A Spaceship Name Generator inspired by The Culture and John Scalzi

In most science fiction, a starship’s designation is a matter of military utility or nationalistic pride. In Iain M. Banks’ The Culture, it is a matter of psychology. Because the ships are controlled by hyper-intelligent AIs known as Minds, they choose their own names, often rejecting the pompous aggression of their peers in favour of wit, irony, or a distinct lack of gravitas.

It feels dangerous; there are likely hyper-intelligent fans out there ready to correct me, but I took the challenge to help Gamemasters and writers capture that specific blend of menace and whimsy. It’s not AI, just some shuffling JavaScript, but I’ve put them together to make a spaceship name generator inspired by the Culture series and its spiritual successors.

Culture Ship Classes

• GSV (General Systems Vehicle): Enormous mobile habitats housing millions of people and manufacturing capabilities.
• MSV (Medium Systems Vehicle): Similar to a GSV but smaller; often used for transport or specific missions.
• LSV (Limited Systems Vehicle): A smaller, often older or converted Systems Vehicle.
• GCU (General Contact Unit): The primary explorers of the Culture; diplomatic and capable but inquisitive.
• ROU (Rapid Offensive Unit): A dedicated warship. Fast, heavily armed, and often possessing a cynical personality.
• LOU (Limited Offensive Unit): A warship with fewer capabilities than an ROU, sometimes a repurposed civilian hull.
• VFP (Very Fast Picket): A demilitarised warship, usually an ROU stripped of its main weaponry for diplomatic courier duty.

It was actually John Scalzi’s The Interdependency series that first put me onto this, and my research (years back) into doing a generator that helped me find out that these books adopt a direct stylistic homage to Banks, trading utility for conversational wit. Ships like the Yes, Sir, That’s My Baby carry the torch of the Culture’s naming ethos, albeit with a specific obsession with Frank Sinatra lyrics that suggests a lingering fascination with Old Earth pop culture.

For those looking to explore the source of these sentient personalities, Iain M. Banks’ Culture series remains the definitive guide to giving a starship a soul.

Creative Commons image credit: Consider Phlebas 2 by MarkJayBee.