It's All Greek to Me

Still on the theme of how language makes Science Fiction sound
scientific and cool, you’ll notice if you’re paying attention that there is a
consistent use of Greek root words to create sci fi terms. In the first
part of the alphabet in particular, there is a huge number of Greek
based terms and names. One way to have a look at this is to target
words and phrases beginning with the letters of the Greek alphabet as
written below:

Alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta, theta, iota, kappa, lambda, mu, nu, xi, omicron, pi, rho, sigma, tau, upsilon, phi, chi, psi, omega.

After compiling my word list I discovered there is no use of the letters Upsilon, Phi or Kappa. There is no use of Greek Chi – only the Chinese meaning is used, while Psi is used to mean psychic and Pi is used as the number. Apparently Chi Tango Six would not be a cool call sign, and Andromeda Kappa would sound too bad to bear!
The main letters I found in use were alpha, beta and delta, with omega being popular. These letters represent first, second, fourth and last, so it makes sense to use them for planets, areas of space and bases of all kinds. Because our planet comes with eight planets, of which only one inner planet is habitable, we impose this structure on other solar systems. It is rational to think the first three or four planets in a system are going to be the inhabitable ones, and so they should be designated alpha, beta and delta.
A different way of noting the importance of a planet is to designate it a Prime from the Latin word Primus meaning first e.g. Giedi Prime (Dune); Gauda Prime (Blake’s 7: Afterlife); Centauri Prime (Babylon 5) ; Zanda Prime (Crusade: Patterns of the Soul) ; Rodimus Prime (Transformers the movie). There are not many examples of this use, and its meaning is a back up system to the primary Greek planetary designation.
Another reason for the use of Greek letters for astronomical features is that they are used in real astronomy. So there is a real Alpha Centauri, Beta Centauri and Omega Centauri. There is a real Epsilon Aurigae and Epsilon Eridani plus A;pha Crucis, Omicron Ceti and Sigma 2398. But the more stars and clusters you find labeled with Greek names the more you find they aren’t used very often, and often not at all. Sci fi writers like to make up their own stars, and of course planets are only just being labeled now.
Latin numbers occasionally come up in names for areas of space as in Secundi Drema Sector TNG Pen Pals; Quaddiespace LMB Diplomatic Immunity; Primero McCaffrey, Nimisha’s Ship ; Tertio McCaffrey, Nimisha’s Ship
Notice that most of these come from novels, not television series, whereas Greek letters are used mostly in television series, then films. The Star Trek universe is particularly fond of Greek letters which help build up its incredible technobabble vocabulary.

Sci Fi Planets


Alpha Centauri Doctor Who: The Curse of Peladon ; Enterprise: Twilight; Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri; Alpha Prime Lost in Space; Alpha Site Stargate SG1 : The Serpent’s Lair ; Stargate Atlantis: Michael;
Beta SpG Homing Device; Beta 5 Blakes 7: Gold ; Beta Agni II Next
Generation: The Most Toys; Beta,Corvi McCaffrey, The Ship Who Sang ;
Beta Durani 7 B5LR ; Betafarl Blakes 7: Warlord ; Beta 5 Blakes 7:
Gold ; Beta 9 Babylon 5: Between the Darkness and the Light; Beta Site
Stargate SG1: There but for the Grace of God ; Beta Thoridor Next
Generation: Redemption; Beta Zed Deep Space 9: Q-Less
Gammacalorum The Osiris Chronicles ; Gamma Tauri IV Next Generation: The Last Outpost ; Gamma Ten Les Maitres du temps ; Gamma Hydra IV Star Trek: The Deadly Years ; Gamma Orion PRSPD ;

Delta Space Patrol 1960; Delta 3 The Shape of Things to Come 1979; Delta 5-5 The Colony; Delta VII RD Epideme; Delta Seventeen Doctor Who: The End of the World; Delta Magna Doctor Who: The Power of Kroll ; Epsilon 3 Babylon 5: The Long Twilight Struggle; Epsilon 119 Deep Space 9: Second Sight; Epsilon Delta 177-3-3 McCaffrey, The Ship Who Searched; Epsilon Eridani F Derelict ; Epsilon Hydra VII Deep Space 9: Q-Less; Epsilon Nine Next Generation: Samaritan Snare;
Zeta Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Unchained Woman; Zeta Alpha II Next Generation: The Best of Both Worlds; Zeta Five Blakes 7: The Way Back ; Zeta Minor Doctor Who: Planet of Evil;
Eta Ceta LMB Cetaganda ; Theta VIII TNG The Royale; Omicron 1. Star Command 2. SpG The Anti-Matter Man ; Omicron Pascal Next Generation: 1 1001 1001 ; Rho Ceta Diplomatic Immunity ; Sigma Gamma One Andromeda: The Pearls That Were His Eyes; Sigma Tau Five Andromeda: Forced Perspective; Sigma 957 Babylon 5: Mind War;

Tau Ceti McCaffrey, The Death of Sleep; Tau Ceti Alpha Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan; Tau Ceti 2 Space Raiders; Tau Ceti Five 1. Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan / 2. System Shock 2 ; Tau Ceti Three Next Generation: Conspiracy; Tau Ceti Six 1. Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan Planet; Tau Cygna Five Next Generation: The Ensigns of Command; Tau Gamma Prime Outer Limits: Relativity Theory;

Iota Aurigae McCaffrey, Damia

Omega Robert Sheckley: The Status Civilization;


Sci fi Universes, Systems and Areas of Space


Alpha 1 Solar System Xardion; Alpha Centauri 1.Lost in Space series 2. Space Patrol 1960: MS, DS; Crusher Joe; Deep Space 9: Past Tense; Alpha Omicron System Next Generation: Galaxy’s Child ; Alpha Onias System Next Generation: Future Imperfect; Alpha Sector Blake’s 7: The Harvest of Kairos; Alphaverse Charlie Jade

Beta Belt, The Weber, The Short Victorious War; Beta Cassius Next Generation: Haven; Beta Magellan System Next Generation: 11001 1001 ; Beta Renner System Next Generation :Lonely Among Us ; Beta Stromgren System Next Generation :Tin Man; Betaverse Charlie Jade Universe;

Delta Sector Blakes 7: The Harvest of Kairos; Delta Rana System TNG The Survivors; Delta Quadrant Voyager ; Gamma Arigulon System Next Generation: Reunion; Gammaverse Charlie Jade; Epsilon 7 Battlestar Galactica: The Hand of God ; Epsilon Jump Gate Babylon 5: Lost Rangers; Epsilon Minos System Next Generation: When the Bough Breaks; Epsilon Quadrant Battlestar Galactica: Lost Planet of the Gods Zeta Gelis Cluster Next Generation: Transfigurations; Zeta Reticuli Real; Theta 116 Solar System Next Generation :The Royale; Omicron Theta Next Generation: Datalore; Sigma Erandi System TNG The Most Toys; Tau Alpha C Next Generation :Where No One Has Gone Before; Tau Ceti 3 Doctor Who: The Stones of Blood ; Tau Ceti Six Andromeda: The Mathematics of Tears ; Omega System TOC ; Omega Sagetha System Next Generation: The Outrageous Okona


Sci fi Bases: Domed Colonies, Moons, Space stations, Asteroids etc.


Alpha Space 1999; Alpha IV Timelock ; Alpha Colony seaQuest DSV: something in the air; Alpha Control
Lost in Space: Pilot
Beta Colony LMB; Gammak Base Farsape: A Bug’s Life/ Farscape: Season of Death; Gamma Site Stargate SG1:The Scourge;
Delta 3 Doctor Who: The Power of Kroll ; Delta 714 Blakes-7: Terminal;
Delta Base PRSPD;
Theta Station Buck Rogers in the 25thCentury: Space Vampire; Lambda Pez Next Generation: Final Mission; Sigma 3 Next Generation: Hide and Q ; Sigma 14D Red Dwarf: Marooned ; Tau Fourteen Titan AE; Omega Base RbotRR; Omega Seven Crusade: Every Night I Dream of Home; Omega Stations Secrets of the Phantom Caverns;
Cities and Towns


Delta City Robocop: Prime Directives; Delta Glen X-files: Red Museum; Delta, Suburb Space Precinct;
Xi Martian Chronicles Adventure Game, Ray Bradbury’s;

Next


The next main use of Greek letters is in the names of characters, robots and types of clones and other creations, as well as in call signs. Since Greek letters are not generally used in real human names, don’t expect to find them being used for real, ordinary human characters. But a writer can make an alien character sound quite harmless with the use of a quick alpha or omega, or dehumanize near human creations labeling them as a gamma or beta with their production number. It sounds quite scientific, even if it’s not.
Latin numbers perform the same function for characters as Greek letters. Stargate SG1 has the Unas, or first ones. Lois McMaster Bujold calls her modified humans ‘quaddies’. Neither of these words sounds quite as sophisticated as Greek letters do.
Call signs seem to be based more on common usage which would make you suggest their terminology be widened to avoid confusion.
Characters


Alpha Cat Women of the Moon; Missile to the Moon; McCaffrey, Partnership; The Colony; Quantum Leap: A Leap for Lisa; Alpha Bates Gundam 0083 : Stardust Memory; Alpha Centauri Doctor Who: The Curse of Peladon; Alpha-Ralph The Miraculous Mellops; Alpha –712 Jon Linton; Alpha Six Power Rangers Turbo; Power Rangers in Space; Alpha Trion Transformers, series ; Gamma-Jane The Miraculous Mellops;
Beta Doctor Who: The Krotons; Delta Doctor Who: Delta and the Bannermen ; Epsilon Eagle Alien Soldier; Zeta Cat Women of the Moon; Lambda Cat Women of the Moon; Rho-ha Earth Final Conflict: Secret of Strand Hill/ Pandora’s Box ; Sigma 1. Zoids Fuzors 2. Mega Man X2; Theta Sigma D? The Happiness Patrol; Omega 1. D? Arc of Infinity; 2. BG The Long Patrol ; Omega Mutie X-Men 3: The Last Stand;

Robots, Zords and Types of Humans


Alpha 5 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; Alpha Model K seaQuest DSV: Daggers ; Alpha – plus intellectuals Brave New World Novel; Alpha Zoid Zoids Fuzors;
Betas Brave New World Novel ; Beta Unit The Last Starfighter; Delta Enterprise: Bound ; Delta Megazord Power Rangers in Space; Deltas Brave New World Novel ; Delta Squad Megazord PRSPD; Zeta The Zeta Project; Zeta Gundam Zeta Gundam ; Theta Read All About It (1981);
Theta Class Lifeforms Battlestar Galactica: The Gun on Ice Planet Zero;
Omega Crawler Power Rangers: Lightspeed Rescue; Omega Doom
Omega Doom; Omega Megazord Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue ;
Omega Prime Transformers: Robots in Disguise; Omega, Zero Mega
Man Series
Aliens

Alpha Earth Final Conflict: Scorpion’s Dream; Alpha Q Transformers: Energon ; Alpha Quintesson Transformers: Energon ; Betazoid Next Generation: Encounter at Farpoint;

Call Signs and Designations


Alpha 4 Enterprise: Affliction ; Alpha 9175 Blue Deep Space 9: Through the Looking Glass; Alpha Red Priority Mission Deep Space 9 Second Skin; Alpha Seven Tango Three Stargate Atlantis: No Man’s Land; Alpha-Six Delta-Charlie Niner Stargate Atlantis: The Return; Alpha Two Next Generation: Brothers; Delta 04197 Earth 2: Redemption; Delta Fifty Doctor Who: Planet of the Ood ; Delta Flight Babylon 5 ; Delta Fox X-Ray Mad Max/3; Delta V607 Silver Sun ;

And Again:

Greek letters feature heavily in the military, at least in Sci fi. The same logic that applies to planets and areas of space applies to vehicles. It sounds scientific or military or both to label your space ship the Alpha model, with Omega sounding a tad cooler than Doomship or another equivalent. Powers and forces have used Greek letters from day one of science fiction. Gamma rays are real of course, but in Sci fi they equate to disintegrator weapons, and regularly receive new names like plasma weapons which we all know are really gamma rays in disguise.


Vehicles including Spaceships

Alpha. Tom Corbett Space Cadet: Revolt on Prison Rock; Alpha Baker X-ray X-files: Vienen; Alpha One Barbarella Queen of the Galaxy; Alpha Seven Babylon5 : Babylon Squared; Alpha Two Barbarella Queen of the Galaxy; Beta, the RbofRR ; Delta 4 seaQuest DSV :To Be or Not To Be; Delta ATV Power Rangers:SPD ; Delta Command Crawler Power Rangers: SPD ; Delta Cruiser Power Rangers: SPD ; Delta flyer Farscape ; Delta Leader Babylon 5; Delta Megaship
Power Rangers in Space; Delta Runner PRSPD; Delta Pod IV Planet of
the Apes/2; Zeta Wing Babylon 5: Survivors; Omega Class Destroyer
Babylon 5:And Now for a Word


Weapons


Gamma Ray Gun Space Patrol 1960 ; Gamma Particle Gun The Hulk ;
Gamma Pulse Generators Next Generation: Evolution; Gamma
Warhead seaQuest; Delta Blasters Power Rangers: SPD ;Delta Enforcers
Power Rangers:SPD; Deltamax Strikers Power Rangers: SPD; Delta
Wave Doctor Who: The Parting of the Ways; Omega Device Galaxy
Quest;


Powers and Forces


Alpha Force Stargate SG1: Family Ties; Alpha Maison Phospher Doctor Who: The Tomb of the Cybermen: Gamma Frequency Battlestar Galactica: The Hand of God; Gamma Ray The Brain from the Planet Arous; The Hulk; Gamma Strike Doctor Who: Evolution of the Daleks; Delta Particles Doctor Who: The Time Warrior ; Delta Power Unit Space Patrol 1960; Zeta Waves Buck Rogers; Omicron Particles Deep Space 9: Shadowplay; Omicron Radiation Enterprise: The Shipment; Lambda Field Generator Next Generation: A Matter of Perspective; Omegahedron Supergirl ;


And the rest

There are a few categories of Greek letter use that don’t fit the astronomical/military model. Titles of groups, names of medicines and a group of random uses, shows that Greek letters can fill a hole anywhere, and make it sound scientific. Included here also are film, television series titles, and games that may include more uses of Greek letters than already noted.

Groups


Alpha List Stargate SG1: The Serpent’s Lair ; Alpha Section Beyond Good & Evil ; Alpha Squad RahXephon;; Alpha Team Roughneck’s Hydora Campaign ; BETA Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers; Delta City Security Robocop: Prime Directives; Delta Squad Eearth Final Conflict: Volunteers; Zetan Pirates 1. Buck Rogers Pilot 2. Buck Rogers Unchained Woman; MU RahXephon; Omega Squad War of the Worlds series;

Medicines and Drugs

Beta A Andromeda: Fear Burns Down to Ashes ; Beta canten StargateSG1: The Other Side ;
Beta-sympathomimetic Quantum Leap : Genesis

Films, Series and Game Titles

Alpha Centauri Game; Alpha Centauri Planetary Pack Game; Alpha Incident, The Film; Alpha One Next Generation: Brothers; Alpha Scorpio Series; Alphaville Film’ Alpha Wing Game, 2003. Betaville Film; Delta Wave Series; Delta V Game; Zeta Project, The Series; Sigma Star Saga Game, 2005; Tau Ceti 3. Game; Omikron : The Nomad Soul Game; Omega Doom Film; Omega Factor, The Series; Ωmega Man, The Film



Random


Alpha Centauri Rec Room Dude, Where’s My Car?; Alpha Channel Battlestar Galactica: Murder on the Rising Star; Alpha Circuit Knight Rider: Deadly Maneuvers; Gammasphere The Hulk; Epsilon Beta Andromeda: It Makes a Lovely Light; Epsilon Plan, The McCaffrey, Damia; Epsilon vector 22 Battlestar Galactica: War of the Gods ; Mu Atragon ; Omicron Pulse Length Blake’s7: Moloch ; Sigma Doctor Who: The Happiness Patrol; Tau Ceti Accords; Enterprise: Shadows of P’Jem; Omega Circuit 2099 ;Omega Intersection Doctor Who: The Twin Dilemma ;


References

Funk and Wagnall’s Dictionary
McKenzie’s Science Fiction Dictionary