In 2063, Earth made its first contact with an alien species, launching the planet and its inhabitants onto an interstellar stage. In the next century, United Earth established a space exploration and defense service called Starfleet and co-founded The United Federation of Planets, a benevolent organization of hundreds of worlds. The chronicles of Starfleet are collectively known as the Star Trek Universe. The most iconic ship in Starfleet, originally under the command of Captain Christopher Pike, the U.S.S. Enterprise was made famous by one of Starfleet’s greatest captains, James T. Kirk. Though its crew has had many adventures, it was the Enterprise’s original five-year mission under Kirk that brought the ship permanent renown.