Opinion Thread: Did ENT-B and C have a distinguished service?

[Joel_Kirk]

We didn't see much onscreen concerning Harrimann (sp?) or Garrett. (Of course, we get a little of ENT-B's service in the novels).

However, from what I personally read, the ENT has been distinguished since the Pike era.

Even though (onscreen) it seems that Kirk and Picard did more during their careers as commanders of the ENT, would another ship have distinguished itself during ENT B and C's service? (Say the Excelsior, or another ship?)

Picard usually says ENT the flagship of the Federation, but I can't believe that--with all the ships in the Federation--that other ships haven't distinguished themselves as well.

(My question/thought is pretty broad, but I think you get the gist of what I'm trying to say).

 

[Cyke101]

I think the E-D was the first (perhaps only) ship designated as the Federation flagship. I'm not sure if even the E-E had that honor, though I could be wrong.

In TOS, the Enterprise wasn't designated as the flagship, but just the ship that our heroes happened to serve upon. For Abrams film, the Enterprise does become the flagship.

I recall an admiral in TNG telling Picard that every ship named Enterprise had been a legend. The E-C sacrificed itself to avert a war, so she probably earned legendary status (but not necessarily flagship). The E-B thus far hasn't done much except to warrant the next generation to continue the name Enterprise.

 

[Frontier]

I'm not sure where my conclusions come from, but I thought post 5-year mission was when the Enterprise was officially designated the flagship. It was when it's symbol was adopted fleet-wide as the Starfleet insignia, wasn't it? Post V'Ger, it certainly would have been recognized as perhaps the most significant ship and crew. I'm fairly sure if they went to the trouble to continue to make Enterprise 1701-somethings for so many decades, when we rarely ever saw any other ships with an alphanumeric suffix post registry code (no bloody a, b, c or d...) that it had to be for specifial significance.

As far as the B and C having distinguished service, simply because we do not know of them does not mean it wasn't so. Pocket books did some novels where they showed the B and C, and the one I read (with the B) certainly showed her to have lead a long and distuinguished career. I remember a second such, with her new Captain of Demora Sulu being in the works at one point...

Point being, expanding on the back-story between the end of TOS/TMP and the beginning of TNG was never a significant priority for on-screen Trek.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

As far as the B and C having distinguished service, simply because we do not know of them does not mean it wasn't so. Pocket books did some novels where they showed the B and C, and the one I read (with the B) certainly showed her to have lead a long and distuinguished career. I remember a second such, with her new Captain of Demora Sulu being in the works at one point...

You're definitely right on that point.

I guess I'm just wondering: 'Starfleet is a big organization with hundreds or thousands of ships, and only the ENT line gets recognition?'

 

[Red Ranger]

Obviously, we have little evidence, but I'd like to say, yes. Even though the following Picard quote was spoken in an alternate timeline in Yesterday's Enterprise, he does say, "Let's make sure history never forgets the name, Enterprise." That suggests a proud commander wishing to honor past ships of the same name.

But it's also a big galaxy out there. I'm sure other starships in Starfleet's history must have storied crews with great accomplishments. Other ships make first contact with a variety of species, after all, and other ships have probably been involved with interstellar intrigue with the Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians.

As for Captain Harriman, I hope he grew a beard! And I always dug Captain Garrett. Too bad the actress who played her didn't play Captain Janeway.

Red Ranger

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'm sure Enterprises B and C were very worthy of the name. In the novels, they definitely are.

I don't know where I read this but I remember somebody saying that the reason so much time went by between the C's loss and the D's commissioning is that Starfleet, out of respect for the sacrifice of the C's crew, intentionally delayed construction of a replacement vessel until a suitable time of mourning had passed.

 

[Red Ranger]

I'm sure Enterprises B and C were very worthy of the name. In the novels, they definitely are.

I don't know where I read this but I remember somebody saying that the reason so much time went by between the C's loss and the D's commissioning is that Starfleet, out of respect for the sacrifice of the C's crew, intentionally delayed construction of a replacement vessel until a suitable time of mourning had passed.

I think that's the best explanation I've ever heard of the gap between the C's destruction and building the D. -- RR

 

[T'Girl]

The impression I got from watching TOS was that the U.S.S. Lexington, if any ship, was the flagship of the fleet, if not the federation. Commanded by Commadore Wesley (there's that name again) during the fleet wargames in "The Ultimate Computer." It seemed that he also commanded the fleet in general, which would make him perhaps Kirk's direct superior officer.

Garret and the Enterprise Cee certainly died well, and nothing says she was the ship's only captain, there could have a few before her, I don't remember how old the ship was when the Romulans destroyed her (the ship).

 

[Unicron]

IIRC, the TNG Tech Manual suggested that the B had a distinguished career and may have served as a flagship during that time, and FASA suggested that it was finally destroyed in battle (along with a controversy over using the Excelsior design as the next Enterprise). It suggested a completely different origin for the C, as the Ambassador design hadn't been created at that time and it was not established what class the C was. I'd like to think though that this origin could be easily reconciled with the canonical accounts.

 

[SG-17]

Wasn't B the Enterprise in the opening of Generations? If so then being the (at the time) office place of death for James T. Kirk would make it distinguished possibly as a memorial ship.

 

[KeptinChris]

Just going by "Generations" it seems the Enterprise B is properly named, as in B for boring.

 

[T'Girl]

... Enterprise B is properly named, as in B for boring.

So because it was commanded by a Rachael Garrett, that's why the Enterprise C is called the "C"prise.

 

[EmperorTiberius]

I think the E-D was the first (perhaps only) ship designated as the Federation flagship. I'm not sure if even the E-E had that honor, though I could be wrong.

In TOS, the Enterprise wasn't designated as the flagship, but just the ship that our heroes happened to serve upon. For Abrams film, the Enterprise does become the flagship.

I recall an admiral in TNG telling Picard that every ship named Enterprise had been a legend. The E-C sacrificed itself to avert a war, so she probably earned legendary status (but not necessarily flagship). The E-B thus far hasn't done much except to warrant the next generation to continue the name Enterprise.

Yeah, it would be unrealistic if every one of them was a flagship. They probably distinguished themselves, but not like D and the original.

 

[Sci]

For the record, anyone interested in the further adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprises-B and -C should read:

* Star Trek: The Captain's Daughter by Peter David (2293, Excelsior and Enterprise-B)
* Star Trek: The Lost Era: Serpents Among the Ruins by David R. George III (2311, Enterprise-B)
* "Iron and Sacrifice" by David R. George III, from Tales from the Captain's Table edited by Keith R.A. DeCandido (post-2311, about Captain Demora Sulu)
* Star Trek: The Lost Era: Well of Souls by Ilsa J. Bick (2336, Enterprise-C)

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

The Enterprise-B didn't get its distinguished career until Tuesday.

HAAAAR HAAAAR HAAAAAAAR

IT IS FUNNY.

 

[nx1701g]

I seem to recall reading, I think it was in one of the TNG Writer's Bibles, that the Enterprise-B had gone down in history as having had first contact with 17 new species and for exploring the Alpha Quadrant.

The Enterprise-C went down in history because it was the ship that finally brought peace with the Klingon Empire.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I'm sure Enterprises B and C were very worthy of the name. In the novels, they definitely are.

I don't know where I read this but I remember somebody saying that the reason so much time went by between the C's loss and the D's commissioning is that Starfleet, out of respect for the sacrifice of the C's crew, intentionally delayed construction of a replacement vessel until a suitable time of mourning had passed.

I think that's the best explanation I've ever heard of the gap between the C's destruction and building the D. -- RR

Yeah, that idea's been floated around here and there with the added note that the Enterprise-C might have been the first such starship with the name to be lost with all hands aboard...