? USS ?

[Lieutenant Karma]

For years I have wondered what The prefix USS meant in the universe of star trek. Obviously it can't be United States Ship, and I also don't accept the "United Star Ship" Explanation as it sounds Wonky and splits the word Starship in two.
I have come Up with a better One IMO : United Starfleet Starship
I just wanted to know what other people's opinions are on the subject and if anyone has come up with a better replacement

 

[Citiprime]

In "Space Seed," I believe McCoy tells Khan he's aboard the "United Space Ship Enterprise."

That would seem to be the canon answer.

If you want to throw another layer into this: What does "NCC" mean?

There's no official answer. Best guess I've heard is "Naval Construction Contract" (and NX is Naval Experimental) and the numbers indicate the ship's place in the history of Starfleet's ship production (i.e., the Enterprise is the 1,701st ship ever produced by Starfleet).

 

[Timofnine]

Universal Spaceflight Ship
Universal Spacefaring Sombrero
Uniting Societies Ship

 

[The Wormhole]

I also don't accept the "United Star Ship" Explanation as it sounds Wonky and splits the word Starship in two.

Well, that is canon. United Spaceship also counts, as that was used in The Cage.

Best guess I've heard is "Naval Construction Contract" (and NX is Naval Experimental)

For what it's worth, the novels have gone with that.

 

[Timofnine]

If you want to throw another layer into this: What does "NCC" mean?

There's no official answer. Best guess I've heard is "Naval Construction Contract" (and NX is Naval Experimental) and the numbers indicate the ship's place in the history of Starfleet's ship production (i.e., the Enterprise is the 1,701st ship ever produced by Starfleet).

Nautical Certified Craft.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I've always gone with "United Space Ship," but with the caveat that it was an intentional homage to the USS prefix for American naval ships due to Starfleet HQ being based in...well, America. I like to think that had things been different and Starfleet been based out of in England (as an example), starships may have had the HMS prefix instead.

 

[kkt]

Nautical Certified Craft.

But taking a starship upon the seas would be a serious operational error.

They never said on the air. TOS writer's guide or perhaps The World of Star Trek said that it didn't stand for anything specific, just sounded semi-military and semi-navigational. Franz Joseph Designs in the Enterprise blueprints came out with the "Naval Construction Contract" backronym. But it sounds a little implausible - they number spaceship contracts along with naval contracts? A question on a trivia contest in the late 1970s was about the origin of NCC, and the contest organizers only accepted "doesn't stand for anything" as a correct answer.

 

[kkt]

I've always gone with "United Space Ship," but with the caveat that it was an intentional homage to the USS prefix for American naval ships due to Starfleet HQ being based in...well, America. I like to think that had things been different and Starfleet been based out of in England (as an example), starships may have had the HMS prefix instead.

Maybe the Kings and Queens of the UK will still reign in the 24th century, but surely only over England and maybe Wales and Scotland, not over Starfleet. The starships would not be sent out in their name.

 

[Timofnine]

But taking a starship upon the seas would be a serious operational error.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dic... or relating to sailors, navigation, or ships

Regardless, this happened in a JJ-verse film.

 

[David cgc]

I’d go with “United (Federation of Planets) Star Ship.”

If you want to throw another layer into this: What does "NCC" mean?

There's no official answer. Best guess I've heard is "Naval Construction Contract" (and NX is Naval Experimental) and the numbers indicate the ship's place in the history of Starfleet's ship production (i.e., the Enterprise is the 1,701st ship ever produced by Starfleet).

“Navel Construction Contract” fits better with the variant prefixes of “NX” and “NAR” (“Navel Auxiliary/Reserve”?) but I still have a soft spot for “Navigational Contact Code.”

 

[Avro Arrow]

Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker.

Oh, sorry, wrong USS. Sometimes thoughts seem to stumble out of my mouth.

 

[fireproof78]

but I still have a soft spot for “Navigational Contact Code.”

Oohhh...never heard that one before. I like it.

 

[Tuskin38]

IIRC NCC came from Matt Jefferies taking the NC from the end of American aircraft registrations, and adding the extra C from the Soviet Union. It never stood for anything.

 

[fireproof78]

IIRC NCC came from Matt Jefferies taking the NC from the end of American aircraft registrations, and adding the extra C from the Soviet Union. It never stood for anything.

You say that like it would stop fans...

 

[Shawnster]

NCC was made up and didn't stand for anything. As the story goes, N was chosen because all US aircraft have an N number. C was meant stand for Commercial (I think). And the other C was added for asthetic balance. NCC was about as wide as 1701

But hey, head canon is fun.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

Personally, I've always thought that it should be FSS (or FS if you want to avoid "splitting a word") for Federation Star Ship*, at least from TNG onwards (including DSC/SNW but not ENT) or UFS for United Federation Ship.

*Used in dozens of episodes for the Enterprise-D and similarly often for Voyager, a couple of times for Discovery that I can find, no references apparent for the Cerritos or the Defiant.

 

[kkt]

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nautical#:~:text=: of or relating to sailors, navigation, or ships

Regardless, this happened in a JJ-verse film.

The JJ-verse is noncanonical.

 

[UssGlenn]

UFS for United Federation Ship

UFS does have the advantage of sounding enough like USS to be easy to say and not sound odd to the ear.

 

[BK613]

It may be worth noting (or maybe not ) that it's U.S.S. on the hull but not N.C.C. implying that one is an abbreviation and the other is not.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I'm pretty sure Naval Construction Contract has made it into an illegible but used background graphic at some point.