Called the "Great Experiment", the Excelsior prototype NX-2000 designed to be Starfleet's first transwarp capable starship. When launched in 2284 under the command of Captain Stiles the transwarp drive did not work and was refitted with traditional warp power. The Excelsior was commissioned in 2290 under the command of Captain Sulu, and was put into mass production. The Excelsior is one of Starfleet's most widely used vessels for many different types of missions, deep space exploration, science, diplomacy, and defense.

In 2293, the first Excelsior Refit was launched, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B. The new design featured more powerful impulse engines built onto the saucer section for possible separations, and a reactor room by the navigational deflector array. However only two Excelsior-refit ships are known, the Enterprise and Lakota.

After over 90 years the Excelsior-class is still in heavy use with no sign of being retired. Several different Excelsior-class ships have been used in battle against the Dominion.

The Excelsior was designed by Bill George and built at ILM. Although this was never made clear on film, it is generally assumed that the transwarp drive being tested in Star Trek III was a failure, and that the ship was later outfitted with a more conventional warp drive. The Excelsior's bridge control panels and computer readout displays seen in Star Trek VI tend to support this theory. It is also assumed that the Excelsior mentioned in "Interface" (TNG) was the first ship seen in Star Trek III because there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.

The Enterprise-B modifications were designed by John Eaves under the supervision of production designer Herman Zimmerman.

Related Links:
Size of the Excelsior-class (EAS)


USS Al-Batani NCC-42995
   Starship that Kathryn Janeway served on as science officer.
   "Caretaker" - VOY.
USS Berlin NCC-14232
   Stationed near the Romulan Neutral Zone in 2364 just prior to the first Romulan violation of the zone since the Tomed Incident.
   "Angel One" - TNG.
USS Cairo NCC-42136
   Commanded by Captain Jellico. The Cairo transported Vice Admiral Necheyev to the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D in 2369 when Jellico    assumed temporary command of the Enterprise-D.
   "Chain of Command" - TNG.
USS Charleston NCC-42285
   Ferried the three revived 20th century cryonic survivors back to Earth in 2364.
   Named for the city in South Carolina.
   "The Neutral Zone" - TNG.
USS Crazy Horse NCC-50446
   Part of Task Force 3 in Captain Picard's armada in an expected Borg invasion during 2369. The Crazy Horse later rendezvous with the    Enterprise-D in 2370 to pick up Admiral Pressman.
   The Crazy Horse was named for Oglala Sioux chief, who was one of the most important Native American leaders at the Battle of Little    Bighorn in 1876.
   "Descent" - TNG. "The Pegasus" - TNG.
USS Crockett NCC-38955
   Transported Admiral Mitsuya to Deep Space 9 in 2370.
   Named for Davey Crockett, an American frontiersman and politician.
   "Paradise" - DS9.
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B Refit
   Third starship to bear the name.
   See Enterprise-B page for more information.
   "Star Trek: Generations"
USS Excelsior NCC-2000
   Prototype Excelsior-class vessel which was the testbed for transwarp. Went on an unauthorized mission to rescue Captain Kirk and    Dr. McCoy from Rura Penthe but was stopped by several Klingon battle cruisers. The Excelsior later assisted the USS Enterprise    NCC-1701-A at Khitomer.
   "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock". "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home". "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country".
   "Interface" - TNG. "Flashback" - VOY.
USS Farragut NCC-
   The "Jack Pack", under false pretenses used the Farragut to travel to DS9 in 2375.
   The episode did not explicitly establish the Farragut as an Excelsior, but there was a ship of this class seen during the episode.
   "Chrysalis" - DS9.
USS Fearless NCC-14598
   Used to test engine upgrades by Starfleet propulsion specialist Kosinski. The Fearless later transported Kosinski to the Enterprise-D in    2364.
   An error in the Star Trek Encyclopedia lists the registry of the Fearless as NCC-4598.
   "Where No One Has Gone Before" - TNG.
USS Fredrickson NCC-42111
   At Utopia Planitia in 2373. One of several ships damaged in battle with the Dominion in 2374.
   Named for Anthony Fredrickson, a scenic artist on Deep Space Nine.
   "A Time Stand" - DS9. "Relativity" - VOY.
USS Gorkon NCC-40512
   Admiral Necheyev's flagship during an expected Borg invasion in 2369.
   Named for Chancellor Gorkon.
   "Descent" - TNG.
USS Grissom NCC-42857
   The Grissom was near the Sigma Erandi system during the tricyanate contamination on Beta Agni II in 2366. The Enterprise-D    requested the Grissom to stand by should assistance be needed.
   Named after the Oberth-class Grissom destroyed by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey in 2285 and Mercury astronaut Virgil Grissom.
   "The Most Toys" - TNG.
USS Hood NCC-42296
   Ship Commander Riker served on before the Enterprise-D. The Hood was one of the starships sent to the Romulan Neutral Zone in    preparation for a possible battle from a Romulan defector Alidar Jarok in 2366. Part of the fleet to rendezvous with the USS Enterprise
   NCC-1701-E to intercept the Reman warship Scimitar.
   "Encounter at Farpoint" - TNG. "Tin Man" - TNG. "The Defector" - TNG. "Star Trek: Nemesis"
USS Intrepid NCC-38907
   Commanded by Captain Drew Deighan while responding to a Klingon distress call when the Khitomer Outpost was attacked by    Romulans on stardate 23859.7 in 2346. CPO Sergey Rozhenko adopted a Klingon child named Worf.
   The name of the captain is an in-joke, Deighan was the writer of "Sins of the Father".
   "Sins of the Father" - TNG. "Family" - TNG.
USS Lakota NCC-42768 Refit
   Transported Captain Sisko and Odo to Earth in 2372. Captain Benteen later assumed command of the Lakota and under Admiral    Leyton's orders fired on the USS Defiant NX-74205.
   Named for the Native American nation.
   "Homefront" - DS9. "Paradise Lost" - DS9.
USS Lexington NCC-14427
   Rendezvoused with the Enterprise-D and transferred medical supplies to them for delivery to the Taranko colony.
   "Thine Own Self" - TNG.
USS Livingston NCC-34099
   Starship that Captain Sisko and Curzon Dax served together on.
   The Livingston was most likely named after Star Trek producer-director David Livingston.
   "Invasive Procedures" - DS9.
USS Malinche NCC-38997
   Attacked and disabled by a group of Maquis while it patrolled the Demilitarized Zone, near the Gamma 7 Outpost.
   Named after 16th century Mexican princess who was originally a slave given as a peace offering to the Spanish conquistador by the    Tabascan Indians.
   "For the Uniform" - DS9.
USS Melbourne NCC-62043
   Stationed Starbase 74 when the Enterprise-D was hijacked by the Bynars. Commander Riker was offered commanded of this ship    shortly before it was destroyed by the Borg at Wolf 359.
   Named for the Australian city. The Melbourne was originally a Nebula-class vessel, however when the Wolf 359 battle scene was    created for DS9 it became an Excelsior-class vessel.
   "11001001" - TNG. "The Best of Both Worlds" - TNG. "Emissary" - DS9.
USS Okinawa NCC-13958
   Captain Sisko served as XO to Admiral Leyton onboard during the Tzenkethi War.
   Named for the islands in the South China Sea that were the scene of heavy fighting near the end of World War II.
   "Homefront" - DS9. "Paradise Lost" - DS9.
USS Potemkin NCC-18253
   Commander Riker served on the Potemkin prior to the Hood. While serving onboard to a mission to Nervala IV in 2361 a copy of Riker    was created and left on the planet. In 2374 the Potemkin was part of the Ninth Fleet headquartered at DS-9.
   Named for Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin, a Russian military officer under Catherine II.
   "Peak Performance" - TNG. "Second Chances" - TNG. "Legacy" - TNG. "Ethics" - TNG. "You are Cordially Invited..." - DS9.
USS Repulse NCC-2544
   Dr. Pulaski's post before transferring to the Enterprise-D in 2365.
   Named for the British battle cruiser from World War II.
   "The Child" - TNG. "Unnatural Selection" - TNG.
USS Roosevelt NCC-2573
   Lost at Wolf 359 in the battle with the Borg. Some of its crew were assimilated.
   Named for American President Theodore Roosevelt.
   "Unity" - VOY.
USS Tecumseh NCC-14934
   The Tecumseh and Rutledge were ordered to launch a counter-attack against Klingon forces in the Archanis Sector.
   "Nor the Battle to the Strong" - DS9.
USS Valley Forge NCC-43305
   Fought in the combined fleet of allied Alpha Quadrant forces that invaded Cardassian space at the Chin'toka System in 2374.
   Named for the site in Pennsylvania where General George Washington's troops spent the winter during the American Revolutionary    War.
   "Tears of the Prophets" - DS9.

Specifications:
Type: Explorer
Length: 467m / 469m refit
Beam: 195m
Mass: 2,350,000 tonnes
Speed: 9.5
Crew: 750
Armament: Sixteen Type 10 phasers
Two torpedo launchers