The most iconic ship in Star Fleet, originally under the Command of Captain Christopher Pike, and made famous by one of the greatest Captains in Starfleet, James T. Kirk. With his crew they have had many adventures, but it was their original five year mission that started it all.
In 2063, Earth made its first contact with an alien species, launching the planet and its inhabitants onto an interstellar stage.
In the next century United Earth established a space exploration and defense service, Starfleet, and co-founded The United Federation of Planets, a benevolent organization of hundreds of worlds. The chronicles of Starfleet are collectively known as the Star Trek Universe.
