All Hail the Star Trek USS Enterprise 1701-A

How did the USS Enterprise get its distinctive registry number? Well it all started with Matt Jeffries, the art director of the first Star Trek series. He was inspired by an ancient science fiction cover that Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry liked. This cover showed a starship flying through space. Matt Jeffries also happened to be a pilot.

This is why the NCC used 20th-century aircraft registration codes. If a ship’s registration has N for the first letter, then it means that it was registered in the United States. Meanwhile, the first C right after the N means that the aircraft is a civilian aircraft. Matt Jeffries added the second C and the third letter for more flair.

According to many Star Trek reference materials, NCC is an initialism for “Naval Construction Contract.” Books like The Making of Star Trek and the Franz Joseph blueprints all cite this fact.

Gene Roddenberry described the USS Enterprise as a United Space Space. In two episodes of the original series, you can hear Captain Kirk say the words United Space Ship Enterprise. The Star Trek USS Enterprise NCC-1701a was first shown at the end of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. It also serves as the main setting for some Star Trek movies that utilize the original crew.

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