The NX class was a 22nd century United Earth starship type, an explorer class in Starfleet service in the 2150s decade. The NX-class was commissioned as an exploratory vessel and a medium for the new warp 5 engine that would form the basis of Humans first reach into the galaxy. (ENT episode & novelization: Broken Bow)
The first six ships of the class were named after the NASA space shuttle orbiters of the late 20th century. (ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)
Service history[]
NX Program[]
The NX-class was to be medium of the revolutionary warp 5 engine. The Warp Five Complex was dedicated by Doctors Zefram Cochrane and Henry Archer on Earth in 2119. (ENT episode & novelization: Broken Bow)
On 1 June 2140, Commodore Maxwell Forrest approved the final design of the NX class. (ST reference: Federation: The First 150 Years)
By 2143, the NX Program was underway. Prior to the NX Project, Human ships were incapable of exceeding warp factor 2. A series of NX prototypes, their design mirroring the Phoenix warp ship prototype, were launched. NX-Delta, commanded by Duvall, successfully broke the warp 3 barrier in 2144. (ENT episode: "First Flight")
The Freedom-class explorer Franklin was the first Earth ship to break the warp 4 barrier. (TOS movie: Star Trek Beyond)
Enterprise NX-01 was the first NX-class starship built, and given the registry number NX-01. It was, secretly, the first Starfleet vessel constructed with the artificial intelligence Uraei as part of its core program. (ST - Section 31 novel: Control)
Enterprise was launched ahead of schedule in April 2151, under the command of Captain Jonathan Archer, to transport the Klingon courier Klaang back to Qo'noS. Due to the early launch of the Enterprise, several systems — most notably the starship weapon systems — had not yet been completed. (ENT episodes: "Broken Bow", "Fight or Flight")
These weapon systems were completed in the field by chief engineer Charles Tucker III and armory officer Malcolm Reed during a series of encounters with a hostile species. (ENT episode: "Silent Enemy")
With a series of successful early missions, Starfleet decided to proceed with building further NX class ships. By 2151, three more NX class ships were in the early design stages. (ENT episode: "Fortunate Son")
Construction of the then-unnamed NX-02 had begun by the time the Xindi attacked Earth in March 2153.[8] The ship, later named Columbia, was completed in November of 2154 and launched under the command of Captain Erika Hernandez[9]. (ENT episodes: "The Expanse", "Home", "Affliction")
During the Xindi crisis, Enterprise encountered an alternate version of itself. That ship, under command of the half-Vulcan Lorian, had been thrown back in time to 2037. The crew transformed their Enterprise into a generational ship and remained inside the Delphic Expanse for over a century to avoid polluting Earth history. With alien technology and additional upgrades, this NX-class ship was theoretically able to reach Warp 6. The older Enterprise ultimately vanished in the Kovaalan Nebula, either destroyed or erased from the timeline following the encounter. (ENT episode: "E²")
The Romulan War[]
In August 2155, Challenger NX-03 and Discovery NX-04 were completed and commissioned. Several months later, during the Earth-Romulan War, Atlantis NX-05 and Endeavour NX-06 followed. Between mid-2155 and mid-2156, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis were destroyed or lost as a result of Romulan attacks. Endeavour, equipped with countermeasures to the Romulan arrenhe'hwiua telecapture technology, battled with the Romulans at Altair VI.
During the war, Starfleet Command found that production of a single NX-class ship took twice as long as building two Intrepid-class light cruisers, or three Daedalus-class starships. To cope with the mounting losses, the production of the NX class was suspended. (ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)
In 2156, Enterprise underwent a 180-day refit. The ship was fitted with a secondary hull, essentially becoming a new ship class. The newly-refit Enterprise saw more combat against the Romulan Star Empire during the Earth-Romulan War. (ST references: Ships of the Line 2011, Ships of the Line 2014, Ships of the Line)
NX-class production had restarted by 2159. Ships active by that time included Intrepid (NX-07), Avenger (NX-09) and Currie (NX-16). In the year 2383, Captain Jean-Luc Picard remembered that 15 or 16 ships of this class having been built. (ST video game: Legacy; TNG novel: Indistinguishable from Magic)
During the Battle of Cheron, the NX-01 ship's superstructure had been damaged too much to keep Enterprise in service. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: A Choice of Futures)
Various NX-class starships did not follow the naming lineage of NASA orbiters. Some of these survived the end of the Earth-Romulan War. These ships subsequently entered service as Federation starships. (ST reference: Federation: The First 150 Years)
Federation Starfleet[]
Following the end of the Earth-Romulan War in 2160, Enterprise was decommissioned in 2161. Nathan Samuels, Prime Minister of United Earth, wanted to preserve the symbolic ship and avoid harm coming to it. (ST reference: Federation: The First 150 Years)
United Earth Starfleet was folded into the newly-formed Federation Starfleet and became the exploratory UESPA branch. With UES ships joining Federation Starfleet, they received the USS prefix before their name, and registry numbers with NCC label. T'Pol, Archer's former first officer, assumed command over the USS Endeavour (NCC-06), the former Endeavour NX-06. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: A Choice of Futures)
The USS Intrepid was slated to return to Earth for refit and to repaint to become the NCC-07. Unfortunately, the vessel was lost in a trans-slipstream incident. (TNG novel: Indistinguishable from Magic)
With Endeavour refitted to what Admiral Jonathan Archer had designated Columbia-class - in honor of the first NX-class ship lost in the line of duty - standard, no NX-class starships remained in service. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: A Choice of Futures)
- This is contradicted by Federation: The First 150 Years and Star Trek: Adventures RPG modules, which have additional NX-class ships remain.
Following the war, new NX-class ships entered service. The USS Avenger was given to the Andorian Captain Shrun, and the USS Tyson to Sporik, a Vulcan and former rival of Shrun's. During a tactical training exercise, the Avenger and the Tyson became engulfed in an ion storm and began combatting each other for real. (Adventures RPG module: Growing Pains mission brief: "False Readings")
Starfleet continued to name ships of that subclass after pioneering crewed Earth spacecraft, beginning with USS Buran, which entered service on 8 July 2165. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Live by the Code)
That class remained in service into the 23rd century, when it underwent another upgrade to contemporary standards. The subtype of the time was named the "NX Refit". The NX-class was now classified as a light cruiser. (STO website: Reckoning: Undiscovered Lock Box and Lobi Ship Stats)
In the 2280s decade, another version of the Columbia-subclass entered service. The design of the USS Columbia (NCC-2200) shared aesthetics with the Oberth-class science vessels. (STO website: 10th Anniversary Bundle: Legendary Temporal Operative Escort)
With the rediscovery and subsequent loss of the Intrepid in 2383, the fate of all 16 NX-class starships was accounted for. (TNG novel: Indistinguishable from Magic)
25th century[]
In 2409, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers built the replica NX-class light cruiser USS Utopia, registry number NCC-2151-01, at the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards. This prototype served as a proof-of-concept that any starship could be rebuilt with modern technology. Besides its retro grapplers, the Utopia was a state-of-the-art spacecraft and entered service as a light escort during the Federation-Klingon War of 2405-2410. (STO - Klingon War mission: "Welcome to Earth Spacedock")
By 2411, Federation Starfleet shared the NX class, NX Refit and Columbia II escort designs with the members of the Khitomer Alliance. (STO - House Shattered missions: "Welcome to Earth Spacedock", "Explore the Flotilla", "The Hunt is On")
Mirror universe[]
In the mirror universe, these were known as NX class battleships. There were at least 9 ships in service by January 2155. Most of these were refitted with advanced weapons from the USS Defiant in the same year. (ENT novel: Age of the Empress)
Specifications[]
When first launched, the NX-class was meagerly equipped with plasma cannons and spatial torpedoes. Instead of a tractor beam, it used special grappling cables. The first of the NX-class, the Enterprise had three phase cannons in storage, but it wasn't until midway through their first year that they were equipped. During the Xindi superweapon crisis, the Enterprise got retrofitted with twelve phase cannons and the newly developed photonic torpedoes. With these armaments, as well as improved hull plating, it was able to defeat three Klingon birds-of-prey. (ENT episode: "The Expanse")
After saving Earth from the Xindi superweapon, the NX-class received another upgrade including an upgraded navigational deflector, an improved computer interface, pulsed phase cannons, dorsal and ventral torpedo launchers, and polarised hull plating that had 12 percent greater performance than previous versions. (ENT episode: "Home")
In 2159, these vessels were equipped with phase banks and four torpedo launcher banks. (ST video game: Legacy)
Class variations[]
In the 25th century, the design of the NX-class light escort allowed its commanding officer to choose from different designs of livery, which could be modified further. These options were designated Type 1-5 and Veteran. (STO - Klingon War mission: "Welcome to Earth Spacedock")
Furthermore, the installation of deflector shields from specific factions modified the hull appearance, including shields from the Reman Resistance, the Breen Confederacy and the Dominion. (STO missions: "Coliseum", "Cold Storage", "Boldly They Rode")
Known vessels[]
This article or subsection has an associated category. | NX class starships |
---|
ship name | registry | ship commissioning | disposition |
---|---|---|---|
Enterprise | NX-01 | 2151,[10] refit 2156[11] | decommissioned (2161)[12] |
Columbia | NX-02 | 2154,[13] refit 2410[14] | destroyed (2156)[15] active (2410)[14] |
Challenger | NX-03 | 2155[16] | destroyed (2156)[16] |
Excalibur | NX-03 | 2155/56[15] | destroyed (2156)[15] |
Discovery | NX-04 | 2155[16] | destroyed (2155)[16] |
Constellation | NX-04 | 2156[15] | active (2160)[15] |
Atlantis | NX-05 | 2156[16] | destroyed (2156)[16] active (2160)[15] |
Slayton | NX-05 | by 2159[17] | active (2261)[17] |
Endeavour | NX-06 NCC-06 |
2156,[16] refit 2161[18] | active (2165)[19] |
Defiant | NX-06 | 2156[15] | destroyed (2160)[15] |
Lexington | NX-07 | 2156[15] | active (2160)[15] |
Intrepid | NX-07 | circa 2160[20] | destroyed (2384)[20] |
Avenger | NX-09 | by 2159[4] | active (2161)[21] |
Currie | NX-16 | by 2159[4] | active (2159)[4] |
Tyson | by 2161[21] | active (2161)[21] | |
Vostok | unknown[22] | unknown[22] | |
Eagle | unknown[22] | unknown[22] | |
Utopia | NCC-2151-01 | 2409[5] | active (2410)[5] |
Mirror universe vessels[]
ship name | registry | ship commissioning | disposition |
---|---|---|---|
ISS Enterprise | NX-01 | 2151[23] | destroyed (2155)[3] |
ISS Avenger | NX-09 | by 2155,[3] | destroyed (2155)[3] |
ISS Akagi | by 2155[6] | destroyed (2155)[6] | |
ISS Bismarck | by 2155[6] | destroyed (2155)[6] | |
ISS Broadsword | by 2155[6] | destroyed (2155)[6] | |
ISS Dauntless | by 2155[6] | active (2155)[6] | |
ISS Interceptor | by 2155[6] | active (2155)[6] | |
ISS Khan's Wrath | by 2155[6] | active (2155)[6] |
Appendices[]
Connections[]
Starship classes and spacecraft types of Earth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arrow • Assist • Cavalry • Christopher • Cosmos • CZ-100 • DY-100 • DY-500 • DY-700 • DY-1100-class • Daedalus • Discovery • Doppler (scout) • Edison • Galliant • Ganges • Hopkins • Horizon • Intrepid (22nd century) • J (freighter) • Long • Marshall • Mercury (scout) • Messier • Minuteman • Neptune • NX • Poseidon • Strider • Vanguard (transport) • Verne (Earth) • Y (freighter) • Yorktown • Zeus |
Background[]
No explanation is given for these vessels' sometimes Federation Starfleet-style "USS" name prefix, despite existing years before the inception of the Federation.
The Legacy game software included numerous other names for ships of this class that were not prepared to be used in gameplay, and are hidden in the game's source code, including USS Adams, USS Aurbach, USS Boston, USS Commonwealth, USS Concord, USS Fenway, USS Liberty and USS Paul Revere. Possibly, these vessels were intended for some feature of the game that was not completed. For example, none of these ships are coded with registry number graphics like those the included ships possess.
Appearances and references[]
Appearances[]
- Star Trek: Enterprise (every episode)
- ENT episode & novelization: Broken Bow
- ENT episode: "First Flight"
- ENT episode & novelization: The Expanse
- ENT episode: "E²"
- ENT episode: "Home"
- ENT episode: "The Aenar"
- ENT episode: "Affliction"
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ENT episode & novelization: Broken Bow
- ↑ ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: A Choice of Futures.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 ENT episode: "In a Mirror, Darkly"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 ST video game: Legacy
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 STO - Klingon War mission: "Welcome to Earth Spacedock".
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 ENT - Mirror Universe novel: Age of the Empress
- ↑ ENT episode: "Silent Enemy"
- ↑ ENT episode & novelization: The Expanse
- ↑ ENT episode: "Affliction"
- ↑ ENT episode & novelization: Broken Bow
- ↑ ST reference: Ships of the Line 2011
- ↑ ENT episode: "These Are the Voyages..."
- ↑ ENT episode: "Affliction"
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 STO video game: Reckoning
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 15.9 ST reference: Federation: The First 150 Years
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 SA - Starfleet Academy comics: "Issue 2", "4", "5"
- ↑ ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: A Choice of Futures
- ↑ ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Live by the Code
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 TNG novel: Indistinguishable from Magic
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Adventures RPG module: Growing Pains
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Adventures RPG module: Utopia Planitia Starfleet Sourcebook
- ↑ ST reference: The Official Starships Collection issue: M2
- PIC - SA - Picard's Academy comic: "Issue 1"
External links[]
- NX class article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- NX class article at Star Trek Online Wiki.