Greetings!

Welcome to Scifi-Meshes.com! Click one of these buttons to join in on the fun.

Interesting stuff - Trek, Why 1701?

CoolhandCoolhand283 Mountain LairPosts: 1,294Member
Perhaps the most famous starship number in Sci-Fi, did Gene Roddenberry choose this number at random, or, as with all good art is it a part of a repeating (if hidden) motif?

Replace letters with numbers from 1(A) to 26(Z)

(or to save time just type them into Gematrinator http://www.gematrinator.com/calculator/index.php)

If we add the numbers up "James T Kirk" = 117

Oddly enough, "Jean Luc Picard" also sums to 117

Its unlikely but fair to argue that this is just chance - but perhaps consider the name was devised to carry over the same numeric relationship.

Both captains ship registrations are 1701 as every fan of the show knows - its on screen often enough - OK not the exact same number as 117 but composed of the same, also the 0 is not used in the name calculations since we always begin at 1 so it may be fair to disregard 0.

Again is this random chance, just seeing patterns like a numerical pareidolia, or, is there something special (at least to the creator of the show) about this number combination?

This may extend outside of Trek, several, perhaps as many as 3 people reading this will be bouncing up and down in their seats just dying to point out that 117 is also the number of Halo's Master Chief, John-117, arguably the most famous scifi videogame character of the modern era - perhaps a hidden nod toward Kirk and the Enterprise? Are there any others?

Maybe it is coincidence (at the very least its interesting trivia for trekkies) but the practice of encoding words into numbers is apparently a real thing & I think it is something Gene Roddenberry knew about - an ancient tradition called Gematria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gematria













Posts

  • SamuraiSamurai185 Posts: 408Member
    Fun fact: My real name also adds up to 117.

    Coincidence...? :#

    (It absolutely is a coincidence, but a fun one)
    "Perfect. Then that's the way it shall be."
  • count23count23361 Posts: 779Member
    Fun fact, the 1701 came from the design idea by Matt Jeffries. "Series 17 ship, First manufactured".

    NC also came from the tail of Jeffries privately owned plane. Roddenberry had nothing to do with the number selection ;)
    Formerly Nadesico.

    Current Projects:
    Ambassador Class
  • dlfurmandlfurman171 Posts: 7Member
    edited May 2019 #4
    Hmm. I thought it came from Forbidden Planet when (at least on my copy) @2:16 - 2:24

    Captain: When do I get a DC fix, Jerry?
    Navigator Jerry: Half a minute skipper.
    (Navigator does his navigator things.)
    At 2:22-2:24
    Navigator: Ship on course sir. We'll reach DC point at (wait for it) 1701. That's less than three minutes now.

    And as in my view Forbidden Planet is the progenitor to our beloved Star Trek, The Original Series...

    Oh, well. It's just a coincidence (or is it?)
    Post edited by dlfurman on
  • CoolhandCoolhand283 Mountain LairPosts: 1,294Member
    Samurai, haha! Perhaps a promotion is on the horizon? I assume you are also a starship captain named by GR, and your ship number the same (or similar - see below)?;)

    Count23, thankyou great comment, I don't doubt you but I'd LOVE a citation for that, as a follow-up; do you think there is ever anything behind creative choices beyond aesthetic considerations? What is NC?

    dlfurman, excellent work, interesting stuff!

    So, I'd forgotten about this thread (apologies for not replying, again) but watching an episode of 'Frasier' noticed his apartment number (which is shown in almost every episode several times as guests enter and leave the main set) is, wait for it, 1901 - OK not exactly 1701 but very similar - and the apartment in many ways is to Frasier as the Enterprise is to Picard. Should also note that Paramount produced both shows in the 90's.

    Maybe this apartment number doesn't mean anything but running the name 'Frasier Crane' through the same process as the captains, his name sums to - guess what?
  • evil_genius_180evil_genius_1804256 Posts: 11,034Member
    I figured it came from Forbidden Planet too. Much of how Star Trek was done, including the color scheme of the ship's interior, calling part of the navigation system the "astrogator," the design of the transporter and the landing party trio of the captain, first officer and doctor seem to all have been influenced by that movie. Even the ship is referred to as the "United Planets cruiser C-57D" in the opening scenes. And, let's face it, Forbidden Planet is **the** science fiction movie of the '50s, with its much larger budget and overall quality over much of what else was being done at the time. So, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it influenced Star Trek and even other Sci-Fi.
  • SamuraiSamurai185 Posts: 408Member
    I was really hoping the USS Bozeman was NCC-1901- turns out it's NCC-1941...

    If you want to *really* have fun with this theory, consider Numerology...

    1701 = 171 (1+7+1=9)

    James T Kirk = 117 (1+1+7=9)

    Jean Luc Picard = (as above)

    Significance/meaning of #9 in Numerology?

    "The person's destiny tends to be related to service to mankind, with tolerance, compassion, and understanding — wishing for mankind all that is fine, true, and generous." Which fits with the "utopian ideal" vision ofRoddenberry I guess
    "Perfect. Then that's the way it shall be."
Sign In or Register to comment.