You would think that this idea would be a breeze. But truth is, I don’t watch as much sci fi as you’d think. But after reading Les’s great articles on this subject, it got me thinking that there were some spaceships I really loved and it was time to finally acknowledged them. So how do I go about this then? One way is to open up the criteria a bit, to cover things I only have a vague awareness of. Not be afraid to pick more than one from each franchise (which I notice is common as I look at other articles) and finally, open it up to more than just “ships”. Though since I have discussed cars already, no cars.
So here are my ten favorite Sci Fi space vessels, and my apologies for all the wonderful shows (and movies) I’ll be leaving off here like Buck Rogers, Red Dwarf, Babylon 5, and Firefly. I’m sorry Serenity, you look cool and all I just know nothing about you! And that pic of Red Dwarf is kind of badass, why is it red?
Anyway….
10.Commicron One
Does this count? The heck with it, it’s my list. If you’re not aware, Atop the Fourth Wall is a web series with an going story line. A part of that story line was when Lord Vyce attacked, and after Linkara defeated him he kept the ship, re dubbed Comicron One. The ship is really cool and has become a character all its own. This is largely helped by the AI that runs it, named Nimue. I know some may disagree but that scene in To Bodly Flee where Comicron One suddenly appears to save the day is one of favorite moments ever!
9.Battlestar Galatica
I know I watched this series. I just know it! But I jardly remember it if I did. The premise is pretty simple, a bunch of out casts search for a fabled planet called Earth. The ship that carries them on this journey is a Battlestar name Galactica. It was a pretty good show which has remained part of pop culture even though it a lasted two years and survived several not so great revivals. The Battlestar is a little more run down than other ships on this list, but that makes sense since it’s more a freighter than a starship. It’s still damn cool.
8.The Gunstar from Last Starfighter
I loved this movie, though it’s been awhile. Honestly I remember the characters more than the space ships, and while that say s a lot for the characters not so much for the spaceship. But I watched the clip, and while it kind of looks likes a video game at the same it’s pretty badass. If you don’t know what the Gunstar is, or what The Death Blossom can do, check it out I don’t think I’ve ever seen the stunt it does anywhere else, ever. The ship reminds of DS9’s Defiant, small but very tough!!! And thank you Les for reminding me of it.
7.Waveirder from Legends of Tomorrow
I’ll be honest, when I first saw this vessel I wasn’t thrilled with it. It certainly isn’t the prettiest ship. But this is a case of while she may not be pretty to look at, inside she’s amazing! Legends of Tomorrow is a good show, yeah ok it’s not Game of Thrones but the characters all work so well we can ignore the more absurd stuff. Waverider is an amazing vessel right down to the AI that runs it, named Gideon. And I admit that as we are now well into season two, the design has kind of grown on me. That shop is cool!
6.Discovery One from 2001/Imperial Star Destroyer from Star Wars
These ships are basically here to be impressive, which is why they’re tied. I saw 2001, what a nap! Ok all kidding aside, this really set a standard. Not so much with the design which was cool and all (did a great job making it a realistic looking futuristic vessel), but with the AI that ran it. HAL was a sophisticated computer which could think, but was made so well that it’s goal was to complete the mission-not matter what! As for the Star Destroyer, I had to put this on here because one simple reason. It was big! Can you imagine what fans must have thought when they got that first show of that massive ship going by the screen? This ship was just threatening just by, being. And if you're wondering about the Death Star...yeah not so much.
5.X-Wing Fighter
I loved this one a a kid! It’s so small but so badass! I love the simple design, and the fact that R2D2 helps to run it only makes it even better! Sometimes simple works best, when these ships swarm in and attack nothing can beat them. Ok that’s not true we see a lot blown up, but still! What about the Death Star TIE fighters? Eh, those are kind of cool but not as cool as the X-Wing fighters.
4.The Tardis
It’s a time machine, what’s not to love? As it turned out most of this list is space ships. This one is a tad different. While I have a vague knowledge of Dr.Who, even I have to admit this is pretty damn cool. I looked it up and apparently just like Waverider it is a space craft also, so it counts! Course the coolest thing is that the ship is the way the interior is much larger than the exterior would indicate. Unlike Waverider which has AI, the Tardis has sapience and provides their users with additional tools and abilities including a universal translation system based on telepathy. Ok since I get very confused by Dr.Who and have barely a basic understanding, if you want more into on this cool ship I refer to Les’s find article on it. This ship is so cool and so popular and such a part of of culture that even if you aren’t a Dr. Who fan, like me, I bet you’ve heard of it!
3.Borg Cube from Star Trek
If you had no idea what The Borg was, and I told you their ships were just cubes you’d probably wonder how that could ever be intimating. But the design is so dark and menacing, that they’re crap your pants scary! Not to mention the little fact that they’re unstoppable and destroy almost everything in their way. The designer did a great job showing not every ship has to be a complex design to be threatening. Even in Voyager as the Borg themselves got silly, these cubes (and spheres) were still a terrifying site to behold. And who knew the color green could be so creepy?
2.Millennium Falcon from Star Wars
You’ll notice a lot of these ships have some sort of AI or sentience which helps to give the vessels a personality. The cool thing about the Millennium Falcon is that it has none of that, and yet it maybe the ship with best personality of them all! There is just something about the way Han Solo talks about and cares for her that she feels like she’s more than a starship. And the design is freaking badass! With the cockpit and the gunner stations. It was one of my favorite toys as a kid and one of the few ships I truly love to see in action.
1.U.S.S. Enterprise
What else were you expecting, Spaceball One? People talk about how Star Trek broke the mold when it cam to having science fiction which was smart and intelligent. One thing that is often overlooked is what a change The Enterprise was compared to what had come before. Before this spaceships were so boring and simple, usually just glorified UFO’s. Just check out Lost in Space’s Jupiter Two which is so, simple! The Enterprise was a real classy starship which captured people’s imaginations. I have always loved this ship, I can look at it all day. It’s also badadd with its weapons. As the ship evolved to the movie versions and The Enterprise-D it’s elegance was only increased. The Enterprise set a standard that pretty much every other vessel on this list tries to meet (except the Tardis, that actually came first!). It was a bad ass ship with a beautiful design!
Course this whole article could have been Star Trek, but I decided to limit it to the two on here. Not that there’s anything wrong with The Defiant, Voyager, Excelsior or the hundreds of other starships that franchise has created over the years.
Science fiction is awesome and it’s vessels like these which help to keep us wanting to tune in for more!
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