A Star Trek fan theory may solve Star Trek: Picard's mystery of what happened to the USS Enterprise-E, which Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) claims was not his fault. Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 9, "Vox," saw the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation come aboard the rebuilt USS Enterprise-D. En route to the Enterprise's dock at the Fleet Museum, however, Worf's TNG friends teased him about the fate of the Enterprise-E, and the Klingon insisted, "That was not my fault." What happened to the Enterprise-E remains an open question Star Trek: Picard left behind.
The Sovereign Class USS Enterprise-E was launched in 2373 prior to Star Trek: First Contact. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) commanded the Enterprise-E in three Star Trek: The Next Generation movies, including First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek: Nemesis. Star Trek: Picard season 1 revealed that Captain Picard received a promotion to Admiral in 2381 to spearhead Starfleet's rescue mission to save the Romulan people from their sun going supernova. Star Trek: Picard season 3 confirmed it was Worf who succeeded Picard as Captain of the Enterprise - until the Enterprise-E was lost under mysterious circumstances.
Was Captain Worf Secretly In Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1’s Finale?
Starfleet was nearly destroyed at Gamma Serpentis
As reported by Inverse, a Star Trek fan theory posits what happened to the USS Enterprise-E might be tied to the ending of Star Trek: Prodigy season 1, thereby proving Captain Worf wasn't at fault. In the Star Trek Sh**posting Facebook group, Daniel Stalvey posted a meme theorizing that Captain Worf was in command of the USS Defiant during Star Trek: Prodigy season 1's finale, when the Living Construct forced Starfleet to attack itself. In this scenario, if the USS Enterprise-E was one of the Sovereign Class starships destroyed, then it wouldn't have been Worf's fault. Check out the meme below:
Star Trek: Prodigy season 1's finale, "Supernova, Parts 1 and 2," took place in 2384, well after Captain Picard was promoted to Admiral and Worf was promoted to Captain. In Prodigy season 1's ending, Starfleet was assembled at Gamma Serpentis to intercept the USS Protostar and the USS Dauntless under the command of Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). The Vau N'Akat activated their weapon hidden on the Protostar, the Living Construct, which forced the Starfleet armada to open fire on itself. Among the starships at Gamma Serpentis were the USS Defiant from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and it's possible (but not confirmed) the USS Enterprise-E was present as well.
What Could've Happened To The USS Enterprise-E In Star Trek: Prodigy Wasn’t Worf’s Fault
Worf had no ability to stop the Living Construct
One knock against the fan theory that Captain Worf was in command of the USS Defiant during Star Trek; Prodigy season 1's finale is that it doesn't line up with what Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Picard canonically established. Worf often did command the Defiant on DS9 (and he did so as well in Star Trek: First Contact), but Worf left DS9 in 2375, a decade before Prodigy season 1's ending. Worf would have already Captain of the USS Enterprise-E during Star Trek: Prodigy.
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However, if Captain Worf was in command of the USS Enterprise-E during Star Trek: Prodigy's season 1 finale, and supposing that the Enterprise-E was at the Battle of Gamma Serpentis, and further theorizing the E was destroyed by the Living Construct, that still wouldn't have been Worf's fault. The Klingon Captain would have had no ability to stop the Living Construct, and Worf would have been as helpless as everyone else. Only the USS Protostar's young crew choosing to destroy their starship stopped the Living Construct.
Is Worf’s Enterprise Mystery Solution Star Trek Canon?
In a word, no.
Amusingly, a comment by Star Trek: Prodigy co-executive producer Aaron J. Waltke appears to give credence to the fan theory that Captain Worf commanded the USS Defiant during Star Trek: Prodigy season 1's ending. Waltke replied, "This is canon," to Daniel Stalvey's meme, but it's logical to surmise Aaron was just joking. In Star Trek, nothing is officially canon unless it's seen or spoken of in a Star Trek TV series or movie. Worf being at Star Trek: Prodigy's Battle of Gamma Serpentis is a fun theory that could explain what happened to the USS Enterprise-E, but it's just a theory.
The fate of the Enterprise-E might become a running joke passed down through Star Trek's generations.
Star Trek: Picard season 3 showrunner Terry Matalas purposely left the question of what happened to the USS Enterprise-E unanswered. Matalas said, "Somebody can tell that story some day about what happened with Worf and the Enterprise-E, but it’s more fun to imagine yourself all the possibilities." Indeed, the fate of the Enterprise-E might become a running joke passed down through Star Trek's generations. Ultimately, a Star Trek TV series or movie will deliver the canonical answer to what happened to the USS Enterprise-E. For now, Captain Worf losing the Enterprise-E during Star Trek: Prodigy's finale is as good an answer as any.
