Star Trek - The Project: U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701 - C (Ambassador class)
Created | Updated Dec 4, 2003
Very little is known about the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701 - C, commonly referred to as the Enterprise-C. It appears in only one episode of The Next Generation called "Yesterday's Enterprise".
The ship is an Ambassador class ship, with a circular primary hull and a familiar secondary hull, similar to the constitution class.
The episode is by Star Trek fans, because the character of Tasha Yar (played by Denise Crosby) is resurrected in this episode. She had previously been killed and in Denise Crosby's own words:
"Without "Skin of Evil" there could have been no "Yesterday's Enterprise"."
Plot
The Enterprise-D is investigating an unusual phenomenon, when suddenly the badly battle damaged Enterprise-C emerges from it. Suddenly everything on the bridge of Picard's Enterprise changes, both ships are now in an alternate timeline and the Federation is in the middle of a war with the Klingon empire.
The Enterprise-C, commanded by Captain Rachel Garrett, was answering a distress call from the Klingon outpost Narendra III, under attack from three Romulan warbirds. In the original history, the Enterprise-C was completely outnumbered and out gunned and was destroyed defending the colony, however the Klingons were inspired by the bravery and sacrafice that the crew of the Enterprise-C made and this event helped to cement the peace treaty between the Klingon Empire and the Federation.
However, an intense volley of torpedoes from the Romulans tore open a rift in the space-time continuum and hurled the Enterprise-C 20 years into the future. Since history never recorded their sacrafice, the Klingons never signed the peace treaty and have been at war with the Federation ever since. 40 billion Federation citizens have already died in this conflict.
Guinan, being El-Aurian, seems to have a partial immunity to the change in the time line and although she does not know everything, she knows that the war with the Klingons should not be happening. She entrusts her feelings to Picard and to Tasha, whom she informs is supposed to be dead (Guinan never met Tasha in the original history). Tasha is distressed to learn that her death was meaningless.
Picard suggests that Captain Garrett returns to Narendra III. She informs him this would be suicide and wants to stay to help out with one more ship to fight the Klingons.
Picard takes her aside and informs her:
"The war is going very badly for the Federation, far worse than is generally known. Starfleet Command believes that in six months, we may have no choice but to surrender. One ship here and now will make no difference, but one ship back then could have stopped all this before it even started."
Tasha Yar, having developed feelings for the Enterprise-C's helmsman, Lt Castillo, seeks to return with the Enterprise-C. Castillo is now in command after Captain Garrett was killed by a surprise Klingon attack. Picard reluctantly approves to her transfer.
The Enterprise-C returns to the rift but is attacked by three Klingon bird of prey. Picard positions the Enterprise-D between them and the rift, buying enough time for them to make their escape. The Enterprise-D sustains heavy damage and casualties, Commander Riker is killed and Picard has to take over the tactical station.
"Let's make sure history never fogets the name - Enterprise." -Picard
Just as the Enterprise-D's warp core is about to collapse, the Enterprise-C enters the rift and the time line returns to normal, with none of the crew having been aware of the change.
