Styling Sci-Fi (and Fantasy) Ships & Spacecraft the CMOS 18 Way

Spaceships (and fantasy vessels) deserve the same formatting respect as historical vessels—whether they’re sleek starfighters, planet-hopping frigates, or galaxy-spanning warships. The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS 18) helps keep ship names and classifications consistent.

Because let’s be real—an improperly styled Millennium Falcon or USS Enterprise can disrupt immersion faster than a hyperdrive malfunction.

Italicizing Sci-Fi Ship Names

✔ Full ship names are italicized – Millennium Falcon, USS Enterprise, Rocinante.
✔ Prefixes remain roman – USS Voyager, SS Heart of Gold, ISS Discovery.
✔ No quotation marks – Not "Serenity," but Serenity.

If Han Solo is bragging about the Millennium Falcon, you bet it needs italics. The prefix "USS" for Starfleet ships stays roman, just like naval vessels.

Prefixes & Sci-Fi Designations

Military & Fleet Ships:
✅ USS (United Star Ship / United Space Ship – Starfleet)
✅ IAV (Interstellar Alliance Vessel – Firefly)
✅ ISS (Interstellar Ship – common sci-fi use)

Civilian & Commercial Ships:
✅ SS (Space Ship – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’s Heart of Gold)
✅ TS (Trade Ship – various sci-fi universes)

🚀 Example: USS Discovery (Not: “USS Discovery” or USS Discovery).

Referencing Ships in Sci-Fi Narratives

✔ Use “it,” not “she” – CMOS prefers neutral pronouns (The Rocinante sustained damage, but it kept flying).
✔ Lowercase generic mentions – The starship carried refugees.
✔ Historical or well-known ships follow standard rules – Serenity flew under radar, but the serenity of deep space stretched before them.

Sci-Fi Ship Classes & Types

✔ Do NOT italicize class names unless derived from proper nouns – the Nimitz-class carriers, the X-Wing-class fighters.
✔ Capitalize classes named after specific entities – Apollo-class explorer, but stealth-class corvette.

Example? The USS Enterprise is a Galaxy-class starship, but a general exploration-class vessel.

Hull Numbers & Designations in Sci-Fi

✔ Follow real-world naval formatting – USS Voyager (NCC-74656) conducted long-range scans.
✔ Keep identification numbers in roman text – NX-01 Enterprise, BB-63 Missouri.

Final Thought: Keeping Sci-Fi & Fantasy Ships Shipshape

Sci-fi and fantasy ships deserve accurate styling, whether they’re darting through asteroid fields or waging war across the stars. By applying CMOS 18 rules, you ensure clarity while keeping immersion intact.