The Enterprise is the most recognizable ship name in the Star Trek franchise, as proven by the fact it took almost thirty years for an episode to be released that didn't feature any version of the iconic vessel. The name "Enterprise" doesn't necessarily refer to a specific ship within the franchise's storied canon. There are over ten vessels named "Enterprise" in official lore, which goes some way to explaining why the title shows up so often throughout the Star Trek timeline. That said, it's still surprising the saga took so long to move away from the famous line of ships.
Whenever there is an Enterprise in a Star Trek movie or TV show, it's almost always at the heart of the story. However, there are exceptions to this. For example, Star Trek: Picard season 3's ending introduced the USS Enterprise-G to the franchise with Captain Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) as the ship's commanding officer, just as the show concluded. This revelation quietly set up the much-desired Star Trek: Legacy, but such a project has yet to receive the green light. Regardless, the franchise has arguably heard enough of the ship name, which could account for Legacy's delay.
Deep Space Nine's "Past Prologue" Was The First Episode With No Enterprise Whatsoever
Captain Picard kept the streak alive in Deep Space Nine's debut
Star Trek: The Original Series' cast got the franchise started in 1966 aboard the USS Enterprise-A. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew embarked on countless adventures that all featured the famous vessel, and they continued to explore in the now-canon Star Trek: The Animated Series. After TOS ended, the TV branch of the franchise turned its attention to the USS Enterprise-D when Star Trek: The Next Generation began in 1987. All seven seasons of TNG adopted its predecessor's Enterprise-heavy approach, so it took until Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for this streak to come to an end.
The short crossover between Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine meant the latter began the year before the former ended. So, to aid in the transition between the shows, Stewart's Picard made an appearance in DS9's two-part pilot episode, along with his ship - the USS Enterprise-D. Therefore, it wasn't until Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1's "Past Prologue" that the franchise released an episode without an appearance from any Enterprise.
