Flagship

A flagship was a status given to a starship considered to be the premier ship of a fleet. Typically, a flagship was a vessel commanded by a flag officer (an admiral or similar rank). The term was also properly applied to the ship of whichever commanding officer was in charge of a grouping of ships. A third, more colloquial usage of the term could mean that the ship in question was considered an "exemplar" of the best capabilities and virtues of the force it represented.
== United Federation of Planets ==
The served as the "flagship of the Federation" and of Starfleet around 2259. ()
The served as the "flagship of the Federation" and of Starfleet, from 2364 to 2371. (, , , , , ; ; )
While commanding the , Data made continuous reports to the Enterprise-D, the flagship of the armada that employed the tachyon detection grid along the Klingon-Romulan border in 2368. ()
During the Borg threat of 2369, the served as Vice Admiral Alynna Nechayev's flagship. () 
In 2373, Vice Admiral led the Federation fleet against a Borg cube at the Battle of Sector 001 aboard his flagship. Following its destruction, Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the , took command of the fleet in order to coordinate the destruction of the cube. () 
The frequently served as a flagship during the Dominion War with Captain Benjamin Sisko leading attack fleets into Dominion-held space, although overall theater command was under Vice Admiral William Ross, who led from his own flagship during the Battle of Cardassia. ()
=== Alternate timelines ===
In the anti-time future, Admiral William T. Riker commanded the Enterprise-D as his flagship explaining that "they tried to decommission her about five years ago. One of the advantages of being an admiral is you choose your own ship." ()
===Alternate reality===
In the alternate reality, the , launched in 2258, served as the flagship of Starfleet. ()
==First Federation==
In 2266, the encountered the First Federation flagship Fesarius, under the command of Commander Balok. ()
==Klingon Empire==
In the late 23rd century the battle cruiser Kronos One served as the flagship of Chancellor Gorkon. In 2293 it was carrying Gorkon for a rendezvous with the Federation starship where it would be escorted to Earth for a peace conference. It was fired upon by an experimental Bird-of-Prey leading to a rescheduling of the conference. ()
At one time during Romulan Commander Toreth's illustrious career, she commanded a ship that attacked a Klingon outpost which was supposedly undefended, but was discovered to in fact be defended by an attack force of cloaked warships, that took her squadron completely by surprise. Half of her ships were destroyed before the Romulans even opened fire, but when they did, the Klingon ships were no match for the Romulans. In fact, Toreth even destroyed the Klingon flagship herself, following the assault, she received the Sotarek Citation for her actions that day. ()
For five years of Martok's civilian career, he served as a laborer aboard ShiVang's flagship. As he explained it, "then, as fortune would have it, the Romulans made a foolhardy attempt to board our ship. I earned a battlefield commission." ()
In 2372, the Klingon Empire introduced the as its new flagship. ()
When General Martok was promoted to Supreme Commander of the Ninth Fleet following the recapture of Deep Space 9 in 2374, Captain Benjamin Sisko offered to arrange quarters for him on the station. Martok declined, stating "I'll keep my flag aboard the Rotarran. It's cramped but at least I'll feel like I'm still at war." The Rotarran was still Martok's flagship as of late 2375. ()
== Romulan Star Empire==
In 2266, the Praetor's flagship, "the finest and proudest" in the Romulan Empire, attacked several Earth Outpost Stations. It was successfully beaten by the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, and eventually destroyed by the ship's own commander in defeat. ()
The USS Enterprise encountered and was initially captured by a group of ships including two Romulan battle cruisers and a Bird-of-Prey after illegally crossing the Romulan Neutral Zone in 2268. 
After a series of deceptions on the part of Kirk and Spock aboard the Romulan flagship, they were successful in stealing its cloaking device. ()
In 2370, Romulan and Federation task forces built up along the Romulan Neutral Zone in response to anomalous readings in the Devron system, located within the Zone. Four Warbirds held position along the Romulan side of the Neutral Zone, led by the flagship Terix commanded by Tomalak. ()
In 2375, during the Battle of Cardassia, Admiral William Ross reported to Captain Sisko that "the Romulan flagship's been destroyed. Their entire line is collapsing." ()
==R'ongovian Protectorate==
In 2259, the flagship of the R'ongovian Protectorate was an antiquated solar sailship only used for ceremonial occasions. Per R'ongovian custom, after a treaty was signed, the ship would fly the flag of their new allies as a tribute. ()
==Emerald Chain==
In 3189, the heavy cruiser Viridian served as the flagship of Osyraa, leader of the Emerald Chain. ()
==Mirror universe==
===Terran Empire===
In the mirror universe, in 2155, the served as the flagship of the Terran Empire. () 
Later, declared the his flagship after he captured it from the Tholians and planned to take over the Empire. ()
The , launched in 2255, was the Imperial flagship and also housed Emperor 's Imperial palace. ()
===Klingon-Cardassian Alliance===
In the mid-2370s, Regent commanded the Klingon-Cardassian flagship responsible for leading the assault, on several occasions, against and the Terran Resistance Forces. This flagship resembled a Negh'Var warship, but was built on a much larger scale. ()
==Appendices==
===See also ===
*Lead ship
===Apocrypha===
According to the McDonald's comic "Star Trek Stars", the was considered "command ship of the Federation" after the V'ger incident.
===External links===
*
*
de:Flaggschiff
ja:旗艦
nl:Vlaggenschip
pl:Okręt flagowy
sv:Flaggskepp
Category:Spacecraft classifications