The USS Lexington (NCC-1709) was a Template:ShipClass starship that saw service during the 23rd century.
In 2267, the Lexington underwent a layover at Starbase 11 in 2267. The ship's number was seen on a chart indicating the repair status of several vessels. (TOS: "Court Martial")
In 2268, the Lexington, under the command of Commodore Robert Wesley, participated in the M-5 computer war games as flagship of the four-ship force (USS Lexington, USS Excalibur, USS Hood, USS Potemkin) opposing the USS Enterprise.
The USS Lexington in battle formation
The simulation began with the Lexington and the Excalibur engaging the Enterprise near the Alpha Carinae system in an unscheduled battle to test the M-5's reaction to a surprise attack. After-action analysis, based on the quantity and quality of hits on the Lexington, indicated that the Enterprise, directed by the M-5, had been victorious.
Later, when the M-5 became unstable, the Lexington was hit multiple times by full-powered phasers from the Enterprise in the engineering section, damaging impulse engines and leaving her maneuverable only on warp drive. 53 of her crew were killed.
When the Excalibur's entire crew was killed and she was left adrift by the M-5, Wesley requested and received permission to destroy the Enterprise with the remainder of his damaged ships. However, the M-5 was deactivated before this could be carried out. (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer")
Lieutenant Watley was assigned to the Lexington prior to her transfer to the USS Enterprise in 2268. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")
Background
The registry NCC-1709, displayed on Commodore Stone's chart
Greg Jein's article The Case of Jonathan Doe Starship was the first thing to assign the registry number to this ship. The Star Trek Encyclopedia continued to keep the two connected. This connect would finally be made a reality in the remastered version of "The Ultimate Computer." It also stated that the Lexington was named for the first battle of the American Revolution.
According to the non-canonical Star Fleet Technical Manual the registry of the Lexington was NCC-1703, with NCC-1709 given to the USS Valiant.
Template:ConstitutionClassStarships