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Starfleet starships in the fictional Star Trek universe are identified by a unique registry consisting of a two- or three-letter prefix, a string of digits, and, in some instances, a one-letter suffix. The combination is also called a ship's registry number despite the presence of letters. The most well-known registry among Star Trek fans is "NCC-1701", which belongs to the original USS ''Enterprise''. Use Registry numbers are emblazoned on numerous portions of a starship's hull. There are instances in which a ship's crew identifies another vessel based on its hull markings, particularly when examining debris. NCC "NCC" is the most common registry prefix, used by almost every Starfleet vessel in the franchise. The prefix first appears in Star Trek: The Original Series and was created by designer Matt Jefferies. The Star Trek Encyclopedia• says: In The Original Series, the only registries seen on a ship's hull are for vessels of the same class as the Enterprise. The speculation by fans at the time was that "NCC" was a code like the United States Navy's hull classification symbols; the suggestion was that ships with "NCC" in the registry are cruisers and that other prefixes exist for other types of ship. However, this theory is discredited by the USS ''Reliant'', which is a different design than the Enterprise yet shares "NCC" in its registry. Nevertheless, in the non-canon game Star Trek: Starfleet Command, "NCC" stands for "New Command Cruiser"; other prefixes, such as "ND", denote different ship types. According to non-canon print sources, "NCC" is short for "Naval Construction Contract"•. NX Known pathfinders have a registry beginning with "NX", but it is later recommissioned as the "NCC-2000" for regular duty. Although the ship sees extensive service before and during the Dominion War, it never loses the "NX" in its registry, even though other ships of its class bear "NCC" registries (e.g. the NCC-74210 for the USS Valiant. NX class A significant use of "NX" is in "NX-01": the registry for the centerpiece of Star Trek: Enterprise in the same way that some starships in "later" series are Constitution or Excelsior class vessels. Other prefixes A handful of other prefixes sporadically appear in various Star Trek series. Numbers Whereas the majority of known starships share the "NCC" prefix, the digits following that prefix (separated from it by a hyphen) are, with few exceptions, unique to each known vessel. Two freighters in the non-canon animated series have the only two registries known to mix letters with the registry's digits: an unnamed robot freighter ("NCC-G1465") and the USS Huron ("NCC-F1513"). Mid 22nd century Only two Earth Starfleet ships' registries are legibile on screen: "NX-01" for for the Enterprise and "NX-02" for the ColumbiaStar Trek: Enterprise: "Affliction". Late 22nd century Few episodes refer to ships from this era and fewer still reveal those ships' registry numbers. Among the handful of known late 22nd century registry numbers are "NCC-173" for the USS Essex for the USS Archon. 23rd century Most starships seen or mentioned in The Original Series have four-digit registry numbers beginning with "16", "17" or "18"Star Trek: The Original Series: "Court Martial"Star Trek: The Original Series: "The Doomsday Machine". One exception is the the "NCC-1017" registry for the USS Constellation: the show's modelmakers used an old Enterprise model and simply rearranged the registry numbering. Because the USS Constitution Two of the major Starfleet vessels introduced in the TOS-era films – the USS ''Reliant'' and USS ''Excelsior'' – also have four-digit registries: "NCC-1864" and "NX-2000" (later "NCC-2000"), respectively. Other vessels generally follow this patternStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home, although there are a few vessels with three-digit registries. The most obvious one is the use of "NCC-638" for the USS ''Grissom''. Other examples include "NCC-621" and "NCC-595" for the scouts Columbia and Revere, respectivelyStar Trek: The Motion Picture - names and registry numbers audible amid communications chatter during the Epsilon 9 establishing shots. 24th century Starfleet ships in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager generally use five-digit registry numbers. The most frequently seen "guest" ships are ''Excelsior'' class starships whose registries range from the USS Berlin 29th century The time ship USS ''Relativity'' has the six-digit registry "NCV-474439-G". Suffixes In Star Trek canon, the addition of a one-letter suffix to the registry is most notably used by successors of the original ''Enterprise''. USS Enterprises Starfleet reuses the original ''Enterprise'''s "NCC-1701" registry with each newly commissioned Enterprise, differentiating between vessels by affixing a letter to the end; "NCC-1701-E" is the registry for the sixth starship Enterprise to carry "NCC-1701" as part of its registry. Although not canon, an Enterprise-F appears in two Star Trek novels••. An ''Enterprise''-J serves in an alternate timeline's 26th century. USS Excaliburs (non-canon) After the destruction of the ''Ambassador'' class USS Excalibur (NCC-26517) in Peter David's non-canon New Frontier series•, Starfleet commissions a ''Galaxy'' class Excalibur with the registry "NCC-26517-A"•. USS Relativity The 29th century time ship USS ''Relativity'' has the registry NCV-474439-G. Following the pattern used with the Enterprises, this suggests that the Relativity is the eighth ship to carry the name. However, the vessel's dedication plaque indicates that it is the seventh Relativity. USS Yamato (error) Commander William Riker reads the registry of a phantom USS ''Yamato'' as "NCC-1305-E" See also | |||||||
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