USS Excelsior (NCC-2000)

The USS Excelsior (NCC-2000) was the prototype and first commissioned vessel of the Excelsior-class starships. It was ordered and built as part of the Excelsior Transwarp Project, an attempt to build a vessel with a revolutionary new propulsion system. Though the transwarp drive itself was ultimately unsuccessful, culminating in a total systems failure for the ship in its first attempt to engage the drive, the Excelsior was afterwards refitted with a conventional warp drive and eventually commissioned into regular service.

Captain Lawrence Styles served as the Excelsior's commanding officer for much of its time in engine testing. Following the failure of the transwarp drive, Hikaru Sulu replaced Styles and supervised the winding down of the project and the ship's subsequent refit with conventional warp drive. Sulu served as the Excelsior's temporary commander during its shakedown cruise, after which he was assigned as permanent commander as the ship entered operational service.