I have to admit that I am a Star Trek fan. I watched from the beginning in 1966 when Captain Kirk began a five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. Over the decades the Star Trek universe used the word intrepid to designate starships and classes of space vehicles.
Intrepid was derived from the Latin word intrepidus, meaning fearless. The word was formed by adding the prefix in (meaning not) to trepidus (meaning alarmed). Intrepid has been used in English as a name for sea and space vessels and also describes anyone who ventures bravely into unknown territory. In 1650 the word trepid was used in the English language for fearful. This predates the antonym intrepid by 30 years.
The adjective intrepid is characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance. Intrepid explorers set out to discover new places and adventures across the seas and mountains of every continent throughout the ages. Despite tariffs being leveled some intrepid Canadians are determined to make the best of it.
The HMS Intrepid was a 64-gun two decker ship of the line in the English navy. Previously she was the French ship Sérieux, captured in 1747, and eventually broken up in 1765.
Intrepid was first used by the United States Navy in 1798.
The USS Intrepid (CV-11) was an aircraft carrier launched in April 1943. The ship was decommissioned in 1974 and opened as a museum in New York City in 1982, designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Intrepid was the name of the Lunar Module on Apollo 12, landing on the moon in November 1969.
Sir William Samuel Stephenson (1897-1989) was a Canadian soldier, fighter pilot, and spymaster who service as the senior representative of the British Security Coordination for the Western Allies during World War II. His intelligence code name was Intrepid. He is considered to be one of the real-life inspiration for James Bond. Ian Fleming once wrote, “James Bond is a highly romanticised version of a true spy. The real thing is... William Stephenson.”
In 1979 Peter Carter directed a three part television mini-series entitled A Man Called Intrepid, starring David Niven, Michael York, and Barbara Hershey. The premise of the movie is that when Hitler came to power in post-Weimar Germany, a wealthy Canadian industrialist Sir William Stephenson, was approached by the British Prime Minister with an unusual request. Stephenson was asked to use his own money to secretly organize a spy network.
In the Star Trek universe, the Intrepid was constructed and placed into service in 2153 under the command of Captain Carlos Ramirez. The USS Intrepid (NCC-1631) was a Federation Constitution Class starship. The USS Intrepid (NCC-38907) was an Excelsior Class Federation starship that was in service during the mid-24th century, under the command of Captain Drew Deighan.
In the Star Trek: Voyager series the starship was an Intrepid Class commanded by Captain Kathryn Janeway. The Intrepid Class in 2371 represented a departure away from large, complicated vessels toward smaller and more efficient starships.
Synonyms include bold, courageous, dauntless, gutsy, stalwart, and valiant.
Bold means fearless before danger. Canadian politicians presented a bold plan in the face of Trump’s tariffs.
Courageous is having or characterized by mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and to withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. The board made the courageous decision to lead the organization on a new path.
Dauntless implies being incapable of being intimidated or subdued. Many books have been written about dauntless heroes throughout the centuries.
Gutsy suggests marked by courage, pluck, or determination. Although he was small, he was a gutsy fighter.
Stalwart means marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind, or spirit. The third verse of O Canada uses the phrase, “May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise.”
Valiant is marked by, exhibiting, or carried out with courage or determination. She died last year after a valiant battle with cancer.
Let us hope Canada can be an intrepid nation in the face of rising pressure from Donald Trump.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected]. Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
