ENTERPRISE (NX-01)

The '''Enterprise'' (NX-01)' is a fictional starship in the science fiction television series ''. It is commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula).

Contents

History

Technology

Subsequent developments

Warp 5 limit

Alternate timelines

Mirror Universe

Appearance in computer games

Senior Officers

References

External links

History

Commissioned in 2151, ''Enterprise'' NX-01 was the first starship of the NX class, Starfleet's first long-range exploration vessels with a theoretical top speed of warp 5, considerably faster than any other human vessels of the era.
Captain Archer made first contact with the Suliban, Tholians, Klingons, and Romulans, among others, although few of these encounters were peaceful. ''Enterprise'' established a human presence in previously uncharted regions of space, bringing together the Andorians and Vulcans—two species who had been on the verge of war for years.
The starship ''Enterprise'' was pivotal in defending Earth from a dangerous alien species known as the Xindi in 2153-2154. The ship suffered severe damage during the mission and the crew suffered heavy casualties, but managed to return to Earth after an unexpected detour to an alternate version of 1944 in which Nazi Germany had conquered the eastern United States; although the vessel did not land during that mission, it was brought within tens of meters from the ground in order to help restore the timeline.

Technology

The NX-01 utilizes the dual-nacelle design that was first employed by Cochrane's Phoenix.
The NX-01 was originally armed with plasma cannons and Triton-class spatial torpedoes,^[2] and protected by polarized hull plating. Later upgrades saw the ''Enterprise'' fitted with more powerful weapons, with plasma cannons being replaced by 3 phase cannons rated for a maximum power output of 500 gigajoules and the spatial torpedoes with photonic torpedoes.^[3] These new weapons systems were still in the experimental stage. Unlike vessels in later eras, ''Enterprise'' was not equipped with a defensive energy shielding (shields were still in development^[4]). Instead, ''Enterprise'' added to the defensive power of the duranium hull through electromagnetic polarization, a form of reactive armor.The front of the saucer section is equipped with a "deflector" that protects the ship from space dust and other particles that would otherwise cause significant damage at faster-than-light speeds.
The ''Enterprise'' carried two shuttlepods tentatively titled Shuttlepods One and Two. ''Enterprise'' also had one of the first transporters authorized for biological transportation, however it was used sparingly in the first two years of the ship's mission due to crew fears over the dangers of its use. The transporter came into more common use during and after the mission to the Delphic Expanse.

Subsequent developments

According to the episode "Fortunate Son", three additional NX class ships were planned as of 2151 after the NX-01. A second warp 5 starship, ''Columbia'' NX-02, was launched in November of 2154, commanded by Captain Erika Hernandez (A.G. Robinson, who was supposed to captain the ship, died in a climbing accident on Mount McKinley), and came to the aid of the NX-01 when it was sabotaged by Klingons in one episode.
In the time period following the conclusion of the '' television series and the founding of the United Federation of Planets, development of Warp 7-capable ships rendered the NX-class obsolete and, in 2161, ''Enterprise'' was decommissioned soon after the signing of the Federation charter. The reason for the decommissioning of ''Enterprise'' was not stated and it is not known if her sister ship Columbia (NX-02) or the other two planned NX vessels were also retired at the same time.

Warp 5 limit

''Enterprise'' is unable to maintain its top speed of Warp 5 for a continued period of time and normally travels at Warp 4.5. The vessel achieved Warp 5 for the first time during the first season episode "Fallen Hero". In the fourth season episode, "Babel One", ''Enterprise'' exceeded Warp 5 for the first time, achieving Warp 5.06 thanks to newly-installed injectors; in the later fourth season episode "", a maximum speed of Warp 5.2 was identified.

Alternate timelines

In an alternate timeline, the NX-01 failed to prevent the Xindi from building a superweapon capable of destroying entire worlds. Earth and all its colonies were destroyed while Starfleet waged a desperate, hopeless war to protect them. The ragtag wagon train of human survivors made their final stand on the world Ceti Alpha V, shepherded by three remaining Starfleet ships: ''Enterprise'', ''Intrepid'', and ''Sydney''. ''Enterprise'' was lost with all hands during the final stand, however this timeline was negated (as chronicled in the episode "").
In another alternate timeline, ''Enterprise'' encountered an anomaly that threw it back in time more than a century. Unable to return to Earth, the vessel became a generational ship, eventually falling under the command of Lorian, the son of T'Pol and Trip Tucker, who eventually intercepted Archer and prevented the NX-01 from being sent back in time. It is assumed that the so-called E2 was wiped from existence but there are hints it might have survived.

Mirror Universe

A Mirror Universe version of the NX-01 called the ''I.S.S. Enterprise'' appeared in the fourth season two-parter, "In a Mirror, Darkly". This version of the vessel had different markings, including yellow markings on the dorsal surface of the saucer section, but was essentially identical to the NX-01, with the exception that it was equipped in 2155 by the mirror Charles Tucker with a cloaking device obtained from the Suliban. In terms of speed, it is not known whether this version of the ship was capable of higher speeds than the NX-01, although dialogue suggests that its maximum speed was less than Warp 7. As this 'Mirror Universe' was more hostile, that ''Enterprise'' was better armed than the normal one. It was also equipped with a tractor beam. This vessel was under the command of Captain Maximilian Forrest until Commander Jonathan Archer assumed command through a mutiny. Forrest soon regained control of the vessel, but it was destroyed by Tholians soon after, along with most of its crew. The only survivors were a limited number of people in escape pods that weren't destroyed by the Tholians.

Appearance in computer games

So far there are two computer games in which the Enterprise NX-01 is featured: ''Star Trek Legacy'' which is available to PC and XBOX360, and '', a shoot 'em up for Playstation 2. Besides these commercial products, a modification set on the ship called is also under development for the first person shooter Half-Life 2.

Senior Officers

★ Commanding Officer - Jonathan Archer

★ First Officer / Science Officer - Sub-Commander T'Pol

★ Chief Engineer - Commander Charles Tucker III / Lt. Commander Kelby

★ Chief Medical Officer - Doctor Phlox

★ Tactical Officer - Lieutenant Malcolm Reed

★ Helm Officer - Ensign Travis Mayweather

★ Communications Officer - Ensign Hoshi Sato

★ MACO Commander - Major Hayes (2153-54)

References

1.
2.
3.
4. However Malcom Reed is able to build a make-shift shield generator in the episode Vox Sola strong enough to hold the being in.

External links