Unidentified flying object

Unidentified Flying Object is a colloquialism of the 20th century. The term was commonly abbreviated as UFO. It refers to any airborne object that cannot be adequately explained, although most such objects were eventually explained. Explanations covered a wide range, from swamp gas to weather balloons, to experimental aircraft. Disagreement often arose between those who believed that UFOs were evidence of alien activity, and those who believed that UFOs had an Earthly explanation. Events subsequent to the 20th century have demonstrated that each explanation was true some of the time.

Many UFO afficionados contended, sometimes vigorously, that the United States military maintained a secret facility called Area 51, where it stored (depending on the account), alien bodies, live aliens, spacecraft wreckage, and even entire spacecraft.

The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) was inadvertently propelled backwards through time to the year 1969. In that year, the ship was an entirely unknown design. Its immense size and ability to climb rapidly through the atmosphere exceeded what was then state of the art. It was initially taken for a UFO, forcing Kirk and Sulu to mount an expedition to recover the hard evidence. Ultimately, Spock devised a method of returning to the future that essentially erased their presence in the past, rending the question moot. (TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday")

In 2373, the USS Voyager was transported back to Earth of the year 1996 after encountering the timeship Aeon. Several systems were damaged in the trip to the past, including transporters. Voyager was required to make a close pass over the city of Los Angeles in an attempt to recover the Aeon, stolen by Henry Starling. Natives of the time period recorded Voyager's appearance, and the ship was popularized as a UFO on several news programs. (VGR: "Future's End, Part I") The reports were later dismissed as hoaxes and delusions. (VGR: "Future's End, Part II")

This page needs information on the DS9 episode "Little Green Men"