The Fascinating Untold Story Behind Star Trek's Official Starfleet Name

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, titled "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," there is a subtle nod to Star Trek: The Original Series. Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) and an alternate version of Captain James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) unexpectedly find themselves on 21st-century Earth and must combat to restore the correct timeline. During her encounter with an unusual intruder on her 24th-century USS Enterprise, La'an is transported to a significantly altered version of her own ship. She soon realizes that the timeline has undergone drastic changes, and both the Federation and Starfleet no longer exist in the way she remembered.

While the organizations and missions of the Federation and Starfleet are now well-established in the Star Trek canon, this was not always the case. When Star Trek: The Original Series premiered in 1966, the television landscape was vastly different from what it is today. Shows typically did not have complex mythologies or storylines spanning multiple episodes. Furthermore, many episodes of TOS aired in a non-chronological order, making it challenging to establish a consistent and coherent canon. Although the term Starfleet has become synonymous with the Star Trek franchise, it was not the initial term used to describe the Federation's fleet of ships.

Strange New Worlds' United Earth Fleet Is A Nod To Early Star Trek: TOS

Content must be written in English:

The Captain Kirk featured in "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" originates from a parallel timeline where Earth never formed the Federation or Starfleet. Upon La'an Noonien-Singh's arrival on the alternate USS Enterprise, she discovers that the ship functions as a United Earth Fleet vessel in a significantly divergent timeline compared to her own. Shortly after La'an's arrival on the bridge, the Enterprise receives a communication from a Vulcan ship led by Spock (Ethan Peck), who seeks assistance in their conflict with the Romulans. Kirk declines, stating his inability to engage in a two-front war.

Within this altered timeline, Earth and Vulcan failed to unite in establishing the United Federation of Planets, resulting in a grim state of affairs across the galaxy. The name "United Earth Fleet" not only conveys that Earth is not part of the Federation, but also evokes the terminologies that were explored in TOS before settling on "Starfleet." Star Trek: The Original Series played a significant role in establishing what is now considered Star Trek canon gradually. Consequently, the organization overseeing the Enterprise went by various names before "Starfleet" gained official recognition.

How Star Trek Decided On The Name Starfleet

The space exploration group in Star Trek: The Original Series underwent a series of name changes before finally settling on Starfleet. One of the initial names mentioned was the United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA), which has now been incorporated into Star Trek canon as a precursor to Starfleet. Other names, such as Space Command, Space Service, Space Central, Star Service, Spacefleet Command, and Galactic Command, were also considered throughout TOS, with varying degrees of awkwardness. The terms Starfleet and Starfleet Command were first used in the episode "The Menagerie: Part 1" in season 1, but it took a few more episodes for the name to fully stick.

Given the limitations of television and the absence of the internet in the 1960s, it's not surprising that maintaining consistent canon was sometimes challenging. However, once the name Starfleet became established, it became an integral part of the franchise. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, as a prequel, continues to reimagine and update the established canon, and their United Earth Fleet pays homage to the earliest days of Star Trek.