Q) Can you tell me what the serial numbers on the Starship Enterprise stand for? Many thanks.
A) It doesn’t stand for anything.
The Star Trek Encyclopedia states:
“NCC doesn’t stand for anything. It was devised by Matt Jefferies, art director of the first Star Trek series. Jefferies, who is a pilot, based NCC on 20th century aircraft registration codes. In such 20th century usage, an “N” first letter refers to an aircraft registered in the USA. A “C” second letter refers to a civil aircraft.
Jefferies added a second “C”, just because he thought it looked better. Think of it as being like the arbitrary three-letter code that’s part of automobile license plate numbers in many states.”
February 12th, 2010 at 4:51 am
in the star trek 2009 movie with commentary, they question this also. at mark 1:51:47 (as an answer to the question brought up earlier in the commentary), they say that it was matt jeffries and: N= registered in united states, c = civil aircraft, c (2) = space, 1701 is the seventeenth design, first ship - they did not discuss the source of the information
August 3rd, 2010 at 1:14 pm
Where did NCC-1701 ORIGINATE? In the Stephen Whitfield-Gene Roddenberry-authored book, The Making of Star Trek. Roddenberry indicated that the starting point was the fact that “NC” is one of the international aircraft registration codes assigned to aircraft registered in the United States; the second “C” was added for differentiation. The “1701″ was from the house across the street from where Mr. Roddenberry grew up.
November 3rd, 2010 at 5:05 pm
in the star trek 2009 movie with commentary, they question this also. at mark 1:51:47 (as an answer to the question brought up earlier in the commentary), they say that it was matt jeffries and: N= registered in united states, c = civil aircraft, c (2) = space, 1701 is the seventeenth design, first ship - they did not discuss the source of the information
March 29th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
I heard that NCC 1701 is a reference to Yale University. It was founded in 1701 in what was then called New Haven, Colony of Connecticut (pre American Revolution so Connecticut was not yet a state. Gene Roddenberry went to Columbia, another Ivy League school but has many ties to Yale (example a screening of The Cage). NCC 1701 is a tribute to Yale.
May 24th, 2011 at 10:07 pm
1701 was the charter for Yale.
Why didn’t they use 1640 since
Yale’s roots can be traced back to then?
October 23rd, 2011 at 11:11 pm
NCC 1701 Navel Construction Contract
July 30th, 2012 at 2:35 am
N.C.C is the Star Trek Universe stands for Navel Construction Contract according to the star trek encyclopedia.
August 7th, 2012 at 9:37 pm
You are all wrong: New Constellation Class
September 7th, 2012 at 2:05 am
National Construction Companies….the builders of the Enterprise. This info is from a promotional schematic of the layout, when the first Star Trek movie came out.
September 7th, 2012 at 2:12 am
the promotional was a poster that showed a layout of the levels, propulsion, the builders, etc…..wish i would have kept the poster, cause it sure would be worth alot of money?
January 26th, 2013 at 11:11 pm
Too many conflicting answers here, but all of them are plausible. This happens now and then, when trying to reconcile TOS, TNG, DS9, VOYAGER and the string of feature films based on Gene Roddenberry’s concept, and the little details that didn’t really mean anything in the first place. It all leads to one conclusion:
No Clear Continuity.
March 24th, 2013 at 5:21 am
Naval Constitution Class
June 11th, 2013 at 1:13 pm
NCC Are arbitrary letters, but according to the production team on the 2009 star trek, 1701 means 17th design 1st ship, the USS Enterprise being the first Constituion class vessel apparently.
June 30th, 2013 at 8:31 pm
The cc is Constitution Class I was told. The class of starship the original Enterprise was in
November 14th, 2013 at 4:58 am
@ Bruce Tennant: All ship classes in Starfleet, excluding the prototypes, bear the NCC markings as their callsing numbering. That number is merelly an identification number just like those you need to identify any civilian aircraft, so they are easilly recognized by airports. Those are the “name” Under which they are shown on radar screens.
In the case of Star Trek, all US ships are named with USS (United States Ships, or starship), all British have HMS before their name, just like today on naval ships. But their is nothing more to know about NCC than just being the standard starting sequence of a serial number. Their is no other meaning to that.
Star Trek XI (2009) producers have no precedence in the canonicity of that detail. Whatever they say, are only takes from the trekkie community, just like Uhura’s first name, which is novel based, and considered non-cannon. But it’s not like they never stretched the canon in those J.J. Abrams movies, is it?
If we really need to have a meaning for those 3 letters, Naval Construction Contract is the most logical one.
December 1st, 2013 at 7:41 am
THANK YOU!! I just spent over an hour (while watching a Star Trek marathon) trying to find a site that would just tell me what NCC meant…it seems everyone but me already knows…I’m in the Airline business and understand WHY, but really wanted the “N” meaning…I feel. So much better…B)
December 21st, 2013 at 6:47 am
NCC was a made up registration….Aircraft in the US only use a N followed by numbers and then maybe letters (NxxxX as an example; some can be short like N2AY or other lengths like N3724W or N73708SW; the longer ones usually used on commercial aircraft but thats not always the truth) NC was used prior to 1950s in aircraft to show worthiness (the C meaning airworthy, NOT civil), NX was experimental and NL was Limited but those designations were done away with by 1950. The second C was just an add on to make it sound better….It DOES NOT mean anything related to space as mentioned above, etc. The closest thing that can be used is “Naval Construction Contract” but that again was a made up meaning. The Enterprise is supposed to be a ship of the Constitution Class…which means the 1701 would make it the second ship of the class (NCC 1700 is the USS Constitution and the lead ship of the class…..JJs crappy idea has put wrong info out….As a former pilot and Captain in the Civil Air Patrol as well as being a Trek fan since the original series run in the 1960s, anything JJ comes up with is wrong (The USS Kelvin is one instance: NO Starship had a 0 as the leading digit in its registry…the Kelvin should have been NCC-504, NOT NCC-0504..May 4 happens to be JackJass’s birthday). NCC-xxxx is a starship registry number…the first ship in the class (Name of the class) is usually a NX-xxxx first then after testing, etc is commissioned with a full NCC-xxxx registration. Regardless of JJ’s lack of knowledge, the Constitution Class started with the USS Constitution..not the Enterprise.
December 31st, 2013 at 9:13 pm
How about NCC as the ” New Club Class”
January 25th, 2014 at 5:03 am
It’s new constellation class. A designation for the engine and ship type. An NCC class ship has certain specs. That’s the meaning.
February 15th, 2014 at 2:18 am
Memory Alpha (http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/NCC) goes with the Naval Construction Contract and references the technical manual and the blueprints from the 70s. (I ran into your thread because an suv with ncc-1701-c on the rear went by me on the highway and I couldn’t remember which one c was.)
March 24th, 2014 at 9:24 am
that an wonder full invention of 20th century
June 21st, 2014 at 1:47 am
NCC in mean naval cruise class ship
June 21st, 2014 at 1:49 am
Like uss means united. star. ship enterprise
September 13th, 2014 at 7:10 pm
How can you call yourselves ‘Trekkies’ or ‘treckers’ and get this wrong ?? NCC (as per Gene Roddenberry HIMSELF in an interview, after ‘The Motion Pictuer’ premiered, Stated “NCC stands for ‘Naval Celestial Cruiser’.” Remember Starfleet is just that, a Fleet, naval in origin, but the Enterprise NCC - 1701 was an Exploration vessal.
I know I will get some flack, and that’s cool, but I am a fan and enjoy exploring Star Trek trivia, and I pride myself on finding the correct answers to all I can in respect to Star Trek and trivia in general.
So bring on the hate mail or thanks, your choice, but I am a fan and always will be, and I really enjoy J.J. Abrams take on Star Trek, albeit a alternate timeline, but hey, thats Star Trek. Live Long and Prosper.
October 6th, 2014 at 4:14 am
To quote Roddenbery “NCC doesn’t stand for anything. It was devised by Matt Jefferies, art director of the first Star Trek series. Jefferies, who is a pilot, based NCC on 20th century aircraft registration codes. In such 20th century usage, an “N” first letter refers to an aircraft registered in the USA. A “C” second letter refers to a civil aircraft. Jefferies added a second “C”, just because he thought it looked better.
It is also very similar to the way military Naval vessels are identified. US warships (and other nations’ Navies) use 2 or 3 letter abreviations preceding the hull number of the ship. For example: The USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65). The CVN identifies the ship as a nuclear powered carrier. The number 65 identifies it as the 65th carrier built.
October 8th, 2014 at 10:24 pm
William F. Boeing had a Douglas DC-5 named “Rover” as his personal aircraft in the 30’s. Its registration # was NC21701. Maybe I’m the only one who sees the resemblance between the DC-5’s engine nacelles and the Enterprise’s central hull. Replace the engine and NACA cowling with a deflector dish and amplification rings, and there you are.
October 17th, 2014 at 5:29 am
I’m told that 1701 was the time that the ship in “Forbidden Planet” came out of light speed. Gene Roddenberry was a huge fan of that icon of spacefaring scifi.
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:55 pm
1701 is military time, 1701 hundred hours, 17:01 - or 5:01 pm - quitting time at work, time to have some fun.