The USS Malinche (NCC-38997) was an Excelsior-class starship, under the command of Captain Sanders in 2373. During that year, the Malinche had holo-communicator equipment installed. Shortly thereafter she joined the hunt for Michael Eddington and was temporarily disabled at Veloz Prime. (DS9: "For the Uniform") By 2378, the Malinche was a part of the Starfleet Third Fleet, under the command of Admiral Christopher Truman. (Star Trek: Pioneer) In the Pendragon timeline, the Malinche was part of Operation Return, fighting to retake Earth during the Federation Civil War.