The classic hero ship gets super-sized by Eaglemoss for their line of XL Editions and the model captures the majestic spirit of the vessel that shares in the final adventure of the Original Series crew as captained by Hikaru Sulu.
There are but a handful of ships that stand out in the minds of fans of Star Trek and among them the USS Excelsior has as an impressive legacy as that of the ship it was designed to replace, the Constitution-class USS Enterprise. It’s first introduced on the big screen in Star Trek: The Search for Spock and then it was still in the testing stages of its career, hence the registry number NX-2000 and it was the first of its class. The Excelsior had earned the impressive moniker even then and was known as “The Great Experiment”.
Larger and sleeker than the Constitution-class ships the Federation had then had in service for decades, the Excelsior bolstered an experimental propulsion called a “transwarp drive” and begun its shakedown in later years of the 23rd Century, before entering into full-active duty under Captain Hikaru Sulu in 2290. Abandoning the experimental drive and returning to more tradition, albeit more powerful, warp system, The USS Enterprise’s legendary helmsman captained the properly registered USS Excelsior NCC-2000.
The USS Excelsior would distinguish itself alongside with its captain and crew and engage along with the crew of the USS Enterprise to prevent the assassination attempt on the President of the Federation at the peace conference at Camp Khitomer; an event that began to mend relations between the Klingons and the Federation after the Klingon moon Praxis exploded and nearly plunged the warrior race headlong toward extinction. If not for the intervention of the Enterprise and Excelsior a renegade faction of terrorists would have succeeded in preventing peace talks.
Ship of the Line
Part of the continuing line of models in Eaglemoss Collections very own Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection XL Editions the USS Excelsior NCC-2000 is spectacularly presented and will make a wonderful addition to any true fan’s collection. Measuring at an impressive 10-inches, this model isn’t a repaint of the previously issued USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B which is also an Excelsior-class ship (and much heftier than its predecessor). Made of a mix of die-cast and quality ABS materials, the sleeker Excelsior is more trimmed around the edges.
When comparing the two models, what immediately jumps out, is the significant depths of the secondary engineering section. The Excelsior drops more naturally and its silhouette is that of a space-faring luxury liner. The Enterprise-B has a more muscular appeal, especially given the added impulse engines and additional decks. The Excelsior-class of ships impressively endured well into the 24th Century, and many ships in the class were still in service during the Dominion War which ended in 2375.
Under the command of Captain Hikaru Sulu the USS Excelsior quickly achieved its own level hero-worship among fans, and the ship even appeared in a landmark episode of Star Trek: Voyager which revealed that the Voyager’s own Second Officer Tuvok, had served aboard the Excelsior early in his career in Starfleet. The USS Excelsior has been carefully recreated to capture it as it appeared on the big screen in Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country which was also significant as the final mission of the Original Series crew. The model includes a detailed 20-page magazine.
Check out the model of the USS Excelsior here:
USS Excelsior NCC-2000 | Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection XL Edition | Eaglemoss Collections | $74.95 available from Eaglemoss Collections here.