The USS Shenlong (NCC-09) was a 22nd century Federation starship, a Columbia-class cruiser in service to the UESPA branch of Starfleet in the 2160s decade. Unlike existing refitted NX-class cruisers[2], the Shenlong was the second starship built to Columbia-class specifications from scratch, and the ninth ship of the NX series overall. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Live by the Code)
- In other sources, Avenger NX-09 is also implicated to be the ninth NX-type ship built.
Service history and disposition[]
Shenlong was constructed under the supervision of Admiral Alexis Osman of the Alpha Centauri Space Research Council, and Captain W. M. Jefferies of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers as part of a new wave of Columbia-class starships. Its launch was paired with the USS Buran (NCC-08), the eighth ship in the NX-class series. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Live by the Code)
A war-era NX-class cruiser.
The pair of ships followed Intrepid NX-07, due to be re-registered USS Intrepid NCC-07 before its untimely loss in 2160, the last Earth-Romulan War-era NX-class ship to be built. (TNG novel: Indistinguishable from Magic)
With Buran and Shenlong active by 8 July 2165, the Romulan war veteran USS Endeavour was not the sole Columbia-class ship in service anymore. Captain Marcus Williams provided UESPA branch chief Fleet Admiral Jonathan Archer with an update on Osman's construction of the Columbia-fleet, reminding Archer of the recent launches of Buran and Shenlong. (ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Live by the Code)
They continued the trend of naming NX-class starships after pioneering crewed Earth spacecraft. (ENT - The Romulan War novel: Beneath the Raptor's Wing)
Appendices[]
Connections[]
| Columbia-class starships | ||
|---|---|---|
| United Earth, Starfleet | SS Enterprise (NX-01) |  
|
| Federation, Starfleet | USS Apollo • USS Ares • USS Buran (NCC-08) • USS Charybdis • Columbia (NX-02) • Columbia (NCC-2200) • USS Endeavour (NCC-06) • SS Enterprise (NX-01) • USS Phoenix • USS Shenlong (NCC-09) • USS Soyuz • USS Valiant |  
|
Appearances and references[]
- ENT - Rise of the Federation novel: Live by the Code (first reference)
References[]
Background[]
- In the novel annotations, author Christopher L. Bennett confirms the Shenlong registry NCC-09.[1]