Star Trek: Every Starship Enterprise Ranked From WORST To BEST

7. NCC-1701-C

Enterprise C Star Trek
CBS Media Ventures

The Enterprise-C was designed by Rick Sternbach and built by Gregory Jein for the episode Yesterday's Enterprise. The original concept, depicted in gold on the wall of the Enterprise-D's observation lounge, was designed by Andrew Probert. The ship was seen as a natural evolution between the Excelsior and Galaxy-class models.

The original drive section was more angular, with smoother lines, closer to the Excelsior-class drive section. However, the time frame on Yesterday's Enterprise wouldn't permit the creation of that ship, so Sternbach settled on the design eventually seen on screen.

While the studio model appeared in Data's Day (redesigned slightly and renamed the USS Zhukov) and Emissary (as the USS Yamaguchi), stock footage of the Enterprise-C served as the USS Excalibur in Redemption Part 2. 

The ship was created to be destroyed, though it broke several barriers before it met its final fate. Yesterday's Enterprise managed to combine different eras of Star Trek, depict the first female captain of an Enterprise (in the form of Tricia O'Neil's Rachel Garrett), and fix a wrong in the death of Tasha Yar. While her Prime counterpart's death in Skin Of Evil was quick, brutal, and meaningless, Yar's death here manages to save millions of lives - even if it does create a slight hiccup in the form of the Romulan Sela.

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"