The term astronaut is used to describe those lucky few who have traveled into space. Centuries ago, people who traveled on the seas were rare enough that they were given the special term 'mariner'. Today however, travelling on the seas is so common that the term is rarely used in the sense that it once was and that astronaut is used today.
My question is will spaceflight still be considered rare enough in the timeframe of Enterprise that 'astronaut' is still used?
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
The last time we heard the term used was by Cochrane in 2063, wasn't it?
Dunno. Apparently, by the time of ENT, Starfleet will be an organization with a naval rank structure. If we're to suppose that the USN takes over the space exploration business, would they consider their people astronauts any more than they consider their crews mariners today?
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
If that's so, I'd like to see some of the rituals for spacemariners then. Just as today's blue-water navies have their various "crossing the line" ceremonies (the Loyal Order of Bluenoses & the Shellbacks to name 2), so there should be something like that in Starfleet, either incarnation.
Perhaps "crossing the heliopause" both out of Sol System the first time and into a new system? Crossing the Sagitarrius Arm of the galaxy? Better yet, crossing the Alpha/Beta border & traversing the wormhole into Gamma for the first times.
Posted by Treknophyle (Member # 509) on :
First time crossing warp threshold
Posted by Shik (Member # 343) on :
No, that's like the first time driving 60 MPH. The ceremony is a point of demarcation--the equator for shellbacks, the Arctic Circle for bluenoses. So...a nice fixed point would be a better analogy.