FSD: Starship Operations - USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 and her exploits are the stuff of legend. But in 2286 the new USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A took on the illustrious name.

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A was commissioned on stardate 8442.5 and launched in 2286, shortly after being placed under the command of Captain Kirk. It was a Constitution-class starship and originally in service under another name, but in an unprecedented move it was renamed in honor of its famous predecessor. It was almost identical to the orginal Enterprise, although it was 16 meters longer, at 305 meters; it had the familiar Starfleet design of a forward command saucer connected to a cylindrical engineering section, and an outrigger warp drive nacelle on each side of the ship. Also in keeping with the original Enterprise, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A had 23 decks, with the bridge at the top, on deck 1, and the tractor beam emitter and antimatter and antimatter storage pods at the bottom, on deck 23. Crew quarters were on decks 3 through 6. The sickbay and transporter room were on deck 7, while main engineering and the shuttlebay were on deck 19.

Among the new Enterprise's refinements was a forward observation room. It featured an old sailing ship's wheel, on the front of which was a plaque with the ship's motto, 'To boldly go where no man has gone before.' In the center of the room was what appeared to be a compass inlaid into the floor. However, on activation this compass could be raised into a round, glowing table that was fitted with emergency communications equipment. The shuttlebay was at the stern of the engineering section, and was accessed from space by a pair of clamshell doors. At the forward end of the bay was an obversation deck which looked down onto the flight deck. The bay had room for two shuttlecraft, which were named the Galileo and the Copernicus. Most of the ship was decorated in tones of brown and Starfleet gray. However, some of the ship was finished in blue tones, such as the transporter room and the interior of turboshaft 3.

The bridge layout was similar to that of earlier Constitution-class ships, but there were differences. For one, the main viewscreen was much larger, giving observers a more panoramic impression of what was being displayed. Numerous small screens covered the circular wall of the perimeter, each displaying vital information. Helm and navigation were on a raised platform, which pushed forward from the rear of the guard rail, behind a sweeping control board. The captain's chair had a central position on a second low platform above that. The transporter room was very similar to that on the previous Enterprise, but, as in 2271, featured a protective shield between the transporter and transporter control station. Jefferies tubes ran throughout the ship. Color pipes extended along each tunnel, and yellow pipes crossed at intervals of several yards.

By 2293, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A appeared to have undergone a refit. The automatic sliding doors were redecorated in red instead of Starfleet gray, and the turbolifts had a schematic of the ship incorporated into them. At this time, the Enterprise had a galley containing pots, pans, and real food. This was an advance on the reconstituted food carried on earlier missions, but less advanced than the replicators that would come to be used on later ships. The officers' mess doubled as a formal dining room, where diplomatic dinners took place. Hand weapons were available at various points throughout the ship, even in the kitchen. However, any phaser fired above stun setting triggered alarms all over the ship, and attracted the immediate of security personnel.

The final mission of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A came in 2293 when the ship was tasked with escorting Chancellor Gorkon of the Klingon Empire to Earth for a peace conference. After a series of events that briefly implicated Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy in Gorkon's murder, the Enterprise engaged a Klingon Bird-of-Prey that could fire while cloaked. The Enterprise was severely damaged, and, given the age of the ship's design, Starfleet took the decision to decommission her. Kirk, never a man to follow the letter of the law too precisely, disobeyed Starfleet order one final time. He took his ship out for one last run, setting a final course for "second star to the right and straight on till morning."