As any Trekkie can tell you, the registration number of the USS Enterprise is NCC-1701. In “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”, a new agency is built and the registration of NCC-1701-A establishes the canon that starships can maintain the same name and designation for generations. In fact, in “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” the registration number was NCC-1701-D, replaced by the Enterprise-E in 1996’s “Star Trek: First Contact.”
Although not overtly addressed in “Star Trek,” the presence of the registration number adds great canonical depth to the franchise. In the future, spacecraft will continue to be numbered and cataloged like modern warships, while being monitored by militaries such as the Navy. However, Starfleet – unlike modern military organizations – dedicates its strict military structure to study and exploration, not war or conquest. The registration numbers also represent a vast behind-the-scenes bureaucracy, with invisible bureaucrats constantly working to keep a vast military fleet in order. An organization as large as Starfleet, realistically, needs millions of bureaucrats to stay afloat. Record numbers give “Star Trek” a realistic nuance.
As for the USS, it is part of a very old tradition that goes back centuries. If Starfleet were compared to the modern Navy, the spaceships would follow the same nomenclature and “USS” from previous eras. In the early 17th century, British ships were incorporated into the Royal Navy and all ships under its jurisdiction were designated Her Majesty's Ship or Her Majesty's Ship. All warships were given the HMS prefix, such as HMS Pinafore or HMS Surprise.
When the United States began building a navy, the USS, an American ship, was used. In “Star Trek,” USS stands for “United Starship.”
A real life company
The USS is an extension of another centuries-old maritime acronym. Many smaller ships also used the SS prefix on their hulls, e.g. SS Minnow on “Gilligan’s Island.” SS stands for single screw steamship or screw steamer, a generic term for any steam-powered sea vessel. You may also be familiar with the maritime prefixes SSCV (Semi-Submersible Crane Vessel), SSS (Sea Exploration Vessel) or SSV (Special Support Vessel). After 1901, most of the positions were abandoned by the administration of then-President Theodore Roosevelt.
Each country has its own similar abbreviations, but Starfleet adopted the American system. Because “Star Trek” is an American show created by an American man. Additionally, within the “Star Trek” canon, Starfleet was established in the United States. Federation headquarters and Starfleet Academy are located in San Francisco. If “Star Trek” were made in Canada, the ship could be called HMCS Enterprise.
The USS Enterprise in “Star Trek” was named USS Enterprise. In real life, the Enterprise was a Yorktown-class aircraft carrier built in 1938 and which fought extensively in the Asia-Pacific War. It was one of only three aircraft carriers to survive the conflict and was finally decommissioned in 1947. When “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry heard about the company, he was fascinated by its propaganda and decided to use its name in his Science fiction. Cont. Roddenberry originally wanted to name his ship USS Yorktown, but changed his mind. And that's a good thing. “Yorktown” is earthy. The “company” is very global.
By the way, “Yorktown” was eventually used for other ships and stations in “Star Trek,” including the outer colony seen in “Star Trek Beyond.”
Does not refer to a 'United States vessel'
It seems that Gene Roddenberry once received a jingoistic pushback from studio executives about what the USS should represent. Since it was already used on American umbilical ships, some senior NBC officials assumed that the Enterprise was an American ship and that the future would be governed by the United States. “Star Trek,” of course, takes place in a peaceful future when the Earth is united and nations have been more or less wiped out.
In Stephen E. Whitfield's invaluable book, “The Making of Star Trek,” the author explained that NBC executives wanted to describe the company as “a good, safe, patriotic American starship.” Roddenberry apparently fought against this personally, feeling that the future belonged to the entire Earth, not to the United States in particular. Whitfield's book finally states definitively that USS stands for United Starship.
As for on-screen references, in the original “Star Trek” pilot, “The Cage,” and in the episode “Patterns of Force” (February 16, 1968), dialogue implied that USS refers to the United Space Ship. However, since Spock (Leonard Nimoy) referred to himself as a Vulcan, not a Vulcan, half of the Trekkies tend to ignore him. Officially, USS stands for United Starship.
“Star Trek” has never worried about whether the USS is still used as an ocean liner in the 24th century.
