Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard's season 1 finale.
The debut of the U.S.S. Zheng He in Star Trek movies, and it has been commanded by James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), the two best Star Trek Captains ever.
From TNG onward, Picard's Enterprise-D has held the status of the flagship of the United Federation of Planets, and this continues into Star Trek: Picard's era now that the U.S.S. Excelsior.
The Enterprise-E didn't make an appearance in Star Trek: Picard season 1, and instead, Acting Captain Star Trek: First , the Sovereign-class Enterprise-E was then Starfleet's top-of-the-line achievement, but time es and technology always marches forward.
Like the Sovereign-class Enterprise-E, some of the starships bearing the name Enterprise have also, on occasion, been the finest ships in Starfleet's arsenal. Captain Jonathan Archer's (Scott Bakula) NX-01 Enterprise was Starfleet's fastest and best ship in the 22nd century era. The Enterprise-B that launched in the flashbacks at the start of Star Trek Generations was Excelsior-class, which was the most advanced ships Starfleet had to offer at the end of the 23rd century. TNG's majestic Enterprise-D was a Galaxy-class vessel, which, in the mid-2300s, was the largest and most powerful of Starfleet's ships. But later, the Defiant-class starships, like the titular vessel commanded by Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, was built to fight the Borg and boasted even more firepower than the Galaxy-class ships.
When Picard left the Enterprise-E to command the rescue fleet intended to save the Romulan people from their sun going supernova, the iral took command of the U.S.S. Verity (NCC-97000), an Odyssey-class starship that was also newer and more powerful than the Federation flagship. And yet, warp capability, firepower, and the most advanced technical schematics aren't necessarily what make a starship great. A truly great starship is defined by the capability and dedication of its crew and the bravery and judgment of its Captain. For these reasons, no matter how advanced Starfleet's ships become, Star Trek's heart will always revolve around the starships named Enterprise and the legendary Captains who command them.