TheStar Trekfranchise is filled with several starships and spacecraft. Among the best known are the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 in the original television series, the USS Voyager inStar Trek: Voyager, and the USS Defiant inStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. The USS New Jersey NCC-1975 is a starship that was recently introduced in the third season ofStar Trek: Picard.
What makes the USS New Jersey special is how it honors Terry Matalas, one of the showrunners for season two ofPicardbefore taking sole control of the show’s third and final season. Matalas was born in New Jersey in 1975. The USS New Jersey is also a symbolic homage to the USS Enterprise starship fromStar Trek: The Original Series. Here are more details about the USS New Jersey.
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Where Does the USS New Jersey First Appear?
The USS New Jersey is initially referenced by Starfleet officer Jean-Luc Picard inThe Next Generation(in the episode titled “Relics”) when mentioning how the USS Enterprise bridge looks like one of the Constitution Class starships at the Fleet Museum. However, the USS New Jersey first appears in episode six (titled “The Bounty”) of the third season ofStar Trek: Picard. Similar to the USS Enterprise inThe Original Series, the USS New Jersey is a Constitution Class starship that is part of the Fleet Museum, along with retired ships that were used in previousStar Trekfilms and TV shows by Captain Kirk, Picard, and other crew members over the years.
Aside from the starship being a subtle nod to showrunner Terry Matalas' birthplace and birth year, the USS New Jersey is also used inPicardto honor the USS Enterprise that Kirk and his team commandeered in the original series. Unfortunately, the USS Enterprise was destroyed inStar Trek III: The Search for Spock, where Kirk was forced to destroy the starship to defeat the villain Kruge.
Despite the absence of the Enterprise, the USS New Jersey serves as a reminder of how special and memorable the Enterprise and many of the old starships were. They paved the way for several classic characters and their journeys over time in the long-running franchise. One of the best aspects ofPicardis how the show managed to resurrect its title character (portrayed bySir Patrick Stewart) and bring back members from otherStar Trekseries such asThe Next GenerationandVoyager.
In “The Bounty,” members of the USS Titan-A visit the Fleet Museum, whereCaptain Seven of Ninequizzes Jack Crusher (Picard’s son) about many of the surviving ships displayed there, including the USS New Jersey. The museum also contains the USS Defiant (fromDeep Space NineandProdigy), the USS Enterprise-A (used after the destruction of the original Enterprise ship in the filmsStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home,Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, andStar Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country), the USS Voyager, and the HMS Bounty (a ship that belonged to Kruge before being commandeered by Kirk and his team inStar Trek IIIandIV).
What Are Constitution Class Federation Starships?
The Constitution ClassFederation Starshipswere the first frontline Starfleet vessels in the late 23rd century. They are meant for long galactic exploration in which missions can run on five-year cycles. Federation engineer Lawrence Marvick was one of the designers of the Constitution Class who designed the controls for the USS Enterprise NCC-1701, while Doctor Richard Daystrom designed the computer systems for the same starship.
The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 was the first Constitution Class Federation starship to successfully achieve several discoveries, including being the first ship to officially make contact with the Talosians (aged but telepathic humanoid species) on their home planet Talos IV. Constitution Class starships like the Enterprise have been upgraded over the years to improve both technologically and combatively, as seen with new and advanced versions of the Enterprise in shows likeDiscoveryandStrange New Worlds.
The USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain Kirk, is considered one of the greatest starships for discovering new species and planets. The episodes “Where No Man Has Gone Before” and “The Corbomite Maneuver” from the original series were memorable for having the Enterprise crew take on dangerous missions. There have been other Constitution Class starships such as Hood, Lexington, Excalibur, and Potemkin, but the problem with these ships (like the Enterprise) is that they suffer a very high casualty rate when placed in excruciating battles.
When the Constitution II-class (or Enterprise-class) starships were constructed, each of them contained upgraded technology. This included more firepower andwarp speed, in order to battle major otherworldly threats like V’ger (one of the most powerful lifeforms encountered by the Federation) inStar Trek: The Motion Picture. After these ships got old, Constitution III-class ships like the USS Titan-A emerged inPicardunder the command of Captain Seven of Nine, becoming the eighth Federation starship to bear the name Enterprise.
While Constitution Class starships weren’t built as warships, each of them have adequate defensive weapons, including laser cannons, phasers, and torpedo tubes, along with deflector shields for protection from debris and incoming attacks. These ships have evolved over time with more modern and spacious designs, as well as transportation and medical systems. Reminiscent ofStar Wars, theStar Trekfranchise continues to be innovative and evolutionary in terms of spacecraft, visual effects, old and new characters, and intriguing storylines.
