Glossary

Star Fleet Command Glossary

Note: This specific glossary is the SFC-canon source for terms and definitions for this wiki. An import of Timo Saloniemi's glossary for his Hobbyist's Guide to the UFP Starfleet is provided here. Terms and definitions provided there are not SFC canon, but provided for research purposes.

A

Alternate dimension

A realm affiliated with our universe but existing apart from it. Examples include Fluidic space and external dimensions, such as the positive phase variance of the Devidians.

Alternate reality

A realm created as a result of an action within ours, but differing in some way, minor or major. This generally involves a "branching" of reality from that of ours and can result in displacement from the original point in time (ex: the Narada incursion). Alternate timelines created by time travel fit within the definition of an alternate reality, as do quantum realities, which are created based upon every possible outcome of every event in our own universe.

Alternate universe

These are realms that can be parallel to our own, usually matching in points in time in all cases (ex: Mirror universe), or completely different universes that hold no relation to ours at all (and obviously on their own timescale).

Antimatter

A generalized term used to describe a state of matter composed of the antiparticles of corresponding particles in "ordinary" matter, along with a reversed charge. A collision between a particle of matter and an antiparticle of antimatter results in the energetic annihilation of both. An important agent of warp travel, antimatter is primarily produced within the Federation by solar-orbiting manufacturing facilities which harness the captured energy to power charge reversal devices, converting deuterium into antideuterium.

Auxiliary

• small craft Common term for small craft embarked aboard and utilized by starships for various tasks. Craft types include work pod, shuttlepod, shuttle, plus various tactical and other special-purpose craft.
• starship Common term for starships dedicated to supporting various starship operations but not directly taking action. Ship types include, e.g., tanker, tug, and tender. The term is used in conjunction with patrol combatant, mobile combatant, and support combatant in Star Fleet’s system of categorizing military-application starships.
• system A supplementary system.

B

Battalion

For the SFMC, comprised of 600 troops.

Black star

A gravitational object in the transitional phase between a collapsing star and a black hole. The object rarely exhibits an event horizon due to having already swept up all nearby matter in the initial collapse. Consequently, they are difficult to detect until the flowing pattern of gravitons is first perceived, creating a navigational hazard for unwitting vessels.

Brigade

For the SFMC, comprised of 7,632 troops.

C

Cascade Ion Drive (CID)

Any reaction or warp drive utilizing a polaric ion cascade system as the means of extracting power from the antimatter powerplant. The UESF experimented on this potential competitor for dilithium technology in the early 22nd century (see Daedalus class) and experiments were carried on by UFP Star Fleet until the 2268 ban on all polaric ion testing. No operational applications ever emerged, although several foreign powers not signatory to the treaty are known to operate power systems of this type. Not to be confused with ion drive, a generic designation for a number of reaction drives.

Cochrane

A measure of subspace physics, named after the inventor of warp drive, Zefram Cochrane. It indicates the strength of a subspace distortion and, due to the connection between subspace fields and distortions, is also used to indicate the strength of warp fields. Smaller subspace distortions or weaker subspace fields are measured in millicochranes (mCH). 1,000 millicochranes equal one cochrane.

Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I)

A system of organizational and technical attributes and processes—along with information resources—to solve problems and accomplish mission objectives. C3I sets can be employed at any organizational level, from the individual tactical unit on up to the fleet-wide management systems employed by Star Fleet Command.

Corps

For the SFMC, comprised of about 70,000 troops.

Cruise speed

Typically means the top speed that can be sustained for days, weeks, or months and is operationally used for interstellar cruising.

D

Deep space

• Pre-First Contact era All space outside the Sol system.
• Federation era The region near or beyond the recognized borders of the Federation, often uncharted in any considerable detail.

Destroyer

A dedicated medium defense starship intended for destroying enemy capital ships and installations. The designation is almost indistinguishable from a frigate in technical aspects; however, frigates perform a variety of offensive and defensive duties, while destroyers typically specialize in offensive engagements.

Deuterium

An isotope of hydrogen often used as one of the primary ingredients for fuel in matter-antimatter reactors (the other being antideuterium).

Deuteron

The nucleus of deuterium (heavy hydrogen) and a byproduct of impulse engines.

Dilithium

A member of the hypersonic series of elements and exceptionally rare, primarily presenting as a crystalline mineral with a light hue. It is a critical component of warp drives, as it moderates the annihilation of matter and antimatter, which energizes into warp plasma.

E

Expeditionary Force

For the SFMC, comprised of 353,280 troops.

F

Flight

A variant of a class of ship providing one or more significant modifications intended to be incorporated by most or all members of that class.

Frigate

• through late 22nd century A dedicated medium defense and escort starship, larger than a corvette but smaller than a destroyer, often capable of trans-atmospheric operations.
• 23rd century through early 24th century A defense and escort starship, including small patrol craft, escort ships typically lacking torpedo armament, and versatile multipurpose ships similar to light cruisers.
• since mid-24th century A dedicated medium defense starship, typically carrying mission gear in switchable modules.

FTL

An abbreviation of Faster Than Light; the propagation of matter or information faster than the speed of light (c).

G

Gravimetrics

The science concerning the measurements of gravity, including variations in gravity fields and the graviton subatomic particle.

Gravitic mine

A type of explosive device used in the 23rd and 24th centuries in anti-starship and anti-personnel roles.

Graviton

A graviton is a subatomic particle which transmits gravitational force.

H

Hangerette

A small hanger, often berthing a small number of repair pods or other auxiliary craft.

I

Inertial Damping Field (IDF)

A forcefield/graviton-based system for countermanding the effects of inertia on starship components (especially the crew). Vital in enabling the ships to withstand the huge accelerations of impulse and warp engines. First used by Earth in the late 20th century and applied to almost all space technology in the UFP. Closely connected with artificial gravity systems.

Inertial Mass Reduction Field (IMRF)

A subspace field for reducing the inertial forces imposed by the mass of a starship. While an IDF protects components of a ship from differential inertial shear, an IMRF lowers the mass of the entire vessel, allowing it to perform sublight accelerations otherwise impossible for a ship of a given mass. In modern 24th century vessels, the IMRF is usually projected by subspace coils included in the impulse engines. Older vessels typically utilize separate field-manipulation crystals that deflect impulse power to stabilize the primary warp field at low intensities and thus allow it to be used for inertial mass reduction.

Interferometry

A technique using the interference of superimposed waves (typically electromagnetic) to extract information.

Interstellar Phenomena Classification (IPC)

An academic categorization system to assist in identifying individual members of a particular standard of known deep space objects within the Milky Way. The arrangement has two broad categories (Stellar and Subspace), with 15 and 8 classifications of objects currently and respectively, such as black holes, lost (or rogue) planets, and plasma fields (for the former) and subspace interphase pockets and subspace vacuoles (for the latter). From there, individual catalogues of members of each class are compiled in a cohesive manner, usually by a numbering scheme following the appropriate IPC code.

L

Laser

Typically, a secondary weapon on early space vessels. Current shielding technology has largely negated the threat posed by the coherent electromagnetic beam. The technology also saw common use in communications and targeting.

Line ship

see Ship-of-the-line

M

Magneton

A type of sensor (or scan) that studies the variations of magnetic energy.

Maximum speed

Typically, the speed beyond which the warp coils or other parts of the engine system begin to suffer irreversible damage from the generated high energy levels—the first threshold is normally the durability of delicate power system components like dilithium, followed by the durability of the coils themselves, then by ship integrity, and finally by theoretical warp engine performance limits.

Megesti

An energy-hungry spaceborne species endemic to the Algol system, specifically to an artificial environment created for the creatures comprised of a solar-orbiting subspace disk. The creatures are at risk of extinction no later than the early 39th century, due to the degrading conditions of their habitat.

Multiphasic

A type of sensor (or scan) that can penetrate areas of intense interference where conventional scanning methods prove impractical.

N

Nearspace

The region of the Federation considered to be internal, fully charted, and uncontested.

O

OPTEMPO

An abbreviation of OPerational TEMPO; the rate of unit activity (which tends to be high for Star Fleet’s ships-of-the-line).

Original Cochrane Units (OCU)

The original warp scale, where the warp factor cubed was the velocity in c, the speed of light.

Overhaul

Overhauls are considered a comprehensive program to modernize individual ships within a class to new standards for that class and tend to be an extensive process. For example, the Enterprise explorer (UESF) saw a class-wide overhaul where a secondary hull was added, creating the Columbia subclass (UFP Star Fleet). More recently, the Constitution class saw a major upgrade that involved a two-year drydock period for the lead vessel (USS Enterprise), resulting in significant hull and system changes. Overhauls can take anywhere from two months to two (or more) years. Ships will go “cold core” for the duration of the process.

P

Particle cannon

A primary or secondary weapon on some early space vessels, though generally replaced by phaser technology. The weapon accelerated charged or neutral matter (or antimatter) particles to relativistic speeds. Also commonly known as phase cannon.

PC

see Player Character

Phase cannon

see Particle cannon

Phaser

A directed-energy/particle weapon in common use aboard Star Fleet vessels, as well as other UFP and foreign fleets. Based upon rapid nadion effect, it generates a wide-band particle beam utilizing both electromagnetic and subspace components.

Pilot house

Another term for bridge, a space from which a ship may be commanded. Also, whenever the command of the ship transfers to a location other than the bridge, that location assumes the “pilot house” term.

Plasma cannon

An energy weapon in common use aboard early space vessels. A sublight weapon, the cannon generates, contains, and directs the release of ionized matter. The weapon is often complemented by particle and/or laser weapon systems.

Player Character

An SFC character with a career that is tracked, so that as life events occur (retirement, death), assignments for other characters change as a result.

Pulse wave torpedo

A type of starship-mounted projectile weapon which has been in use since the 22nd century (by the Vulcans) and still in Star Fleet inventories (as of 2401). Theoretically capable of sealing subspace ruptures.

R

RCS

Reaction Control System; a system of small thrusters used to control a vessel’s attitude (roll, pitch, and yaw), position, and precise movements, especially at low velocities or for station keeping.

S

Semi-indigenous

A description generally describing a sentient species in relation to a planet they consider their home world, despite there being no historic or scientific indication as to their point of origin. Example: Centaurians are semi-indigenous to Alpha Centauri Prime.

Ship-of-the-line

A frontline Star Fleet starship capable of combat action in the defense of the United Federation of Planets, in contrast to Star Fleet’s auxiliary starships. Also referred to as line ship.

Shuttle

An auxiliary craft usually carried by larger vessels for orbit-to-ground transportation or detached operations. Also used for starbase liaison duties.

Shuttlepod

Very small auxiliary craft used for ship-to-ship or ground-to-orbit transportation, free-space maintenance and repair work, and detached operations of very limited scale. Generally not equipped with warp drive.

Squadron

[aerospace] a squadron is an operational unit of aerospace craft of an identical type (fighters, transports, etc), operating in flights of three or four; a squadron is usually comprised of 12 craft for support units or 18 to 24 for combat units.
[naval] a squadron is an administrative unit generally comprised of eight to ten starships of the same category (destroyer, scout, etc.); it can be further divided into divisions of three to five vessels that may operate from a different location than the squadron itself.

Standard Cargo Unit (SCU)

A typical unit of measurement of mass (6.75 mt) and cubic volume (1.9 m³).

Subclass

A significant variant of a given class of ship—usually comprised of new-builds, though sometimes including important modifications to existing ships—that is not intended to replace the original class nor any successive flights. Often named for the first ship to reach that final intended production standard.

Subspace

An integral part of the universe, distinct from—yet coexistent with—normal space and its respective space-time continuum. Subspace has an infinite number of domains. It has been likened to ""…a huge honeycomb with an infinite number of cells."

Subspace differential

A type of sensor (or scan) that measures and compares quantum states.

Subspace rupture

An interstellar phenomenon that acts as a “bridge” between normal space and a particular subspace layer. It is known that certain unspecified types of detonations can create the events, though they can also be created naturally. Theoretically, pulse wave detonations can seal subspace ruptures, but the exact procedure for doing so has not been realized. Subspace ruptures have the Interstellar Phenomena Classification of NMU.

Swarm

An existential crisis for the planet Earth, wherein 17 metropolis-sized and attendant “flocks” of medium-sized asteroids threatened to impact the surface between the years of 2031 and 2033; a world-wide effort diverted all of the planetesimals.
See Western Alliance for greater detail.

T

TAU

see Thousand Astronomical Unit

Thousand Astronomical Unit (TAU)

The designation for the NASA extrasolar exploration vessels that launched in 2036.

Torpedo

The general designation for warp-capable guided projectile weapons, in contrast to sublight-only guided missiles.

T Tauri star

Normal—or main sequence—stars experience a T Tauri stage at an early point during their stellar evolution. In this point, the star loses much of its light metals (including solar lithium), which it emits in an enormous “T Tauri wind” that blows billions of kilometers into space. This wind is highly energetic and can interfere with many ship systems and even with organic life nearby. Almost all T Tauri stars are too young to have planets, but exceptions do exist. They have the Interstellar Phenomena Classification of NMG.

V

Virtual positron

A type of sensor (or scan) that can detect (and eventually) image items at the microscopic levels.

W

Warp coil

An integral part of a starship's warp drive, warp coils are mounted in sequential order within the nacelle. When powered by plasma generated by the warp coil, a subspace displacement field is generated, lowering the relative mass of every object within the "bubble" and allowing faster-than-light travel. Modern warp coils are typically composed of cast verterium cortenide surrounding a core of densified tungsten-cobalt-magnesium.

Work pod

General name for manned sub-impulse craft used for construction and service tasks in space. Although most common near space stations, work pods are often carried by all kinds of starships, although the more capable shuttlepods sometimes replace them. A variety of external tools and modules are carried by the work pods to facilitate a multitude of tasks.