Star Trek: Legend's Birth

Book 1: Launch

Prologue

"I wonder in the beginning if Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry ever considered the possibility of just how much his creation would influence the people and culture of America and of the world. Star Trek has become an icon, a world changing vision that millions and billions now share in. It reshaped what we though about our world, about our universe...and about ourselves. Star Trek is now entrenched in our culture and will forever probably influence our future."

"Star Trek Legend's Birth is a celebration of everything Star Trek and how it has shaped our world. And it is a celebration of the vision and the first man with that vision...Gene Roddenberry." "Live long and prosper...Star Trek."

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the title "Star Trek: The Original Series"?

Is it Captain Kirk? Or perhaps Spock? Or maybe even Dr. McCoy?

Is the answer Scotty? Or even fabulous Uhura? Or Chekov and Sulu?

But what about the Enterprise? Is that the first thing you think of? I know for me it is. I think of the fabulous starship Enterprise and the legacy she left behind at the end of the third movie. Talk about a hard space (or shoes if you prefer) to fill. While the following three Enterprises were nothing to baulk about (they were great ships, with great crews and great reputations) I don't believe a descendant of the original Enterprise even came close to comparing with her until the Enterprise D came along (hey, after all it was the next one with its own show). And even then the Enterprise D only came close.

So what is the reason behind the original Enterprise's such awesome reputation? Was it all the work of Kirk and the crew? Then why did the Enterprise A not have as good a reputation under his command? Was it just because Kirk and the crew were getting older? Or was it something else?

What if the Enterprise just had something special about her from the start? Something that Kirk and the crew knew how to bring out so well? That is what I believe.

"Before the Enterprise was a legend, she was already famous..."

Not many people realize just how old the original Enterprise was supposed to be at the start of the Original Series. Now some fans have always just believed that the first captain of the Enterprise was Christopher Pike. And the new 2009 Star Trek movie re-enforces that belief for many. But Gene Roddenberry's original time line at the beginning of the first series says otherwise.

According to Roddenberry, the first captain of the Enterprise was Robert T. April and that he took command when the Enterprise was launched in 2245. This means that the Enterprise was almost 20 years old already when Kirk took command in 2264 in the original story line. Talk about quite a gap in the history of the Enterprise.

Now previous authors have written much about the history of the Enterprise under the command of Pike. But very few have ventured to cover her history under the command of April. And none of those few efforts can seem to agree enough on what the Enterprise was like then or what kind of man and captain April really was.

It is this missing chapter in the career of the Enterprise that Star Trek: Legend's Birth will attempt to fill. And to attempt to answer the question of whether the Enterprise was just another starship before Kirk took command...or whether there has always been something special about her that drew Kirk to her. And that created a legendary combination of captain, crew and ship.

Be ready for a wild and exciting ride!

This is Star Trek: Legend's Birth!