Favorite canon Starfleet ship names?

[kitsune]

My favorite canon Starfleet ship names are:

• USS Venture
• USS Odyssey
• USS Valiant
• USS Intrepid
• USS Stargazer
  
• USS Columbia (referring, of course, to the United States, or the exploratory sailing ship, not the country of Columbia)

For most of my life, I didn't like Enterprise as a ship name, because I equated the word with "large corporation" and it didn't make any sense at all to me as a ship's name. It wasn't until relatively recently that I learned it can also mean "risky undertaking". So Enterprise, Venture, and Odyssey can mean the same thing, which seems elegant since there were three Galaxy-class ships with those names.

What are your favorites?

 

[Jono]

USS Thunderchild
USS Yeager
USS Hood
USS Defiant
USS Enterprise

 

[captcalhoun]

Defiant, Potemkin, Yamato, Enterprise, Excalibur

 

[Forbin]

A lot of our ship names wouldn't go over well with, say, a race devoted to peace. Picture yourself in a first contact situation explaining these ship names to people who revile violence: Yorktown, Lexington - names that commemorate bloody battles where a colony rebelled against its mother country. Crazy Horse - a great warrior, whose people were obliterated thru genocide by that same colonizing country. Lakota - the genocidally-obliterated people. Excalibur - a legendary weapon used to unite a country under one monarch thru years of war.

That's why Enterprise is such a good name!

 

[EmperorTiberius]

Defiant. Prometheus.

 

[Jono]

A lot of our ship names wouldn't go over well with, say, a race devoted to peace. Picture yourself in a first contact situation explaining these ship names to people who revile violence: Yorktown, Lexington - names that commemorate bloody battles where a colony rebelled against its mother country. Crazy Horse - a great warrior, whose people were obliterated thru genocide by that same colonizing country. Lakota - the genocidally-obliterated people. Excalibur - a legendary weapon used to unite a country under one monarch thru years of war.

That's why Enterprise is such a good name!

Yes, because the name name Enterprise has never been associated with war and conflict.

 

[Forbin]

A lot of our ship names wouldn't go over well with, say, a race devoted to peace. Picture yourself in a first contact situation explaining these ship names to people who revile violence: Yorktown, Lexington - names that commemorate bloody battles where a colony rebelled against its mother country. Crazy Horse - a great warrior, whose people were obliterated thru genocide by that same colonizing country. Lakota - the genocidally-obliterated people. Excalibur - a legendary weapon used to unite a country under one monarch thru years of war.

That's why Enterprise is such a good name!

Yes, because the name name Enterprise has never been associated with war and conflict.

It's what the name MEANs - the definition of the word - that you have to explain to the aliens, oh point-missing one.

 

[Praetor]

I've always liked Excelsior - from Latin meaning 'upward' or 'higher.'

I also like Intrepid. Victory is also underrated.

 

[iguana_tonante]

SS Milan, of course.

 

[USS Intrepid]

I'm rather fond of Intrepid.

 

[T J]

I always liked USS Fearless.

 

[captcalhoun]

A lot of our ship names wouldn't go over well with, say, a race devoted to peace. Picture yourself in a first contact situation explaining these ship names to people who revile violence: Yorktown, Lexington - names that commemorate bloody battles where a colony rebelled against its mother country. Crazy Horse - a great warrior, whose people were obliterated thru genocide by that same colonizing country. Lakota - the genocidally-obliterated people. Excalibur - a legendary weapon used to unite a country under one monarch thru years of war.

That's why Enterprise is such a good name!

Yes, because the name name Enterprise has never been associated with war and conflict.

It's what the name MEANs - the definition of the word - that you have to explain to the aliens, oh point-missing one.

you just tell them that Yorktown or Lexington are named after towns. Crazy Horse is named after a political leader and Excalibur you tell em it's a mythic symbol.

 

[hellsgate]

I'd have to say ENTERPRISE, VOYAGER and STARGAZER.

 

[Gary7]

Some of the names I liked: Constellation. Intrepid. Defiant. Excelsior. Excalibur. Endeavor. Exeter.

Ones I really didn't like: Kongo (what, we're in a jungle?), Merrimac (conjured up images of an old Civil War era steel vessel that lost), Scovil (alternative to Advil?), Farragut (Farrah's got guts--heh), and Yorktown (too provincial).

 

[Praetor]

Kongo was a Japanese battleship.

The other concerns I can appreciate.

 

[Sovereign_One]

Valiant, Defiant, Reliant, Intrepid...brave, strong and reliable

Excelsior...excellent

Enterprise, Voyager...went where no one has gone before--often!

Sovereign...kingly, regal

 

[kitsune]

Enterprise, Voyager...went where no one has gone before--often!

And often where people had gone before. Case in point: they met McCoy at Farpoint Station, on the edge of explored space. Was Starfleet trying to keep him as far away from headquarters as possible because they got tired of his ranting?

 

[Red Ranger]

Of course, Enterprise is high on the list, as are Defiant and Voyager. So are Constellation, Crazy Horse, Excelsior, Excalibur, Intrepid, Odyssey, Potemkin, Phoenix, Prometheus, and Victory. (As for non-canon, the similar-sounding Victorious is a name I liked, from the novel A Flag Full of Stars -- it's the name of the ship Kirk wants to command after the Enterprise's first five-year mission.)

 

[Forbin]

you just tell them that Yorktown or Lexington are named after towns. Crazy Horse is named after a political leader and Excalibur you tell em it's a mythic symbol.

Ah, but why was this political leader named after an insane beast of burden?

Can o' worms!

Maybe all first contacts should be handle by the USS Hello.

 

[Vanyel]

USS Venture, the name just screams explorer.
USS Monitor and USS Merrimac those two together bring up images of the Civil War. To see them on the same fleet is a testament to Earth's history.
The USS Saratoga also brings up the Civil War.
The USS Odyssey is a good name.

My favorite is The USS Valdemar mentioned in DS9's Tribunal. I know it's most likely a reference to Valdemar of Sweden or one of the kings of Denmark and not this Valdemar.

Do I get an award for most links in one paragraph?