''Enterprise NX-01'' is a fictional
spaceship that appears in the American
science fiction television
Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
series ''
Star Trek: Enterprise
''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...
''. It had the in-universe registration of NX-01 and appeared earlier in the
franchise
Franchise may refer to:
Business and law
* Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees
* Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
timeline than any other
Starfleet
Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...
ship named ''Enterprise''.
The ship is first seen in the pilot episode "
Broken Bow" and was seen throughout the series undergoing various upgrades. Its missions included an initial period of deep space exploration and a mission into the Delphic Expanse following the
Xindi attack on Earth; it was also instrumental in the formation of the United Federation of Planets with the
Vulcans
Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the '' Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt t ...
,
Andorian
Andorians are a fictional race of humanoid extraterrestrials in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They were created by writer D. C. Fontana. Within the ''Star Trek'' narrative, they are native to the blue icy Class M moon, ...
s and
Tellarite
''Star Trek'' is a science fiction media franchise that began with Gene Roddenberry's launch of the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star Trek'' television series in 1966. Its success led to decades of films, novels, comics, and spinof ...
s.
The final appearance occurred in "
These Are The Voyages...", where the ship is seen en route to the signing of the
Federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
charter and the decommissioning of the ship. ''Enterprise'' has appeared in several non-canon novels, which describe both its actions in the Romulan War and the vessel's final fate as a museum ship in orbit of
Pluto
Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...
. A model of an NX class ship was seen on screen in the 2013 film ''
Star Trek Into Darkness
''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the sequel to the 2 ...
'', and it has appeared in the video game ''
Star Trek: Encounters''. There was a negative fan reaction to the design, but television critics were mostly positive, calling the design "a sort of retro-futurism".
[ Several ''Enterprise'' toys and models have been released, including versions by ]Art Asylum
Minimates are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002 and now released by Diamond Select Toys. The basic Minimate figure design has a tall body that resembles an extremely simplified human form with 14 point ...
, Diamond Select Toys
Diamond Select Toys was founded in 1999 by sister company Diamond Comics Distributors to create collectibles for adult collectors, and has since licensed a variety of pop culture properties, including Marvel Comics, ''Star Wars'', ''Star Trek'', ' ...
, QMx and Eaglemoss Publications.
Background
In the original pitch for ''Star Trek: The Original Series
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguis ...
'' by creator Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...
, the vessel that the series was set on was called the SS ''Yorktown''. The starship was subsequently renamed USS ''Enterprise'' before the start of the series because of the growing real world fame of the world's first nuclear-powered
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced b ...
aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
, recently launched by the U.S. Navy as the . The name ''Enterprise'' has been linked with ''Star Trek'' since.
Following the end of '' Star Trek: Voyager'', which had been used to launch UPN
The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...
, they were seeking a new ''Star Trek'' series. The network contacted Rick Berman
Richard Keith Berman (born December 25, 1945) is an American television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as the executive producer of several of the '' Star Trek'' television series: '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', ...
during the fifth season of '' Star Trek: Voyager'', and informed him that if he didn't develop a new ''Star Trek'' show then they would find someone else who would.[ Berman had previously been an executive producer on ''Voyager'', and other series dating back to ''The Next Generation''. Berman contacted ]Brannon Braga
Brannon Braga (; born August 14, 1965) is an American television producer, director and screenwriter. Best known for his work in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, Braga was a key creative force behind three of the franchise's live action series. He la ...
, and the two became the executive producers on the new show. The new series launched after the end of ''Voyager'', but was set a century years before the events seen in ''The Original Series''. The new series was originally called ''Enterprise'', without the ''Star Trek'' prefix. UPN president Dean Valentine said that "Paramount felt it was no longer necessary. ''Enterprise'' is synonymous with ''Star Trek''". Berman's idea was to set it in an earlier time period, with limited technology such as the ship only being able to travel up to warp 5, as he felt that after three series being set in roughly the same time period it would be exciting for the fans.
Concept and design
The Retro style, throwback styling of the 2002 Ford Thunderbird inspired a similar concept (later abandoned) of having ''Enterprise'' (NX-01) as a throwback design, including secondary hull, of USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), USS ''Enterprise'' (NCC-1701).
The Star Trek: Enterprise (season 1), first season was originally intended to be based around the construction of the ship. However, UPN wanted a more typical ship-based ''Star Trek'' series and so the ship was presented as almost finished in the pilot episode, " Broken Bow". Before the start of the series, the ship was referred to as the SS ''Enterprise''.
An early design was for a version with a secondary hull, but it appeared to be too similar to the ship seen in ''The Original Series''. That throwback styling had been partially inspired by Berman viewing the throwback concept in the 2002 Ford Thunderbird
The Ford Thunderbird (colloquially called the T-Bird) is a personal luxury car produced by Ford from model years 1955 until 1997 and 2002 until 2005 across 11 distinct generations. Introduced as a two-seat convertible, the Thunderbird was pro ...
, itself a modern update of the original Thunderbird. Following that concept, the designers took the styling of the USS ''Enterprise'' from ''The Original Series'' and updated it, but ultimately it looked too much like a simple update to the same vessel.
The second design concept was similar to the ''Akira''-class starship as seen on television in the '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' and ''Voyager'' era, with the producers initially intending to use that class of vessel for ''Enterprise'' before Herman Zimmerman
Herman F. Zimmerman (born 19 April 1935) is an art director and production designer. He is probably best known for his work on ''Star Trek''.
Career
Zimmerman initially aspired to be an actor and enrolled at Northwestern University to study ac ...
convinced them to go with a design with greater inspiration from ''The Original Series''. The ''Akira'' itself had been created by Alex Jaeger
Alex Jaeger is an American art director.
Filmography
*1996: '' Star Trek: First Contact'', visual effects art director
*1997: ''Starship Troopers'', visual effects art director
*2003: ''Hulk'', visual effects art director
*2007: ''Transformers'', ...
for the 1996 film '' Star Trek: First Contact'' with influences from ''Battlestar Galactica
''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...
'', the Klingon
The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''.
Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...
Bird of Prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators h ...
and the ''Miranda''-class starship originally seen in '' Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan''.[ A similar design was created for ''Star Trek: The Academy Years'', a film proposed by ]Harve Bennett
Harve Bennett (born Harve Bennett Fischman; August 17, 1930 – February 25, 2015) was an American television producer, television and film producer and screenwriter.
Early years
Bennett was born to a American Jews, Jewish family in Chicago, Ill ...
in 1989. This featured the primary hull of ''Enterprise'' seen in ''The Original Series'', but without a secondary hull.
Exterior design
''Enterprise'' NX-01 was designed by Doug Drexler
Doug Drexler (born in New York City) is a visual effects artist, designer, sculptor, illustrator, and a makeup artist who has collaborated with such talents as Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, Meryl Streep, and Warren Beatty. He began hi ...
, and based on the features of the ''Akira''-class. The new class itself was designated as ''NX'' by the producers, but Drexler referred to it as the ''Enterprise''-class due to the naval tradition of naming the class after the first vessel.[ Drexler had intended for the ship to be similar in design to the ''Daedalus''-class starship with a sphere-shaped primary hull, but the producers wanted a flat saucer-shaped hull as it was more immediately recognizable as a ''Star Trek'' vessel.][ Drexler deliberately attempted to insert references to ''The Original Series'' into the ship. One of these was narrow ]strut
A strut is a structural component commonly found in engineering, aeronautics, architecture and anatomy. Struts generally work by resisting longitudinal compression, but they may also serve in tension.
Human anatomy
Part of the functionality o ...
s leading from the body of the ship to the warp nacelle
A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached ...
s – however Dan Curry
Daniel Curry is a visual effects producer and supervisor, as well as a main title designer in the film and television industry.
Curry attended Middlebury College in Vermont and graduate school at Humboldt State University in California. wanted them made bulkier as seen in ships of later series. Drexler included a leading edge at the front of the nacelles, and later described that the original struts would have been around a third more than those.
Drexler also wanted the bussard collector
The Bussard ramjet is a theoretical method of spacecraft propulsion proposed in 1960 by the physicist Robert W. Bussard, popularized by Poul Anderson's novel ''Tau Zero'', Larry Niven in his ''Known Space'' series of books, Vernor Vinge in his ...
s at the front of the warp nacelles to be orange like ''The Original Series'', but this was overruled by producers once more, who wanted them red also like the later series. Drexler thought that this was because Rick Berman wasn't fond of bright colors, and so ''Star Trek: Enterprise'' was filmed in greys and dark blues. The rear ends of the nacelles were influenced by ''Enterprise'' from ''The Original Series'', with the spheres that appeared on the 1960s version split in two for the NX-01. Direct elements from ''The Original Series'' that did make it on to the NX-01 were the impulse engine
Impulse or Impulsive may refer to:
Science
* Impulse (physics), in mechanics, the change of momentum of an object; the integral of a force with respect to time
* Impulse noise (disambiguation)
* Specific impulse, the change in momentum per un ...
cones and the lower sensor dome. The most prominent element from the first television ''Enterprise'' was the deflector dish. For the NX-01, it was compressed on the vertical axis and placed at the front of the saucer.[ The process of Drexler getting his designs approved by the producers was later described as "a long hard battle" by production illustrator and creator of ''Enterprise''-E, John Eaves.]
The inspired the design of the shuttlepods on board ''Enterprise''.">Lockheed Martin X-33 inspired the design of the shuttlepods on board ''Enterprise''.
The exterior model was created in CGI rather than as a physical model, with the production done by Pierre Drolet from Foundation Imaging
Foundation Imaging was a CGI visual effects studio, computer animation studio, and post-production editing facility.
History
The company was founded by Paul Beigle-Bryant and Ron Thornton. It pioneered digital imaging for television programming ...
using LightWave 3D
LightWave 3D is a 3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Car ...
. Two versions were created – a high definition version that was created for use in the television series itself and a lower resolution, which was also referred to as the "approved model". The low-res model was used for promotional purposes while work was conducted on the television model. The exterior of the ship made its debut in a centerfold
The centerfold or centrefold of a magazine is the inner pages of the middle sheet, usually containing a portrait, such as a pin-up or a nude. The term can also refer to the model featured in the portrait. In saddle-stitched magazines (as opp ...
spread in the July 14, 2001 edition of ''TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' using the approved model. This version looked smaller as the windows on the ship were larger than used on the television version, and the hull had a bronze tint. Regarding this change in coloration, Drexler later said that he didn't know when the change was made as both he and Zimmerman approved the prior version.[
Following this initial usage, the approved model was only used as a stand-in for the production version in the previews in the fourth season.][ The drawing of the exterior of ''Enterprise'' in the captain's ready room was created by John Eaves in less than 24 hours alongside four other drawings of earlier incarnations of the name.][ The ]shuttlecraft
A shuttlecraft, also known as a shuttle spacecraft, shuttle ship, drop shuttle, drop spacecraft, or dropship, is a type of spacecraft described in theory and science fiction. Serving the same purpose as a ship's tender, it is a smaller vessel that ...
on the show were directly inspired by the Lockheed Martin X-33
The Lockheed Martin X-33 was a proposed uncrewed, sub-scale technology demonstrator suborbital spaceplane that was developed for a period in the 1990s. The X-33 was a technology demonstrator for the VentureStar orbital spaceplane, which was pla ...
, with Zimmerman saying that the re-entry vehicles used now will be the same technology used in the time of ''Enterprise'' because up until then they won't have had the technological push that comes from developing the advanced technology seen being introduced for the first time on the show.[ Carey & Ruditis (2001): p. 270] These were referred to as shuttlepods in the show; ''Enterprise'' was equipped with two of them.
Season 5
Doug Drexler had intended for ''Enterprise'' to undergo a major refit if a fifth season had been produced, and the series had not been cancelled at the end of the fourth season. This would have seen the addition of a secondary hull, and resulted in the ship taking on an appearance closer to the ''Constitution''-class vessels in ''The Original Series'' and later series.[ The redesign made its debut in the 2011 edition of the official ''Ships of the Line'' calendar. It was one of two designs for vessels never seen on screen to appear in that year's calendar, with ]Matt Jefferies
Walter Matthew Jefferies (August 12, 1921 – July 21, 2003) was an American aviation and mechanical artist, set designer, and writer. He is best known for his work on the original ''Star Trek'' television series, where he designed many of the s ...
' design for the USS ''Enterprise'' (XCV-330) also appearing.
Interior design
Scott Bakula and Connor Trinneer on the standing bridge set of ''Enterprise'' with three crew members from the aircraft carrier USS ''Enterprise'' (CVN-65).
The interior of the vessel was designed by Zimmerman, who visited United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
fast-attack submarines such as the USS ''Houston'' for inspiration. He also kept in mind the heritage of the other ships named ''Enterprise'' in the history of ''Star Trek''. The designs attempted to allow a greater freedom of filming angles than seen in previous ''Star Trek'' series. The bridge stations were originally designed with both angular and tubular elements, but the tubular elements were dropped as they seemed out of place. John Eaves created the designs for the stations, while Mike
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
and Denise Okuda
Denise Lynn Okuda is a computer, scenic and video supervisor, and a writer known for her work on several ''Star Trek'' film and television productions, as well as other science fiction television. She also co-authored the '' Star Trek Encyclope ...
, Jim Van Over and Anthony Fredrickson created the mechanical and detailed elements. Inspiration was taken from United States Navy ships and the Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...
, such as the inclusion of operations manuals on some of the stations such as communications. Other elements that were added included a switch from the touch screen controls seen in series such as ''The Next Generation'' to more hands-on dials and buttons as appeared in ''The Original Series''. The set also included what was described as "busy boxes" by the crew, which were parts of the consoles that folded out and were filled with wires - so that background actors could look busy during a shot when ''Enterprise'' was being refitted or when there was battle damage to be seen on screen.[
Zimmerman and his team took feedback from the directors of previous ''Star Trek'' series to make the new space easier to film. Whereas in other series there have been purpose-built sets for briefing rooms, following the feedback this area was built into the bridge itself as the directors had stated that it proved difficult to make several people sitting around a table seem interesting.][ Carey & Ruditis (2001): p. 267] The transporter design was intended as a reference to ''the original series'' design that was created by Matt Jefferies
Walter Matthew Jefferies (August 12, 1921 – July 21, 2003) was an American aviation and mechanical artist, set designer, and writer. He is best known for his work on the original ''Star Trek'' television series, where he designed many of the s ...
, with Zimmerman including certain design elements such as the wall patterns around the transporter itself.[ Carey & Ruditis (2001): p. 268] The design of the engineering deck was overhauled from previous series with the intention for it to look like the engine room of a nuclear submarine.[ Zimmerman described it saying, "You're going to see a very powerful engine that looks like a very powerful engine."][ Carey & Ruditis (2001): p. 269]
Appearances
Deep space exploration
The ship first appeared in the pilot of ''Star Trek: Enterprise
''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...
'', "Broken Bow". The episode showed the maiden voyage of ''Enterprise'', with the crew of 84 returning a Klingon
The Klingons ( ; Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''.
Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the original ''Star Trek'' (''TOS'') series, Klingons were swarthy humanoids c ...
named Klang (Tom Lister, Jr.
Tommy Deebo "Tiny" Lister Jr. (born Thomas Duane Lister Jr.; June 24, 1958 – December 10, 2020) was an American character actor and occasional professional wrestling, professional wrestler known for his roles as the neighborhood bully Deebo in ...
) to his homeworld, Qo'noS. Following that success, the ship and crew are ordered to begin a deep space exploration mission.[ At launch, the vessel was limited to a maximum speed of warp 5 and was equipped with an experimental transporter.] The ship was launched three weeks ahead of schedule on April 16, 2151,[ and several of its weapon systems were not yet online but it was equipped with polarized hull plating as a defensive measure. It was not until the following month while in combat with an unknown foe that its spatial torpedoes were calibrated; and the phase cannons were installed in the following September.]
The exploration mission was temporarily cancelled in the final episode of the first season, "Shockwave
In physics, a shock wave (also spelled shockwave), or shock, is a type of propagating disturbance that moves faster than the local speed of sound in the medium. Like an ordinary wave, a shock wave carries energy and can propagate through a me ...
", following the destruction of a colony after a shuttlepod from ''Enterprise'' ignited the atmosphere. The ship was recalled to Earth, but after an investigation showed that the Suliban were responsible, the mission resumed. In "Minefield
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
", ''Enterprise'' suffered a hull breach from a Romulan
The Romulans () are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. They first appeared in the series ''Star Trek'' (1966–1969). They have appeared in most subsequent ''Star Trek'' releases, including '' The A ...
mine, but the crew was informed of a nearby repair facility where the breach was repaired in " Dead Stop". Following the failure of a plasma injector in the warp drive, the ship had to make a detour to the Kreetassan homeworld in "A Night in Sickbay
"A Night In Sickbay" is the thirty-first episode of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', the fifth episode of season two. It first aired on October 16, 2002 on the UPN within the United States. The episode wa ...
".
The Delphic Expanse
In the episode "The Expanse
Expanse or The Expanse may refer to:
Media and entertainment
''The Expanse'' franchise
* ''The Expanse'' (novel series), a series of science fiction novels by James S. A. Corey
* ''The Expanse'' (TV series), a television adaptation of the ...
", the final episode of the second season, ''Enterprise'' was recalled once again to Earth following an attack by the Xindi resulting in the deaths of seven million people, mostly in Florida. The ship and crew were given a new mission, to go into the Delphic Expanse
Several films and episodes of the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek'' are set in distinct astrographical regions of space. Some of these fictional locations exhibit anomalous physical properties; others are defined as sensitive buffer zones ...
and track down the Xindi to prevent the use of a greater weapon that would destroy Earth. Before departure, the ship was equipped with photonic torpedoes, a new command centre and took on board a detachment of Military Assault Command Operations (MACO) soldiers. During the year-long mission in the expanse, the ship and its crew searched for the location of the Xindi superweapon. During this time, ''Enterprise'' was repeatedly damaged by the spatial anomalies in the area, which appear to be caused by several alien-built moon-sized spheres. The ship suffers a further hull breach and other damage during the events of "Chosen Realm
"Chosen Realm" is the 12th episode from the third season of the science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. The series's 64th episode, it first aired on January 14, 2004. ''Enterprise'' is taken over by a group of religious zealot ...
" when the ship and crew are caught up in the Triannon civil war.
While investigating a possible location of the superweapon in "Azati Prime
"Azati Prime" is the eighteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Enterprise'', the 70th overall. The episode was written by Manny Coto from a story developed by Coto, Rick Berman and B ...
", ''Enterprise'' was severely damaged by several Xindi vessels and its warp coil was destroyed. This necessitates the crew stealing a warp coil from an Illyrian vessel in the following episode "Damage
Damage is any change in a thing, often a physical object, that degrades it away from its initial state. It can broadly be defined as "changes introduced into a system that adversely affect its current or future performance".Farrar, C.R., Sohn, H., ...
" as without it the ship could not travel at warp and intercept the Xindi weapon. Following that acquisition, the ship and crew is approached by a version of ''Enterprise'' that had been sent 117 years into the past and has become a generational ship
A generation ship, or generation starship, is a hypothetical type of interstellar ark starship that travels at sub-speed of light, light speed. Since such a ship might require hundreds to thousands of years to reach nearby stars, the original occ ...
attempting not to disrupt the timeline. The crew of the two versions of ''Enterprise'' work together and enable the present-day ''Enterprise'' to enter a subspace corridor to allow Captain Jonathan Archer
Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. He is the protagonist of the television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', where he is portrayed by Scott Bakula.
Archer is the commanding officer of the first starship ' ...
(Scott Bakula
Scott Stewart Bakula (; born October 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in two science-fiction television series: as Sam Beckett on ''Quantum Leap'' and as Captain Jonathan Archer on ''Star Trek: Enterprise''. For ''Quantum L ...
) to meet with the Xindi Council. The whereabouts of the future ''Enterprise'' are unknown, but there is speculation as to whether it was destroyed or ceased to exist.
After locating the Xindi weapon in " The Council", the weapon was launched in "Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
" with ''Enterprise'' in pursuit. While Captain Archer leads a boarding party onto the weapon in the final episode of third season, " Zero Hour", ''Enterprise'' is commanded by T'Pol
T'Pol () is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Portrayed by Jolene Blalock in the series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', she is a Vulcan who serves as the science officer aboard the starship ''Enterprise'' (NX-01).
Concept and cr ...
(Jolene Blalock
Jolene Blalock (born March 5, 1975) is an American actress and model. She is best known for playing Vulcan first officer and science officer T'Pol on the UPN science-fiction series '' Star Trek: Enterprise''. Her other work includes guest-star ...
) who directs it to a nearby sphere and Commander Tucker modifies the ship's deflector dish to use it as a weapon to destroy the sphere. Despite the interference of several Sphere Builders, the modifications destroy the sphere and set off a chain reaction destroying all the other spheres within the Expanse. ''Enterprise'' rendezvous with Archer's away team and it is revealed to the crew that Archer failed to make it off the superweapon before its destruction. The heavily damaged ship is returned to Earth inside a Xindi-Aquatic vessel. Upon arrival, the crew find that the events of the Temporal Cold War
''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...
have overtaken them and the vessel is sent back in time to an alternative 20th century where Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
has successfully invaded the United States. After the crew defeat the alien Vosk ( Jack Gwaltney) and recover Captain Archer, the ship is returned to its correct time by Temporal Agent Daniels (Matt Winston
Matthew Winston is an American actor. He is the son of special effects artist Stan Winston.
Career
Winston's television appearances include the HBO dramas '' Six Feet Under'' and '' John from Cincinnati'', and as Crewman Daniels in '' Star T ...
) in " Storm Front".
The Coalition of Planets and the Romulan War
Following the Xindi mission, ''Enterprise'' undergoes repairs and upgrades in "Home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. H ...
". In "Daedalus
In Greek mythology, Daedalus (, ; Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin: ''Daedalus''; Etruscan: ''Taitale'') was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. He is the father of Icarus, the uncle of Perdix, an ...
", Dr. Emory Erickson (Bill Cobbs
William Francisco Cobbs (born June 16, 1934) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in movies such as Louisiana Slim in '' The Hitter'' (1979), Water in ''The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), and as Lewis Coleman on ''I'll Fly Aw ...
), the inventor of the device, performed an upgrade on the transporter. Further upgrades occurred to the plasma injector in the warp drive, allowing ''Enterprise'' to reach a cruising speed of warp 5.02 and an emergency speed of warp 5.2.[ While carrying a ]Tellarite
''Star Trek'' is a science fiction media franchise that began with Gene Roddenberry's launch of the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star Trek'' television series in 1966. Its success led to decades of films, novels, comics, and spinof ...
Ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to a conference on Babel One, the ship is diverted due to attacks on several nearby vessels. It is discovered to be a Romulan vessel that uses holograms to change its external appearance. The attacks are explained in "The Aenar
"The Aenar" is the fourteenth episode of the Star Trek: Enterprise (season 4), fourth season of the American science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', and originally aired on February 11, 2005. It ...
" as being an attempt by the Romulans to provoke a war between the Andorians and the Tellarites, but instead ''Enterprise'' is used as the location for peace talks and is also one of a fleet of vessels used to create a sensor grid to track down the Romulan ship. This temporary alliance between the humans, Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites becomes known as the Coalition of Planets.
''Enterprise'' returns to Earth once more and Commander Tucker transfers to the USS ''Columbia'' in "Affliction
Affliction or Afflicted may refer to:
Books
* ''Affliction'' (novel), a 2013 Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novel by Laurell K. Hamilton
* ''Affliction'', a novel by Russell Banks, basis of the 1998 film
Film and TV
* ''Affliction'' (1997 film), ...
". He is later reinstated as Chief Engineer to ''Enterprise'' in the following episode, "Divergence
In vector calculus, divergence is a vector operator that operates on a vector field, producing a scalar field giving the quantity of the vector field's source at each point. More technically, the divergence represents the volume density of the ...
", after the two vessels undergo a dangerous high warp zip line
A zip-line, zip line, zip-wire, flying fox, or death slide is a pulley suspended on a cable, usually made of stainless steel, mounted on a slope. It is designed to enable cargo or a person propelled by gravity to travel from the top to the bott ...
transfer after ''Enterprise''s warp drive is sabotaged by Klingons. A Mirror Universe
The Mirror Universe is the setting of several narratives in the '' Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, a parallel universe existing alongside, but separate from, the fictional universe that is the main setting of ''Star Trek''. It resembles ...
version of ''Enterprise'' is seen in the first part of "In a Mirror, Darkly
"In a Mirror, Darkly" is the eighteenth and nineteenth episodes of the Star Trek: Enterprise (season 4), fourth season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', and originally aired on April 22 and 29 ...
" under the command of Captain Maximilian Forest (Vaughn Armstrong
Vaughn Dale Armstrong (born July 7, 1950) is an American actor. He is noted for portraying many characters in the '' Star Trek'' franchise, in four ''Star Trek'' television series. He is perhaps best known as the recurring character Admiral ...
). The ship is destroyed in combat with Tholians
"The Tholian Web" is the ninth episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series (season 3), third season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek''. Written by Judy Burns and Chet Richards and dir ...
shortly after a mutiny
Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...
by Commander Archer. In "Demons
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...
" and "Terra Prime
"Terra Prime" is the 21st episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', and originally aired on May 13, 2005. The story was developed by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, along with ...
", ''Enterprise'' travels back to Earth to resolve a crisis with a terrorist cell called Terra Prime, which seeks to remove all alien influence from Earth.
The Romulan war was not seen on screen, but instead has been described in the non-canon novel '' The Romulan War: Beneath the Raptor's Wing'' by Michael A. Martin, and subsequent follow-up books. The events of the episode " These Are the Voyages..." on board ''Enterprise'' are set six years after those seen in "Terra Prime" in 2161, but are actually related in the holodeck
The Holodeck is a fictional device from the television franchise ''Star Trek'' which uses "holograms" (projected light and electromagnetic energy which create the illusion of solid objects) to create a realistic 3D simulation of a real or imag ...
on board ''Enterprise''-D during the events of the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode " The Pegasus". Following the Romulan war, ''Enterprise'' is diverted en route to Earth where is it due to be present for the signing of the Federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
charter. The non-canon Shatnerverse novel '' Captain's Glory'' states that following its decommissioning, ''Enterprise'' was placed into the orbit of Pluto
Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...
as a museum piece.
Other appearances
''Enterprise'' appeared in the video games '' Star Trek: Encounters'' and '' Star Trek: Legacy'', both released in 2006. It is the first vessel that the player controls in each storyline, before moving onto the USS ''Enterprise'' seen in ''The Original Series'' and later depictions. The most recent appearance of ''Enterprise'' was as a model in a collection depicting the history of flight in Fleet Admiral Alexander Marcus' (Peter Weller
Peter Weller (born June 24, 1947) is an American film and stage actor, television director, and art historian.
He has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including ''RoboCop'' (1987) and its sequel ''RoboCop 2'' (1990), in whic ...
) office in ''Star Trek Into Darkness
''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the sequel to the 2 ...
'' (2013). It was placed next to other historical vessels such as the ''Wright Flyer
The ''Wright Flyer'' (also known as the ''Kitty Hawk'', ''Flyer'' I or the 1903 ''Flyer'') made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft—an airplane—on December 17, 1903. Invented and flown b ...
'', the Space Shuttle and the ''NX-Alpha''.
Reception and commentary
There was a negative fan reaction to the design of ''Enterprise'', and criticism of the efforts of Drexler and the other designers. When questioned about this, Geoffrey Mandel stated in an interview, "Having been around then, I also know that Doug Drexler and John Eaves did EXACTLY what the producers asked them to: Rick and Braga had very strong opinions, and knew exactly what they wanted."
Allan Johnson, while writing for the ''Chicago Tribune'', said that ''Enterprise'' looked "sleeker and less cheesy than the original 'Trek'." Johnson added that although it contained technology that wasn't as advanced as that seen in the earlier ''Star Trek'' series set in the 24th century, it "still maintains a techno-savvy, post-1960s 'Trek' flair."[ David Kronke in the Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles ''Daily News'', said that the sets were "largely gun-metal gray, representing a sort of retro-futurism – sort of what might've happened if '50s sci-fi design cliches had had today's technology to work with" and that the consoles had a "simpler mechanical feel".][ ] In his review of "Broken Bow" for ''The Washington Post'', David Segal described ''Enterprise''s speed of warp 4 as slower than a Hyundai Motor Company , Hyundai.
In 2018, Io9/Gizmodo ranked the NX-01 fictional spacecraft design shown in this episode, as the 7th best version of starship ''Enterprise'' of the ''Star Trek'' franchise. They felt that it both felt familiar as an ''Enterprise'' design, but also had its own look.
In 2019, Syfy, SyFy ranked the fictional starship design, the NX-01 ''Enterprise'' as the 8th best version of the starship in the ''Star Trek'' science fiction universe.
Models and toy lines
The initial figure range by Art Asylum
Minimates are a block-styled miniature action figure originally created by Art Asylum in 2002 and now released by Diamond Select Toys. The basic Minimate figure design has a tall body that resembles an extremely simplified human form with 14 point ...
each shipped with an ''Enterprise'' bridge console. They slotted together to form a bridge diorama. The actual ''Enterprise'' was also released by Art Asylum, and debuted at the 2002 New York Toy Fair. Following the acquisition of Art Asylum by Diamond Select Toys
Diamond Select Toys was founded in 1999 by sister company Diamond Comics Distributors to create collectibles for adult collectors, and has since licensed a variety of pop culture properties, including Marvel Comics, ''Star Wars'', ''Star Trek'', ' ...
in 2007, the company continued to release ''Enterprise'' toys. These included both the main television version and a Mirror Universe configuration as seen in "In A Mirror, Darkly".
''Enterprise'' has also been released as part of model lines. These include a 350:1 scale replica of the CGI model by QMx. It features more than 150 LEDs, sound effects and a signed plaque by Doug Drexler. Each QMx model takes 150 hours to make and was limited to a production run of 1,000 units. QMx also produced the models seen in ''Star Trek Into Darkness'', including the one of ''Enterprise''. ''Enterprise'' has also been released as a model kit by Round 2 Models as part of their Polar Lights line. These include both the version seen in the television series, and the refit design intended for season five.
Notes
References
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External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Enterprise (Nx-01)
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek spacecraft, Enterprise-1