Warning: SPOILERS For Star Trek: Picard Season 3, Episode 8 - "Surrender"The USS Enterprise-D featured in all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where it became the greatest vessel to bear that legendary name. Introduced in the first episode of TNG, "Encounter At Farpoint," the USS Enterprise-D was the flagship of the United Federation Of Planets in the mid-24th century. The Galaxy-class vessel was a huge leap forward in Starfleet's technological prowess, the jewel in the fleet's crown. Galaxy-class ships would become more commonplace in Starfleet by the time of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but the Enterprise-D was something special for quite awhile.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) commanded the USS Enterprise-D for its entire lifespan, meeting countless new species and saving all of humanity on more than one occasion. The Enterprise-D was destroyed in Star Trek: Generations when it was critically damaged in a fight with the Klingon Duras sisters, destroying the star drive via a warp core breach and forcing the saucer section to make an emergency crash-landing on Veridian III. The saucer section was recovered, but that was the end of the ship's active service. Despite its relatively short lifespan, the USS Enterprise-D stands as the most accomplished, storied vessel to bear the name Enterprise.

5 The Enterprise-D's First Track Record

The USS Enterprise-D was primarily an exploratory vessel, scouring unexplored regions of space in an effort to learn about spacial phenomena and to meet new species on new worlds. No Starfleet vessel was more accomplished in that regard than the USS Enterprise-D, which encountered dozens of new species in its seven years of service. Captain Picard proved himself to be a gifted diplomat, and the Enterprise-D itself always felt more like an open hand of friendship than a fist of aggression.

While the USS Enterprise-D encountered its share of benevolent new species, it was largely defined by its introduction to two particularly malevolent races. In its very first mention, Picard and his crew encountered Q (John de Lancie), an omnipotent member of the Q Continuum, who took a special interest in Picard and humanity over the years. Through Q, the Enterprise-D would also make a doomed first with the relentless cybernetic zombies known as the Borg.

4 The Enterprise-D's Radical Design

There was something of a house style to Starfleet vessels before Star Trek: The Next Generation. In Star Trek: The Original Series, all Federation vessels shown onscreen were Constitution-class, like the original USS Enterprise itself. By the time of the TOS movies there were a few newer designs, like the USS Excelsior and the USS Reliant, but they were still slightly different takes on the refitted USS Enterprise of the film franchise.

The design of the USS Enterprise-D was a huge departure from what came before. For one thing, it's several times bigger than the original USS Enterprise, and it features an elongated oval saucer rather than the more traditional round saucer. It takes some getting used to after so many years of Constitution-class riffs, but the Enterprise-D is stunningly beautiful from almost every angle.

3 The Enterprise-D's Interior Aesthetic

Star Trek: The Original Series' USS Enterprise was known for its colorful, if somewhat spartan, interior, while modern iterations of the franchise like the Kelvin timeline movies and Star Trek: Discovery have favored gun metal grey and dynamic lighting, resulting in bridge sets that sometimes feel more like dance raves than military facilities. The USS Enterprise-D eschewed virtually all of that.

The USS Enterprise-D's interior is mostly beige and brown, with big cushy chairs and tasteful wood ing on the ship's bridge. It's the one Star Trek interior ship design that actually looks like somewhere people would happily work and live rather than a poorly lit cellar in space. Star Trek: The Next Generation took a special interest in the mental health of its crew, making sure to create warm, welcoming environments not just for the ship's crew, but for visitors who may feel uneasy on such a massively powerful vessel.

2 The Enterprise-D Saved Earth From The Borg

Perhaps the most pivotal event in Star Trek: The Next Generation occurred in the two-part episode "The Best Of Both Worlds." After previously encountering the Borg in the TNG season 2 episode "Q Who," the cybernetic collective finally makes its way to Federation space, intent on assimilating Earth. Captain Picard was eventually captured by the Borg, altered into the Borg spokesperson Locutus, as both an intimidation tactic and to utilize Picard's knowldge of Starfleet strategy.

With Picard's unwilling help, the Borg decimated a fleet of 40 Federation ships at the battle of Wolf 359 on its way to Earth. However, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) stages a daring rescue of Picard, with Lieutenant Commander Data (Brent Spiner) able to hack into the Borg's systems via Picard and stop their march toward Earth. It wouldn't be the last time the Federation faced off against the Borg, but to date it's arguably the most serious threat Starfleet has ever faced.

1 The Enterprise-D Is Jean-Luc Picard's Defining Ship

While Jean-Luc Picard often spoke fondly of his first command, the rickety USS Stargazer, and would go on to command the more muscular USS Enterprise-E, the ship that defines him as a man and an officer is the USS Enterprise-D. Picard made his name as the commanding officer of the Federation's celebrated flagship, pushing forward the Federation's idealism and empathy in significant ways. Many of Picard's most important relationships were formed on the Enterprise-D, such as his close friendships with Commander Riker and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden).

It's not surprising that in Star Trek: Picard season 3, episode 1 "The Next Generation," Picard stares lovingly at a painting of the USS Enterprise-D that once hung in his ready room, noting that the ship was his favorite. It's a sweet moment that foreshadows Picard's reunion with his command crew from the USS Enterprise-D over that season. Star Trek: The Next Generation's USS Enterprise-D is among the most iconic vessels in Starfleet history, and against all odds ended up the defining Starfleet vessel with the name Enterprise.

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