USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)

The USS Enterprise-D is a Galaxy class Federation starship in service during the 24th Century, commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The fifth in a long line of ships to bear this name, the USS Enterprise-D was a ship of peace and exploration and not only carried many Starfleet officers on board but also their families.

Picard assumed captaincy of the Enterprise-D in 2364, having hand-picked much of his senior staff, including Geordi LaForge, Tasha Yar and Will Riker as his First Officer.

During their first year, Picard and his crew successfully managed to avert a hostile take over of the Federation by an alien race that had infiltrated Starfleet at the highest levels.

First Mission
On its very first mission to Farpoint Station the Enterprise-D encountered an omnipotent being that would plague the Federation for many years to come, the all powerful ‘Q’. Placing humanity on trial as an inferior race and threatening to wipe them from existence, ‘Q’ sort to take a potential threat to the realm which it hailed from ‘The Q Continuum’. Picard successfully defended humanity against the omnipotent being but was this would be far from the last time that the two would meet.

The Borg
The Enterprise-D was flung far into the Delta Quadrant in 2365 by ‘Q’ and encountered the single biggest threat to the Alpha Quadrant - the Borg.

During the third year, a lone Borg cube from the Delta Quadrant had been dispatched to assimilate Earth, due to the Q incident. The Borg captured Picard and took him to use as a voice for them, transforming him into Locutus of Borg. His memories were wiped and his vast knowledge of Starfleet and tactics was used against the Federation. As Locutus, Picard was responsible for the deaths of over 11,000 Starfleet officers and the loss of over 39 Federation starships in the now legendary Battle of Wolf 359.

The valiant crew of the Enterprise-D mounted a rescue mission for their captain. He had successfully fought through the imposed Borg control, getting back to his own identity, and helped to avert the Borg threat before Earth became a Borg outpost. Along with his physical recovery, the invasive incident took an enormous emotional toll and required several weeks of counseling. The encounter would not be the last time that he would lead the battle against the Borg.

Destruction
In 2371, the USS Enterprise-D was lost over Veridian III, with the vessel's primary hull crash-landing on the planet's surface. There were no fatalities, and most of the ship's senior crew was reassigned to the USS Enterprise-E, the sixth Federation starship to bear the name.