The USS Enterprise-D was destroyed in Star Trek Generations, but it appeared even before its official comeback in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

The USS Enterprise-D was destroyed in the first Star Trek: The Next Generation film, Star Trek Generations, but the iconic Galaxy Class starship has appeared three times since then. For seven seasons on TNG, the USS Enterprise-D boldly explored the galaxy, with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) at the helm. The USS Enterprise of Star Trek: The Original Series was just as much a character as Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and the Enterprise-D proved much the same. Star Trek’s opening monologue doesn’t mention the voyages of Captain Kirk or Picard, after all, but rather the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.

The Galaxy Class USS Enterprise-D had some significant improvements over its TOS counterpart, making it the most powerful Federation starship at the time. Still, Picard’s Enterprise had the same basic look as Kirk’s, with a large saucer section and two warp nacelles, and for many, tuning in to that bridge every week felt like coming home. The destruction of the Enterprise-D in Star Trek Generations truly felt like the death of a beloved character, but thankfully, Star Trek wasn’t done with Picard’s ship. The Enterprise-D has appeared twice in animation, in Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy, but its true live-action return didn’t happen until Star Trek: Picard season 3.

5 Reasons Why TNG Was Star Trek’s Best Enterprise

Picard’s USS Enterprise-D featured in all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, where it became the best vessel to bear that hallowed name.

3 Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2 Brought Back USS Enterprise-D

The Enterprise-D appeared in Lower Decks season 2, episode 6 – “The Spy Humungous”

The bridge of the USS Enterprise-D makes a brief appearance in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 6, “The Spy Humongous” in the imagination of Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid). After spending some time serving on the USS Titan under the command of Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Boimler gets approached by a group of ensigns who are obsessed with advancing in the ranks. They all look up to Captain Riker and want to know about Boimler’s experience on the Titan. As he falls in with the group (who amusingly refer to themselves as red shirts), they help Boimler become more captain-like.

As part of their preparation for their future captaincy, the red shirts practice the inspiring speeches they will give one day. In order to get into the right mindset, Boimler envisions himself on the bridge of the Enterprise-D as he delivers his stirring speech. It’s appropriate that Boimler pictures the Enterprise-D bridge, as perhaps no captain could deliver a better speech than Shakespearean connoisseur Captain Picard. But there’s a lot more to being a great captain than being a good speaker, as “The Spy Humongous” soon points out. When a real crisis occurs, it’s Boimler who saves the day, while the red shirts all shout their speeches over the chaos.

2 Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 Brought Back USS Enterprise-D

The Enterprise-D appeared in Prodigy season 1, episode 6 – “Kobayashi”

In Star Trek: Prodigy season 1, episode 6, “Kobayashi,” Dal R’El (Brett Gray) and Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas) stumble upon the USS Protostar’s holodeck. Dal decides to take on the infamous Kobayashi Maru test to prove that he deserves to be captain. Introduced in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the Kobayashi Maru is a supposedly unwinnable scenario designed as a test of character for Starfleet Academy cadets. When Dal begins the program, the bridge of the Enterprise-D appears around him, all of its computers and panels flashing to life.

As Dal looks at a roster of potential holographic officers to round out his crew, he asks the computer to give him the best. Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Constable Odo (René Auberjonois), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) appear on the bridge, later to be joined by Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott (James Doohan). Dal doesn’t know that the Kobayashi Maru is designed to be a no-win scenario, so he performs the test over and over, prompting the holographic Dr. Crusher to comment on his stubbornness. The whole sequence is a wonderful display of the powers of animation to resurrect the beloved and comforting bridge of the Enterprise-D, and it’s an excellent character moment for Dal as he realizes the importance of listening to his crew.

1 Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Brought Back USS Enterprise-D

The Enterprise-D appeared in Picard season 3, episode 9 – “Vox”, and episode 10 – “The Last Generation”

The real USS Enterprise-D made a triumphant return in Star Trek: Picard season 3, after Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) revealed he had spent the last twenty years restoring his former ship. With his position as curator of the Starfleet Museum, Geordi had access to all of the parts he needed to rebuild the Enterprise-D. After the saucer section was retrieved from where it had crashed on Veridian III in Star Trek Generations, Geordi used a warp engine and nacelles from other galaxy-class starships to complete the rebuild.

Geordi’s forethought not only gave Admiral Picard and his old crew a huge dose of nostalgia, but also ended up saving all of Starfleet. After the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) and the Changelings put their plan to destroy Starfleet in motion, the Enterprise-D was the only ship not under Borg control. With the reunited TNG crew back on board, the Enterprise-D proved instrumental in saving the galaxy yet again. The reunion of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast would have felt incomplete without the Enterprise-D. The iconic ship gets the final mission it deserves as it swoops in to save the day one last time, before going to rest back at the Starfleet Museum.