USS Malinche NCC-38997-A

The Malinche's current registry number is NCC-38897-B.

When I received command of the Malinche, her registry number was NCC-38997-B (a later graphic goof made it 38897). The NCC-38997 registry is a canon registry number - for the Excelsior class USS Malinche: http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/USS_Malinche

There is no canon mention of a NCC-38997-A version of the Malinche (and no mention of the destruction of the Excelsior class) in any Star Trek series or movies. There are some references to her destruction in novels, but as the Malinche has been Prometheus class since 2381 and the novel claims the Excelsior class vessel was destroyed in 2381, I'm not counting the novel as canon.

Right now I have no Ship History for the Malinche, partially because the ship name is canon, but the registry is not. The Fleet I gained command in already had it as -B when I received it, but I wasn't given information as to what ship class the -A was or what led to her destruction.

So, my question is: Should we
1. Stick with NCC-38897-B and I just make something up to explain the difference in registry number
2. Switch the registry number to the canon NCC-38997-B, and make up information regarding the ship class/destruction of the -A
3. Switch the registry number & signifying letter, so we'd be the NCC-38997-A

Please reply with your thoughts. Also, if you like Option 1 or 2 and would like to offer a suggestion about why we have the registry number and/or what happened to the -A, feel free.

Thanks all!

Those of you who deal with me outside of the Malinche know that I care a good bit about accuracy in regards to registries, even when the writers and art department at Paramount don't. (The USS Prometheus should have been NX-74913.)

I think the best solution for accuracy would be to change to NCC-38997-A, since we hardly ever reference the ship's registry number anyway. We could say that the new Malinche got the old one's registry because the original Malinche was lost in a significant battle of the Dominion War... maybe defending some strategic asset that otherwise would have been taken by the Dominion.

Truthfully, aside from the Enterprise, I dislike giving ships lettered registries, but this one was done well before any of us got here, and for consistency we should stick with the fact that this ship is named for the Excelsior class USS Malinche, which presumably was destroyed in the midst of some heroic act by its crew.

(Note: For a good while, many fans presumed that the Malinche was lost in the events around "For The Uniform" [DS9] though there was no indication on-screen that the ship was anything more than crippled. This is presumably where that other fleet started, making a Malinche-A 'in honor' of the Excelsior class ship seen in DS9. They are known for giving letters out like candy and using canonical ship name and registry combinations.)

So... I can live with any of the options, but I most prefer #3.

Agreed, option 3 seems to be the best one to go with.