Their layover for repairs predates its destruction. Was it that specific ship name or the continuity of mentioning this name twice that surprised you?
Hey, I never noticed that before....
- Thread starter Warped9
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I was just surprised at it's mention at that time in the series. Also, it isn't stated that it's an all-Vulcan ship until "The Immunity Syndrome."
The gap between the two episodes is ~1350 stardates, or ~ 1 year, 4 months, in-universe. In real world, the airdate gap is ~11 months. So, we have either the Intrepid is already staffed by ~400 Vulcans (is the Captain Human such as 'Science' Captain Krasnovsky or Vulcan?; probably Vulcan since the environmental conditions would be very hot and thin air - but that's a different discussion.
), or sometime over the next year, the Intrepid is assigned to be crewed by Vulcan much like the Enterprise being crewed by Earth. I think the later is more feasible since during Court Martial, Starfleet was still under United Earth (UE), and a few episodes later, The United Federation of Planets (UFP) was ginned up and became the new governance for Starfleet. YMMV 
Or, sometime the Enterprise undertook missions directly for Earth, and other times for the Federation. A Vulcan ship might similarly perform mission in the interest of Vulcan, while occasional be on Federation missions.Starfleet was still under United Earth (UE), and a few episodes later, The United Federation of Planets (UFP) was ginned up and became the new governance for Starfleet. YMMV
For me... the Enterprise is not on a normal Starfleet mission, this is a mission of exploration outside of the Federation. Currently the mission is funded by and under the guidance of the United Earth Space Probe Agency... but that doesn't mean all of Starfleet is as well.
Lets take a real world example, Coast Guard Cutter missions in the Arctic funded by the National Science Foundation. The existence of a mission like that does not imply that the whole of the Coast Guard falls under the auspices of the National Science Foundation, nor should the mission of the Enterprise suggest that the whole of Starfleet falls under the United Earth Space Probe Agency.
Besides, it sure sounded like earlier missions of this type might have been funded by the Vulcan Science Academy (the Vulcanian Expedition), which would make it unsurprising that there would be starships like the Intrepid with Vulcan crews taking part.
That is how I've always viewed it, but to each their own.
Lets take a real world example, Coast Guard Cutter missions in the Arctic funded by the National Science Foundation. The existence of a mission like that does not imply that the whole of the Coast Guard falls under the auspices of the National Science Foundation, nor should the mission of the Enterprise suggest that the whole of Starfleet falls under the United Earth Space Probe Agency.
Besides, it sure sounded like earlier missions of this type might have been funded by the Vulcan Science Academy (the Vulcanian Expedition), which would make it unsurprising that there would be starships like the Intrepid with Vulcan crews taking part.
That is how I've always viewed it, but to each their own.
I agree. Starfleet is a consortium of planets, and each has their own ships that are part of it. It's similar to NATO.
As a former US Coast Guard Petty Officer, I've always viewed Starfleet as being closest to the USCG in general.
Except for the times when they aren't.
Starships orbiting the border of the Federation, going in concentric circles just a little bit farther at a time than anyone has gone before.
Seems an odd tactic to me. The Enterprise was all over the map in its missions. Colonies. Starbases. Federation worlds. Unexplored space. Where ever its orders take it.
I wonder if a compromise was reached to satisfy both those who felt that ships like the Enterprise should defend existing Federation interests and those who wished to expand horizons and discover new things.
Probably. Allows for a variety of stories,
UESPA could be how Human ships (like the Enterprise) are built and supported, but other member's ships are supported by their own member worlds. The Federation might not build ships directly, the ships used in Starfleet come from the member worlds.
Starfleet by observation have a lot of different duties and missions, exploration would be one of many activities. When the Federation gains a new member, knowledge of what they have explored would be added to the Federation's data base.
We've seen the Enterprise explore new worlds, and we've seen the Enterprise engage in combat, and we've seen the Enterprise run brides to their weddings.
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Would it really be practical to dedicate each ship for a specific purpose? I would think that ships like the Enterprise exist to deliver a specific set of capabilities, and could be used to provide those capabilities for specific missions, but I can't think of any reason that she shouldn't defend existing interests when she's not exploring.
It depends on what's most needed at any given time, I suppose. A resourceful crew can pivot when necessary, ship design limitations aside.
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