The USS Jefferson Randolph Smith (NCC-29402, Sulek-class), named after Old West Confidence man, "Soapy Smith", was a small prospector starship whose primary mission was to seek out dilithium, which the Klingons called cha'puj.
History[]
The computer, Smith, was a J-2 duotronic unit which suffered a major glitch after T'Vau "accidentally" spilled a n'gaan-flavored milkshake into the unit. This accident caused Smith to behave erratically, and manifested itself as a very paranoid personality, afraid that T'Vau was out to kill it.
In 2268, the Jefferson Randolph Smith came across a planet with a high yield of Hecht radiation, signifying the presence of vast amounts of dilithium coming from a planet called Pi Pharosi 2, also called Direidi. Unfortunately, at the same time, the Klingon battlecruiser IKS Fire Blossom found the small surveyor.
Fearing destruction or capture, the crew of the Jefferson Randolph Smith, on Smith's suggestion, launched in an escape pod, down to the planet surface. Just as the larger vessel was closing in, the small surveyor tore out of orbit at breakaway speed, which would have been fatal if the crew was still present, as 'fractional-orbit breakaway would produce an effective fifty-one standard gravities within the ship, after all compensation effects'.
The Smith found rescue when it came across the USS Enterprise, which was engaged in a test involving a near-duplicate, inflatable starship mock-up, a deployable practice target.
As Montgomery Scott stated, on the Smith's size, "Aye, we can do it, but only just. She'll fill the whole hangar deck, an' there won't be an inch t' spare through the doors. We'd have to do it all under… computer control."
As it approached the Enterprise's hangar, it pierced the rear of the practice target's lower hull, which caused the `balloon' to shoot shot away on escaping gas, shrinking, tearing, spiraling as it collapsed, just like any punctured balloon.
Soon afterwards, the IKS Fire Blossom arrived just in time to see the second starship on their screens disappear, leaving just the Enterprise and the Smith.
Fearing reprisals from the lightbulbs, the Organians, the Klingons ceased pursuit. (TOS novel: How Much for Just the Planet?)
Crew[]
By 2268, its crew was comprised of three Starfleet officers; Captain Tatyana Trofimov, the first officer Tellihu, a winged Withiki, and Vulcan science officer, T'Vau, whom Captain Trofimov described as "a slob". (TOS novel: How Much for Just the Planet?)