As Commander Riker's previous assignment, the Hood arrived at Deneb IV to transfer him to the Enterprise-D. The Hood also brought Admiral Leonard H. McCoy to Enterprise for a pre-departure medical inspection of the new ship.

The Hood and the U.S.S. Monitor were diverted to the Nelvana system during the Romulan tensions of Stardate 43463.7, in response to defecting Admiral Jarok's story of a secret invasion. Circa stardate 43741, the U.S.S. Hood was due to assit the Enterprise-D with a terraforming project on Browder IV, until Captain Picard's kidnapping delayed the rendezvous.

With Captain DeSoto still in command, the U.S.S. Hood rendezvoused with the Enterprise to drop off Tam Elbrun for the "Tin Man" mission. The starship was also among Picard's blockade fleet on the Klingon-Romulan border.