USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B)
What is USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B)?
History of USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B)
The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B) was a 23rd century Federation Excelsior-class starship operated by Starfleet. This was the third Federation ship to bear the name Enterprise. On stardate 9715.5, in the year 2293, the Enterprise-B was commissioned. During its construction a piece of the USS Enterprise-A was incorporated, as the last ship to bear the name. Soon thereafter, the starship was launched under the command of Captain John Harriman from a drydock orbiting Earth. The ship was christened with a bottle of Dom Pérignon, vintage 2265. Honored guests aboard for the ship's maiden voyage included Captains James T. Kirk, Montgomery Scott and Commander Pavel Chekov, all of the decommissioned USS Enterprise-A crew, along with many Federation News Service journalists. The vessel was still incomplete at the time of launch and did not have a medical staff, photon torpedoes, or a tractor beam, all of which were scheduled for delivery the following Tuesday. The dignitaries were given a tour of the ship, which impressed even Scott (a noted critic of the Excelsior-class). Harriman requested that Captain Kirk give the order to get underway, and he accepted. Demora Sulu – a recent Academy graduate – served as helmsman, prompting Kirk to comment "It wouldn't be the Enterprise without a Sulu at the helm." Her first journey was mostly for publicity purposes, and the ship was not scheduled to venture much past Pluto. However, the Enterprise-B was the only ship in range capable of responding to a distress call from two Federation transport ships, the SS Lakul and the SS Robert Fox. The ships, which were carrying El-Aurian refugees, had become trapped in an energy distortion called the Nexus. Because the Enterprise lacked equipment necessary to rescue the ships, the Robert Fox was destroyed before the Enterprise could transport its passengers. Only 47 survivors were brought aboard from the Lakul before it, too, was destroyed. Chekov served as a makeshift medical officer, enlisting several of the journalists to help treat survivors including Guinan, future bartender on the USS Enterprise-D, and Tolian Soran. The Enterprise itself became ensnared within the Nexus when she maneuvered within transporter range of the Lakul. Scott devised a plan to use a resonance burst from the deflector dish in order to simulate an antimatter explosion and free the Enterprise. Kirk went to deflector control to make necessary modifications as the Enterprise's engineering hull was struck by an energy tendril; Harriman was going to do it himself, but Kirk took the role instead, deciding that Harriman, as the ship's captain, was needed on the bridge, and in the captain's chair. The Enterprise escaped with minor casualties and a hull breach along Sections 20 through 28 on Decks 13 through 15. Kirk was believed killed in the breach, and the mission became notorious because of his loss. Sometime between its launch in 2293 and 2344, the Enterprise-B was succeeded by the Ambassador-class USS Enterprise-C.
