Plaques

Plaques are used to dedicate starship and space stations and are created in the RPG to provide some individuality to each independent vessel (or station). The templates for the plaques can be found here. Additionally, if there is an interest in developing other types of plaques, consider googling 'brass', 'copper', 'gold' and 'bushed metal' backgrounds. (Also see MyFreeTextures.)

The following provide examples of the evolution of the plaques over time. Note, the current examples may be the series' canon versions, and may not depict the procedures for the names of individual persons (as they reflect the series' creators and crew).

Sources for quotes: Plaque Quotes, Brainy Quote, & AZ Quotes

2069

Starting in 2069, upon the formation of the United Earth Stellar Navy, the below plaque was introduced to all vessels, current and new-builds, to provide some commonality to the mix-matched fleet. The quote was uncited and usually well known. (In the case of future starships named Enterprise, this would be a tradition carried on.) The plaque type would carry on when the UESN was reformed as the United Earth Starfleet. Ships were not categorized by class and the identification of the original commanding officer was not seen in later versions.

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2154

Only in 2154 did the plaques start to see some slight adjustment: 'San Francisco' and 'Earth' were added to the line under the commanding officer. The former representing the headquarters of Starfleet, the latter as the home planet of the ship.

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2161

Upon the formation of the United Federation of Planets, the members that took part in the Romulan War devoted a number of their surviving warships to the alliance, merging their fleets with that of the UESF, forming the new Star Fleet. Adopted vessels retained their commissioning plaques (if any), while new-builds received the below version. The early Star Fleet pennant was added and quotes received attribution. Note the example of the Daedalus below doesn't match regular production run vessel plaques: instead, the ship name was on the first line below the pennant, with the class name on the second. The word 'starship' would be on the third line. The sequential mention of the use of the name started with the first UFP Star Fleet vessel to bear the name. Chain of command and the first commanding officer were no longer displayed, providing a much cleaner look to the plaque.

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  Class ship
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  Station version

2241

As the development of the Constitution class heavy cruiser neared completion, Star Fleet Headquarters felt spatial history was achieving a milestone and that a new era was started. It was decided to adopt a new symbol, replacing the eighty year-old pennant. The new plaques represented this change, as well. The overall clean look is retained, with the contracted shipyard for the vessel's construction represented to the left of the new symbol and the United Federations of Planets named to the right. Other than that, the structure was similar to the early Star Fleet plaque.

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  Class ship
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  Station version

Constitution class

In the 2240s, 2250s, and 2260s, Constitution class heavy cruisers were commissioned with extremely simplified commissioning plaques. The deviation started with the development of the class, before a class name had been decided. The first four vessels, USS Constellation (NCC-1017), USS Republic (NCC-1371), USS Constitution (NCC-1700), and USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), all conducted prototype trials with the placeholder plaques reading "Starship Class" as a placeholder, with the program intent to provide permanent (and standard) plaques once they were properly commissioned. However, the four original commanding officers wanted the ships to keep their original style plaques, and the tradition continued for each of the vessels constructed thru the middle of the 2260s. (When the ships were completely refitted in the 2270s, new plaques—aligned with the standard of that period—were procured and installed.)

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  Constitution class

2280

As Star Fleet entered what would later be historically identified as the Troubled Era, it once again modified the representative symbology for the fleet. On the plaques, the fields to the sides of the symbol were cleared away and the class name and registry were displayed immediately following the vessel's name. In the third, fourth and fifth lines, the ship's commissioning date, numerical naming sequence and the UFP were declared (respectively). The upper chain of command, development and construction individuals returned to the plaque, albeit in a much simpler and cleaner format.

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  Station version
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  Class ship
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2357

Star Fleet adopted combadges in the 2330s by retrofitting the previous TWOK insignia with the necessary electronics. In 2348 (no earlier than 2344, when the Ent-C was still using the older design; by Wesley's father was using the modern combadge in 2348), the new, slimmer combadge was introduced and similarly adopted for ship plaques of that same year. The class name (even if of that same class) and the registry fall immediately beneath the ship name, with the constructing ship yard (and location) on the third line. The numerical naming sequence and the commissioning date were provided on the fourth and the fifth line displayed the UFP. The upper chain of command, development and construction individuals were still in use, though limited to only four columns.

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  Class ship
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  Station version

2370

In 2370, Star Fleet adopted a newer version of the combadge, where the circle base was replaced by two joined, parallel lines; the symbol was adopted for the plaques, as well. The second line was changed to reflect the registry and then the class, with the commissioning date and the constructing shipyard on the third. The initial sector of assignment was added to the fourth line, along with the UFP. The upper chain of command, development and construction individuals were increased to six columns.

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  Class ship
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2372

In 2372, the plaques underwent a few slight modifications: the class name and numerical naming sequence fell on the second line, the registry and the commissioning date on the third and construction yards and the UFP were placed on the fourth.

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  Class ship
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  Station version

2375

Three years later, the plaques were again slightly modified: the second line was committed solely to the registry number, while the third was something personal to the individual vessel (usually a dedication). The fourth line displayed the commissioning date and the constructing ship yard and the fifth had the initial sector of assignment again and the UFP. Class ships are not designated as such on these plaques (other than their experimental registry).

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  Class ship
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2380

Five years later, the Star Fleet insignia had changed once again, to include a base that now had 4 parallel but smaller lines. The plaques, except for the symbol, reverted to the format previously utilized in 2372.

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  Station version