How does the ship-numbering go in Starfleet? I assumed that 'the bigger the number, the newer the ship' and Enterprise (NCC-1701) looks 'older' because the Constitution-class itself is older. Discovery (NCC-1031) is a prototype for an upcoming class and thus newer that Constitution while older than Enterprise.However, I just realised that Shenzhou (NCC-1227) was an older ship (as indicated by the transporter discs being in the ineffective linear allignation), yet having higher number than Discovery.Could somebody explain this for me, please?And while we're at it, could somebody explain what's the difference between NX/NC/NCC/NEE/possible others?. I have my own head canon, which is that the numbers are sequential, based on the initial date of the construction contract. But construction times can vary wildly, meaning that a ship's launch date could be 5, 10, or even 20 years after its contract.So, let's say Starfleet puts in the orders for contracts 1030 and 1031 for the Glenn and the Discovery.
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Then, there are problems, delays, and pauses in construction due to any number of factors. Maybe they get halfway done, and Starfleet orders a total revision to accommodate the experimental spore drive technology. Suddenly the entire spaceframe needs refitted so it can twirl and stuff.Meanwhile, ships like Shenzhou (1227) and Enterprise (1701) are contracted, built relatively quickly, and launched while Discovery still sits in drydock.
Technically, the NCC has never been defined in canon meaning one thing or another. I believe Naval Construction Contract is the fan-canon general consensus of what they are.From Memory Alpha: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.' In contrast, the Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 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.
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There are several ships in Starfleet that carry the famous Enterprise moniker, so just to clarify this is NCC-1701, the original ship that was destroyed at the end of Star Trek III, The Search for Spock. In Star Trek TOS, the maximum speed of the ship was officially Warp 8, but in the TOS Episode 3x14, That Which Survives, the ship reached a.
Interestingly, Russia's designation is CCC. So The N and C together made it kind of international.'