refit to the vessel to Admiral Kirk, who assumes command, as "an almost totally new Enterprise". Star Trek novels depict another exploratory mission under Kirk's command between the events of the first and second films.
Spock (Leonard Nimoy) commands the Enterprise, serving as a training ship, at the beginning of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), but Kirk assumes command when the ship investigates problems with Project Genesis. The USS Reliant, hijacked by Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán), inflicts substantial damage to the Enterprise; Spock sacrifices his life to save the ship. Shortly after returning to spacedock at the beginning of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), the Enterprise is marked for decommissioning. Kirk leads his officers in stealing the ship in an attempt to restore Spock's life, and Kirk is forced to destroy the Enterprise to even the odds and gain a tactical advantage in a battle against Klingons. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) opens with Kirk and his officers agreeing to return to Earth to face judgment for their actions in the previous film. En route, they travel back in time to stop a probe threatening to destroy Earth. Upon the success of their mission and return to the 23rd century, the charges against the crew are dismissed. Admiral Kirk is "punished" with a demotion in rank to captain and is given command of the Enterprise's successor, the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-A.
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