Even though Captain Picard is most known for captaining the iconic Galaxy-class Enterprise-D starship,
we can’t forget her successor,
the Sovereign-class Enterprise-E, so let’s explore what really happened to the starship.
Hello everyone, my name is Captain Jack and welcome to Trek Central!
Since the announcement of Star Trek Picard, many have wondered where the USS Enterprise-E was in the Star Trek Universe.
Even with the arrival and conclusion of Picard Season One,
we never really got the answer to where our much loved ship is,
luckily, we do have a few theories, answers and additional informatio
to help us reach a conclusion of what really happened to the Enterprise-E
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As Captain Picard would say, engage!
Let’s get some context first, especially with where we last saw the US Enterprise-E.
Launched on Stardate 49827.5,
the Sovereign-class USS Enterprise-E would be the pinnacle of Starfleet ship design at that time
Following the destruction and loss of the Galaxy-class Enterprise-D, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his senior staff,
except for Lieutenant Commander Worf, would transfer and take command of the Enterprise-E.
The Enterprise-E would go on to defend earth from the Borg in the Battle of Sector 001,
along with resolving the Son’a Plot and the Battle of the Briar Patch.
By 2379, the Enterprise and her crew under the command of Captain Picard would face one of their most challenging battles yet.
Shinzon of Remus had staged a coup-d'etat on Romulus,
overthrowing the government and installing himself as Praetor. Summoning the Enterprise-E and crew, via Federation Diplomatic offerings,
he would reveal himself as a clone of Captain Picard.
The Enterprise-E would engage in operations to rescue Picard and Data from Shinzon’s flagship, the Scimitar.
The Battle of the Bassen Rift would see the Enterprise engage with Shinzon and come out very heavily damaged.
With the flagship crippled, Shinzon prepared to activate The Scimitar’s thalaron radiation weapon
in order to kill everyone aboard the Enterprise.
Thankfully, Picard and the entire crew were saved thanks to the sacrifice of Lieutenant Commander Data.
Data boarded and fought his way in the Scimitar to rescue Picard and beam him out,
before turning his phaser on the Thalaron Weapon, destroying The Scimitar and sacrificing himself in the process,
not only saving Captain Picard and the Enterprise but also Earth itself.
Following the loss of the Data, and the Battle with Shinzon,
the Enterprise-E was crippled and returned to Earth for an extensive repair.
At this time, long standing First Officer, William T. Riker departed the ship to take command of the Luna-class USS Titan.
It’s around this time that the Enterprise-E’s future starts becoming a little bit of a mystery.
Following Riker’s departure in 2379, Captain Picard would still go on to command the Enterprise into the 2380’s,
however he himself would be promoted to Admiral and leave the Enterprise to head up the Romulan Relocation Effort, before the star of Romulus went supernova in 2387.
It’s not fully clear what happened to the Enterprise-E after Picard departed.
We know thanks to the Press Kit for Star Trek Picard Season One, that the exact year Jean-Luc Picard left was 2381.
So let’s start from there.
IDW Publishing's comic, Star Trek: Picard Countdown - Issue #1, which was Tie In media for Star Trek Picard Season One
reveals that the Enterprise-E was still active following the departure of Captain Picard.
It is even referenced in the 1st issue which takes place in 2385, while Admiral Picard is conversing with Geordi La-Forge,
they reference that the new Captain of the Enterprise is unlikely to give up the Captain’s chair easily.
The Star Trek: Picard tie in novel, The Last Best Hope,
tells us that Worf was made the Captain of the USS Enterprise E.
There is push back from the admirals about placing Worf in command of the flagship of Starfleet,
especially due to his reprimand during the dominion war by prioritising the life of Jadzia Dax over that of a Cardassian Defector.
So at least from between 2381 and 2385 we have a clear idea that Worf was captain of the Enterprise,
but it is unclear what happens after that.
We’ve actually got additional information and videos speculating and talking about Captain Worf,
as well as how another book confirms and ties in with the story as well.
Check those out here on the Trek Central YouTube Channel as well as our comic book reviews on TrekCentral.net
So what other information do we have for where this ship has gone to?
Well as mentioned early, given it does not appear in Star Trek Picard,
which takes place around 20 years after Star Trek Nemesis, it begs the question if the ship is still even in service anymore?
A popular fan theory, and one that might make sense,
is that the Sovereign-class Enterprise-E would find itself decommissioned by the year of 2399,
when Picard Season One takes palace.
Though would it make sense to decommission the Enterprise?
The ship would have been in service for nearly 25 to 30 years at the time of Picard,
sure it still could be updated and refitted to work in a modern setting, but it does depend on that being a viable option.
The original Enterprise itself was in service from 2245, until it’s destruction in 2285 for around 40 years.
Obviously the ship had extensive refits and updates to serve modern times,
so it would make sense that a newer and modern Sovereign-class could also survive for longer.
We’ll leave this theory and question up to you via the comments below.
Now the fate of the Enterprise-E in the Star Trek extended canon, through books and video games,
is very different from anything else we know about and is actually rather complete compared to the current canon of Trek.
By 2386 in the Extended Canon,
the Enterprise-E was under the command of Captain Data, who had been revived previously.
This is actually explored in some tie-in media comics also under the name of Star Trek Countdown.
Well worth a read if you’re interested.
The ship would be commanded by Captain Data for many years to come,
being involved in such events such as the Romulan Supernova Crisis as well as engagements with Species 8472
also known as the Undine.
By 2408, the Enterprise-E was dispatched to Starbase 236 following a loss of contact.
While ending up in Fluid Space,
The Enterprise would come under heavy attack from the Undine.
While the presence of Captain Data and the Enterprise-E would stop a war with them, it would be the last mission of the Enterprise-E.
Even though the story, which is called Unexpected Honor,
does not go into full details of this encounter, it does state that the Enterprise-E was destroyed,
but most of the crew survived. This does align with the canon of Star Trek Online.
The MMO of Star Trek Online has its own Enterprise,
the Odyssey-class Enterprise-F, which was in service by 2409 under the command of Captain Va’Kel Shon.
Originally command was offered to Captain Data, who declined the role.
The extended-canon of Star Trek seals the fate of the Enterprise-E,
but with Star Trek Picard and new media taking the forefront of Star Trek canon once more,
it does mean that likely this ending is not the exact one our iconic ship will end up in.
Now, I did mention that in Star Trek Online the Enterprise-E was succeeded by the Enterprise-F,
an Odyssey-class Starship.
Fun little fact, this class of Starship makes an appearance in the new Star Trek: Picard Countdown comic,
the one we referenced earlier.
By 2385, The Enterprise-E was still in service with a new Captain, Worf.
This is in the main canon of Star Trek by the way. At this time, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard has a new flagship,
the USS Verity NCC-97000 which is almost identical to the Enterprise-F’s Odyssey-class starship design.
While it’s not stated in the comic what the exact class of starship the USS Verity is,
i think it’s safe to assume that the Verity is an Odyssey-class and likely a successor to the Sovereign-class itself.
We could assume that by the time of 2399 and Star Trek Picard,
that the USS Enterprise-E could either be decommissioned, or destroyed, meaning that likely a new Enterprise is flying about with a new Captain.
Going further, given the Enterprise-F was a Odyssey-class in Star Trek Online, and the Verity has been introduced,
we could assume that the Enterprise-E was replaced by an Odyssey-class Enterprise-F by 2399.
Our conclusion is that it’s likely that by 2399 the Enterprise-E is no longer in service to Starfleet.
Either it has been destroyed, or is decommissioned.
It is possible that Star Trek Picard will explore this at some point in the future,
potentially in the upcoming second season.
We’ve had the reveal of the USS Verity in the comics of Star Trek Picard,
so will it happen on screen?
It’s possible this also could add depth to the theories on the fate of the Enterprise-E
and why we haven’t properly seen or heard of it in Star Trek picard just yet.
That’s it for our theories and information on the fate of the USS Enterprise-E in the Star Trek Universe so far.
f you have a theory of your own, then leave it down below in the video comment section,
because if you’re talking Star Trek, then we want to hear about it!
If you want to keep up to date on all the latest Star Trek news, lore and more,
then make sure to hit that subscribe button to never miss a video from the team here at Trek Central!
You can also follow us on social media, or join our Community Discord Server!
For now, I’ve been Captain Jack, thanks for watching and we’ll see you next time! Live Long and prosper my friends!