NX class starship (Star Trek)

The NX class is a fictional class of starship produced by Earth Starfleet prior to the United Federation of Planets in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. The unique design of the NX class would portend future Federation Starfleet designs that appear in the Star Trek universe. The NX class features a large saucer attached to two warp nacelles by pylons running upward. At the bow of the saucer is the navigational deflector, while the observation lounge, aft torpedo tube, and impulse engines are at the stern. The main bridge, crew quarters, sensors and thrusters are embedded into the top of the saucer section. The ship's weapons, the grappler, a sensor dome, and cargo bays occupy the ventral section.

The ship was unique for its new and advanced technologies, most notably its transporter and its new warp engine, capable of propelling the ship to warp factor 5 (TOS scale) or 125 c. Ships of the NX class were intended to be multirole vessels capable of exploration, diplomacy, and warfare. The pathfinder of the class, the starship Enterprise (NX-01), was launched on April 16, 2151.

The finale episode of Star Trek: Enterprise ("These Are the Voyages...") strongly implied that by 2161 the NX class of Warp 5 ships had become obsolete with the introduction of Warp 7-capable vessels. The NX-01 is decommissioned that year, but the fate of the other NX class ships is not revealed; in addition, it is not revealed whether the new Warp 7 vessels also carry NX designations.

In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Hope and Fear", a ship by the name USS Dauntless (NX-01-A) carries the number NX-01A; however, it is not a real Starfleet vessel but a redressed alien ship disguised by the alien Arturis.

The NX designation is also used in Star Trek series to denote prototype or experimental ship designs before their entry into frontline service, such as the starships Excelsior (NX-2000) and Defiant (NX-74205).

Known NX class starships
Dialog in "Fortunate Son" indicates that, as of 2151, three additional NX ships besides Enterprise are in the planning stages.

Enterprise (NX-01)
Named for several Earth vessels, the Earth starship Enterprise was the pathfinder of her class. Commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer, the Enterprise was launched in April 2151 and embarked on her first mission to return a Klingon courier named Klaang to Qo'noS. The Enterprise made first contact with dozens of alien races, including the Romulans, the Andorians and the Tholians. The Enterprise returned to Earth in April 2153 for a refit after the Xindi attack on Earth. While in the Delphic Expanse, the Enterprise was severely damaged by Xindi forces and fought at the Battle of the Council on February 12 2154. Two days later, the Enterprise destroyed the Sphere network and returned to Earth with the help of a Xindi-Aquatic cruiser. The Enterprise was later involved in the Augment crisis and the Romulan incursion of 2154. The Enterprise was decommissioned in 2161 shortly after the creation of the United Federation of Planets and became a museum ship.

Columbia (NX-02)
Named for the space shuttle Columbia lost in 2003, the Earth starship Columbia was under construction in April 2153 and was scheduled to be launched in June 2154 but suffered from engine problems. The Columbia launched from drydock in late November 2154 commanded by Captain Erika Hernandez with Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker as her chief engineer. The Columbia helped Enterprise in dealing with the Klingon-Augment situation by coming to her aid when Enterprise is boarded and temporarily disabled by Klingon agents.

ISS Avenger (NX-09)
A Mirror Universe starship serving in the Terran Empire. Commanded by Admiral Black, the ship's motto, seen on the crew's mission patches, is Audentes Fortuna Imperii (roughly translated: "the Empire is fortunate and bold"). The Avenger was later destroyed by the USS Defiant (NCC-1764).

Behind the scenes
The design of the NX-class starship was criticised by some viewers as being too similar to the Akira-class starship, a 24th century Federation starship, dubbing the Enterprise NX-01 the "Akiraprise". The design of the NX-class does superficially resemble that of an upside-down Akira-class ship when seen from certain angles; however, it isn't unheard of for the design of a new vessel (in this case the Akira-class) to be based on that of an older one (the NX-class).

The concept artists responsible for the design of the ship have said that they did base the general external layout of the NX-class on the Akira-class, since the Akira-class had only appeared in the background of effects shots and was never prominently featured.