Star Trek: 10 Secrets About The USS Enterprise-G You Need To Know
4. What's In A Name?
The story of the latest ship to bear the name Enterprise isn't quite as straightforward as the series may make you believe.
Yes, the Neo-Constitution Class starship first seen in The Next Generation was going to be named the USS Titan NCC-80102-A at the beginning of the series but its bow out wasn't as conceived.
Speaking with Shangri-La Class/Connie 3 designer Bill Krause, the original plan for The Last Generation, the season three finale, was to have the Titan renamed as the Picard. This would have fit with the series arc as a whole and even meant that the show ironically would be both named for the character and a ship.
However, an apparent last-minute switch in post-production saw NCC-1701-G brought into the fray. That moment has a similar tinge to "I'm counting on Excelsior" by Mr Sulu. As the shuttle approaches there's that parallel revelation moment as the registry of the Enterprise is revealed.
The Enterprise-G also brings Star Trek and The Next Generation crew in a bizarre full circle.
Travel back to 1986 and the USS Enterprise of that televisual era was almost the NCC-1701-7. Thanks to the choice to alphabetize the replacement in The Voyage Home, this was updated to NCC-1701-G. This would be revised once again to D, which fit more with the 78-year gap from the Original Series.