I toss this out to all the major Trek-heads here.

When in the time-line (barring retcons like Star Trek: Enterprise) did the ship, Enterprise become THE ship in the fleet.

I ask this because at the end of CREW #3, a berth on the Enterprise is seen as a huge deal, which, based on my memory of the original series, wasn't that big of a deal at that point in the time-line. I thought only through the Legend Of Kirk did that ship take on a legendary quality, while before that, it was just another ship in the fleet.

Was it the first Constellation Class ship? Was it the flag-ship in the fleet? Is there some explanation to this other than a fanboy writer gets all excited about *ENTERPRISE*?

Kirk was so awesome, that every other ship in the whole fleet just abandoned their original insignias and used his. Nobody said anything to anyone - they just did because it felt right. Kirk is so awesome, he didn't even notice.

Said this downstairs, will again upstairs: Enterprise was Starfleet's first starship so she became the flagship for all time. Kirk didn't make the Enteprise name legendary, Archer did. Kirk was an up-and-coming hotshot who earned the Captaincy of Starfleet's best ship.

I said baring ret-cons

On a side-note, I understand there's a reference to Archer's Beagle in the new movie.

Aw I didn't see that ... you premised my answer out of the Playroom version.

Although I think Enterprise became THE ship in Starfleet when they had their first named guest-star on The Next Generation. Until then, they all seemed strangely ignorant that there was this guy named Kirk who once was the Captain of a previous Enterprise.

Kelsey Grammer put the Enterprise on the map.

i can haz tribble?

Bare your retcons elsewhere, young man - we'll have none of that behaviour around here!

Yeah, this is the playroom.

You may have 3. But no more.

But they come in 10-packs.

Ok. Three 10-packs. But no more.

They taste like chicken.

The Enterprise is it's own enigma... and no. I can't back that up.

Enterprise became the defacto flag ship of the fleet when she sailed as the first Nimitz class air craft carrier, and then went on to be the first space shuttle as well. From a naval perspective, the Enterprise was the first and the best, and the brightest of the modern era, and that trend continued into Star Trek.

As for the Star Trek Timeline, my memory speaks to the fact that their were only 2 constellation class star ships during the time of the original series, and the Enterprise's sister ship was destroyed by Captain Deckert as part of the Doomsday Machine episode, leaving only the Enterprise.

Then, Kirk turned it into a legend. Although I wouldn't want to work security on it.

Jason

There were twelve Constitution class ships in Star Fleet at the time of TOS. Kirk said so in "Tomorrow Is Yesterday".

We were shown at least four Constellation class ships during the course of TNG -- the Gettysburg, Hathaway, Magellan and of course the Stargazer.

In other news, I'm a big nerd.

Admitting it is the first step.

He said "there are only 12 like her in the Fleet," which could be taken as 12 total or 12 others beside Enterprise. Seven of the others were shown onscreen in the series; Constellation, Defiant, Excalibur, Exeter, Hood, Lexington, and Potemkin. The Constellation was destroyed and Defiant was lost. The entire crews of Exeter and Excalibur were killed and the others were badly damaged by the "ultimate computer." Presumably the Constitution is another one, and other possibilities mentioned on the series include the Farragut, Intrepid, and Republic.

(I didn't want Twitchy to be the only admitted Trek nerd.)