Clever Trek names

[Shatnertage]

There have been several apt names in Star Trek. My current favorite is Kevin and Rishon Uxbridge. I don't know if this is deliberate, but the writers really nailed this one:

uxor (Latin) = "wife'

bridge = bridge

Interesting name for an omnipotent immortal whose connection--bridge, if you will--to humanity is his wife.

More subtle than "Professor Brighthead" from G Force, but a good fit nonetheless.

Do you have any favorites?

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

I can't think of any names really, but 'Vedek' is probably based on 'veda' which I believe is a type of Hindu holy writing.

 

[Surfin' Santa]

Many Trek TOS characters had symbolic names. In "City on the Edge of Forever," Edith Keeler is a focal point whose life or death can alter the course of history, as the keel of a ship is its main structural member. In "Court Martial," attorney Samuel T. Cogley is ironically named -- he's a bit of an eccentric who refuses to be just another "cog in the machine."

One wonders how Gary Seven got his name ("Assignment: Earth"). Perhaps he's an ancestor of Seven of Nine? And how did they come up with the names of the gang bosses in "A Piece of the Action": Bela Oxmyx (sounds like a Hungarian wizard) and Jojo Krako (sounds like a clown)?

One pretty lame character name was the librarian in "All Our Yesterdays," Mr. Atoz. As in "A to Z," get it, nudge-nudge?

And in "The Lights of Zetar," maybe Lt. Mira Romaine was given that name because she was about as exciting as a head of lettuce.

 

[Admiral Shran]

I don't know if it was intentional or not, but B'Elanna (as in B'Elanna Torres of VOY) is remarkably similar to Bellona, the Roman goddess of war and companion of Mars, the god of war.

It's a rather apt connection with the fiesty and tempestuous engineer, I think. Not to mention the fact that she was a Klingon, and Klingons do tend to like war.

 

[Myasishchev]

One wonders how Gary Seven got his name ("Assignment: Earth"). Perhaps he's an ancestor of Seven of Nine?

I always sort of entertained the theory that he was the seventh version. But Gary Seven and his overbosses went unexplored.

This is kind of a good thing, because even though I enjoyed A:E and did like the character a lot, none of it really meshed well with the Trek universe at all. On the other hand, I think a Gary 7 standalone could work.

From TrekLit, a clever species name: Selkies. I was sort of disappointed that it turned out this is the name of a Celtic/Irish mythological mermaid-manatee-thing. I thought it was just a neat-sounding name. But I'm generally opposed to clever, referential names for aliens. Sort of missing the point. (Objection withdrawn, of course, if it turns out this was an acquired name, not a native one.)

 

[RegFan]

I wouldn't call Kamala (The Perfect Mate) a clever name, but I'll mention it anyway. The episode is unintentionally funny because the word "kamala" means "awful" in Finnish (my native language). It's not the only Trek name that means something in Finnish, but definitely the funniest. Another example of this is "sisko", which means "sister" as written, although it's pronounced a bit differently.

 

[captcalhoun]

One wonders how Gary Seven got his name ("Assignment: Earth"). Perhaps he's an ancestor of Seven of Nine?

I always sort of entertained the theory that he was the seventh version. But Gary Seven and his overbosses went unexplored.

This is kind of a good thing, because even though I enjoyed A:E and did like the character a lot, none of it really meshed well with the Trek universe at all. On the other hand, I think a Gary 7 standalone could work.

From TrekLit, a clever species name: Selkies. I was sort of disappointed that it turned out this is the name of a Celtic/Irish mythological mermaid-manatee-thing. I thought it was just a neat-sounding name. But I'm generally opposed to clever, referential names for aliens. Sort of missing the point. (Objection withdrawn, of course, if it turns out this was an acquired name, not a native one.)

considering they're from a planet called 'Pacifica' i suspect it is an acquired name

 

[Timo]

(Objection withdrawn, of course, if it turns out this was an acquired name, not a native one.)

I'd argue that they're all acquired...

That is, the default theory would be that everybody calls themselves "human" or "people" or "us", and foreigners steer clear of the potential confusion by applying a name of their choosing - either by inventing one, or then by refusing to translate the local word for "people" but instead applying it as is.

And in Star Trek, this is obviously something the Universal Translator would be happy to do for our heroes. So they meet cat people, and the UT readily begins to say things like "We the Caitians of planet Cait" in place of "We the people of Earth".

It can also be deviously subtle: say, the UT tells Kirk and Spock that a local population is called "troglytes", and they take their sweet time realizing that in fact the UT has done some conceptual translation for them and these folks really are troglodytic in their lifestyle, as reflected by their native name...

Even words like "Klingon" and "Romulan", supposedly predating the use of UT, could be the work of the preceding Vulcan UT...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[GSchnitzer]

And how did they come up with the names of the gang bosses in "A Piece of the Action": Bela Oxmyx (sounds like a Hungarian wizard) and Jojo Krako (sounds like a clown)?

I think that's Okmyx (with a "k"), not Oxmyx (with an "x"). (It's only *pronounced* Oxmyx.)

 

[Theodore Jay Miller]

There's a Jewish in-joke in the names in Peter David's Trek novel Imzadi. The alien terrorists have names like Maror, Karpas, Baytzah, Zroah, and Charoset. Those are all Hebrew words for items on the Passover seder plate.

 

[Sector 7]

IIRC, "Assignment: Earth" was intended as a pilot for a stand alone series. While not a true spinoff, it would be considered more of a crossover pilot.

Mr. Atoz was, IMO, a clever name for a librarian as a good librarian will know everything in his library from A to Z.

 

[Shatnertage]

There's a Jewish in-joke in the names in Peter David's Trek novel Imzadi. The alien terrorists have names like Maror, Karpas, Baytzah, Zroah, and Charoset. Those are all Hebrew words for items on the Passover seder plate.

Yeah, but do maror and charoset make a sandwich together? Do I want to know? (I haven't read this yet)

Not often you get the chance to make seder jokes. Or try, at least.

And Kamala from TNG always makes me think of Kamala, the Ugandan Headhunter/Giant from the WWF.

 

[Whoa Nellie]

Locutus in Latin means to say, speak, or tell.

Vash (Captain's Holiday, Qpid)
Vashti as a modern Persian name means "beauty."

According to the Wikipedia article on Vashti http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vashti

In the book of Esther:

In Esther, Vashti is the wife of King Ahasuerus. While the king holds a magnificent banquet for his princes, nobles and servants, she holds a separate banquet for the women. On the seventh day of the banquet, when the king's heart was "merry with wine," the king orders his seven chamberlains to summon Vashti to come before him and his guests wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty. Vashti refuses to come, and the king becomes angry. He asks his advisers how Vashti should be punished for her disobedience. His adviser Memucan tells him that Vashti has wronged not only the king, but also all of the husbands of Persia, whose wives may be encouraged by Vashti's actions to disobey their husbands.

An interesting name choice for the woman who told Captain Picard, "This isn't a starship, Jean-Luc. I don't follow orders."

Warmest Wishes,
Whoa Nellie

 

[Brian]

Don't forget Morn, which is an anagram for Norm, the omnipresent fellow at the end of the bar on Cheers.

 

[Brian]

Or Data, since because he's an android he processes....


Nevermind. That's not clever at all.

At least they didn't name him Mr. Beep-Boop.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I always thought it was interesting that "kirk" means "a church."

And of course, "Enterprise" meaning "a bold venture forward..."

 

[Rett Mikhal]

Is there a John Luck Pikart here?

Ah, couldn't resist.

Well one I always liked was Lal, which (as stated in the episode) is Hindu for 'Beloved'. I like it because it shows Data has curiosity. Clearly he went through all Earth's languages until he found a name he 'liked'. I like that human quality about him, which fits perfectly in the episode context of him starting a family.

Too bad it has negative associations with the over used expression "LOL". Thank you very much, AOL generation.

 

[Surfin' Santa]

The three bodiless aliens in "Return to Tomorrow" had names from history or mythology.

Sargon -- ancient Mesopotamian king
Thalassa -- Greek sea goddess
Henoch -- Variant of Enoch, pre-Deluge biblical patriarch

 

[DevilEyes]

I always thought it was interesting that "kirk" means "a church."

How about Christine Chapel? Interesting name for an atheist to come up with.

 

[Kira Nerys]

Kira Nerys or Odo