NCC

NCC was a registry number prefix used on starships in service with the Federation Starfleet. (TOS: "The Cage") In the mirror universe, NCC was used on ships of the Terran Empire. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror") Vessels using this prefix were listed in the Starfleet Registry. (TOS: "The Ultimate Computer")

NCC registries Edit

Starships Edit

Runabouts Edit

Shuttles Edit

Alternate NCC registries Edit

Mirror universe NCC registries Edit

Alternate reality NCC registries Edit

Vision or illusion NCC registries Edit

Appendices Edit

Background information Edit

It has never been established in canon why the letters NCC or NX were chosen, what they stood for, or even if the latter has any relation to the NX-class. In the 23rd and 24th centuries, NX was used to designate an experimental, prototype starship, while NCC would be seen on a standard, regular-production starship.

Several closeups in "Mudd's Passion" of a registry number on an Enterprise shuttlecraft show the prefix as N.C.C., suggesting the letters are in fact an abbreviation. The 1975 licensed publication Star Trek Blueprints (sheets 1 & 3), which was the work of Franz Joseph, designate the abbreviation to stand for the "Naval Construction Contract Number" of a starship, akin to the real world maritime hull numbering practice. While MA considers a very limited amount of Franz Joseph's work as valid background information for canon purposes, insofar it had actually made onscreen appearances, the abbreviation explanation has not been part of it and remains apocryphal. Still, Joseph's work was once considered "official" by the franchise and, ranking among the very first published works of this kind, enjoyed considerable popularity in "Trekdom" at the time, and his explanation of the abbreviation appears to be the more commonly accepted one by them^[1]. As "fanon" the designation has been adopted by some Star Trek novelists, such as the below mentioned Diane Carey.

As for the use of NCC as a prefix for Starfleet registry numbers, its designer Matt Jefferies said, when he conceived the prefix in 1964, that the registries for American civil aircraft are preceded by NC, and Soviet craft used a prefix of CCCC, and as such, he more-or-less combined the two. His philosophy was, "If we do anything in space, we (Americans and Russians) have to do it together." [1]^(X) In contrast, the Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 69) claims that the second C was just an arbitrary addition to make the registry look better. This notion had actually been confirmed by Jefferies himself on another occasion, "Since the 1920's, N has indicated the United States in Navy terms, and C means 'commercial' vessel. I added an extra C just for fun. Interestingly, Russia's designation is CCC [sic.: Jeffries meant The Soviet Union]. So The N and C together made it kind of international." (Star Trek: The Original Series Sketchbook, p. 62; Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 69))

Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 231 from Richmond, Virginia claims that the registry for the original USS Enterprise was inspired by the 1935 WACO Model YOC aircraft owned by Matt Jefferies – his airplane had the registry NC-17740. [2] Jefferies however, squashed this particular notion late in life in latter day interviews himself, among others in Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 1, Issue 10, p. 26, as he didn't even purchase the airplane until 1968, while concurrently conceding that he never really put much of an effort into debunking the misconception. [3]^(X)

Conflicting registries Edit

Apocrypha Edit

In Dark Mirror, Diane Duane's mirror universe novel released before "Crossover", the Terran Empire is still in power during the 24th century, and starships don't use the NCC prefix, but rather an "ICC" prefix, like the ISS Enterprise (ICC-1701-D).

The novel Best Destiny, by Diane Carey, gives the meaning of NCC as "Naval Construction Contract", taking her cue from the 1975 Franz Joseph Blueprints, as elaborated upon above.

See also Edit

• Federation starship classes

Footnote Edit

1. ↑ A less common alternative to Franz Joseph's designation, "Navigational Contact Code", has been floating around in fan circles. This designation originated from David John Nielsen's U.S.S. Enterprise Heavy Cruiser Evolution Blueprints and Todd Allan Guenther's Ships of the Star Fleet reference book series. However, both works are unlicensed fan fiction, and further dissertation on the designation is outside the purview of MA.

External links Edit

• NCC at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• NCC at Memory Omega, the wiki for licensed Star Trek books, audiobooks, and comics