By 2263, the Lydia Sutherland was under the command of 29-year old Commander James T. Kirk, with Gary Mitchell serving aboard also and had a crew complement of about half the crew Kirk would later have on the USS Enterprise. In early 2263, the Lydia Sutherland was dispatched as part of a flotilla to the planet Ghioghe to confront an unspecified opponent. After a tense stand-off Commander Kirk could begin to see it all fall apart, and would later say that if the flotilla commander held off hostilities for just a little longer, the situation would have resolved itself.