NCC-1700 was the registry of a Constitution-class Federation starship in the 23rd century.(TOS: "Court Martial"; TNG: "Datalore")
In 2267, NCC-1700 was listed as one of several vessels undergoing repair. Commodore Stone referred to this data when the USS Enterprise arrived at Starbase 11 following an encounter with an ion storm. (TOS: "Court Martial")
Appendices
Background
NCC-1700 among other ships listed on Stone's status chart
NCC-1700 diagram seen in Star Trek II and III
NCC-1700 has never been seen or named in any Star Trek production. The registry number was first seen in "Court Martial" and was associated with a Constitution-class vessel in "Datalore". So for canon purposes, a Constitution-class ship with registry NCC-1700 existed. The Making of Star Trek listed the Constitution as one of fourteen starship names established by the production staff in 1968, but did not identify it by class or registry. The Star Trek Encyclopedia names this ship the USS Constitution, and states that it is the prototype of the Constitution-class.
Of interest is the class name of "Constitution". Although widely believed by fans that the USS Constitution was the prototype of the class, that has not been established in the episodes or movies. The class name first appears to have come up in TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles", where Scotty is seen looking at a technical journal on a desk monitor. The barely-seen graphic depicts a primary phaser from a Constitution-class vessel. here An article by Greg Jein in a 1975 fanzine states this graphic also was used in the staging of TOS: "Space Seed", but it does not appear in the final episode. During that same time, however, drawings of the USS Enterprise reproduced in The Making of Star Trek identified it a "Space Cruiser, Starship Class". It is possible, then, that the technical artwork was originally intended to be from a different class of ship than the Enterprise. Regardless, the class name was finally resolved as "Constitution" and associated with the Enterprise herself for canon purposes in dialog in TNG and on a blueprint visible in the sixth film.
Diagrams seen on monitors of any Constitution-class ship after TOS show a drawing by Franz Joseph of the ship being labeled "NCC-1700". (The Star Trek II and III appearances were scanned from pages of the Star Fleet Technical Manual, for instance.) The complete original drawing (unseen and/or illegible on-screen) in the Star Fleet Technical Manual bears the label "Constitution class" in the accompanying text.
Subtle differences between the depictions of NCC-1700 in the Franz Joseph drawings used, and that of NCC-1701 in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident" lead to the conclusion that there exist some minor design differences between the two ships. The TOS Enterprise had different dimensions than the Franz Joseph Constitution, as Joseph's drawing had bulkier nacelles and different curves on the saucer and primary hull. Joseph's depiction of the Constitution also featured external phaser mounts and other technical details the original Enterprise model lacked. This is not fully evident in the episodes themselves, though, and it is unclear whether the production staff actually intended that such differences exist.
Apocrypha
This vessel has also been mentioned in several non-canon sources, such as licensed publications. The depictions of the ship vary as those sources were created separately from the filmed version.
- Novels:
- "Constitution", "Enterprise", "Crisis on Centaurus", "Cloak", "The Wounded Sky", "The Pandora Principle" and the Star Trek: Errand of Vengeance series (mentioned as "NX-1700", circa 2240s, Admiral William M. Jefferies commanding). The novel "Final Frontier", by Diane Carey, lists the background of the Constitution as NCC-1700, however the contract was drawn prior to certain technological advancements. Rather than changing the contract, Starfleet chose to draw another contract, NCC-1701. Captain Robert April was given discretion as to the name of the vessel, leaning towards the USS Constitution, however George Kirk advised April to name the starship Enterprise for the ideals that the naval ships of that name represented.
- Games and reference works:
- Cadet's Orientation Sourcebook, Federation Starship Recognition Manual, The Federation Sourcebook, The Four Years War, Return to Axanar, Among the Clans: Andorians, Spacedock Ship Recognition Manual (volume 4), Star Fleet Technical Manual
Other sources have listed additional starships that have borne this name:
- USS Constitution (22nd century)
- Torpedoed by the Tarn. (Pocket TNG: "The Forgotten War")
- USS Constitution (NCC-2025)
- Excelsior-class. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual)
- USS Constitution (Galaxy-class)
-
- Commanded by Capt. Jules van Osterlich in 2364. (Pocket TNG: "Infection")
- Commanded by Capt. Tiyo Soya in 2370. (Pocket TNG: "Possession")
- USS Constitution (NCC-41869)
- In an alternate reality, commanded by Capt. Robert Picard. (Pocket TNG: "Forever Dark")
External link
- Template:NCwiki
Template:ConstitutionClassStarships