Enterprise class The " Enterprise " class was a designation given to the Mark IV bridge simulator used by the Starfleet Training Command at Starfleet Academy in 2285 . The simulator , which was fashioned after the design of the refit , was used during Saavik ' s attempt at the " Kobayashi Maru " scenario . ( ) Background information . In the for " The Wrath of Khan " , the was described as an , " " ' an older , somewhat battered starship of the ENTERPRISE class , with a slightly different configuration " " . In 1982 , this was the designation for ships that would be known as starships after 1987 . In that year , in , the was identified as a " Constitution " - class ship . This was further confirmed by a schematic that Montgomery Scott was seen examining in where the " Enterprise " was labeled as a " Constitution " - class ship . Both designations of the starship class names were supported by behind the scenes material and interviews . Andrew Probert in particular mentioned that the design for the refit was originally designated " " Enterprise " - class " , and that name was used behind the scenes . On the introduction of the nomenclature Probert has said , " " Richard asked me to start my concepts from Joe Jenning ' s / Matt Jefferies ' " Enterprise " but then ours took on a more elegant look under Richard ' s influence , quickly evolving beyond the original series " Enterprise " with its different proportions and lines . . . a visual upgrade , if you will . It looked like a " totally new ship " , to quote Captain Decker , and I was thinking , for a while , that the script might further indicate that it was . To that end , I had tentatively referred to it as an " Enterprise " - Class ship with the designation of NCC - 1800 but that idea dissolved pretty quickly . " " He had further elaborated , " Yeah , I can take the blame for that . In the script , the " Enterprise " was undergoing a refit , which actually doesn ' t mean a shape change . It means implementing new technologies and new add - ons essentially to an existing design base . As I developed the " Enterprise " for " The Motion Picture " , with Richard , it developed into a totally new design , and therefore I thought , since it was the first of this new starship look , that it should be called " Enterprise " , little realizing that an " Enterprise " - class starship had been documented in some previous " Star Trek " mythology somewhere , because people say , " well , that can ' t be the " Enterprise " class because this is the " Enterprise " class . " I don ' t know . There ' s always a lot of crossover , you know , misconnecting of fan bases , and things of that nature , but I noticed that people are now referring to it as the refit . I always call it the " A " Enterprise " , " because that ' s what it ended up being . . . or as " the movie " Enterprise " , " but yeah . . . I ' m the one who started that whole mess . " At some later point the producers decided it would be more appropriate for the vessel depicted in the " Star Trek VI " chart designed by Michael Okuda ' s art department to be a " Constitution " . For further clarification of this topic , please refer to . While Probert had claimed responsibility for the designation , the terminology had actually already popped up as early as 1968 , when was still in production . Author Stephen Whitfield mentioned the " Enterprise " - class in his reference book , whereas Producer Robert Justman referred to the " Enterprise Starship " - class on a memo , dated August 9 , 1967 , though in both instances the was meant , as the " Constitution " - class was still referred to by the producers at the time . ( " The Making of Star Trek " , pp . 164 , 203 ) Incidentally , " Enterprise " - class had in the real world been the class designation for the nuclear - powered aircraft carrier ( CVN - 65 ) , though she had been the sole class member . Apocrypha . In non - canon publications , the designation was first used as part of FASA ' s " " to differentiate the newer style ship from the older version " Constitution " .