Star Trek: Every Starship Enterprise Ranked From WORST To BEST

12. NCC-1701-A (Kelvin)

Star Trek Beyond USS Enterprise A
Paramount Pictures

This Enterprise has one of the shortest on-screen depictions of any, though it still has more screen time than the XCV-330 or the Enterprise-J. Sean Hargreaves brought this new vessel to life for the closing scene and end credits of Star Trek Beyond, serving as the final ship (to date) seen in the Kelvin Universe.

Despite its brief appearance, Hargreaves poured many hours of work into the design of this ship. He was given a brief to 'beef up' the perceived weaknesses of Ryan Church's earlier designs, with the neck and nacelle struts taking priority. Having been thinner and slightly tapered in the previous Enterprise, the Enterprise-A featured a more vertical take on both, with a thicker structure for added strength.

Hargreaves took inspiration from Matt Jefferies' original design for the saucer section. He angled the edges to an almost 45-degree angle, avoiding the straight lines present on the previous ship. With some other visual additions to the model, the Enterprise-A was launched from Starbase Yorktown in 2263, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk.

As of writing, the Kelvin timeline seems set to remain a three-film adventure, meaning this version of the Enterprise may be relegated to this short amount of screen time forever. It has appeared in expanded media, including the comic book series, where it may continue to embark on further adventures. For now, while brief, this version of the Enterprise-A's journey was a lovingly crafted, painstakingly realised adaptation of the Constitution-class of that universe. 

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"