USS Challenger (NCC-71099)

The USS Challenger (NCC-71099) was a 24th century Federation starship operated by Starfleet.
In 2378, the Challenger was one of several starships which intercepted a Borg transwarp conduit that carried the back to the Alpha Quadrant. ()
In an alternate timeline created after an attempt made by Voyager to use quantum slipstream drive resulted in the ship being destroyed, the Challenger was captained by Geordi La Forge in 2390. The vessel was assigned to pursue and capture the , which had been stolen by former Voyager crewmembers Chakotay and Harry Kim. The Challenger managed to inflict severe damage on the Flyer, causing a warp core breach. However, Harry Kim was successful in transmitting a message to Voyager in the past, giving that ship's crew instructions to collapse the slipstream and avert the disaster. ()
== Appendices ==
=== Background information ===
According to the , the Challenger was named for the space shuttle orbiter Challenger (OV-099). The registry number, NCC-71099, reflects this tribute.
The Challenger was a computer-generated model; its presence during "Endgame" was implied by the fact that the name and registry on the model was left over from "Timeless". Like the , the ship's name was emblazoned below the registry number on the ventral side of its saucer section. The Venture model was the first to do this. 
The Challenger also appeared in the and Ships of the Line calendars from Pocket Books, although parts of the CGI image were still labeled "Enterprise" and "NCC-1701-D".
=== Apocrypha ===
In the non-canon Pocket TOS The Return by William Shatner (with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens), a Galaxy-class starship Challenger was mentioned existing earlier in 2371. In the novel, the ship was commanded by a Vulcan, Captain Simm, and, docked at Deep Space 9, was the scene of a fight between Jean-Luc Picard and a Borg-assimilated James T. Kirk.
Geordi La Forge also assumed command of the Challenger in Star Trek Online in 2397. The Challenger has been seen in and around Spacedock One, initially orbiting the station. After an update the Challenger was moved inside the Spacedock. Various ship status signs relating to relevant areas mention the Challenger with her registry, and were updated when the ships where moved. The Challenger took an active role in the game in the mission "Beyond the Nexus" which was added to commemorate the 30th anniversary of . In the mission, the Challenger joins the player in investigating a distress call from a Starfleet vessel which was believed to have been lost while exploring the Nexus in 2332.
The Pocket TNG novel Indistinguishable from Magic by David A. McIntee has Geordi La Forge promoted to captain and assuming command of the Challenger in 2384 after its previous commander, Captain Montgomery Scott, retired after the death of his first officer during a battle with marauders and the determination that he failed to meet the minimum service requirements for command by the Challengers chief medical officer, Alyssa Ogawa. Then-commander La Forge was aboard in a detached, temporary role of operations and second officer during a mission to investigate the 's discovery of the (NX-07), assumed destroyed in 2162 by a left-over Romulan mine from the Earth-Romulan War. The Challenger was portrayed in this novel as being a testbed of several experimental systems developed by the Starfleet Corps of Engineers.
=== External link ===
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Challenger, USS (NCC-71099)