actually I dont, because Im not arguing the future means the N means this "______________" Im arguing there is plenty of evidence in the game. in the lore. and In Humankinds past that point at the N being Navy.

I was going to tally our current votes, but it was just too tedious for me...on page 2, we were even at 6/6 Navy/Network...So.

I also noticed a bunch of people arguing the T meaning Terran.  This isn't starcraft, people.  Besides, it's called the TRADE ORDER.  I think the most dominant argumant on both sides can at least agree that we're dealing with Trader Defence _______.

Okay...Here's a thought.  My friend just offered up "Nation".   Still a Network fan, myself, but Nation should at least be included in this discussion.

i gotta look it up, but I think nation refers to a country, not a galaxy of planets. I forget what word describes that but I dont think it starts with an N.

As far as i know, "Nation" refers to a people, not a country.  (Apache Nation)  Though it's mostly used this way for the smaller groups since they don't have a dominant name for themselves like the "United States", which aludes to much the same thing when one thinks about it.

Well thats cuz we are all stuck on 1 planet right now. So yeah Nation is referting to a country. But who not to say that several planets/systems couldnt be owned by the same goverment and be thought of as one nation.

I like nation, its different.

wasnt saying it cant be used, saying ive heard a different term used for a group of people united over a vast number of planets. just cant remember the actual term right now.

Order

Syndicate

Empire

Confederation

Alliance

Just to name a few, but none of these start with N.

i think we all forgot the most important one. it is, after all, Trader Emergency Coalition. I'm pretty sure nation and coalition are mutually exclusive, especially in this case

Yes, According to both the Lore and the intro to the stratagy guilde the Trade order was made up of many planetary nations in the same way as the United Nations is made up of many nation. In fact they talked about how the Trade Order with the exception of the expelling of the advent hadn't enforced there will on any soverien nation. So I don't think the N in TDN is nation.

...

What? You no like?

i said "...", and i meant it. 

aw damn i missed this extra hot topic

for me Traders Defense Navy is somewhat incorrect but anyway the facts in other space war games just supports its standing for Navy.yeah i know some of u guys feel appropriate for navy just because OMG this is space not sea, no not some kiddy shit like that. did anyone realizes space can be described as ocean of stars or star ocean?

also, if we compare to another space war games like Starcraft2 or Dawn of war2-warhammer 40k , their so called frontline soldiers are called Marines for Terran in starcraft and Space Marines as one of the playable faction in DoW2?that fact alone supports the phrase Navy for TDN unless both games above named their soldiers as Space Soldiers?

the fact that it isn't the ocean has nothing to do with it for me.  I just think network sounds a bit more realistic given the TEC's design.  They're all business in every aspect, and Trader Defence Network has a more commanding tone than Trader Defence Navy.  Since it is a fleet of WARSHIPS, the name needs to be something that insinuates dominance.  Navy is a branch of the military, but a network implies a greater level of cooperation between the entire military force the TEC have mobolized.

No it doesn't. It sounds stupider and LESS dominant. "Hi, this is Admiral Suckface reporting live from getting my ass kicked, for TDN"

Civillian naval/shipping operations are called "navies" which are compromised of "fleets" not some news van and a traffic chopper.

EDIT: Also they were attacked, thus making a need for a defense force, not a news channel. You refer to a military force with a military name. fact.

LOL maybe the devs don't know what TDN stands for yet, so they'll look at this topic and decide.  

And Trader Defense Network does sound like a news channel.

How does Network sound more dominating then a 2000+ year old term used for a War fighting group, Navy = Warships = Domination.........You dont hear network and think Warships Network = LAN Party = chubby nerds.....lol. I cant imagine why Network would insinuate Dominance. People keep taking TDN beyond what it is. They want to imagine there are more then just a navy in the TEC.....Which is not the debate here. TDN is nothing more then USS, HMS, IJN(NAVY.............Ill say it again IMPERIAL JAPANESE NAVY Guess we got a direct link right there) And the List keeps going for every country that has assigned an acronym before a warship. Its not an acronym to hint at other branches. Its simply as Ive put it before. When you see that big ass Kol flying by your space station. You think "Oh thats a TEC warship". Its to let each other know their friendlies and allies to know they are friendlies. It is not the Acryonym for the TEC Military as a whole. I think everyone who thinks its Network because "Theres got to be a Marines/AF/Army" is just looking for something in game to hint at something alot of people believe. But its not. Its just Trader Defense Navy. The reason it doesnt roll off the tongue like Network is because normally you dont say the actual words in the acryonym. Normally youll just say the USS Enterprise, or the HMS Enterprise, or the TDN Warspite. Because if you said the Trader Defense Navy Warspite or the Trader Defense Network Warspite it wouldnt sound right. The acryonym isnt about what rolls off the tongue easier its about what describes what this Ship belongs to. A Navy. A Navy that belongs to a particular group.

chillllll allegiance!

ok, u do make a good, reasonable point, albeit the darts at people who believe otherwise. honestly, we who say network r being a whole lot less assholey about the whole thing. we are not shutting down the other side. we are not insulting the other side. we are not demanding the other side differs to our viewpoint. we are merely stating what we believe and why. you do that, and then u do those other things i just mentioned. please keep it polite, u get lots more people on ur side that way than by behaving like an asshole.

here r some examples:

then we have...

but then u say...

seems like u actually did. but then we get to the i-shut-u-down posts:

well...this took up a good chunk of my time. and now i feel vented. do u feel that i vented? good.

All you proved was that Allegiance is an asshole. I think we knew that already. Also that he doesn't use paragraphs, which is exceedingly hard to read.

oh i was trying to show the difference between the people going for network and those going for navy (not all of the quotes were allegiance!)

and he does use paragraphs, i just didn't want to quote them.

Im not TRYING to be an asshole, but at the same time, it is a debate and I do have to TRY and attack your arguement. I agree its plausible thats why im willing to debate it. But Im not going to allow someone to just use anything to argue their point. You have to put something down that i can see is more then just assumption. I need to see that there is evidence if were going to debate the likely hood of something and for me to agree you have a point.

Ive named alot of points at to why my assumption N stands for Navy

Historical and Ingame.

Some of you have made good points. But someone mentioned other branches which took TDN out of context and people ran with it.

TDN isnt more then USS or IJN,HMS etc etc....none of those elude to other branches of that countries military. Because thats not why its there.

Now the point that the entire defensive force works in a means of a network. I concur. But I dont agree that thats why the N is Network.

Also I might add that alot of the quotes from me, are neglecting the arguements others were making, and makes me look more like an asshole then I actually was being. I had every right to respond the way I did as those I were responding to werent actually responding to what I put forth but in themselves were "shutyoudown" posts.

All right I admit I might have taken the worse ones and put them down there...but it was for a good cause.

R.I.P. Network 2009-forever

wait, no R.I.P.

L.I.P.

TEC didn't have any standing military to speak of, their entire defence is a rapid mobilization that would require an ungodly ammount of interconectivity between each and every faction in their empire to succeed, ie. a network.

If you can't see how Trader Defence Network is a show of dominance, then you're completely blinded to any cause than your own and will not be swayed by any argument anyone can give.  It implies a unified front, rather than the fact that they all just belong in the same category.  If nothing else, Network makes more sense to boost morale of the civilian population when they learned they were under attack.