Star Trek Generations’ 3 Enterprise Ships Explained

Star Trek Generations featured three vessels named Enterprise in two different time periods and in the holodeck. The first film starring the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek Generations‘ big draw was the historic team-up of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) from Star Trek: The Original Series. Captain Kirk also died at the end of Star Trek Generations, a demise the franchise has held firm to as Kirk has never been resurrected in canon.

Captain Kirk was brought to the 24th century by the Nexus, an other-dimensional ribbon of energy where the rules of time and space don’t apply. Kirk and Picard team up to stop Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), an El-Aurian madman willing to destroy a star system in order to return to the Nexus. Soran encounters two different versions of the Starship Enterprise in two different time periods, while a third Enterprise manifests on the USS Enterprise-D’s holodeck. Star Trek Generations actually boasts the most versions of the Enterprise to appear in a Star Trek movie, something that wouldn’t be topped until multiple Enterprises appear in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

USS Enterprise-B

Captain John Harriman, Captain James T. Kirk

Star Trek Generations begins with a prologue set in the late 23rd century that introduces the brand-new, Excelsior Class USS Enterprise-B. The Enterprise-B is christened with a bottle of champagne for its maiden voyage, which is a media event with three special guests: Captain James T. Kirk, Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), and Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) from the previous USS Enterprise-A. The Enterprise-B’s Captain is John Harriman (Alan Ruck) and among the bridge crew is helmsman Ensign Demora Sulu (Jacqueline Kim), the daughter of Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) of the USS Excelsior.

The USS Enterprise-B soon encounters the Nexus within Earth’s solar system when it threatens an El-Aurian ship containing Dr. Tolian Soran and Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg). Unfortunately, the Enterprise-B and Captain Harriman are ill-prepared for such a crisis, and many of the starship’s systems won’t be installed “until Tuesday.” After briefly sitting in the Captain’s chair and taking command, Kirk cedes the center seat to Harriman, and Jim is presumed dead when the Nexus damages the Enterprise-D’s deck 15. Star Trek Generations is the only canonical appearance of the USS Enterprise-B.

HMS Enterprise

Captain Jean-Luc Picard

The HMS Enterprise is a holodeck simulation of an 18th-century British galleon. The bridge crew of the USS Enterprise-D, clad in period British Naval uniforms, use the HMS Enterprise as part of their ceremony to promote Worf (Michael Dorn) to Lieutenant Commander. Present are Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton).

Worf’s promotion goes awry when Riker, perhaps not accidentally, orders the plank the Klingon is standing on to be “removed,” not “retracted,” which sends the Klingon into the ocean. Another mishap followed when Data misunderstood Dr. Crusher and pushed her overboard as well, thinking it would be funny. Star Trek Generations‘ HMS Enterprise sequence is a fun diversion that accomplished a few plot points: 1) It was a novel way to promote Worf, 2) It introduced Data’s subplot, which is his desire to experience emotions by installing his emotion chip, and 3) It set up Captain Picard learning his family in France died in a fire.

USS Enterprise-D

Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Acting Captain William T. Riker

The mighty Galaxy Class USS Enterprise-D meets its demise in Star Trek Generations. The flagship of the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise-D was featured in every episode of all 7 seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, the producers of Star Trek Generations decided to destroy the Enterprise-D and replace it with a new Enterprise for the succeeding films, which became the Sovereign Class USS Enterprise-E seen in Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis.

The end of the Enterprise-D came when Captain Picard was off-ship on Veridian III trying to stop Dr. Soran. Klingons kidnapped Geordi La Forge and returned him after making alterations to his VISOR, enabling them to see the Enterprise’s shield codes. The Klingons then fired upon the Enterprise, critically damaging its warp core. With Commander Riker as Acting Captain, the Enterprise was able to retaliate and destroy the Klingon Bird-of-Prey. But despite a saucer separation, the stardrive’s explosion forced the Enterprise-D’s saucer to crash-land on Veridian III. Happily, Star Trek Generations‘ destruction of the Enterprise-D was reversed in Star Trek: Picard season 3, which revealed Commodore Geordi La Forge restored the USS Enterprise-D back to its former glory to save the galaxy one last time.

Star Trek Generations is available to stream on Paramount+.