The Early Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

This page chronicles the voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) from it's launch in 2245, under the captaincies of Captains Robert April and Christopher Pike, until the ship was transferred to the command of Captain James T. Kirk in 2264.

2245
Construction of the Enterprise was completed by early 2245, and the Enterprise was officially launched on July 4th 2245 by Federation President Samuel Solomon Qasr, and attended by former President Jonathan Archer, who had been the commander of the United Earth ship Enterprise NX-01 nearly a century earlier. Following the launch ceremony, the Enterprise began shakedown cruises under the command of Captain April. (ENT episode: In a Mirror, Darkly)

2246
The shakedown cruises went well and the Enterprise was finally commissioned on January 3rd 2246 and began its first five-year mission of exploration. (TAS novelisation: The Counter-Clock Incident)

In October, the Enterprise was the first Federation ship to reach Tarsus IV with food and supplies for the famine-stricken colony, however interference from the Klingons meant that the Enterprise was too late to stop the execution of 4,000 colonists at the hands of Kodos the Executioner. (TOS short story: Enterprise Logs: Though Hell Should Bar the Way)

2249
In 2249, the Enterprise transported George Samuel Kirk Sr. and his 16-year-old son James T. Kirk to a newly discovered archeaological site on the planet Faramond. (TOS novel: Best Destiny)

2251
The Enterprise returned from its first successful five-year mission in January 2251, and Captain April was promoted to commodore. April recommended that Christopher Pike, who at that time commanding the USS Yorktown, would be a logical replacement. (TOS novel: Vulcan's Glory and EV comic: Flesh of my Flesh).

The Enterprise began its second five-year mission under the command of Captain Pike in mid-2251.

2253
Just prior to beginning a long term survey of the Pathiad Nebula the Enterprise's science officer was truck down with a bout of virillian toxic fever. At the recommendation of Robert April, Pike enlisted the then Cadet Spock to fill the role giving him the rank of acting ensign. (EV comic: Flesh of my Flesh)
 * These events are said to have taken place two years into Pike's command.

2254
Stardate 2252.34: The Enterprise is diverted from her scheduled mission to the marrat system to investigate a series disappearances; a number of small ships had been found a adrift, devoid of their crews. With no leads the Enterprise was sent in to act as bait in the hope of finding out what was going on.

The culprit soon revealed itself, a huge organic starship from a distant and lost alien race; the Ngultor. The Ngultor used an energy discharge to knock out the crew, sampling them using invasive surgery to take material from the base of the entire crew’s brain stems. Forty-nine minutes later the crew reawakened to find themselves in the tentacled grip of the Ngultor ship with Captain Pike missing and few systems functioning. Enterprise’s malfunctions turned out to be the result of a Ngultor organic virus, a cure for which was developed by Doctor Boyce, Nurse Charlotti and Spock. Meanwhile Number One led a landing party to retrieve Captain Pike from the Ngultor. As the Enterprise’s systems came back online the landing party with Pike were quickly retrieved with the transporter.

Whilst in captivity Pike learned of the Ngultors plans to harvest the biological material, the people, of what was to them a newly discovered region of space. Faced with little alternative in protecting the people of the Federation the Enterprise destroyed the Ngultor ship, preventing it returning home to bring more Ngultor for the harvest. The mystery solved the Enterprise continued on her mission to the Merrat system. (EV comic: Flesh of my Flesh) Stardate 2378.1: The Enterprise arrived in the Marrat Nebula just in time to drive off a brigand of criminals attacking Starbase 13. After sending personnel to assist in repairs and establish a triage centre for the stations personal, the Enterprise made her way to the Pharos siteworld. The site of Project Pharos, the Starfleet scheme which provoked the local rouge elements into attacking Starbase 13.

At Pharos, the Enterprise in orbit and a landing party below both came under attack from the Klingons. After a brief stand off with the Klingon Commander Kaaj, who was convinced the Federation's actions in the region were the first step in a Federation expansion, the Enterprise was almost crippled by Kaaj’s highly effective tactics. Captain Pike took a risky course of action and fired on the planet below. Pharos’ rich dilithium deposits ignited creating a galactic beacon and making the planet a far less valuable prize for the Klingons who soon departed upon detecting Federation reinforcements approaching.

The Enterprise returned to Starbase 13 to pick up her personnel before continuing to her next destination. (EV comic: The Fires of Pharos) Stardate 2385.7: The Enterprise's next port of call was Rigel VII to oversee the planets admission into the United Federation of Planets. The Enterprise arrived in time to witness the Rigellian Festival of Light and for the crew to be the first offworlders to do so in centuries. The visit also afforded the crew an opportunity for shore leave.

Unfortunately factions of the Rigellian government were not enthusiastic about the planet joining the Federation and incited an uprising in the Rigellian warrior caste; the Kaylar.

The Enterprise uncontactable thanks to jamming field, the crew were unable to call for help, and three were killed in the Kaylar attacks including Yeoman Cusack, killed shortly after disabling the jamming signal. Security teams were soon able to bring the coup to an end, but seven crewmen were injured. The Enterprise departed shortly after to take on replacement crew and make use of the medical facilities at Vega colony. (EV comic: Our Dearest Blood)

En-route the dead were collected, and a new yeoman delivered, from the USS Savannah. (EV comic: Nor Iron Bars a Cage)

Before reaching Vega, the Enterprise received a distress call from the SS Columbia in the Talos star group and changed course to render aid to the survivors of the downed ship. (TOS episode: The Cage).

Adventures at a Glance
 2246 2253  2254  2255
 * Enterprise Logs: "Though Hell Should Bar the Way" (TOS short story)
 * Vulcan's Glory (TOS novel)
 * "Flesh of my Flesh" (EV comic)
 * "The Fires of Pharos" (EV comic)
 * "Our Dearest Blood" (EV comic)
 * "The Cage" (TOS episode)
 * "Nor Iron Bars a Cage" (EV comic)
 * The Rift: "First Contact" (TOS novel)
 * Enterprise Logs: "Conflicting Natures" (TOS short story)
 * "Cloak and Dagger" (EV comic)
 * "The Flat, Gold Forever" (EV comic)
 * "Immortal Wounds" (EV comic)
 * "One of a Kind" (EV comic)
 * "The Fallen" (EV comic)
 * "Futures" (EV comic)
 * "Future Tense" (EV comic)
 * "Past Imperfect" (EV comic)
 * "Now and Then" (EV comic)
 * "Thanatos" (EV comic)
 * "Nemesis" (EV comic)
 * The Captain's Table: Where Sea Meets Sky (TOS novel) (Backstory)