USS Archer

“Starfleet could have sent a probe out here, to make maps and take pictures, but they didn’t. They sent us, so that we could explore with our own senses.” – Jonathan Archer

USS Archer (NCC-76725) is a Ross-class Federation starship currently assigned to the Fourth Fleet. She is named for famed Earth Starfleet explorer and former Federation President, Jonathan Archer.

Construction History

As with most Ross-class vessels, NCC-76725 was originally intended to be a Galaxy-class starship, officially ordered from San Francisco Fleet Yards in mid-2375. However, she was only ever authorized for construction in this state- when the Dominion War ended later that year, 76725 hadn't even begun construction, existing only as a number on a datascreen in SFFY. With the end of the Dominion War came an end to the incredible mass-production of the Galaxy-class, and 76725 was suspended indefinitely before her keel was ever laid down.

In the late 2370s, however, experiments with the half-completed USS Ross bore fruit, and several suspended Galaxy-class hulls were greenlighted for conversion and completion to the new standard. In 2380, the hulls that had never been laid down were also greenlighted for construction, making 76725 one of the first Ross-class vessels to be built from scratch to the new design.

She was laid down in mid-2380, and christened as the fourth starship Archer early the next year, after the decommissioning of the Excelsior-class NCC-44278. Archer was launched without incident in May 2382 and commissioned in July that year.

Service History

Commissioned in the twilight years of the Federation's post-Dominion War peak, Archer was quickly dispatched to the outskirts of Federation space, conducting an abbreviated exploration mission on the fringes of the Beta Quadrant before being called back to Federation space after the Attack on Mars in 2385. While she did aid in the protection of Romulan refugees crossing the old Neutral Zone after the supernova and collapse of the Star Empire, the scattered few hundred survivors she saved in shipfuls here and there were a far cry from the thousands she could've helped save if prior plans for widespread evacuations had gone through.

As the 2380s turned into the 2390s, Archer spent most of her time on the borders of the Federation, only occasionally venturing out into unknown space- with the Federation on lockdown after the Attack on Mars, the explorer's tactical capabilities were seen as being more necessary than exploration missions. But as the stranglehold of isolationism faded, Archer was freshly overhauled in 2394 and given to Captain Orad ch'Ren, with many of her current-day senior staff being assigned at the time as well.

Over the course of a five-year exploratory mission lasting from 2394 to 2399, one of the first since the Attack on Mars, Archer's crew rapidly became a tight-knit bunch as the vessel explored to the rimward of the Alpha Quadrant. Most of them remained aboard when the ship returned for yet another overhaul, declared ready to set out on her next voyage in 2400. It was cut short when she responded to the distress call of USS Avalon the next year, which had made contact with the Borg of the starship Singularity, which has come to apply for Federation membership and warn of an opening transwarp conduit that would have the potential to devastate nearby worlds. Archer and several other starships, including three of her sisters, coordinated with the Borg ship to block the energy blast from the conduit with their unified shields.

In April 2401, Archer was amongst the ships gathered to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the launch of the NX-01 Enterprise. When the Borg took control of everyone under the age of 25, much of the ship's crew was assimilated and seized control of the ship, turning her weapons on Earth Spacedock. Archer was severely damaged during the engagement by return fire from ESD and several attack runs by the uncontrolled USS Titan. Captain ch'Ren was killed by then-Technical Services Academy cadet Destiny Walsh, daughter of the ship's XO and chief science officer, and 322 of the ship's 850 crew were lost either to battle damage or onboard firefights.

Archer was almost written off as a constructive total loss, but was slowly repaired over the next year and a half, suffering setbacks and delays primarily from the Labyrinth and Vaadwaur crises as other vessels required much more urgent repairs. Finally, in August 2402, she was declared ready for service and reassigned to Task Force 47.

Notable Crew

Commanding Officers

• 2394-April 2401: Captain Orad ch'Ren
• 2402 - 2402 : Captain Erin Walsh