Why Enterprise and not Yorktown? - Page 3

J.T.B. · October 7 2012, 05:29 AM

Knight Templar wrote:

1) U.S.S. Yorktown was known for having been sank by the Japanese at the Battle of Midway while Enterprise survived the battle and survived the war as the most decorated U.S. ship.

I doubt that had anything to do with it. Yorktown CV-5 was sunk at Midway but Yorktown CV-10 campaigned heavily in the Central Pacific offensive and by the time of Star Trek was serving off Vietnam. That would provide more than enough warship name recognition for most people. And it seems unlikely those who associated the name with Midway would find that a negative; indeed, making an important contribution to a major victory but not surviving is generally seen as a very honorable outcome. Not to mention that CV-5 was the most able, innovative and effective of the early-war carriers and the only one at Midway whose full air strike arrived over the enemy in one coordinated group.

Justin

Delta Vega · October 8 2012, 05:04 PM

Speaking as a non American, I am glad that GR chose Enterprise as the name of the ship, mainly because it sounds all encompassing and universal.

Its a great name.

Yorktown just sounds so coloquial, if you are American, and ultimately is a shit name.

That reason, to me, seems as valid as any other.

J.T.B. · October 8 2012, 08:54 PM

Delta Vega wrote:

Yorktown just sounds so coloquial, if you are American, and ultimately is a shit name.

Enterprise is definitely better, but besides Americans there are probably some people in northern England that would disagree with Yorktown being called a "shit name."

Justin

MacLeod · October 8 2012, 09:10 PM

Admiral_Sisko wrote:

Christopher wrote:

First off, you're not the one who started this thread, so who are you to judge? Second, I did say in my very first post that the real answer was probably unknown.

Besides, sometimes the right "answer" to a question is that the question itself needs to be reformulated, that it's based on an unexamined assumption that isn't necessarily valid. This particular question, about the reason for the name change, seems to be based on the assumption that there needed to be a reason, that Roddenberry was initially committed to Yorktown and something had to happen to make that change. But early ideas are often quite rough, or are simply placeholders until you can come up with something better. And understanding that broader principle can be useful not only for this question, but for other questions about the creative process.

Given how many possible names we know Roddenberry went through for the captain before settling on Christopher Pike just days before shooting the pilot, I would think it very likely that he had a similar list of multiple possible names for the starship. He probably just put Yorktown in the pitch document because he needed to put something there, or because that was the one he happened to be leaning toward on that particular day. And it wasn't the only name in that first proposal that was changed; others included Captain Robert April and navigator José Ortegas, not to mention the "telecommunicators" (and of course the line about how the ship "rarely lands on a planet"). Why did he change any of those things? Because that's what often happens to first-draft ideas. Because what he put in the pitch document wasn't a refined version of the series concept, but only a rough approximation, an early stage of a work in progress. And that's most likely the real answer to the question -- but it's an answer that requires some background discussion about how the process works.

This. Writing a series is a challenge that most people would/could never take on, primarily because the time and energy required for a such project is enormous. Most of my writing experience- excluding any writing I have done as part of my career- is limited to fan fiction, as I don't have the ability or the self-discipline necessary to write anything worth publishing. For me, one of the most challenging aspects of writing has been the creation of new characters, as I've often struggled with simple concepts such as their names, backgrounds, likes/dislikes, etc.

I've changed character's names several times before making a final decision. I don't pretend to know what Gene Roddenberry was thinking when he chose the name Enterprise, but I would imagine that he wanted to choose a name that would not only catch the attention of the television audience, but would also endure. Yorktown doesn't capture the imagination the way that Enterprise does.

It's possible that I would feel differently had Roddenberry kept the original name, but even looking at each name objectively, it seems clear that one is more awe-inspiring than the other.

Agreed, when I did PBEM's several years back. And even trying to write my own novel. When I was creating the universe/characters things chopped and changed all the times. I would be watching something on TV and hear a name, and think that's a good name to use.

Greg Cox · October 8 2012, 09:42 PM

I can't walk through a cemetery without stealing good names from tombstones.

MacLeod · October 8 2012, 09:52 PM

J.T.B. wrote:

Delta Vega wrote:

Yorktown just sounds so coloquial, if you are American, and ultimately is a shit name.

Enterprise is definitely better, but besides Americans there are probably some people in northern England that would disagree with Yorktown being called a "shit name."

Justin

Why do you say that, as far as I'm aware there is no place called yorktown in the UK. There is a city called York though.

J.T.B. · October 8 2012, 10:30 PM

MacLeod wrote:

Why do you say that, as far as I'm aware there is no place called yorktown in the UK. There is a city called York though.

Yes, Yorktown, Virginia was named after York in Yorkshire.

Justin

Delta Vega · October 10 2012, 12:31 AM

J.T.B. wrote:

Delta Vega wrote:

Yorktown just sounds so coloquial, if you are American, and ultimately is a shit name.

Enterprise is definitely better, but besides Americans there are probably some people in northern England that would disagree with Yorktown being called a "shit name."

Justin

Not being from the North of England, I`m not fussed

doubleohfive · October 10 2012, 12:44 AM

Why not Zoidberg?

Ensign Ricky · October 10 2012, 03:49 AM

subatoi wrote:

Does anybody know the reason for the name change back in the 60s?

Executive Meddling

Christopher · October 10 2012, 04:02 AM

^There's absolutely no reason to assume there was any "meddling" involved in this particular case, for the reasons I've explained exhaustively. Early, rough ideas, especially names, get changed a lot. That's a normal, healthy part of any creator's process.

October 8 2012, 05:04 PM	#32
Delta Vega Lieutenant Commander Location: The Great Barrier	Re: Why Enterprise and not Yorktown? Speaking as a non American, I am glad that GR chose Enterprise as the name of the ship, mainly because it sounds all encompassing and universal. Its a great name. Yorktown just sounds so coloquial, if you are American, and ultimately is a shit name. That reason, to me, seems as valid as any other.

October 8 2012, 09:42 PM	#35
Greg Cox Vice Admiral Location: Oxford, PA	Re: Why Enterprise and not Yorktown? I can't walk through a cemetery without stealing good names from tombstones. __________________ www.gregcox-author.com

October 10 2012, 12:44 AM	#39
doubleohfive Fleet Admiral Location: Los Angeles, CA	Re: Why Enterprise and not Yorktown? Why not Zoidberg? __________________ "I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: "O Lord make my enemies ridiculous." And God granted it." -Voltaire

October 10 2012, 04:02 AM	#41
Christopher Writer	Re: Why Enterprise and not Yorktown? ^There's absolutely no reason to assume there was any "meddling" involved in this particular case, for the reasons I've explained exhaustively. Early, rough ideas, especially names, get changed a lot. That's a normal, healthy part of any creator's process. __________________ Christopher L. Bennett Homepage -- Updated 5/28/13 with discussion of Rise of the Federation Book 1. Written Worlds -- My blog

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