 Enterprise is a fictional spaceship which appeared in the American science fiction television series Star Trek : Enterprise . It had the in @-@ universe registration of NX @-@ 01 and appeared earlier in the franchise timeline than any other Starfleet ship named Enterprise . The producers of the series had originally intended to use an Akira @-@ class starship as seen in Star Trek : First Contact ( 1996 ) , but production designer Herman Zimmerman talked them into using a design with greater influence from Star Trek : The Original Series . Doug Drexler designed the exterior of the vessel , eventually arriving at the final design after also suggesting a Daedalus @-@ class starship with a sphere @-@ shaped primary hull , and a ship more reminiscent of the USS Enterprise ( NCC @-@ 1701 ) complete with secondary hull . 
