Of all the variations of the starship Enterprise throughout the history of Star Trek, the one we saw the least is a fan favorite. Many have wondered if we’ll see the Enterprise-E pop up again in the upcoming season of Star Trek: Picard. Showrunner Terry Matalas let us know this week on Twitter.

No, but the Sovereign class is. https://t.co/qUL92jaYV8

— Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) December 18, 2022

And unfortunately, the answer is a simple “no.” Matalas quote-tweeted a fan the mild spoiler in response to the question, “Is the E in Picard.” The “E” refers to the U.S.S. Enterprise N.C.C. 1701-E. We first saw this particular Enterprise in the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact, and it served as the setting for the remaining two Next Generation movies. We last saw it in 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis, with half the crew transferred away or dead. Captain Picard and the surviving Next Gen cast seemed primed for further adventures. And fans were left to their imaginations regarding the fate of the Enterprise-E.

However, since the character’s revival in Star Trek: Picard in 2020, we’ve learned slightly more about how things turned out for the captain and his legendary vessel. In the first season, it was revealed through dialogue that Picard stepped down as captain to lead the Starfleet armada to evacuate Romulus ahead of a planet-destroying supernova. So, we know that the Enterprise-E might still exist at this point in the Star Trek timeline.

We also know it’s no longer in service, as the trailer to season three shows a brief glimpse of the Enterprise-F, as seen in the video game Star Trek Online. The presence of the Enterprise-F in Star Trek: Picard suggests that the Enterprise-E has either been destroyed or retired from service. Leaving us to wonder which it was. A fan asked Matalas that very question in a follow-up, noting that a 20-year lifespan seemed short for a Sovereign-class starship.

It’s not the years, it’s the mileage. Even the F is getting up there. Flagships take a beating. https://t.co/ieXDYzIfM6

— Terry Matalas (@TerryMatalas) December 19, 2022

Matalas’s answer that, “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage,” suggests that the Enterprise-E has been retired from service after a couple of decades of hard service to the Federation. But we may learn more details when Star Trek: Picard season three drops in early 2023. We should also keep in mind that Matalas is lying to hide potential spoilers.

The lettering system to keep track of which Enterprise dates back to the 1986 film Star Trek: The Voyage Home. At the end of the movie, the crew of the original Enterprise (N.C.C. 1701, destroyed in the previous movie) was rewarded for their efforts to save Earth with a new starship, also named Enterprise, but given the registry number N.C.C. 1701-A to distinguish it from its predecessor.

Star Trek: Picard season three premiers on February 16, 2023, on Paramount+.

Source: TrekMovie