Pay attention, everyone! It’s learning time! Mandy from A Nerdy World is going to teach us something pretty freaking awesome about Star Trek. I hope you all brought your note-taking stuff.

Mandy was nice enough to work on a post to help celebrate the franchise’s 50th anniversary, since she is a major Trekkie. She’s created something for today that is so cool to read guys, you have no idea. You will be blown away. Don’t know who Mandy is? You’re seriously missing out. In her own words:

Mandy is a small town girl living in a nerdy world who blogs, appropriately, at A Nerdy World. In addition to Star Trek, she’s a huge fan of YA books, superheroes, Funko POPs, and The Doctor. She firmly believes that if you can’t respond to a situation in GIFs, it’s not worth your time.

See? Isn’t she great? So, after you check out her piece here, make sure you visit A Nerdy World to send her some love. Enjoy!

11 Awesome Names from Star Trek | by Mandy from A Nerdy World 

If you add up all the characters—from most well-known to the smallest bit parts—in all of the various parts of the Star Trek franchise, you’d end up with a list of names that numbers in the thousands. But none of these characters were named lightly, and it shows, especially when you look at their meanings.
Disclaimer: I have a personal connection with Star Trek names, as you’ll quickly learn …

Name: Amanda
Origin: Latin

Meaning: “worthy of love”

Star Trek Character: Amanda Grayson

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Star Trek (and possibly Star Trek Discovery)

Amanda Grayson is the human half of Spock’s half-vulcan, half-human parentage and wife of Sarek. (And I am named after her; thank goodness for nerdy parents!)

Name: Barclay

Origin: English/Scottish

Meaning: “where birches grow”

Star Trek Character: Reginald Barclay

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Voyager

The awkward and antisocial human Reginald Barclay served in Engineering aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise under Geordi LaForge.

Name: Chakotay

Origin: Chakotay’s tribe

Meaning: “man who walks the earth but who only sees the sky”

Star Trek Character: Chakotay

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: Voyager

Formerly a member of the rebellious Maquis, Chakotay—a human from an unnamed (and invented) central American native tribe—served as first officer aboard the U.S.S. Voyager under Captain Kathryn Janeway when the crews found themselves stranded in the Delta quadrant.

Name: Hikaru

Origin: Japanese

Meaning: “to shine”

Star Trek Character: Hikaru Sulu

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: the Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond

Hikaru Sulu, a human, served/serves aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise as helmsman under Captain James T. Kirk. In the Prime Universe, he eventually became captain of the U.S.S. Excelsior.

Name: Hugh

Origin: German

Meaning: “bright in mind and spirit”

Star Trek Character: Hugh (née Third of Five)

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Hugh began his life—at least, as a Borg—as one drone among many. But a chance meeting with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise led him to a new life as an individual and a leader of his people.

Name: Jadzia

Origin: Polish

Meaning: “war battle”

Star Trek Character: Jadzia Dax

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Jadzia Dax served as a science officer under Captain Benjamin Sisko on the space station Deep Space 9. She was also eighth host to the Dax Trill symbiont.

Name: Kes

Origin: English

Meaning: “falcon”

Star Trek Character: Kes

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: Voyager

Along with her partner Neelix, Kes was rescued by the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager, where she served as medic and airponics gardner. She eventually left to explore her mental superpowers, which had grown nascent in her people, the Ocampa.

Name: Kor

Origin: Klingon/German*

Meaning: “official inspector” or “scout”

Star Trek Character: Kor, son of Rynar

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Kor was a officer in the Klingon military and later served as the Klingon ambassador to Vulcan.
*Kor is possibly a variant of the German Kur/Kure

Name: Nyota

Origin: Swahili

Meaning: “star”

Star Trek Character: Nyota Uhura

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: the Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond

Human Nyota Uhura served/serves as the communications officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk, and—in the Prime Universe—later rose to the ranks of Lieutenant Commander and Commander, also serving on the Enterprise.

Name: Phlox

Origin: Latin

Meaning: “flame, flower”

Star Trek Character: Phlox

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: the Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond

Phlox, a member of the Denobulan species, served as chief medical officer aboard the Enterprise NX-01 under the command of Captain Jonathan Archer.

Name: Rom

Origin: Old Welsh

Meaning: “curving river”

Star Trek Character: Rom

Franchise Appearances: Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: the Final Frontier, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond

A Ferengi waiter who eventually became an engineer and then Grand Nagus of Ferenginar, Rom was the brother of Quark and the father of Nog.

Feel free to use any of these names for your future pets or children. I only ask that you name me as a godparent.

Thanks Mandy!! Don’t forget to check out her site. Show her some love! Also, make sure you enter my giveaway, running until the 22nd! 

Life was meant to be lived nerdily, so what are you waiting for?