Question!

[conuly]

What does USS stand for? I know that HMS means Pronoun Majesty's Ship (at least, I think it does), but USS? It might mean United States, but then why would Federation Starships be USS? Yes, I know, Terran culture is really just American culture with "evolved values", but.

Comments

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

According to the Star Trek Encyclopedia (yes, I have two of these around, actually :-P): "Identifying prefix used as part of the names of Federation starships, as in U.S.S. Enterprise. Oddly enough, there is still some question as to what U.S.S. actually stands for. Captains Pike and Kirk identified the Enterprise as a United Space Ship, but it was also called a United Star Ship in other episodes. We assume that ships with an S.S. prefix are usually vessels of Federation registry, but not part of the Federation starfleet.

As for NCC, it basically says it doesn't stand for anything and was arbitrarily picked (and added to) based on 20th-century aircraft registration (NC meaning it was registered in the U.S. and is a civil/non-military aircraft, and the extra C being added on because it looked cooler that way).

[conuly]

1. Thanks.
2. Yeah, only two? I know people who have KLINGON INSIGNIAS tattooed on their arms. I know a man who spent his junior year (high school) in a starfleet uniform.

I know a lot of very strange people.

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

::snicker:: Well, I know there are people far crazier than I am in the ST fandom, but *most* of the people I know would think I was crazy for having one at all. :-P

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

yeah, but con? you sister married the guy who wore the starship uniform for a year. ^_^

[mephron]

As far as NCC is concerned, there's a line in one of the older Star Trek bibles that says it stands for 'Naval Construction Contract'.

USS is of uncertain province.

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

Hrm. What do you mean by "older"? My ST Encyclopedia is actually a few years old, at least. Heeh. But yeah, it didn't say much useful about NCC except claiming that it didn't actually stand for anything.

[mephron]

"The Story OF Star Trek', dated 1968.

[ladyshrew.livejournal.com]

Gotcha. ;-)