NCC REGISTRY
NCC REGISTRY
The Starfleet starship registry prefix "NCC" is the standard prefix for Federation starships in service. The letters "NCC" do not officially stand for anything.
There have been and continue to be other prefixes, notably "NX" which denotes a prototype or experimental vessel. Famous starships with that prefix would be the Enterprise NX-01 captained by the legendary Jonathan Archer in the 2150s, and in the 23rd and 24th centuries the USS Excelsior NX-2000 and the USS Defiant NX-74205 respectively. Once the USS Excelsior became operational, the prefix changed to the standard NCC. This means that the same system for registry numbers has been employed by Starfleet since that organisation's founding in the mid-22nd century.
 "NX-01A" appears on the fake LCARS displays of Arturis' fake Starfleet vessel Dauntless [#94 Hope And Fear] |
In view of the NX numbering system, villain Arturis got it only partly correct. The starship he tries to trap the Voyager crew into boarding so that he can deliver them to the Borg has the designation NX-01A.  Possibly the fact that the number is quite out of step with past usage may have added to Janeway's apprehension which, with other information, led her to unmasking Arturis. (Of course, at the time [Hope And Fear] aired, the [Enterprise] series, and hence the starship Enterprise NX-01, had not yet been conceived.) |
 name and registry no. appear on the Dauntless hull [#94 Hope And Fear] |
USS Voyager's registry number is NCC-74656. (Note: the registry numbers NCC-1701-A, -B, -C, -D and -E, were/are special cases, to honour the original Enterprise whose registry number was NCC-1701.) To aid visual identification, the NCC registry number appears in several places on a Federation starship, notably on the top of the primary hull, either with the characters spread almost in a semi-circle, as seen in the screenshot from [Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home], or written straight across the upper hull as with USS Voyager. Behind-the-scenes: [DS9: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges] features another Intrepid-class starship, USS Bellerophon NCC-74705. The registry number was chosen for the least effort in production work. See also Intrepid class starship USS Bellerophon (information including behind-the-scenes).
 [Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home] |
 [#1 and #2 Caretaker] |
 registry number (no starship name) on the underside of the upper hull [#79 Concerning Flight] |
 ship name (no USS) and registry number appear either side of each docking port, located on the upper hull [#84 Prey] |
The registry number also appears on the starship's shuttlecraft.
 the registry number of the mother ship, here USS Voyager, appears on the port and starboards sides of the shuttlecraft [#50 and #51 Future's End] |
 Voyager's registry number appears, not quite as prominently, on either side of the Delta Flyer [#149 Drive] |
 tea is poured (by a young Tuvok) into Captain Sulu's tea cup, in 2293 [#44 Flashback] |
The registry number, along with the starship name, even appears on ship's china. That might no longer be the case by USS Voyager's time; Janeway's tea set is not labelled.
Behind-the-scenes: When Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was asked about the NCC registry, he replied that there was no significance to the letters and numbers comprising the registry of the U.S.S. Enterprise. At the time Star Trek first aired on tv, in the 1960s, aeroplanes commonly had "NC" on them, and adding the extra "C" updated the look. [TOS] art director Walter 'Matt' Jefferies is reported to have said that he chose the "1701" number because it was legible from a distance.
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Behind-the-scenes: Choosing USS Voyager's Class And Registry Number
