Everything we know about what happened to the USS Enterprise-E

At the end of c the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations. the proven USS Enterprise-D crash-landed at Veridian III after colliding with a rogue Klingon vessel. The ship was damaged beyond repair and the crew left, completely unsentimental about the ship’s destruction. They were just happy to be alive. In the 1996 follow-up, Star Trek: First Contact , the same crew was assembled aboard the brand new USS Enterprise-E, a Sovereign-class ship that was slightly smaller but faster and much better armed. The crew remained aboard the Enterprise-E during the events of 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis, the fourth and final Star Trek: The Next Generation film.

The Enterprise-E was also badly damaged at the end of Star Trek: Nemesis, though it seemed repairable this time around. After the events of Nemesis, the ship simply continued its mission under the command of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart). It would have continued without Riker and Troy (Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis), however, who got married and moved to the USS Titan. Also, Worf (Michael Dorn) became an ambassador and Data (Brent Spiner) died.

The Enterprise-E would not be mentioned in any (canonical) Star Trek sources until the episode Star Trek: Picard 21 years later. In the episode “Võx” (April 13, 2023), it will be revealed that Geordi, as a side job, has been collecting old Enterprise-D parts and rearranging it in his space garage. Jordy (LeVar Burton) suggests they use D for the mission, since E has become unusable for some unspecified reason. Everyone looks at Worf, who quickly replies, “It was no my fault.”

This is, ironically, the only information viewers get about the fate of the Enterprise-E. We know that Worf had something to do with his destruction or disappearance. But what really happened to the Enterprise-E? We may have some clues we can glean from an episode of Star Trek: Prodigy and confirmation from one of the show’s writers.

Antagonist a Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 was a sinister Palpatine-like slave owner called the Oracle (John Noble) whose scheme was incredibly complex. His planet was visited by Starfleet, who offered them a peaceful place in the ever-growing galactic community. This proposal, however, threw his planet into a violent civil war that killed most of the population. In revenge, the Seer traveled back in time, found a superfast Federation ship called the USS Protostar, and hid an insidious computer virus on board.

The virus spreads through communication between ships and infects the ship’s weapon systems, causing them to target other Starfleet ships. At the end of Prodigy’s first season, the show’s heroes take the Protostar back to Federation space, not knowing until it’s too late that the Fortune Teller virus is on board. Several Federation ships gather around the Protostar and the virus begins to spread. Starfleet ships begin attacking each other. Many explosions begin.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye to the Trekkies, the Enterprise-E was in battle. This fits within the Star Trek timeline, as Nemesis takes place in 2379 and Prodigy takes place around 2384. Oona McComack’s non-canon novel Star Trek: Picard, which fits into The Last Best Hope Picard left the Enterprise-E in 2381 and handed over command to Worf, although these events were not confirmed in any on-screen canon.

However, a fan theory (reviewed in the Inverse article), claims that Worf was not in command of the Enterprise-E, but the newly restored USS Defiantwhich was also seen spinning in the freak fire of the “Prodigy” between Starfleet. Worf previously commanded the Defiant in “Deep Space Nine,” so it was logical to assume that he would also be in command in “Prodigy.”

The Defiant can be seen firing at the Enterprise-E, dealing considerable damage. If Worf was in command of the Defiant and his ship—while under the influence of the Fortune Teller virus—destroyed the Enterprise-E that day, then Worf would have every reason to defend himself in Star Trek: Picard. It was no his fault.

Of course, as Deep Space Nine fans know, the Defiant was destroyed back in 2375 and replaced by a Defiant-class ship called the USS São Paulo, but it doesn’t take much imagination to see the new ship. having been renamed Defiant after the old ship. Indeed, a new Defiant has been spotted in Star Trek: Picard stored in the starship museumso it only makes sense that the Defiant should be around the events of Star Trek: Prodigy.

U a Facebook group called “Star Trek” a fan theorized that Worf was aboard the Defiant and that he blew up the Enterprise-E. One of the screenwriters of “Star Trek: Prodigy”, Aaron J. Waltke, was a member of the group, and he responded (jokingly) that “It’s canon.” Invers reached out to Waltke for further clarification, and he wrote back with the following comment:

“There are a few things we know to be true in the mystery surrounding the fate of Worf and the others Enterprise-E. First, Picard was no longer the captain Enterprise during the Romulan evacuation (as described in Star Trek: Picard). Second, With a challenge was present at Gamma Serpentis in a battle with a Living Construct (on “Prodigy”) where it lost control and destroyed other Starfleet ships. A fleet of Sovereign-class ships was damaged or destroyed there, including USS Gosudar and a ship that looks suspiciously like the Enterprise-E.”

Some non-canonical sources claim that the Enterprise-E continues after the events of “Prodigy”, particularly in the a list of Instagram posts titled Picard’s Logs. These logs state that the Enterprise-E was only on a mission in 2386 and that Worf was in command at the time. No further details were provided, except that Worf returned from this mission and the Enterprise-E did not.

However, these Instagram posts don’t fit as neatly into the established Trek canon as the “Prodigy” connection.

It’s just a theory, but it’s a good one.