USS Enterprise ( NCC - 1701 - D ) The USS " Enterprise " ( NCC - 1701 - D ) was a 24th century Federation starship operated by Starfleet , and the fifth Federation ship to bear the name " Enterprise " . During her career , the " Enterprise " served as the Federation flagship . The " Enterprise " was destroyed during the Battle of Veridian III in 2371 . ( ; ) History . Construction and launch . The " Enterprise " was built at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards orbiting Mars in the Sol system . The construction was a massive undertaking , involving thousands of people across disciplines . ( ) Construction was supervised by Commander Orfil Quinteros . ( ) Dr . Leah Brahms was responsible for much of the " Enterprise " s warp propulsion system design . ( ) Some of the " Enterprise " s components were derived from technology originally developed on the . ( ) " In an alternate timeline , the " Enterprise " was the first " Galaxy " - class war ship constructed . " ( ) One of the ship ' s nacelle tube s was the site of a multiple murder - suicide while she was still under construction at Utopia Planitia . A member of the construction team , Walter Pierce , became jealous of a former lover ' s new relationship . He killed the two officers , Marla Finn and William Hodges , then disposed of their bodies in the plasma stream . Pierce committed suicide in the same manner , leaving a telepathic imprint in a bulkhead that was not discovered until 2370 . ( ) On stardate 40759 . 5 , in the year 2363 , the " Enterprise " was launched from Mars . On stardate 41025 . 5 , the " Enterprise " was commissioned . ( , ) Final systems completion and shakedown was conducted at Earth Station McKinley . Captain Jean - Luc Picard took command of the ship on stardate 41148 at the order of Rear Admiral Norah Satie . ( ) Picard ' s seven - year mission . The " Enterprise " - D made first official contact with a number of species ( see below ) . While fleeing from the entity known as Q ; the " Enterprise " conducted the first high - warp ( warp 9 . 5 ) saucer separation at that time . ( ) The Traveler used the energy of his thoughts to move the " Enterprise " to Galaxy M33 at a speed greater than warp 10 . A subsequent use of the warp drive by the Traveler propelled the " Enterprise " to " " the end of the universe at a speed that , according to the ship ' s instruments , never exceeded warp 1 . 5 . ( ) The " Enterprise " received a computer refit in 2364 . ( ) Later in 2364 , the " Enterprise " was hijacked from Starbase 74 by the Bynar s . They intended to use the ship to repair the damaged computer on their homeworld . The " Enterprise " was returned to Captain Picard ' s custody following the incident , and the Bynars freely accepted the consequences of their actions . ( ) During her first encounter with the Borg ( which Q had caused , giving them knowledge to prepare ) , sections 27 , 28 , and 29 on decks 4 , 5 , and 6 were removed for analysis by the Borg . Eighteen people were killed . ( ) In 2366 , the " Enterprise " had traveled about ten thousand light year s . ( ) During the Borg incursion of 2366 and 2367 , the " Enterprise " suffered heavy damage . Deck 36 , including main engineering , was decompressed after a cutting beam damaged the engineering hull , killing at least eleven , and possibly eight more . ( ) The main deflector dish was transformed into a last - ditch energy weapon , which failed due to the assimilated knowledge of Captain Picard . In the attempt , the deflector and warp core were overloaded , while several decks were flooded with radiation . Later , the saucer module sustained damage to its impulse drive and decks 23 through 25 were sliced open by the enemy during the final battle over Earth . ( ) The extent of the damage required a full refit at Earth Station McKinley , which lasted five to six weeks . ( ) During that refit , the starship received a phaser upgrade as well as full damage repair and a new dilithium chamber hatch . The hatch malfunctioned later that year , causing extensive damage to the warp core . Although Romulan sabotage was initially suspected , it was later learned that undetected flaws in the hatch were responsible . ( ) The " Enterprise " was the command ship in Captain Picard ' s " ad - hoc " armada which blockaded Romulan assistance to the House of Duras during the Klingon Civil War . She coordinated a tachyon detection grid which was used to detect cloaked Romulan ships from crossing the border . ( ) The ship struck a quantum filament in early 2368 , causing a loss of all power aboard ship and severe damage to most systems . Antimatter containment was nearly compromised ; fortunately , repairs were made before the ship was destroyed . ( ) Also in 2368 , the " Enterprise " was trapped in a temporal causality loop near the Typhon Expanse . Each cycle ended in a catastrophic collision with the , destroying both ships . Feelings of " déjà vu " allowed the " Enterprise " crew to gather clues which allowed them to send a message into the next loop and avoid the collision . The ship spent a total of 17 . 4 days repeating the same interval of time . ( ) On a mission to Ligos VII , the " Enterprise " was attacked by two Klingon Bird - of - Prey starships under the command of the Ferengi DaiMon Lurin . The surprise attack allowed Lurin and his men to successfully hijack the " Enterprise . " Forcing its crew to transport to the surface of Ligos VII for slave labor , Lurin had planned to sell the " Enterprise " to the Romulans , however , his plans were thwarted by a group of crewmembers who had temporarily been transformed into children due to a transporter malfunction . ( ) The " Enterprise " was one of the first Starfleet vessels to dock at the newly - commissioned Deep Space 9 , where she offloaded most of the station ' s Starfleet contingent , and its first complement of runabout s . ( ) The " Enterprise " underwent her first baryon sweep at the Remmler Array in 2369 . A stronger field was needed due to the " Enterprise " s heavy use of warp drive . During the sweep , a mercenary group nearly stole dangerous trilithium resin from the warp core , but was thwarted by the " Enterprise " senior staff . ( ) One of the most important discoveries in the history of the Federation was made aboard the " Enterprise " - D . Her crew pieced together Dr . Richard Galen ' s final research to decipher a message from the ancient humanoid s , the first humanoid species in the Milky Way Galaxy . ( ) Late in 2369 , the " Enterprise " was damaged while rescuing the crew of a Romulan warbird , whose artificial quantum singularity warp core had been colonized by lifeform s which mistook it for a genuine quantum singularity , causing severe disruptions in space - time . The " Enterprise " was destroyed due to feedback from a power transfer beam , which was killing the lifeforms ' young . Fortunately , four " Enterprise " crewmembers were returning to the ship at the time and were able to avert the " Enterprise " ' s destruction and save the Romulan crew . ( ) A new warp core was tested aboard the " Enterprise " in early 2370 . The core was installed at Starbase 84 ; several points of the power transfer conduit s were replaced as well . The core and the conduits had been manufactured on Thanatos VII using interphase technology , attracting interphasic organism s which attached themselves to the crew and began to digest their cellular structures . An interphasic pulse was successful in destroying the creatures . ( ) Also during 2370 , Commander La Forge engaged in a friendly contest with Donald Kaplan , chief engineer of the . They competed to have the best power conversion rates in the fleet , with the " Enterprise " frequently beating out the " Intrepid " . ( ) The " Enterprise " became one of the few Federation ships to use a cloaking device in 2370 , and perhaps the first to successfully use a phasing cloak . It had been retrieved from the wreckage of the and was installed aboard the " Enterprise " to allow her to pass through an asteroid after a Romulan vessel sealed the ship inside . ( ) While investigating a rogue comet in 2370 , the " Enterprise " stumbled upon an archive of the lost D ' Arsay civilization . The archive trapped the ship and used matter and DNA aboard to create artifacts from the D ' Arsay culture . The " Enterprise " was later returned to normal . ( ) Lieutenant Worf supervised an upgrade of the " Enterprise " s weapons systems in late 2370 . The tests were interrupted after the ship was ravaged by Barclay ' s Protomorphosis Syndrome . ( ) At some unspecified point in 2370 , the " Enterprise " - D docked at Deep Space 9 , where some of the crew went on shore leave , and Lieutenant Jadzia Dax staked Commander Riker three strips of gold - pressed latinum when Riker ' s winning - streak ran dry at Quark ' s . Riker would later contact Quark and trade his unclaimed winnings for information on the Duras sisters . ( ; ) The " Enterprise " temporarily became sentient in 2370 when an emergent lifeform used the ship ' s systems to reproduce . ( ) When Miles O ' Brien , one of the ship ' s former transporter chief s , was captured by the Cardassian s in late 2370 , the " Enterprise " was sent to patrol the Demilitarized Zone as a warning to the Cardassian government . ( ) In early 2371 , the " Enterprise " received a number of refits to her internal spaces . Color and lighting schemes were slightly altered , and the bridge inherited a number of new consoles on the port and starboard sides . There were now four science station s , three along the starboard wall and one at the starboard side of the aft stations . Mission Ops was now the second station , followed by environmental control . Two engineering station s rounded out the aft area , while three communications station s were present along the port wall . In addition , the main floor ( where the captain ' s , executive officer ' s , and guest ' s chairs were ) was slightly raised , and a chair was placed at the tactical station for the chief of security to sit while manning that console . Destruction of the " Enterprise " . An engagement with a renegade Klingon Bird - of - Prey commanded by the Duras sisters in 2371 resulted in extensive damage to the " Enterprise " . The ship ' s magnetic interlock s were ruptured , and before efforts could be made to repair them , a coolant leak began . The " Enterprise " was just five minutes from a warp core breach and there was nothing that could be done to stop it . Faced with this scenario , Commander Riker ordered the evacuation of the crew from the secondary hull to the saucer section . Once the evacuation had been completed , the saucer could separate and get to a safe distance before the stardrive section was destroyed by the core breach . La Forge and Dr . Crusher oversaw the evacuations of their respective departments and completed it with a minute to spare . The saucer ' s impulse engine s were engaged as soon as it cleared the secondary hull , but the saucer was unable to get to a safe distance before the core breached . The explosion produced a shock wave that disabled the helm controls and propelled the saucer into a degrading orbit of Veridian III , forcing the saucer section into the planet ' s atmosphere . With the saucer hurtling towards the surface of the planet , Data managed to reroute the auxiliary systems to the lateral thruster s and thereby restore thruster control , which , in lieu of the disabled impulse engines , he could use to level out their descent . Riker called for all hands to brace for impact and , moments later , the saucer crash - landed on the planet ' s surface , leaving a trail of destruction many kilometer s long in its wake . Owing to the relatively safe landing , the " Enterprise " s casualties were minimal . Unfortunately , the severe damage sustained by the primary hull in the battle and subsequent crash landing rendered the ship unsalvageable . The ship ' s crew was rescued by the , along with an ship and a ship . Legacy . Commander Riker was upset over the loss of the " Enterprise " . Having hoped he would one day command the ship , he was disappointed that he never got that opportunity . However , Picard expressed doubt that the " Enterprise " - D would be the last vessel to carry the name . ( ) The " Enterprise " was so dear to Worf that , shortly after being reassigned to Deep Space 9 in 2372 , he briefly considered resigning from Starfleet . Station commander Captain Benjamin Sisko expressed regret on the loss of the " Enterprise " and offered his condolences over the destruction of the ship to Worf , saying the " Enterprise " " was a good ship . " ( ) Captain Picard ' s belief that the " Enterprise " - D would not be the final ship to bear the name was borne out with the christening of the , later the same year . In that instance , the legacy of the " Enterprise " continued with Picard reprising his role as CO and selecting most of the former crew from the " Enterprise " - D , with the notable exception of Worf due to his most recent assignment to DS9 ( though he temporarily joined the " Enterprise " - E crew on several of their more notable missions ) . ( ) List of first contacts . In most cases , the date indicated is the first time open communication was initiated with at least one member of the species . Otherwise , it is the first known contact with the species . Technical data . Physical arrangement . With a total of 42 decks , the USS " Enterprise " - D was twice the length and had eight times the interior space of the ships of over a century earlier ; she carried a combined crew and passenger load of 1012 . ( ) The bridge , captain ' s ready room , and conference lounge were on Deck 1 , and were protected by redundant safety interlocks to prevent environmental systems failure . ( ) The main shuttlebay was on Deck 4 , supported by several cargo bay s on Deck 4 and Deck 18 . ( ) Two additional shuttlebay s were found on Deck 13 . ( ) Deck 8 of the ship was an unfinished multipurpose deck . Additional work spaces were set there when needed . ( ) It also contained the officers ' quarters , some guest quarters , and the battle bridge . ( ) Deck 12 contained sickbay and the gymnasium , ( ) while main engineering was located on Deck 36 . ( ) Engineering took up twelve decks of the secondary hull , with the antimatter storage pods housed on Deck 42 . ( ) There was a science section on deck 15 . ( ) The primary docking ports were located on either side of the torpedo launcher on Deck 25 ; ( ) the nacelle control room was also on that deck . ( ) According to Lieutenant Commander Nella Daren , the most acoustically perfect spot on the ship was the fourth intersect of Jefferies tube 25 . The intersection formed a resonance chamber for the sound compression waves . ( ) The " Enterprise " had a maximum sustainable speed of warp 9 . 6 for twelve hour s . ( ) In 2369 , the ship generated about 12 . 75 billion gigawatt s of power , simply while in orbit of a planet . ( ) The warp core could generate a tremendous amount of energy at once if needed ; the only device on the ship capable of channeling such energy all at once , at controlled frequencies , was the main deflector dish . ( ) There were some four thousand power systems in all on board the ship . She also had twenty transporter rooms , with at least one on deck 6 . ( ) Weaponry . The armaments of the " Enterprise " - D included twelve phaser array s , two torpedo launcher s , a supply of 250 photon torpedo es , and hundreds of antimatter mine s . The ship was protected by a high - capacity shield grid that could operate on multiple frequencies . When the ship was destroyed in 2371 , the shield frequency was at 257 . 4 MHz . ( ; ) In extreme cases , the saucer could separate and serve tactically as a second attack vessel utilizing the large phaser arrays located on its hull . The engineering section also had phaser banks but more often utilized its fore and aft torpedo tubes as its main weapon system . ( ) This tactical method of attack utilizing ship separation was further developed for the starships . ( ) Operations . The bulk of the people on board the " Enterprise " could be evacuated within four minutes . This was executed at Starbase 74 during 2364 . ( ) During emergency situations , certain large but protected areas of the ship were designated emergency shelter s , including Ten Forward . Collectively , they could hold all the ship ' s crew and were designed so that the crew could reach one of the areas quickly . In 2367 , while caught in a Tyken ' s Rift , the crew were ordered to these areas in order to get extra power from life support in non - shelter areas . ( ) Shipboard life . In 2367 , an average day aboard ship recorded by Lieutenant Commander Data included four birthdays , two personnel transfers , two chess tournaments , a secondary school play , four promotions , and at least one birth . ( ) The " Enterprise " normally ran on three duty shifts . ( ) Increasing to four duty shifts caused many personnel scheduling problems , as observed when Captain Jellico ordered a change during his tenure in 2369 . ( ) Crewmembers of ensign rank were required to share crew quarters , but were allowed their own quarters upon promotion to lieutenant junior grade . ( ) Families often shared quarters . ( ) Ten Forward , located at the extreme forward of Deck 10 in the saucer section , was the center of the ship ' s social activity ; nearly everyone on board passed through the lounge at one time or another . ( ) Holodeck s located on Deck 10 and Deck 12 also provided entertainment for the crew . ( ) Crew . " " We were like warriors from the ancient sagas . There was nothing we could not do . " " As of 2366 , some thirteen species were represented among the 1 , 014 members of the ship ' s complement , at that time including Betazoid , Klingon , El - Aurian , Vulcan , and Human . ( ) Over the course of her mission , crew species included Bolian , Benzite , Bajoran , Napean , and an android . When Lal was considering an Andorian form , Troi told her that she would be alone , meaning there were no Andorians or at least no Andorian females on the ship then . ( ) As of 2369 , there were seventeen crew members from non - Federation worlds . ( ) The ship also carried dolphins . ( ) Beverly Crusher said there were supposed to be at least four people on duty in sickbay at all times . ( ) Although Starfleet crewmembers staffed the vital positions on board the " Enterprise " , civilian crewmembers were allowed to hold important jobs in the ship ' s science and medical departments , as well as support areas like Ten Forward and the ship ' s school or the arboretum . ( ) The " Enterprise " included children among the civilians on board , a concept which was not initially embraced by Captain Picard . ( ) Crew evaluations were conducted every three months , and were usually supervised by Executive Officer William Riker and Counselor Deanna Troi . ( ) Commanding officers . Although Captain Jean - Luc Picard commanded the " Enterprise " for most of the starship ' s life , his first officer , William Riker , was field promoted to captain in 2367 following Picard ' s capture by the Borg and assimilation as Locutus . ( ) In early 2369 , the " Enterprise " was briefly commanded by Captain Edward Jellico , as Captain Picard was assigned to a covert mission on the Cardassian planet of Celtris III . ( ) Alternate " Enterprise " s . Numerous alternate timeline and illusory versions of the " Enterprise " have been encountered . Encounter with an energy vortex . One alternate version of the " Enterprise " was observed in 2365 . A ship from several hours in the future was destroyed following an encounter with an energy vortex , which was later determined to be a sentient presence . There was a single survivor , Captain Picard , who was thrown back in time and picked up by the " Enterprise " . The " present " Picard was able to determine that the " Enterprise " needed to fly through the anomaly rather than attempt to escape it via the entrance , and the timeline was averted . ( ) Encounter with the " Enterprise " - C . In another alternate timeline , following the disappearance of the , and the destruction of the Klingon outpost at Narendra III , relations between the Federation and the Klingon Empire deteriorated into war . The " Enterprise " - D in this alternate timeline was the first of the " Galaxy " - class warship s constructed by the Federation , capable of carrying over 6 , 000 troops . The vessel was entirely militarized , with no civilians or counselor . The bridge contained multiple redundant consoles , computer panels along the side walls , and a single command chair for the captain . The observation lounge was a war room instead , with the table at waist height so that the crew stood . Replicator s throughout the ship were restricted to minimal power , lighting was generally darker , and all available power was routed to the defensive systems . In addition to crew performing their normal duties , there were additional security officers standing at attention at all times . In 2366 , on combat date 43625 . 2 , the " Enterprise " - D investigated a radiation anomaly near Starbase 105 , where she encountered the " Enterprise " - C , transported through time by the anomaly , a temporal rift . As the " Enterprise " - D assisted in repairs , it was made clear that the " Enterprise " - C had to return through the rift , in order to prevent the chain of events that would lead to war . " Enterprise " - D ' s El - Aurian bartender Guinan was aware of the change to the timeline , and convinced Captain Picard to send the " Enterprise " - C back through the rift . As three Klingon battle cruiser s attacked , the " Enterprise " - D laid down cover fire in order for the " Enterprise " - C to return through the rift . Heavy casualties were suffered , and the vessel was on the verge of a warp core breach when the timeline was restored . However , the " Enterprise " - C crew retained memories of their encounter , and one " Enterprise " - D crewmember , Tasha Yar , went back in time with the " Enterprise " - C . ( ) Crusher ' s static warp bubble . In 2367 , the thoughts of Dr . Beverly Crusher after she was trapped in a warp bubble created a completely separate universe , in which people and objects began disappearing . At various points , the crew of the " Enterprise " was reduced to a normal operating contingent of about three hundred , then one hundred , then simply two . All crew eventually disappeared , as the bubble began to collapse and the universe destroyed . This " Enterprise " was gradually erased from existence as the bubble collapsed . ( ) Barash ’ s simulation – Captain Riker . In 2367 , while exploring a cavern on Alpha Onias III , Commander William Riker was rendered unconscious by gas es . While unconscious , neural scanner s scanned Commander Riker ' s brain . The scanners used elements of Riker ' s reality and constructed a simulation with those elements interspersed throughout , so that it felt real to him . What Riker wanted , the scanners made possible . In the first simulation , set in 2383 , Riker was the captain of the " Enterprise " and was in the final stages of securing a peace treaty with the Romulans . In 2374 , on stardate 51253 , after serving for many years as the captain of the , Riker succeeded Picard as the captain of the " Enterprise " . The ship ' s first assignment under his command was a deep space exploration mission . Under his command , the ship surveyed the space beyond the Sargon Region , was a participant in the joint Excalbian Campaign , and captured a Romulan warship . These events were mentioned in his service record that was on display in his quarters on the " Enterprise " - D . A few years before 2383 , a Romulan battle cruiser had drifted into Federation space . The ship ' s warp coil s had collapsed and life support was failing . The " Enterprise " rescued the crew . Riker was the key spokesman in securing an alliance with the Romulans , who were impressed with his efforts at saving one of their ships . In the sixteen years between 2367 and 2383 , the " Enterprise " saved all the colonists in the Fornax Disaster . Riker was a widower with a son , Jean - Luc . His wife had been the ship ' s counselor after Troi had accepted a position at Starfleet Command . His wife died in 2381 in a shuttlecraft accident . In 2383 , Data served as first officer while La Forge was using cloned eye implants instead of his VISOR . There were Klingons and Ferengi serving aboard the " Enterprise " . The interior of the ship was also slightly altered and the bridge had several more science stations . The " Enterprise " had been assigned an escort mission for the Romulan ambassador Tomalak , whereupon he would be delivered to the final session for a peace treaty between the Federation and the Romulans . At this session , Riker would be a signatory to the treaty . However , a number of flaws convinced Riker that what he was experiencing was a charade and he challenged the program . This resulted in a new simulation where Riker was a prisoner of the Romulans . ( " okudagram " ) Quantum fissure encounter . Several thousand " Enterprise " s from many different quantum realities were encountered – later spilling into a single universe – in early 2370 , as a result of Lieutenant Worf ' s encounter with a quantum fissure . Worf observed numerous realities , with variations in personnel and positions widespread . In one quantum reality , Captain Picard was lost in the Borg encounter in 2367 and Riker was captain of the " Enterprise " , Wesley Crusher was still ( or again ) part of the crew , having risen to the rank of full lieutenant with the positions of security chief and tactical officer . In at least one reality , Alyssa Ogawa , who was a long - time nurse in the primary reality , was a full doctor and the chief medical officer with the rank of commander . In that reality , La Forge was killed in an attack by the Cardassians . On occasion , races that were adversarial to the Federation of the original universe – , such as the Cardassians , were part of the crew . Specifically , a Cardassian ensign served as the " Enterprise " - D ' s conn officer . Conversely in the same quantum reality , the Bajoran s were a hostile faction , having overthrown the Cardassian Union prior to 2370 . They became increasingly aggressive towards the Federation . A Bajoran ship destroyed the Argus Array on Stardate 47391 . 2 as they thought that Starfleet was using it to spy on them . In the same reality , La Forge had likewise been killed shortly beforehand , though the cause of his death was not stated . In a reality where the Borg had emerged victorious after the Battle of Wolf 359 and successfully conquered the Federation , the " Enterprise " was one of the few remaining Starfleet vessels by 2370 . Riker was in command of that ship as well , and was desperate not to return to his universe once all of the " Enterprise " s began spilling into a single universe . After attempting to get the attention of the present - reality " Enterprise " by firing lightly upon them , the heavily damaged ship was destroyed by Captain Riker with the alternate Riker on board to prevent further damage to his ship . The fissure was eventually sealed and the remaining ships were returned to their proper universes . When Worf returned to his normal universe , time was reversed and these events no longer occurred . ( ) Anti - time eruption . Several alternate versions of the " Enterprise " - D were seen by Captain Picard after encountering an anti - time eruption in the Devron system . All were part of separate closed timelines . In the anti - time past of 2363 and 2364 , the " Enterprise " was not sent to Farpoint Station , but instead was diverted to investigate the anomaly , which was feared to be a new Romulan presence . In this time period , Picard did not inform his crew of his time shifts , worrying that it may influence the future . He initially ignored Starfleet ' s orders and proceeded to Farpoint , but then diverted the ship to the Devron system and began scanning the anomaly with an inverse tachyon pulse . When it was discovered that the beam actually caused the anomaly and that the ship would need to create a static warp shell to contain the eruption , the crew was hesitant to accept the orders of their commander , who seemed to be making arbitrary decisions . After a quick reassurance from Picard , the crew cooperated and the ship joined two other " Enterprise " s in order to seal the breach . She was the first to be destroyed after the stress from the static warp shell caused a warp core breach . The second ship existed in the anti - time present of 2370 and 2371 . Her history was identical to the real ship up until that point . She was also sent to the Devron system , and began to scan the anomaly with the inverse tachyon beam . Picard did tell this crew about his time shifts , and this ship was most drastically affected by the anomaly ' s effects . This " Enterprise " joined the two other ships inside the anomaly , but was also destroyed trying to maintain a static warp shell . In the anti - time future , the " Enterprise " was not destroyed at Veridian III , but remained in service for a number of years , Admiral Riker saving the vessel from being decommissioned by making her his personal flagship based out of Starbase 247 . In this future , the " Enterprise " had undergone several significant modifications , including the addition of a third nacelle , a cloaking device , and a powerful phaser mounted underneath the saucer section . She single - handedly destroyed one Klingon battleship with eight shots from this phaser . The first hit and two others went straight through both the enemy shields and hull , forcing another to retreat while rescuing the USS " Pasteur " crew , following Picard ' s attempt to find the anomaly . Riker ordered the " Enterprise " back to Federation space , but Picard later convinced him to return to the Devron system and the ship arrived in time to watch the initial formation of the anomaly . She was the last ship to be destroyed when the anomaly was sealed , preventing any of these ships from coming into existence . ( ) Destruction at Veridian III . In yet another alternate timeline , the saucer section of the " Enterprise " - D was destroyed with the loss of all hands shortly after its crash - landing on the surface of Veridian III . In this version of events , Doctor Tolian Soran successfully launched his trilithium missile into the Veridian star ; the resulting shock wave destroyed all planets in the system . The " Enterprise " - D ' s saucer section and all aboard were wiped out when the shock wave reached Veridian III . Fortunately , before the wave reached the planet , both Soran and Captain Picard were swept into the Nexus . Acquiring the assistance of James T . Kirk , Picard was able to return to a point before Soran launched his weapon and prevent the destruction of the Veridian star , sparing the lives aboard the saucer section of the " Enterprise " - D at the same time . ( ) Appendices . Background information . The " Enterprise " - D model was designed by Andrew Probert . The basic layout of the ship was derived from a painting Probert had done following of how he would redesign the " Enterprise " had he been allowed to break with the basic plan Matt Jefferies and Joe Jennings created for " " . When he was hired to work in the " Star Trek : The Next Generation " art department , he brought the painting with him and hung it in his office , then set to work on the design of the bridge . Out of pure luck , David Gerrold saw the painting and brought it to Gene Roddenberry ' s attention . Roddenberry immediately approved the general direction . Probert further refined the design into the familiar shape ; however , he originally conceived the battle section as a smaller vessel shaped like a " D " which detached from an area on the saucer . Later , the producers informed him that they wanted the ship to split in two and have the engineering hull serve as the battle section . This presented an additional problem for Probert , as he needed to figure out some way to fulfill the producers ' requests while keeping the original lines of the design . Eventually , he found a way to incorporate a separation using the approved design , and after several more minor changes , the design reached its final form . Roddenberry ' s only requests were to lengthen the ends of the warp nacelles and to keep the bridge on the top of the saucer section rather than within the ship . Roddenberry felt that having the bridge on the exterior gave a sense of scale to the vessel . Two versions of the filming miniature were built by Industrial Light & Magic ( ILM ) for the first season : a large six - foot model and a smaller less - detailed two - foot model , both constructed under the supervision of Ease Owyeung . Both were capable of saucer separation . The cost to construct the original models was US $ 75 , 000 . For the third season , Greg Jein built a new four - foot miniature . It was not built to separate , but for the first time it accurately depicted the Ten Forward windows . It first appeared in and completely replaced the previous two models , although stock footage of the original models was still used . The six - foot model was briefly reused for the saucer separation in . It was completely refurbished and overhauled for , where it represented the " Enterprise " alongside a computer generated version and a special twelve - foot wide saucer , created for the crash sequence . ILM crewmember Bill George relabeled the registry on the saucer to " NCC - 1701 - E " before the model was returned to the Paramount archives . The four - foot model was modified into the three - nacelled " Enterprise " from and later partially restored to become the in and the in . The original six - foot filming model of the " Enterprise " - D ( Lot # 712 ) was sold at the auction on for US $ 576 , 000 , including the buyer ' s premium ( the winning bid was US $ 500 , 000 ) , by far the highest price for any item in the auction . The CGI model was utilized as various " Galaxy " - class ships during and . This same CGI model was overhauled by Gabriel Koerner for the ship ' s appearance in . During the early planning stages of TNG , it was intended for the series to be set in the late 25th century . The " Enterprise " - D would have been the seventh starship to bear the name , with a registry of NCC - 1701 - 7 . After the release of featuring the , the designation was changed to NCC - 1701 - G before the producers finally moved the series to eighty years after the " " and settled on NCC - 1701 - D . There was also talk of eliminating the starship from the TNG series altogether and merely boosting the abilities of the transporter , but this idea was quickly dropped . Interior sets were supervised by Herman Zimmerman during the first season and . Andrew Probert also contributed design sketches , most importantly for the bridge . Richard James took over the role from the second season until the end of the series . Many sets were recycled from those created by Harold Michelson for and the aborted " " . In turn , many of the " Enterprise " - D sets were transformed into those of the for . Parts of the " Enterprise " - D sets , including the bridge tactical station , command chairs , and main engineering master systems display were displayed at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum until they shut down in 2007 , at which time the items were returned to Paramount . Other smaller set pieces and walls have been kept in the Paramount archives and used in other " Star Trek " productions , even becoming parts of the recreated TNG sets in " These Are the Voyages . . . " . A design patent was issued in 1990 for the " ornamental design " of the " Enterprise " - D . Andrew Probert was recognized in that patent as the sole " inventor " of the design . The " Enterprise " - D had a captain ' s yacht named the " Calypso " . It was never actually seen , due to budget restrictions , but it can be seen on the underside of the saucer section . ( " " ) In a scene description from the final draft script of , the " Enterprise " - D was referred to as a " great ship " . Apocrypha . Reference manuals . The " Enterprise " - D was the subject of the highly detailed " " by Rick Sternbach and Michael Okuda , and had its sets rendered in QuickTime VR for the of the book . Sternbach later produced a set of depicting every single deck of the " Enterprise " . Games . The " Enterprise " - D was seen in several officially - licensed games , including " " , " " , and " " . She also made a brief appearance at the end of the " " strategy game , and in a " " mission with the . Attractions . The " Enterprise " - D met the science vessel " Antares " at the conclusion of " " , a " Star Trek " - themed planetarium show produced in in conjunction with the " " exhibit . That exhibit featured displays and interactive learning games modeled after the " Enterprise " - D bridge , engineering , sickbay , science lab , and transporter room . Until September 1st , 2008 , fans could visit the " Enterprise " - D via " " , which took guests through the transporter room , corridors , bridge , and shuttle deck while attempting to escape into a temporal rift aboard a shuttle motion simulator ride . Similar recreations of certain sets were included in the European " Star Trek World Tour " .