Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) share something unique in common that no other Captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek has. Kirk was the Captain who started it all in three seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series, where Jim sat in the USS Enterprise NCC-1701’s center seat. Picard inherited the big chair for seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Between them, Kirk and Picard headlined 10 Star Trek movies, and they appeared together in Star Trek Generations.

Star Trek has vastly expanded the legacy of the USS Enterprise throughout Star Trek‘s timeline. Star Trek: Enterprise retconned Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) as the first Captain of the Enterprise in the 22nd century. Captain Rachel Garrett of the USS Enterprise-C was introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Star Trek on Paramount+ showcases Kirk’s predecessor, Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and Star Trek: Picard season 3 ended with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) becoming Captain of the USS Enterprise-G.

While many men and women – and a Klingon, Captain Worf (Michael Dorn) – have served as Captain of the Enterprise, most of them only commanded one version of the Starship Enterprise. Only Captain Kirk and Captain Picard led two versions of the USS Enterprise, and both did it in the Star Trek movies.

Captain Kirk Got A USS Enterprise Replacement In Star Trek IV

Kirk’s Reward For Saving Earth Was The USS Enterprise-A

Captain James T. Kirk received his second Starship Enterprise, the USS Enterprise-A, at the end of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, then-Admiral Kirk self-destructed the Starship Enterprise NCC-1701 to keep it away from Klingon hands. However, Kirk stole the Enterprise to rescue Spock (Leonard Nimoy) from the doomed Genesis Planet. The Consтιтution II Class Enterprise-A accompanied Kirk’s demotion to Captain and was his reward for saving Earth from the Whale Probe in Star Trek IV.

Captain Kirk commanded the USS Enterprise-A in two Star Trek movies, with both missions proving historic. In Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, the Enterprise-A was the first starship to cross the Great Barrier at the center of the galaxy, where, on the fabled world of Sha Ka Ree, the Enterprise found an impostor God (George Murdock). In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the Enterprise-A played a key role in the peace forged between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire.

Captain Picard Got A USS Enterprise Replacement In Star Trek: First Contact

Picard Introduced The New Sovereign Class USS Enterprise-E

Captain Jean-Luc Picard received his second Starship Enterprise, the USS Enterprise-E, in Star Trek: First Contact. Picard’s Galaxy Class USS Enterprise-D was lost in Star Trek Generations, although Picard wasn’t aboard his ship when Klingons destroyed the D’s stardrive and the saucer section crash-landed on Veridian III. The Sovereign Class Enterprise-E was a warship built to fight the Borg, and it took on the cybernetic villains in Star Trek: First Contact.

Picard was Captain of the USS Enterprise-E in three Star Trek movies. After defeating the Borg in the 21st century in Star Trek: First Contact, Picard and the Enterprise-E protected the Ba’ku and a region of space called the Briar Patch from the Son’a in Star Trek: Insurrection. The USS Enterprise-E was partially destroyed fighting Picard’s evil clone, Romulan Praetor Shinzon (Tom Hardy), in Star Trek: Nemesis.

What Happened To Kirk & Picard’s Second Enterprise

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 Gave The Answer To Kirk & Picard’s Second Enterprise

Surprisingly, Star Trek: Picard season 3 revealed what happened to both Captain Kirk’s USS Enterprise-A and Captain Picard’s USS Enterprise-E. The USS Enterprise-A was decommissioned after Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 2293, and it survived into the 25th century. Enterprise-A is part of the starship collection housed in the Fleet Museum on Athan Prime curated by Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton).

The whereabouts of the USS Enterprise-E are shrouded in mystery, as revealed in Star Trek: Picard season 3. Worf became Captain of the Enterprise following Jean-Luc Picard’s promotion to Admiral in 2381. However, at some point, the Enterprise-E was somehow lost, which Captain Worf claims was not his fault. The USS Enterprise-F was introduced before Seven of Nine became Captain of the USS Enterprise-G at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3, but what happened to the USS Enterprise-E remains an unanswered question.

Kirk & Picard Had Different Fates Without Their USS Enterprise

Two Captains, Two Different Outcomes

Captain Picard and Captain Kirk both received a second Starship Enterprise, and both became Starfleet Admirals, but their fates couldn’t have been more different. Captain Kirk met his end soon after meeting Captain Picard in Star Trek Generations. Kirk died from injuries sustained as he and Picard stopped Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) from destroying Veridian III. However, Star Trek: Picard season 3 revealed Kirk’s remains are stored in the top-secret black site, Daystrom Station, under the ‘Project Phoenix’ program, hinting at a possible Kirk resurrection someday.

Star Trek: Picard revealed Admiral Jean-Luc Picard resigned from Starfleet in 2285 but returned to save the galaxy in 2399. Picard was named Chancellor of Starfleet Academy, and saved the galaxy twice more, the final time alongside his former crew of the USS Enterprise-D. Picard also learned he has a son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), and Jean-Luc ended Star Trek: Picard season 3 with a new family unit alongside Jack and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). Fittingly, Kirk and Picard continued to make Star Trek history as Captains of their second Starship Enterprises.