The Enterprise-E should have had a new crew and captain

[Xerxes1979]

Captain Picard was an explorer and a diplomat, roles in which the battlecruiser/battleship Sovereign class was not as capable as the former Enterprise-D.

Kirk got command of the Enterprise-A because he saved Earth's bacon, how was the "battle" of Veridian III comparable to that or the much more significant events at Narendra III? Even then it took Starfleet twenty years to build a successor to the Ent-C.

Was Picard's clout especially high during the early 2370s? Picard was desk bound for nine years after the Stargazer. Just because Kirk couldn't stand not being in the captain's chair doesn't mean that Picard wouldn't have availed himself of numerous ambasssadorship opportunities.

If any new Soveriegn class was honorifically named after the Enterprise it should have been captained by a Maxwell or Jelico type personality. Picard should have either captained his third command(ideally Nebula or Galaxy class) or become an ambassador.

I don't object to Riker as captain but I feel tradition demands that you start on a smaller starter ship before moving up in the captial ship ranks.

 

[EmperorTiberius]

There is no evidence that Sovereign is a battleship of any kind, in fact it seems to the contrary. It seems like it's a less all around capable Galaxy-class but with similar armament. It probably has some advantages, but is probably an explorer as well.

As for Picard, why would they put such a capable commander behind a desk?

 

[Mage]

Things like battleship, dreadnought, cruiser, all that stuff.... is made-up by fans. Nothing canon establishes that the Sovereign was a battleship.

 

[F. King Daniel]

If you want a real battleship Enterprise-E, have a read of the early script for Star Trek: First Contact, particularly the descriptions of the ship's design and weaponry from the Borg battle at the start. That was WAY over-the-top.

The Enterprise-E we got merely cut out a few bits from the TV series that were barely ever touched upon anyway, like the families. And it looked cooler.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I would agree that the Sovereign-Class isn't a battleship, probably more like a 'heavy explorer', capable of spending long periods of time flying solo in uncharted space.

As for Picard being in charge, Starfleet is still going to have a PR/media department who will want to give the right spin on things. To that end, giving a big powerful ship (such as the E-E) to a man renowned for being an explorer and diplomat would show other races what the ship is intended for.

Though he would be retiring from active duty sometime soon, seeing as he is getting on a bit.

One idea I toyed with for a fanfic was having the crew vanish and the ship found adrift, then after a full investigation (which turned up nothing) a new crew would take on the mantle of the Big-E. Still might do something about it, though got plenty on my plate as it is for now.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

If you want a real battleship Enterprise-E, have a read of the early script for Star Trek: First Contact, particularly the descriptions of the ship's design and weaponry from the Borg battle at the start. That was WAY over-the-top.

I take it in this version of the script the federation was more of a match for the Borg.

 

[CaptainMatt]

Read Ship of the Line if you want to get an idea of what it wouldb be like had the Enterprise-E been captained by another captain other than Picard.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I think eventually the Enterprise-E should have a new captain and crew. Even the TOS gang moved on after 25 years together. The Enterprise-E--barring any accidents--should be in service for at least a few more decades, IMO, so I can see her eventually getting a new skipper and the remaining TNG gang getting on with their lives and careers.

As far as the Enterprise-E herself, I agree that she appears to be a multipurpose vessel like her predecessors.