We hear that the Enterprise is the Flagship of the Federation in more than one episode. In what sense is this true? No officer of flag rank serves on the Enterprise, and it is not in command of a squadron of other ships. Why is it called a flagship? Who's flag is on the Enterprise?
Flagship Status
- Thread starter Tralis
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"The Federation flagship" is just a 24th-Century term to describe the Starfleet vessel that will represent the Federation the most in major foreign affairs, IMO. The Enterprise-D may have been the first starship to receive the designation as far as we know.
Otherwise, there are likely plenty of other ships that serve as flagships in the more traditional sense of carrying a particular admiral's flag.
Otherwise, there are likely plenty of other ships that serve as flagships in the more traditional sense of carrying a particular admiral's flag.
And that will be the lead ship (or one out of a select few) in any kind of conflict or battle.
Maniarek.
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I always found it puzzling they only ever referred to one flagship in TNG. Considering the vastness of Federation territory (number of worlds and members), surely there would've been more in the fleet. Greater realism IMO. I know they had to confer that status solely to E-D because it's the featured ship of the main cast and show, but having 4-5 other flagships pursuing other roles would not have made a difference to anything, just been more realistic IMO.
The E-D could’ve been (and indeed was) the flagship vessel for first-contact and trade visits, and they could’ve have had another militarised Galaxy-class vessel as the flagship for military affairs (even though the E-D was armed to the teeth).
Maniarek.
The E-D could’ve been (and indeed was) the flagship vessel for first-contact and trade visits, and they could’ve have had another militarised Galaxy-class vessel as the flagship for military affairs (even though the E-D was armed to the teeth).
Maniarek.
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Perhaps in the absence of an admiral or direct orders from Command, the captain of the Federation flagship might carry more seniority than other captains.
But otherwise, I view "the Federation flagship" as just an honorific--unique to the 24th-Century Starfleet--and really doesn't carry much more weight than it describing Starfleet's most highly visible starship. Other vessels could easily serve as command ships elsewhere throughout the fleet during times of crisis and that seemed to be the case at Wolf 359 (Admiral Hanson's ship), the Second Borg Offensive (Admiral Hayes' ship), and perhaps most of the Dominion War (likely the Defiant).
But they didn't.
The Federation might have had only one flagship. Starfleet had several, though:
In time-honored tradition, whenever an Admiral took command of a starship formation or an operation, she or he adopted a specific starship as her or his flagship. Like said above, Admirals Hanson and Hayes had specific ships they used for commanding their fights against the Borg. Those would only be flagships as long as the admirals utilized them as such, of course: any random ship could be put to flagship use at any moment, although some ships would no doubt be more suited for it than others.
I'd disagree on the original Defiant ever having been a flagship of any sort, though. Admiral Ross never set foot on her AFAWK, and she was never referred to as anybody's flagship. Captain Sisko sometimes told other starships what to do while sitting on the command chair of the Defiant, but there's little reason to think other skippers didn't do likewise, without their ships becoming any more "flagshippy" than the Defiant was. Sisko may have planned a few big fights, but their actual theater command may have been handled by proper flagships with trained flag officers aboard them.
The second Defiant never had Admirals aboard during missions, either, nor did she participate in missions where Sisko would have commanded starship formations or even been credited with planning the attacks.
Timo Saloniemi
In this sense, flagship could probably be used interchangeably with "lead ship" and the Defiant certainly served in that capacity during Operation: Return and the Battle of Cardassia.
I think a distinction has to be made between Federation flagship and Starfleet flagships that host admirals and lead fleets in times of war.
It may be that there's an emphasis on referring to the Enterprise-D as "the Federation flagship" to distinguish it from other flagships or command ships conducting business elsewhere in the fleet.
Unlikely. It presumably was a title bestowed upon the ship by Starfleet, for I don't think Picard would be one to brag except that he had the finest crew in Starfleet.
In any event, Commander Hutchinson of Arkaria Base referred to the Enterprise as "the flagship" in Starship Mine. Admiral Nechayev called her "the Federation flagship" in Chain of Command. The Ansata terrorist leader Finn also addressed her as "the Federation flagship" in The High Ground. There are probably a few other instances...
In any event, Commander Hutchinson of Arkaria Base referred to the Enterprise as "the flagship" in Starship Mine. Admiral Nechayev called her "the Federation flagship" in Chain of Command. The Ansata terrorist leader Finn also addressed her as "the Federation flagship" in The High Ground. There are probably a few other instances...
Even that may have been generally accepted within Starfleet, considering the prestige that being assigned to the Enterprise carries, as mentioned numerous times over the course of TNG.
As one example, in "The Drumhead," Admiral Norah Satie refers to the Enterprise as "the flagship of the Federation."
"Do you think J'Dan could have come onboard the flagship of the Federation and accomplished what he did without help from within?"
Watching that episode right now.
Keep in mind TNG writers don't know bugger-all about the military.
I assume they were using the term the same way civilian organizations use it. Such as when a cruise line calls their best ship the flagship of their line; or when a car manufacturer refers to their best-selling car as their flagship vehicle.
I assume they were using the term the same way civilian organizations use it. Such as when a cruise line calls their best ship the flagship of their line; or when a car manufacturer refers to their best-selling car as their flagship vehicle.
Macy's Flagship store in New York doesn't "out rank" any of the other Macy's retail stores in the United States, but it is universally known as the company's "Flagship" store because it is the largest, fanciest, and most well known. I think that the flagship status of the Enterprise works the same way.
At the end of the day, the Enterprise name is what makes it the flagship, because we would never settle for it being anything less.
At the end of the day, the Enterprise name is what makes it the flagship, because we would never settle for it being anything less.
Why not? None of the earlier Enterprises held any sort of flagship status.
Indeed, part of the fun of TOS lay in Kirk's ship being a mere cog in a vast machine called Starfleet, in Kirk being an employee in an organization that could send him to the edges of the galaxy on a whim, subject him to all sorts of bureaucratic abuse, expect the impossible of him and demand that he smile while doing it. The hero was all the more heroic for not enjoying any sort of a special status in his organization.
The E-D was the only Enterprise ever referred to as a Federation flagship, or indeed flagship of any color. The original had Admiral Kirk in command for a very short while in ST2 and the opening scenes of ST3, but that's as close as any of those ships came to flagship status.
Timo Saloniemi
Indeed, part of the fun of TOS lay in Kirk's ship being a mere cog in a vast machine called Starfleet, in Kirk being an employee in an organization that could send him to the edges of the galaxy on a whim, subject him to all sorts of bureaucratic abuse, expect the impossible of him and demand that he smile while doing it. The hero was all the more heroic for not enjoying any sort of a special status in his organization.
The E-D was the only Enterprise ever referred to as a Federation flagship, or indeed flagship of any color. The original had Admiral Kirk in command for a very short while in ST2 and the opening scenes of ST3, but that's as close as any of those ships came to flagship status.
Timo Saloniemi
And I think it is the fact that Kirk made the original Enterprise so well known throughout the galaxy that the Federation decided to continue making Enterprise's and calling it their "flagship." Think of in TUC, where they specifically said that they were sending Enterprise because no one would dare make a move against Enterprise under Kirk's command. It makes the most sense to me that they were only calling the Enterprise D the flagship because of the prestige the name carried. It was the most well known ship and I assume they always made sure it was a top of the line vessel as well.
As for none of the previous Enterprise's being called "flagship", we only see the B and C once each. If they had been considered flagships in-universe we wouldn't have known. I agree that the original and A weren't flagships, but I feel as if by the time the B and C rolled around, the term "flagship" probably already was given to Enterprise. Why else would the maiden voyage of the B and Kirk's presence on board have been so important that they had all that press on site.
As for none of the previous Enterprise's being called "flagship", we only see the B and C once each. If they had been considered flagships in-universe we wouldn't have known. I agree that the original and A weren't flagships, but I feel as if by the time the B and C rolled around, the term "flagship" probably already was given to Enterprise. Why else would the maiden voyage of the B and Kirk's presence on board have been so important that they had all that press on site.
The press attends birthings of cute bear cubs, and considers pop stars major social figures. For all we know, they only attended the E-B launch because they heard Kirk would be on board, and Kirk was a controversial celebrity even though the starship was irrelevant.
The reason Starfleet went for all this "Enterprise name is eternal and she gets to keep the registry, too" nonsense could be quite complicated and illogical; things like this tend to be. The -A came to be because Starfleet was forced to be nice to Kirk at a time they would rather have keelhauled him. Giving Kirk a replica starship of an outdated and useless type was the perfect solution, and the -A registry was an inevitable consequence (a full replica registry wouldn't have been approved by the bureaucrats). That there was a -B could well be because of a publicity trick: a delayed, over-the-budget monster of a starship would be given a positive spin by pretending that it was "the next Enterprise", and even inviting Kirk to the launching ceremonies. Once that trick worked, Starfleet would see no reason to abandon it, and there'd be a -C. But once that one blew, and the name got jinxed, there would be no further Enterprises for twenty years. So, when the next one was named, they had to invent further positive-sounding nonsense, so they came up with the "Federation flagship" concept...
Timo Saloniemi
The reason Starfleet went for all this "Enterprise name is eternal and she gets to keep the registry, too" nonsense could be quite complicated and illogical; things like this tend to be. The -A came to be because Starfleet was forced to be nice to Kirk at a time they would rather have keelhauled him. Giving Kirk a replica starship of an outdated and useless type was the perfect solution, and the -A registry was an inevitable consequence (a full replica registry wouldn't have been approved by the bureaucrats). That there was a -B could well be because of a publicity trick: a delayed, over-the-budget monster of a starship would be given a positive spin by pretending that it was "the next Enterprise", and even inviting Kirk to the launching ceremonies. Once that trick worked, Starfleet would see no reason to abandon it, and there'd be a -C. But once that one blew, and the name got jinxed, there would be no further Enterprises for twenty years. So, when the next one was named, they had to invent further positive-sounding nonsense, so they came up with the "Federation flagship" concept...
Timo Saloniemi
That sounds too much like you're TRYING to make it a negative thing. Plus, I'd like to point out that by making an over budget "monster of a ship" seem better by calling it "the next enterprise" the Enterprise would first have to be a famous, well known, and well liked ship.
In-universe aside, these are the heroes of the show. I'm certain the writers wouldn't have made it a negative thing if they addressed it in the series. Everything about the opening scene in Generations points towards it being an actual positive thing going on. Considering, like I had mentioned before, about how Starfleet thought of Enterprise in TUC and how they seemed to think the galaxy thought of Enterprise and her crew, it makes sense for them to want another Enterprise to keep in their arsenal simply for what came attached to the name.
As for the 19 year gap between C and D, do we know how long it could take to plan, design, and build a starship? Not to mention the Enterprise D wasn't the first of her class, they'd have to take care of getting the Galaxy out of the way before moving on to the Enterprise D. It is plenty possible that the plan was to retire the C around or just before 2363 to make way for the new Galaxy class ships including the Enterprise D, and that those plans were in place by 2344, and the Enterprise C simply went before her time. In that case they could have decided to leave the plan in place and wait for the Galaxy class ships rather than make the D a new Ambassador class for that last 19 years until the Galaxy class came out and make that Enterprise the E.
In-universe aside, these are the heroes of the show. I'm certain the writers wouldn't have made it a negative thing if they addressed it in the series. Everything about the opening scene in Generations points towards it being an actual positive thing going on. Considering, like I had mentioned before, about how Starfleet thought of Enterprise in TUC and how they seemed to think the galaxy thought of Enterprise and her crew, it makes sense for them to want another Enterprise to keep in their arsenal simply for what came attached to the name.
As for the 19 year gap between C and D, do we know how long it could take to plan, design, and build a starship? Not to mention the Enterprise D wasn't the first of her class, they'd have to take care of getting the Galaxy out of the way before moving on to the Enterprise D. It is plenty possible that the plan was to retire the C around or just before 2363 to make way for the new Galaxy class ships including the Enterprise D, and that those plans were in place by 2344, and the Enterprise C simply went before her time. In that case they could have decided to leave the plan in place and wait for the Galaxy class ships rather than make the D a new Ambassador class for that last 19 years until the Galaxy class came out and make that Enterprise the E.
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