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USS Bellerophon orbiting Romulus

A bit of Greek language reaches Romulus, in the form of the USS Bellerophon name written on that starship

Greek was a Human language spoken by the Greek people on Earth. Derived from ancient Greek spoken since the 2nd millennium BC, elements of the language survived as a significant source of Starfleet and Federation nomenclature and terminology.

Fundamentally, the stellar cartographic quadrants of the Milky Way Galaxy were labeled Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta – exclusively Greek letters. Multitudes of other uses included installations (Epsilon IX station), protocols (evasive pattern delta 5), computer files (Janeway Lambda One), scientific discoveries (the Omega molecule), stars, and planets (Ceti Alpha V) labeled or named with Greek letters.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard was fluent in the Greek language. In 2368, he read the Homeric Hymns in its original language. (TNG: "Darmok")

Greek-named starships[]

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Background information[]

A few episode titles derive from Greek phrases, including:

  • DS9:
    • "Necessary Evil" – ἀναγκαῖον κακόν (anankaion kakon), Menander, fragment 651
    • "Heart of Stone" – κραδίη στερεωτέρη ἐστὶ λίθοιο (kradiê stereôterê esti lithoio, "a heart harder than stone"), Homer, Odyssey, book 23
  • DIS:
    • "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" – πάρφασις, ἥ τ᾽ ἔκλεψε νόον πύκα περ φρονεόντων (parphasis, hê t' eklepse noön pyka per phroneontôn, in Robert Fagles' translation; alternatively, "beguilement that steals the wits even of the wise"), Homer, Iliad, book 14, line 217

Several other episode titles derive from Greek mythology, while the episodes TOS: "The Omega Glory" and VOY: "The Omega Directive" feature a letter of the Greek alphabet.

External links[]

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