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UESPA Assignment patch

The UESPA assignment patch (2143)

The United Earth Space Probe Agency, commonly abbreviated UESPA, was a space exploration agency with its origins dating back to the era of Earth's Post-Atomic Horror. This agency was administered by UESPA headquarters. (TOS: "Charlie X", "Tomorrow is Yesterday"; VOY: "Friendship One")

History

File:Friendship One logo.jpg

Emblem on the Friendship One probe from 2067

In 2067, UESPA launched the Friendship 1 probe to the Delta Quadrant as part of a series of unmanned exploration probes. (VOY: "Friendship One")

By the 2130s, UESPA had been integrated with Starfleet as the leading United Earth space exploration service. Together, UESPA and Starfleet accomplished many missions. (ENT: "First Flight")

In the 2150s, various UESPA personnel were involved in the construction of the NX-class starships. (ENT: "Broken Bow", dedication plaque; ENT: "Affliction", dedication plaque)

Starfleet UESPA

The Starfleet and UESPA seal (2155)

In 2155, an opening conference that discussed a possible "Coalition of Planets" was overseen by both UESPA and Starfleet. (ENT: "Demons")

In the 2260s, UESPA was still a major operating agency working with Starfleet vessels. By 2267, UESPA was the operating authority of a five-year mission which the USS Enterprise undertook, as Captain James T. Kirk once informed John Christopher. (TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday") In 2266, Kirk reported to UESPA headquarters after learning of the destruction of the Antares. (TOS: "Charlie X")

In 2293, UESPA personnel were still involved in construction of Starfleet starships, most noticeably on the USS Enterprise-B. (Star Trek Generations, dedication plaque)

UESPA personnel

Enterprise (NX-01)

The following personnel were noted for their work with the United Earth Space Probe Agency on Enterprise NX-01 in 2151. (ENT: "Broken Bow", dedication plaque)

Columbia (NX-02)

The following personnel were noted for their work with the United Earth Space Probe Agency on Columbia NX-02 in 2154. (ENT: "Affliction", dedication plaque)

  • Captain Gene Roddenberry (previously worked on the Enterprise)
  • Captain W.M. Jefferies (previously worked on the Enterprise)

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-B)

The following personnel were noted for their work with UESPA on the USS Enterprise-B on stardate 9715.5. (Star Trek Generations)

Background information

UESPA (pronounced "you-spah") was first mentioned in abbreviated form in TOS: "Charlie X" and the acronym was spelled out in TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday". It was one of several names given in early episodes for the agency under which the Enterprise and its crew operated before writers finally settled on "Star Fleet" (later formatted as "Starfleet").

It later appeared in VOY: "Friendship One", when the probe Friendship 1 had the letters "UESPA-1" on its hull. It also showed an emblem looking like a mixture between the United Nations' logo and Starfleet's logo.

UESPA also appeared on the bridge dedication plaque of the USS Enterprise-B. (Star Trek Generations).

Its name was seen on a Starfleet Command logo in ENT: "Demons".

UESPA was mentioned in unseen portions of the Picard family album, in the article "It's Federation Day!". Major General Georges Picard, an aide to Thomas Vanderbilt, implies here that he fought the Romulan scourge, which itself implies that UESPA was in some way involved in the Earth-Romulan War.

Captain Kirk refers to UESPA as a "combined service," but he is vague enough that it is more likely that he was actually referring to his Starfleet crew. It is possible that starship crews of his time were a combined service of both the naval ranked Starfleet and the military ranked UESPA officers. This would explain the use of military ranks in "The Cage". This may also explain West's rank of colonel in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Retroactive continuity: It can be reasonably assumed that UESPA officer G. Roddenberry's ship, the VK Velikan, operated under UESPA authority.

External link

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