Summary
Space is often described as the final frontier in theStar Trekuniverse, and it’s certainly home to some weird and wonderful starship designs. The standard twin nacelle and saucer blueprint for Federation vessels has become well known in popular culture, as have the iconic designs of Klingon and Romulan starships.
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Star Trek’s more unusual starships are often the result of in-universe scenarios, although plenty are bizarre due to their real-world design and development. From glaring design flaws to shape-shifting drones, these space oddities are a testament to the franchise’s writers and artists.
10Enterprise-D
Much ink has been spilledconcerning the suitability of theGalaxy-classEnterprise-D as an exploratory vessel. Although its advanced shields, technical systems, and weapons allow the starship to hold its own against most foes, several critics have questioned why a starship involved in such dangerous missions carries a civilian crew.
While many Starfleet vessels are exclusively crewed by officers, theEnterprise-D is home to both civilians and children. This city-in-space concept may embody the Federation’s utopian nature, but it does challenge common sense.
9Warship Voyager
Although the USSVoyager’s voyage home from the Delta Quadrant cannot be said to have been an entirely peaceful one, it would be unfair to characterize theIntrepid-class vessel as a warship. However, this is precisely what happens in the episode “Living Witness,” in whichVoyager’s holographic Doctoris reactivated centuries in the future.
The Doctor learns that the historical record of one Delta Quadrant civilization depicts the crew of the starship as ruthless marauders. Images of the so-calledWarship Voyager, a heavily armed cruiser, are common in the aliens' archives. However, the Doctor is able to correct these misconceptions.
8Whale Probe
While the so-called Whale Probe fromStar Trek IV: The VoyageHomeis not especially visually impressive, its motivations are very peculiar. The massive cylinderthreatens to unleash hell on Earthwhen it learns that no more whales are remaining in the planet’s oceans.
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Aliens have threatened the human race in galactic wars and unprovoked attacks, but there are often political or ideological reasons for these actions. The unknown creators of the Whale Probe do not seek to dominate the Earth, but they are willing to teach the human race a brutal lesson about the importance of sustainable living.
7"Alice"
In 1983,noted horror authorStephen King publishedChristine, a novel in which a man discovers that his car is haunted. Over a decade and a half later,Star Trek: Voyageroffered viewers a sci-fi twist on the concept. Season 6’s “Alice” sees crack pilot Tom Paris repairing a shuttle that turns out to have a mind of its own.
The shuttle, nicknamed “Alice” features a flight interface that psychically bonds with her pilot.Alice’s computer system can appear to the pilot as a hologram, taking the form of an attractive woman, and control the vessel’s occupants. However, the haunted shuttle is soon exorcised by the USSVoyager.
6Biomimetic USS Voyager
Star Trekoften plays with viewers' assumptions. While perhaps the most famous example is the Horta inThe Original Series,Star Trek: Voyageroffers its own twisty take in “Course: Oblivion.” This Season 5 episode sees the crew oftheStarship Voyagersuffer from a strange condition that causes them to melt. But all is not as it seems.
“Course: Oblivion” is in fact a sequel to an earlier episode, “Demon,” and thisVoyagerand crew are actually goo-based replicas of the originals. However, neither ship nor crew can sustain their forms for long, and eventually perish, proving once and for all that appearances can be deceptive.
5Romulan Drone Ship
The Romulans rank among the Federation’s most devious enemies, so it is no surprise that they utilize stealth technology to menace the nascent superpower in Season 4 ofStar Trek: Enterprise. The Romulan Drone Ship is capable of assuming the appearance of other species' ships, and ferments distrust between Earth and its allies with a series of false flag attacks.
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Despite its size, the Drone Ship does not carry a crew. Instead, these ships can be controlled at great distances thanks to telepathic technology. However, the ships requirean Aenar pilotto function, leading to the kidnapping of several members of this species by the bloodthirsty Romulans.
4USS Grissom
Although theOberth-class USSGrissommakes only a blink-and-you’ll miss it appearance inStar Trek III: The Search for Spock, this unassuming vessel has been the subject of fervent fan debate. The starship’s unusual design, with an underslung main hull hanging on angular pylons beneath the saucer section, has left many fans with a question. Just how does the crew get between the two sections?
While some fans contend thatthe pylons house turbolifts, others claim that there simply isn’t space. Other solutions, such as the use of transporters to travel around the ship have also been proposed. Whatever the case, this apparent design flaw has turned an unremarkable ship into a hot-button topic within theStar Trekcommunity.
3USS Discovery
TheCrossfield-class USSDiscoveryholds the distinction of being the testbed forspore drive technologyin the 23rd century. This experimental drive allowed the ship to jump from one place to another rather than utilizing conventional warp. The spore drive allowedDiscoveryto turn the tide of the Federation–Klingon War and to venture into the Mirror Universe.
The USSDiscoveryis also unusual in that it possesses an advanced living computer, Zora. While theCrossfield-class may not be the Federation’s most powerful starship,Discovery’s various quirks and modifications make it stand out from the crowd.
2USS Archer
The tiny USSArchermakes several appearances inStar Trek: Strange New Worlds. The starship is notable for diverging from creator Gene Roddenberry’sinitial starship design rules. While Roddenberry insisted on his starships having symmetrical warp nacelles, the USSArcherhas only one.
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TheArcher’s design is an homage to the single-nacelle designs seen in classic expanded universe material, like the FASA RPGFederation Ship Recognition Manualand 1975’sStarfleet Technical Manual. Although the design may not respect Roddenberry’s principles, it is nonetheless rooted inStar Trekhistory.
1ISS Charon
The mammoth ISSCharonis more than just a starship. It is both a palace and a city in space, designed to demonstrate the strength ofthe Terran Empire. Yet the starship is no toothless figurehead: its weapons devastate the surface of a planet inStar Trek: Discovery’s first season.
One notable feature of theCharonis the large ball of energy located towards the rear of the vessel. This super-mycelial reactor provides vast amounts of energy to the starship but at a terrible cost. In fact, it threatens to destabilize multiple realities. As such, it is a mercy that the ship is soon destroyed by the USSDiscovery.
