Strange New Worlds Created An Enterprise Tradition That Star Trek: TNG Broke

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introduced a Starship Enterprise tradition, but it was broken by the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Directed by Jonathan Frakes, and written by Kathryn Lyn and Bill Wolkoff, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 7, "Those Old Scientists" was a comedic crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks where Ensigns Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) of the 24th century USS Cerritos time traveled aboard the 23rd century USS Enterprise.

The time travel dilemma of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' crossover involved Ensigns Boimler and Mariner being stuck in the 23rd century. The time portal on the Starship Enterprise found on the planet Krulmuth lost power when Mariner accidentally sent herself to the past to find Boimler. After Boimler and Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) were unable to synthesize more horonium, the time portal's power source, Mariner and Boimler came upon a solution hidden on the Enterprise itself.

As Mariner and Boimler explained to Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the Starship Enterprise's senior staff, when a new starship is constructed, a piece of the previous starship bearing its name is hidden inside it. This meant there was horonium from Captain Jonathan Archer's (Scott Bakula) NX-01 Enterprise hull aboard Pike's starship. This starship tradition is a retcon introduced by Strange New Worlds, but it doesn't continue into Star Trek: The Next Generation's 24th century.

Strange New Worlds’ Enterprise Tradition Means Star Trek: TNG Broke It

There's No Piece Of The USS Enterprise-C In The USS Enterprise-D

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' starship tradition is a retcon that can't apply to the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Unfortunately, Captain Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) Galaxy Class starship couldn't contain a piece of its predecessor, the USS Enterprise-C. As revealed in Star Trek: The Next Generation's classic "Yesterday's Enterprise," the USS Enterprise-C was destroyed 20 years before the D was launched. Thus, Picard's starship can't contain a piece of Captain Rachel Garrett's (Tricia O'Neill) lost Enterprise.

However, the USS Enterprise-C could have honored Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' tradition and contained a piece of the USS Enterprise-B. The Excelsior Class Enterprise-B was launched in 2293 as seen in Star Trek Generations. Captain John Harriman's (Alan Ruck) Enterprise was the successor to Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) USS Enterprise-A, which survived into the 25th century in the Fleet Museum on Athan Prime. The Enterprise-C may have been built with a remainder of the Enterprise-B's hull.

Of course, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds introduced its retcon thirty years after Star Trek: The Next Generation, so there's no way TNG-era TV shows and movies could have adhered to this tradition. Still, the idea of each new incarnation of the USS Enterprise having a piece of its predecessor is a charming one, although it also couldn't have lasted through the latter part of Star Trek's 23rd century.

Star Trek III Also Broke Strange New Worlds’ Enterprise Tradition

"My God, Bones. What Have I Done?"

Thanks to Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 could not have continued Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' tradition so that a piece of the 1701 could be part of its successor, the USS Enterprise-A. In Star Trek III, Admiral Kirk self-destructed his beloved Enterprise to keep it from falling into Klingon hands. Kirk blew up the same ship that was commanded by Captain Pike and his predecessor, Captain Robert April (Adrian Holmes), and no part of it could be salvaged from the doomed Genesis Planet.

At the end of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Kirk, who was newly demoted back to Captain, was assigned the USS Enterprise-A, which was a similar Constitution Class starship. The Enterprise-A wasn't newly built, it was simply rechristened Enterprise from its previous designation.

So, Admiral Kirk inadvertently ended Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' tradition of direct lineage from Captain Archer's NX-01 Enterprise to the USS Enterprise NCC-1701. However, it's possible that a piece of the decommissioned USS Enterprise-A was included in the construction of the USS Enterprise-B.

Did Star Trek: Picard Break Strange New Worlds’ Enterprise Tradition Again?

Maybe One Day We Will Learn If USS Enterprise-G Has A Piece Of The Enterprise-F

The USS Enterprise-D was destroyed in Star Trek Generations, but most of its saucer section was intact when it crash-landed on Veridian III. Therefore, it's conceivable that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' retcon could be tacitly honored, and a piece of the D was included in the construction of its successor, the Sovereign Class USS Enterprise-E. However, Star Trek: Picard's own update to the fate of the Enterprise-E seemingly makes it improbable that the USS Enterprise-F contains a part of the Enterprise-E.

According to Star Trek: Picard season 3, the USS Enterprise-E was lost under mysterious circumstances under the command of Captain Worf (Michael Dorn), although the Klingon claims whatever happened is not his fault. Whether or not the Enterprise-E was destroyed, it is unclear whether any piece of it was salvaged and included in the construction of the Odyssey Class USS Enterprise-F. Seen only in Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 9, "Vox," there isn't enough canonical information about the USS Enterprise-F to know for sure.

It's possible that the USS Enterprise-G, which was assigned to Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), could contain a piece of the Enterprise-F after it was decommissioned at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3. However, the Enterprise-G wasn't a newly-constructed starship, it was the Neo-Constitution Class USS Titan-A rechristened as the USS Enterprise-G. Still, a portion of the Enterprise-F could have been built into the Enterprise-G during its refit, thereby honoring Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Enterprise tradition retcon.