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Ex astris, scientia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ex astris, scientia is the motto of the fictional Starfleet Academy in the Star Trek television series. It is Latin for "from the stars, knowledge" (i.e. "knowledge comes from the stars"). The motto was first seen on an Academy emblem in the background of Star Trek: The Next Generation episode The First Duty. Although it first appeared as "Ex Astra, Scientia", the error was corrected in later episodes. (In Latin, the preposition ex is ablative, and therefore requires astr- in its ablative form, which is astris).
The phrase is based on the motto of the Apollo 13 mission, "Ex luna scientia" (from the moon, knowledge), according to Michael Okuda (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 5 DVD Special Features, "Memorable Missions").
Ex Astris Scientia has been adopted by Bernd Schneider as the title of his fanon website dedicated to information on the Star Trek fictional universe; the site is considered by many Star Trek fans to be among the best on the subject due to its great size and scope, the high reliability of its facts, and the breadth and quality of its content.[citation needed]
Each of these permutations may refer to the phrase "Ex Scientia Tridens", the motto of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. This literally means "From Science Comes the Trident" but it is understood that the trident, the traditional weapon of Poseidon, Classical Greek god of the sea, is the symbol of maritime power and rule over the seas.