The designation USS

[dispatcher812]

I tried to search for this but the system kept kicking it back for not being long enough so I aplogize in advance:

The desingantion USS at least in today day means "United States Ship". What does it mean in the Star Trek Universe? Why not something like "UFP Enterprise"?

 

[NiteTrek]

Obviously, much of Trek was patterned after the US Navy, so the USS prefix makes sense. I think in one of the episodes, Kirk mentions "United Space Ship" although "United Star Ship" would have been better.

 

[Michael]

I always figured it means "United Space Ship".

 

[dispatcher812]

hmmmmmmmm, Both thosse make sense.

 

[Mr. Fergy]

I always figured it means "United Space Ship".

I always thought this as well, don't now the source it was mentioned. Was it one of Roddenberry's Bios?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

AFAIK, both United Space Ship and United Star Ship were used on the show.

If Trek were just being created today, UFS - United Federation Ship - would be my choice.

 

[Sci]

AFAIK, both United Space Ship and United Star Ship were used on the show.

Yeah, both were used -- although, when TOS first started, they hadn't yet created all of the background, and the Federation hadn't been created. When Kirk introduced himself to the alien in "The Corbomite Maneuver," he described himself as being the commanding officer of the "United Earth Ship Enterprise," suggesting that originally its designation ought to have been "UES Enterprise." (Ironically, the Enterprise NX-01 in ENT ended up being what the 1701 was originally meant to be -- a ship in the service of United Earth rather than the United Federation of Planets! And more than a few Trekkies have argued that the NX-01 ought to have been designated "UES Enterprise NX-01.)

Personally, I like to pretend that "USS" means "UFP Star Ship." Basically Roddenberry put the "USS" on there because it's a very familiar Americanism that 60s audiences would have liked.

If Trek were just being created today, UFS - United Federation Ship - would be my choice.

That works. So would "FSS Enterprise" -- "Federation Star Ship."

 

[Space Cowboy]

^Beat me to the explanation

I think that the use of USS was to draw a connection with the modern US Navy before they established the terminology of the Federation Starfleet. NCC is another one of those things that lacks an explanation. If I were naming the ship to make sense with what we know now, I'd use FSS - Federation Starfleet Ship and a code like EX for explorer or EH for heavy escort.

 

[EmoVulcan]

I had heard somewhere that they just copied the current day naval designation except added another S because it sounded nice. Supposedly they originally didn't even know what it stood for and filled in the blanks later with the above posts. I don't know if that's true at all.

 

[erastus25]

Obviously, much of Trek was patterned after the US Navy, so the USS prefix makes sense. I think in one of the episodes, Kirk mentions "United Space Ship" although "United Star Ship" would have been better.

You may be referring to Bread and Circuses in which disgraced Capt. Merick explains that Kirk commands a starship - which is vastly superior to the SS Beagle that Merick commanded. Maybe USS is United Star Ship and SS is just plain ol' Space Ship?

 

[Warped9]

Obviously, much of Trek was patterned after the US Navy, so the USS prefix makes sense. I think in one of the episodes, Kirk mentions "United Space Ship" although "United Star Ship" would have been better.

"United Space Ship" does make sense. It's not referring to a "spaceship" but to the united space territories of the Federation worlds.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I've always preferred "United Space Ship" myself.

 

[Jamee999]

United (Federation of Planets') Star Ship

 

[NiteTrek]

You may be referring to Bread and Circuses in which disgraced Capt. Merick explains that Kirk commands a starship - which is vastly superior to the SS Beagle that Merick commanded. Maybe USS is United Star Ship and SS is just plain ol' Space Ship?

I can't remember the exact episode (don't think it was B&C) but I could've sworn, Kirk said "United Space Ship" - or could Pike have said it?

I don't remember any episode where "United Star Ship" was used.

 

[NiteTrek]

I had heard somewhere that they just copied the current day naval designation except added another S because it sounded nice. Supposedly they originally didn't even know what it stood for and filled in the blanks later with the above posts. I don't know if that's true at all.

If that were the case, then it would be USSS Enterprise, since current day Naval ships are USS, which is exactly the same as Trek.

I think you are confusing the NCC prefix which has many "official" explanations, depending on what article you read. "NC" was supposedly used on aircraft at the time so they added another "C" to make it "NCC." I've also heard where someone had a boat with the prefix "NC" and that's where the idea came from.

 

[EliyahuQeoni]

I can't remember the exact episode (don't think it was B&C) but I could've sworn, Kirk said "United Space Ship" - or could Pike have said it?

I don't remember any episode where "United Star Ship" was used.

Pike did say it, as did Kirk in early episodes. I can't think of a specific example, but I seem to recall Kirk using "United Star Ship" later in the series.

 

[Carpe Occasio]

The Star Trek pitch by Gene Roddenberry to CBS refers to a "United Space Ship" -

"The transportation was the SS Yorktown, which would later become the USS Enterprise. The SS Yorktown was described as a "cruiser class" with a 190,000 ton gross. It had a crew complement of 203, and used space-warp drive ("maximum velocity .73 of one light year per hour"). It had a range of 18 years and was registered as a United Space Ship with Earth. The date was stated to be sometime in the future, possibly between 1995 and 2995."

Apparantly, "United Space Ship" was referred to in TOS "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part I", "Space Seed", "The Gamesters of Triskelion", "Patterns of Force", "Assignment: Earth", & "Elaan of Troyius". "United Star Ship" was referred to in TOS "The Squire of Gothos" & "Court Martial".

 

[Sci]

Apparantly, "United Space Ship" was referred to in TOS "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part I", "Space Seed", "The Gamesters of Triskelion", "Patterns of Force", "Assignment: Earth", & "Elaan of Troyius". "United Star Ship" was referred to in TOS "The Squire of Gothos" & "Court Martial".

Interestingly, "Court Martial" was the first episode to establish the existence of the United Federation of Planets and of the Federation Starfleet.

 

[greenmystik]

I always figured it was "United Star Ship."

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I had heard somewhere that they just copied the current day naval designation except added another S because it sounded nice. Supposedly they originally didn't even know what it stood for and filled in the blanks later with the above posts. I don't know if that's true at all.

You might be thinking of NC, which I think some planes use as a designation (the Enterprise is NCC either to make it different or to incorporate the CCCP, depending on who you ask).