NCC

(NCC is an imaginary designation for starships conceived within Star Trek. According to Star Trek chronology, the term was first used in the Original series. The description below is written within a Trek context, but is by no means part of official Trek canon. Comment is invited.)

The prefix Naval Construction Contract (NCC) (or possibly Numeric Catalog and Commission) is a numeric designation assigned to starships and other classes of commissioned craft by Starfleet Command. The purpose of the NCC is to assign a unique code number for use in subspace communications, to facilitate the coordination of activities among deep space vessels.

History of NCC

Naval Construction Contract numbers were first applied to starships in the late 22nd Century, and their usage predates the Federation itself. A variety of space exploration agencies, private concerns, and other affiliated groups contributed the first vessels that formed Starfleet. It was not until 2155 that Starfleet itself began to take the lead in vessel design and construction, with the launch of starship Enterprise (NX-01). Once this design configuration was proven, it spawned the first class of NCC-commissioned vessels.

NX

NX (NCC-Experimental) is a pre-certification code applied to craft that are undergoing testing, and usually incorporate new materials and technologies. Most starship classes evolved from earlier NX prototypes.

Some NX vessels were one-off testbeds that never achieved full commission - but even such vessels contributed greatly to Starfleet's understanding of propulsion systems and flight dynamics.

Some notable NX vessels include Enterprise (NX-01), USS Excelsior (NX-2000) and USS Defiant (NX-74205).