Every Trekkie’s probably wondered if building the USS Enterprise could ever be more than just a sci-fi fantasy. Surprisingly, with the U.S. government generating trillions in annual revenue, the math is mathing, making the idea seem not as far-fetched.
In a world where tech is racing ahead and space exploration is no longer just for dreamers, imagining a real Starfleet flagship isn’t as outrageous as it once sounded. The resources are there. The ambition, though, that’s up to us.
America can actually afford to build the USS Enterprise of Star Trek
The U.S. could build the USS Enterprise if we really wanted to. No need for alien tech or 24th-century magic, they just need cash. And they’ve got plenty of it.
In the Star Trek universe, the Enterprise costs exactly zero dollars because money doesn’t exist. Everyone works for the greater good – no bills, no hustle culture, just replicators, warp drives, and dream jobs. But here in the 21st century, building a starship still burns a hole in your national budget.
The original Enterprise (as seen in the classic Star Trek series) clocks in at about 289 meters long. That’s smaller than a Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, Earth’s biggest warship, yet still pricey. The Ford costs about $12.998 billion to build. Building the Enterprise would be in the same ballpark.
Now, launching roughly 20 million pounds into space, sending a ship that size into orbit would cost around $6.29 billion (slashfilm). That’s using current rocket rates, $3,174 per pound. So, building and launching the Enterprise today would run close to $19 billion.
The maintenance would cost another $13 million a year. Surprisingly, that’s cheaper than running the International Space Station.
So yes, technically, the US can build a real Enterprise. The global economy is sitting on $83 trillion. But we’re still short of a few things like warp drive, transparent aluminum, and a crew that doesn’t expect paychecks.
Until then, it’s all sci-fi dreams and spreadsheet fantasies. But at least we know it’s possible.
Even Star Trek’s Enterprise has one flaw: it can’t beam away
Star Trek’s iconic flagship, the U.S.S. Enterprise, might be packed with cutting-edge tech and top-tier talent, but it’s got one fatal flaw no one saw coming: it’s defenseless against time.
In Star Trek: Lower Decks #5, the Department of Temporal Investigations revealed a chilling truth. Ships like the Enterprise and Titan are prime targets for time stream tampering (via ScreenRant). Because even minor changes to these legacy vessels can send ripple effects through history.
Despite being the pinnacle of Federation engineering, the Enterprise just can’t handle tech from the future. It’s brilliant but dated when it comes to time-based threats.
There’s hope, though. As seen in Enterprise and Strange New Worlds, time travel evolves in later centuries. With a full-blown Temporal War on the horizon, the Federation may finally patch up this timeline-sized blind spot.
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