Spoilers NX Class in Beyond

[Captain59]

The Franklin is NX-326, yet was probably not created too long after the NX-01 and NX-02. Assuming the next four ships carried the names of NASA space shuttles as Enterprise and Columbia did--Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour--one would also assume these ships would be NX-03 - NX-06. I find it hard to believe there were 300 more NX ships made until the Franklin was commissioned, so what are possible theories as to why the Franklin is NX-326?

 

[Klondike307]

I think the Franklin, the first earth ship to travel at warp 4, was an United Earth ship built before the NX-01 that was later integrated into Starfleet and given an NX number after the founding of the Federation along with pre NX-01 ships like the Intrepid class and others shown below:

 

[LeadHead]

I agree, since it was the first to reach Warp 4, it must have launched before the NX-01. Based on the timeline Archer spoke of in "First Flight" it would seem that it happened after Duval's successful flight in the NX-Delta and before 5 years later, when they started building Enterprise.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

It isn't an NX class, in fact

Spoiler

There's a shot of the Franklin's dedication plaque which denotes it as 'Starship Class'

 

[Klondike307]

It isn't an NX class, in fact

Spoiler

There's a shot of the Franklin's dedication plaque which denotes it as 'Starship Class'

Maybe after the initial line of NX class ships like Enterprise and Colombia, the NX designation was used for other early Starfleet Vessels and United Earth Starships intigrated into Starfleet when the Federation was formed. Later it would have been changed to the familar NCC prefix. The Franklin itself could also be an experimental ship which would give it an NX designation. The NX prefix is a bit of problem in the Star Trek Canon because up until Enterprise, it was used in a couple of the series to denote a ship's experimental status, not a separate class (Like the Defiant in DS9). Going by this standard, the Enterprise NX-01 designation is proper due to it's being experimental and the first of the line but the Columbia should have been the NCC-02 and the class should have had a proper name.

 

[PRStoetzer]

Didn't the timeline laid out in the movie contradict Enterprise? I believe they said the Franklin was the first Earth ship to reach Warp 4 "in the 2160s" unless I misheard.

There was also a line that indicated the Federation had been around "for centuries" although that's later contradicted in the movie with an accurate timeline.

 

[Stevil2001]

I'm pretty sure they just said it was lost in the 2160s. It could have been launched it the 2140s, and indeed I think the evidence points that way: in addition to the speed thing, it also only has a cargo transporter, whereas the NX-01's transporter was rated for biological matter.

 

[Kelso]

The registry is too high. But if that's the biggest continuity error, I'm pleased as punch. Enterprise's registry didn't make much sense anyway.

 

[MacLeod]

Didn't the timeline laid out in the movie contradict Enterprise? I believe they said the Franklin was the first Earth ship to reach Warp 4 "in the 2160s" unless I misheard.

There was also a line that indicated the Federation had been around "for centuries" although that's later contradicted in the movie with an accurate timeline.

I remeber hearing that line, of course Scotty could have meant Warp 4 on the scale used in that time period after all we know that the scale was recalibrated between TOS and TNG, it could have been recalibrated between ENT and TOS as well..

 

[Mudd]

None of the registries really make sense.

 

[Captain59]

I remeber hearing that line, of course Scotty could have meant Warp 4 on the scale used in that time period after all we know that the scale was recalibrated between TOS and TNG, it could have been recalibrated between ENT and TOS as well..

That's an interesting theory I never thought of...kind of like how they changed the scoring in gymnastics after everyone kept getting 10.0s. The numbers today don't equal what they used to be. Plus, it is a different timeline, as they have a different way of calculating stardates.

 

[KingstonTrekker]

The dates threw me off at first as well. However I think the Franklin was the first Warp 4-capable ship launched pre-2151. The Warp 5 Enterprise NX-01 was then launched in 2151. The Franklin was still in service in 2161 when the Federation was founded and the ship's registry number was changed. The MACO's were disbanded and integrated into the new Federation Starfleet and Edison was given command of the Franklin which was then lost 2161-2164ish.

Edison also referenced fighting the Xindi...since he would have been a MACO during that time he could possibly have been on NX-01 Enterprise which was the ship which sought out the Xindi.

 

[Tosk]

I just chalk it up to Scotty remembering wrong. Not every word out of the characters mouths needs to be taken as gospel.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

Having watched the movie:

- It is definetly from after Archer's time

- It is definatly a Federation starship

- It isn't an NX Class vessel (NX numbers are just registry numbers, and appear on many ships)

Speculation:

- I would guess it is an early class of Federation vessel, made just after the UFP's formation

- The reference to it being the first vessel to achieve warp 4 may be an error on Scotty's part, or....

- The reference to it being the first vessel to achieve warp 4 may simply refer to an older warp scale

 

[KingstonTrekker]

Having watched the movie:

- It is definetly from after Archer's time

- It is definatly a Federation starship

- It isn't an NX Class vessel (NX numbers are just registry numbers, and appear on many ships)

Speculation:

- I would guess it is an early class of Federation vessel, made just after the UFP's formation

- The reference to it being the first vessel to achieve warp 4 may be an error on Scotty's part, or....

- The reference to it being the first vessel to achieve warp 4 may simply refer to an older warp scale

See my post above....and I also watched the movie.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

Yes, that is also a possibility.

 

[Stevil2001]

The dates threw me off at first as well. However I think the Franklin was the first Warp 4-capable ship launched pre-2151. The Warp 5 Enterprise NX-01 was then launched in 2151. The Franklin was still in service in 2161 when the Federation was founded and the ship's registry number was changed. The MACO's were disbanded and integrated into the new Federation Starfleet and Edison was given command of the Franklin which was then lost 2161-2164ish.

Edison also referenced fighting the Xindi...since he would have been a MACO during that time he could possibly have been on NX-01 Enterprise which was the ship which sought out the Xindi.

Yeah, this is my feeling as well: I think it fits all the facts without undue contortion (like, assuming a warp scale recalibration). I was also thinking that Edison may have served on the NX-01, since I don't think there was any other opportunity for a MACO to fight a Xindi.

 

[F. King Daniel]

My understanding is that the Franklin was the first ship to reach warp 4, which means it pre-dates Enterprise NX-01, and went missing in the 2260's.

Built before Enterprise, lost after it.

 

[INACTIVEUSS Einstein]

The only problem with the theory you guys are all going for is that in the TV series ENT, it sounds like there was no intermediate step between the warp 2 engine and warp 5 engine.

 

[KingstonTrekker]

The only problem with the theory you guys are all going for is that in the TV series ENT, it sounds like there was no intermediate step between the warp 2 engine and warp 5 engine.

This is a bit of a stretch...the fact that a Warp 4 engine wasn't mentioned doesn't mean it didn't happen between the Warp 2 and Warp 5 engines. Just go with our theory :-)