Copernicus (2364)

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

Copernicus
Class:	Type-7 shuttlecraft
Registry:	NCC-1701-D/03
Affiliation:	Federation/Starfleet
Status:	Active (2364)

The Copernicus (NCC-1701-D/03) was a Type-7 shuttlecraft assigned to the USS Enterprise-D in 2364.

In that year, Jake Kurland distressed over failing to qualify for the Starfleet Academy selection process opted for stealing a shuttle and plotting a course for Beltane IX where he could sign on as a crewmember for a freighter. As the shuttlecraft flew over Relva VII, Kurland's inexperience in flying a shuttle caused him to accidentally power down the dilithium core. Fearing a death from re-entry burn in the planet's atmosphere, the young man was aided by Captain Jean-Luc Picard into saving the shuttle by piloting it into a shallow re-entry trajectory. In this trajectory, the Copernicus re-bounded off Relva VII's atmosphere. The Enterprise later recovered the shuttle. (TNG: "Coming of Age")

[edit] Background

The name and registry are from the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (stating the ship was originally named Copernicus III by Andrew Probert) and are confirmed on the studio model. In the episode, the registry is seen very briefly on the Enterprise's main viewer as Copernicus leaves the main shuttlebay.

This is the first appearance of the studio model. There are differences between this model and later appearances of the Type-7 shuttle. The most visible differences are the lack of a recessed area in the aft section as seen in the Enterprise shuttlecraft 13 full build model and the greater detail seen in the shuttle's dorsal surface (for example, the D'Alison).

Prior to this appearance, the Type-7 shuttle had appearances in LCARS displays (TNG: "The Naked Now", "The Last Outpost", "Datalore"). A variation of this type had been seen in a matte painting of the interior of Starbase 74 (TNG: "11001001").

Type-7 shuttlecraft
Copernicus • D'Alison • Feynman • Hawking • Kotoi • Sakharov • Shuttlecraft 05 • Shuttlecraft 06 • Shuttlecraft 13

Shuttles of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
Shuttlecraft: Shuttlecraft 01 • Shuttlecraft 02 • Shuttlecraft 03 (Copernicus, Justman, Curie) • Shuttlecraft 04 • Shuttlecraft 05 • Shuttlecraft 06 • Shuttlecraft 07 • Shuttlecraft 13 • Shuttlecraft 15 (Magellan, Goddard) • Shuttlecraft 16 • Berman • Feynman • Hawking (2367, 2371) • Indiana Jones • Piller
Shuttlepods: Shuttlepod 03 • Shuttlepod 05 • Shuttlepod 07 • Shuttlepod 09 • Shuttlepod 12 • Campbell
Other: Calypso