Flare Sci-Fi Forums: SWDAO: USS City of New Orleans

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Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Here's a fun one... :-)

In the ST Encyclopedia, the entry for "New Orleans-class starship" has an aside tacked onto it claiming the class was "named for the ship we call the City of New Orleans". This is apparently an in-joke on the part of the writers based on an Arlo Guthrie lyric. While most people tend to reject this simply on the basis that it was a joke, that shouldn't make it wrong. The name Akira was a joke, and, technically, it is not canon yet, but no-one disputes it. Granted, it was used as the "real" name in the encyclopedia, whilst the City of New Orleans was a footnote, but this doesn't necessarily make a difference.
Of course, there are also those who seem to adhere to the idea that a ship class name must be strictly identical to the name of the class ship. While there is no canonical (or even semicanonical) precedent for a class name's being a truncated version of the class ship's, the idea is not unheard-of. There are some who have considered the idea that the Enterprise-E's class ship was, in fact, USS Royal Sovereign, rather than just Sovereign. Of course, as I said, this is only speculation.
What the issue really boils down to is that there is no canon, or even "official", answer, because the class ship of the New Orleans class has never been seen or mentioned, and it has never been set down definitively in what manners Starfleet derives its class names from its ships. Basically, I use the name City of New Orleans because it's different, and I like it. Others refuse to use it, probably for similar reasons. Barring further real evidence, this conflict is not resolvable.

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He blacked my eye, and he kicked my dog.
My dog turned to me, and he said,
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[This message was edited by TSN on June 10, 1999.]

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

After discussing this at length with him, it seems that TSN's argument would be more effective if he considered the text in the encyclopedia to be explaining the origin of the class (and thus the class ship's name), rather than the class ship's name itself. In other words, the class ship was "named for the ship we called the City of New Orleans," as per the Encyclopedia text. Thus, the class ship could be New Orleans or it could be City of New Orleans - it doesn't say, either way.

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Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Well, that wouldn't be very convincing for my arguement. That seems like it would be more convincing of the fact that the class ship may not be the City of New Orleans. I'm trying to say why it might be.

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"I ran into Charlie Fogg.
He blacked my eye, and he kicked my dog.
My dog turned to me, and he said,
'Let's head back to Tennessee, Jed.'"
-The Grateful Dead, "Tennessee Jed"

Posted by Aethelwer (Member # 36) on :

Well, it provides a better origin for your argument, actually.

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"Let's get those missiles ready to destroy the universe!" - TMBG

Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :

Well, if you want USS City of New Orleans, New Orleans class, what about a USS United States Consitution, Constitution class, or Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean class? I doubt it. That's like putting a person's full name on a ship, instead of just the last name, which we know is what they do (with exception of the USS Thomas Paine, but, who would want a USS Paine?)

I doubt it is a USS City of New Orleans. The name seems a bit too long to stick on the hull too

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Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :

In the novel How Much for Just the Planet? The small science ship is named the Jefferson Randolph Smith. How's that for a long name?

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Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

359: Those are all possible, but they've never been mentioned in the encyclopedia.

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"I ran into Charlie Fogg.
He blacked my eye, and he kicked my dog.
My dog turned to me, and he said,
'Let's head back to Tennessee, Jed.'"
-The Grateful Dead, "Tennessee Jed"

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

*lets out a loud primal scream*

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Posted by Starbuck (Member # 153) on :

"City of New Orleans" seems to be a favourite name of Rick Sternbach's...
In the Making of DS9 book, his prototype runabout drawing is also the USS City of New Orleans!

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Posted by Federation Shipmaster (Member # 15) on :

You're right! How could I forget that? The design for that....up to 40 people in the ship.

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