The Coolest Spaceship Designs In Science Fiction

The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A from Star Trek

C’mon guys, you can’t beat this. Although aesthetically identical to the original Enterprise that served Captain Kirk and his crew in the original series (and refit before the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture), this Enterprise is fresh out of the bag and ready for greatness. The sleek warp nacelles, the trademark saucer/neck/body is the perfection of the form. While the Enterprise-A was only used in two films (with a brief cameo in IV) before being decommissioned in Star Trek VI, it earns brownie points for being the latest version of the model to be committed to film (the Enterprise used in VI is actually the same model used in the original film, the special effects crew had to clean or rebuild it between every movie). The A also earns brownie points in being in better films than the original Enterprise (I-III vs. IV-VI).

But these were hardly the only versions that carried the Enterprise name. The Enterprise B was an Excelsior-class (prrr) ship unveiled in Generations, the C was destroyed in the Next Generation episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, ultimately preventing a war between the Klingons and the Federation. The D is the Galaxy-class vessel from Next Generation that we all know and love, but it’s just far too curvaceous – it’s essentially a communal ship, complete with the crews’ families – and simply not as not as fighter-esque as the A was. The only competition really is the Enterprise E, unveiled in First Contact, which is a sleek design intended to battle the Federation’s enemies, but c’mon, a classic is a classic. And that new Enterprise from 2009’s J.J. Abrams affair? Cool, but a weird tribute at best.

Were there ones we missed? Leave your favorites in the comments below!