USS Enterprise (alternate reality)

"I like this ship! You know, it's exciting!"
 * - , 2258

The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) was an alternate reality Federation starship that was in service with Starfleet in the mid-23rd century. She was launched from San Francisco Fleet Yards, Earth in 2258 as the Federation flagship. 

Service history
The Enterprise was under construction around 2255 at the Riverside Shipyard, Iowa. The ship was launched into service from the San Francisco Fleet Yards.

The ship's planned maiden voyage in 2258, under the command of, was brought forward after Earth received a distress call from while the bulk of the fleet engaged in the Laurentian system. As a result, the Enterprise was crewed primarily by Starfleet Academy cadets. The ship launched from Starbase 1 with seven other starships to respond to the call, including the USS Farragut (alternate reality) and USS Hood (alternate reality). However, its departure was delayed because helmsman forgot to disengage the inertial damper, and the ship arrived shortly after the rescue fleet had been destroyed by the Romulan mining ship Narada.

The Enterprise proved to be no match for the technologically-advanced missiles of the Narada. Fortunately, Nero recognized the Enterprise as the vessel that served on. He chose not to destroy the Enterprise to let Spock see the destruction of Vulcan. Enterprise found that it was unable to contact Starfleet or to begin evacuating the inhabitants of Vulcan, as the Narada's drill platform, while in operation, prevented communications and transporter use. Despite the sabotage of the drill platform, Nero launched a container of red matter into the planet core, which created a singularity that caused Vulcan to implode, along with all but 10,000 Vulcans.

Following the destruction of Vulcan and the capture of Captain Pike, acting captain Spock intended to take the Enterprise to rendezvous with the rest of the fleet at the Laurentian system, but acting first officer thought it better to attempt to stop Nero. Spock then marooned Kirk for mutiny on Delta Vega, but Kirk managed to beam back on with the help of another Spock and. Spock was forced to resign his command to Kirk according to Regulation 619, and the Enterprise reversed course in an attempt to intercept the Narada before it could strike Earth.

Emerging from warp in the atmosphere of Titan, the Enterprise hid from the Narada's sensors using the magnetic distortion of Saturn's rings, while beaming Spock and Kirk aboard the Romulan ship before its drill could be ignited. However, the duo could not be rescued as the drill was ignited shortly after. Kirk then rescued Pike, while Spock confiscated the Jellyfish and used it to destroy the drill.

Spock then warped out of the system, with Nero pursuing. Spock set a collision course, and Nero launched his remaining missiles to defend the Narada. The Enterprise then warped in, phasers blazing, destroying the missiles, and allowing Spock to continue. Shortly before impact, Spock, Kirk, and Pike were beamed out by Scotty onto the Enterprise.

The impact ignited the red matter aboard the Jellyfish, creating a black hole which consumed the Narada and caused the ship to be stuck, when Kirk offered assistance. Nero refused, Kirk acknowleged the refusal and the Enterprise brought all her phasers and photon torpedoes to bear on the Narada, firing on the ship and blasting it to pieces, causing the massive mining ship to collapse and be pulled into the black hole. The Enterprise was nearly pulled into the black hole as well, but the ship was saved when the ship's warp core was ejected and detonated, the resulting shock wave of which propelled the Enterprise to safety.

Following the successful mission of the Enterprise, Pike was promoted to admiral, and James Kirk was assigned to command the Enterprise as his relief. He subsequently chose Spock as his first officer. 

In 2259, the Enterprise was sent to survey Nibiru when the crew discovered a volcanic eruption would render the primitive Nibirans extinct. Kirk parked the Enterprise underwater, despite Scotty's protests, and this ultimately forced Kirk to expose the ship to the natives in order to transport Spock out of the volcano before the cold fusion device he placed detonated. After appearing to the natives, the Nibirians drew a sketch of the Enterprise in the ground and began to worship the ship as a deity, in violation of the Prime Directive. Returning to Earth, Kirk was demoted, but Pike convinced Admiral to let him appoint Kirk as his first officer.

That evening, the rogue agent John Harrison attacked Starfleet Headquarters to assassinate Marcus, but killed Pike instead. Marcus gave a vengeful Kirk permission to take the Enterprise to Qo'noS where Harrison had fled, and fire on his location with 72 advanced long-range torpedoes. Chief Engineer Scott protested the loading of the photon torpedoes aboard Enterprise without his chance to examine them, offering his resignation, which Kirk accepted. Chekov was appointed as Scotty's replacement.

Kirk found Harrison on Qo'noS and had him brought to the brig. Harrison was reticent about his motives, but suggested Kirk examined the torpedoes Marcus gave him, and also gave him a set of coordinates, which the captain sent to Scotty to investigate. Marcus's daughter and McCoy opened up a torpedo and discovered it held a man in cryogenic stasis. Harrison revealed he was and the torpedoes held his fellow Augments, whom Marcus had threatened him into cooperation with. Marcus arrived in the USS Vengeance and demanded Kirk hand over Khan, but Kirk refused, intending to expose the conspiracy by bringing Khan to trial on Earth.

The Vengeance caught up with the Enterprise at warp and fired on it, halting it as it arrived outside Earth. Marcus beamed up his daughter before preparing to wipe out all other witnesses to his plot, but Scotty, who had snuck aboard the Vengeance at the coordinates given by Khan, deactivated its weapons. Kirk and Khan donned thruster suits to commandeer the Vengeance, while Spock ordered McCoy to remove the cryotubes from the torpedoes.

Aboard the Vengeance, Khan killed Admiral Marcus and demanded Spock hand over the torpedoes in exchange for Kirk, Scotty and Carol and the safety of the Enterprise. Spock agreed but Khan reneged on letting the Enterprise survive, so the transported torpedoes were detonated in the Vengeance's cargo bay. The damage inflicted caused both ships to hurtle to Earth, but Kirk was able to repair the warp core before the Enterprise crashed.

The ship was rechristened and refitted to embark on the first five-year mission following nearly a year of repairs. 

Command crew

 * Commanding officer
 * (2258, 2259)
 * (2258) (acting)
 * (2258-) (acting, later promoted)
 * First officer
 * (2258-)
 * (2258, 2259) (acting)
 * Chief engineer
 * Olson (2258)
 * (2258-)
 * (2259) (acting)
 * Chief medical officer
 * Puri (2258)
 * (2258-)
 * Helmsman
 * McKenna (2258)
 * (2258-)
 * Navigator
 * (2258-)
 * Communications officer
 * Hawkins (2258)
 * (2258-)

See also: USS Enterprise personnel (alternate reality)

Apocrypha
According to Issue #2 of IDW's Countdown to Darkness series, the Enterprise had a predecessor in the alternate reality. This was in service from the mid-2230s to the 2250s, having been decommissioned a year before the launch of the new ship and was commanded by the alternate  in 2239.