Quote:
Originally Posted by csnarpy
As I guess since the 5 year mission is done, in this reality there is no Captain Kirk. Boo!
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It has long been established that Kirk was not the first captain of the Enterprise and that it was in-service long before he took command.
According to the various bits of history that have been presented over the years, the Enterprise NCC-1701 was launched in 2245 under the command of Captain Robert April. April served as the captain for five years. Captain Pike had been April's first officer and took command of the ship in 2250. He served as its captain for 15 years. Captain Kirk then took command in 2265.
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/U...ise_(NCC-1701)
The ship was built specifically to go on long-term, long-range missions. It has been in-service for 20 years when Kirk became its captain. It makes sense that it would have been on multiple multi-year missions in that time.