Starbase 1 ( alternate reality ) In the alternate reality , Starbase 1 was a spacedock in Earth orbit and was constructed some time prior to 2258 . ( ) Specifications . Starbase 1 was composed of a large central spherical habitat and a space dock section connected to the equator of the sphere . The space dock began with an inner ring with six spokes ending in saucer sections . These multideck saucers , labeled from A to F , each contained berths , numbered from 0 to 6 . The berths had retractable docking clamps designed to attach to the hulls of starships docked at the station . ( , ) History . In 2258 , the was docked at the starbase before its maiden voyage , when it left to answer a distress call from the planet alongside the , , , , , , , , and the . Seven of these ships , except the " Enterprise " – which left late , due to an error on part – were later destroyed by the " Narada " during the destruction of Vulcan . The starbase was apparently unharmed while the " Narada " subsequently assaulted Earth . ( ) In late February 2259 , according to a plan of the base , there were nine starship s docked at this base . These starships were given unique two - letter and three - letter IDs . Some of them were CBM , NCC , and ROM . A Space Dock Manifest listed two starships ( AF and VH - 5 ) , VD , and DB - 5 . In addition , a news network officially sanctioned by the UFP News broadcast a report about this spacedock . Information on the spacedock and the news report was visible in a collection of graphics and video media on a powerwall in the office of at Starfleet Headquarters . In the aftermath of John Harrison ' s attack on Starfleet Headquarters , the starbase again served as departure point for the " Enterprise " upon the ship leaving for Qo ' noS . As Captain ordered that all moorings be retracted , the docking clamps were removed , just prior to the " Enterprise " leaving . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Manny Coto once commented that , if had gone on to a fifth season , one episode of that season would have been called " Starbase 1 " . The installment would have depicted the origins of the first starbase . While this alternate - reality starbase is not referred to by name in the film ( beyond the lines " dock control " and " separating from spacedock " ) , the movie ' s script referred to the facility as " Starbase One " . The station was also scripted to be " massive " and appear at the end of the film , though it is absent from the conclusion of the film ' s theatrical cut . The genesis of the starbase ' s design was the concept of an Earth - orbiting spacedock with a central hub . ( " Star Trek - The Art of the Film " , p . 61 ) This design was devised by the film ' s production designer , Scott Chambliss . Concept artist Ryan Church recalled , " " Everybody had taken a stab at the spaceport , then Scott came up with that idea ; I did a lot of illustrations of variations on the basic concept . " " It was Church who came up with the concept of the starbase having a clear , spherical inner core with radiating docking arms . ( " Star Trek - The Art of the Film " , p . 61 ) Heavily inspired by this design , Bruce Holcomb – a digital model supervisor from Industrial Light & Magic – built the space station as a highly detailed digital model , using CGI . ( " Cinefex " , No . 118 , pp . 56 & 61 ) For , ILM reused its existing model of the starbase , adding details of operators in the dock ' s interior as well as the docking clamps , retracting from the " Enterprise " s hull . ( " Cinefex " , No . 134 , p . 82 ) According to reference sources , there were at least two prime universe counterparts called Starbase 1 . According to " " , the first Starbase 1 was built by United Earth ' s Starfleet on Berengaria VII and was lost in the Earth - Romulan War . According to the earlier reference book " Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology " ( pp . 100 & 104 ) , this base , lost in the war , was located in Sector 3A , where it managed to remain operational for eight years before it was destroyed by the Romulans . According to " Star Fleet Technical Manual " ( pp . 89 & 121 ) , the mid 23rd century Starbase 1 in the prime universe had the registry NCC - 6038 and was located six parsec s away from the Sol system . According to " Star Trek Maps " ( Charts A & D ) , this base was located over sixty parsecs away from Earth , in Quadrant 0 . ( The Starbase One planet and its moon Cirta were depicted in Chart D . ) According to the , this station was referred to as " Spacedock 1 " in the script for " Star Trek : Into Darkness " . The authors of this reference work believe the names are interchangeable . Apocrypha . Similar to the film ' s script , the novelization of ' s " Star Trek " refers to this alternate reality space station as " Starbase 1 " . The book also calls the facility " a city in space " and considers the docking situation depicted in the film – whereby the station ' s gigantic transverse arms are initially all occupied – as being unusual for the starbase . A digitally rendered depiction of Starbase 1 was included in the of the " Ships of the Line " calendar , in the image for June ( entitled " His " Star Trek " Will Go On Forever " ) . This image , created by Tobias Richter , shows the base servicing various starships while the " Enterprise " departs from the facility . According to the novel " Mutiny on the Enterprise " , the prime universe counterpart Starbase 1 in the 2260s was located on a planet in deep space . According to such sources as " Star Trek Online " , the FASA module " Star Trek IV Sourcebook Update " , the novels " Tales of the Dominion War " and " Articles of the Federation " , the prime universe counterpart also known as Starbase 1 from the 2280s to the 2400s was the Earth Spacedock , first seen in . According to the December picture in the calendar , the Earth Spacedock was being built at the same time as the was being refit ted in the early 2270s . The virtual collectible card battle game " " has Starbase 1 on card # 92 " NCC - 6038 Starbase 1 " .