The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B) (sometimes referred to as the Enterprise-B or NCC-1701-Beta) was a Federation Excelsior-class explorer in service to Starfleet in the late 23rd and early 24th centuries. She was launched in 2293 under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. Over the course of the Enterprise-B's service, she was remembered as a key figure in exploring beyond the Gourami sector, mapping over 142 star systems and making first contact with 17 different civilizations. The Enterprise served as flagship of the Federation.
History[]
Construction[]
The Enterprise was built at the Antares Ship Yards; the decision to model the ship after the failed experiment USS Excelsior was highly controversial. However, Starfleet decided to use it for both economic and technical reasons, as Excelsior classes had shown that they could withstand the test of time; indeed, they would still be in service nearly a century after first being developed.