The ISS Punisher was an Excelsior-class starship in the service of the Terran Empire during the late 23rd century.It bore the registry NCC-2002, suggesting a commissioning date not long after that of its sister, the ISS Excelsior. In the 2290s, when the aforementioned Excelsior was on the run from Terran forces and under the command of Captain Hikaru Sulu and the crew of the USS Excelsior , it came across the hulk of the Punisher floating along the Romulan border. Apparently, the Punisher was one of the many Terran starships that had been destroyed by Romulan forces and left along the border as a warning to others. It is not clear whether the Punisher was ambushed while attempting to invade Romulan space or in Terran space. Nevertheless, the lifeless derelict of one of the empire's most powerful starships served as an effective reminder that no ship is invincible in the vast playing field of space.