Top ten fictional space ships
January 12th, 2008
Well it’s finally here, my top ten fictional space ships list which you will never ever agree with because it is only ten ships and there’s no way I’ve included your favourite!!!
The rules were also that I could only choose one ship from a series:
- Serenity (Firefly/Serenity)
It was really hard to pick this over the Enterprise but in recent years Serenity and the series Firefly has cemented itself as one of my all time favourite science fiction shows and the ship itself is just awesome, it looks cool and moves great but it is probably the interior which has a wonderful lived in feeling. Probably has a lot to do with the way they built the sets which was to connect the rooms like they would have been in the show and the cast actually used sets like the galley to eat etc.Notable scene: Serenity repaired after crash landing at the end of the film, lifting off and soaring through the storm up past it and into space where something falls off.
- Enterprise (Star Trek)
The original and the best, the NCC-1701 no bloody A, B,C or D (and now E). It is really hard to sum up why but the Enterprise herself became a character in Star Trek as loved as the actors.Notable scene: Hard to go past the refit unveiling in Star Trek: The Motion Picture where Adm. Kirk and Scotty circle it several times to the amazing soundtrack. Enterprise’s destruction is quite memorable too.
- Moya (Farscape)
It was a toss up between Moya and the Farscape One module which I quite like also but I think a ship that you feel something for so much that it makes you wince when it has hooks shot into it is going to get the nod. Something that I realised whilst putting the list together is that the ships that I prefer are the ones that become characters in their own right and it would be hard for that not to be the case with Moya.Notable scene: Any time Moya goes to starburst.
- Gunstar (The Last Starfighter)
The Gunstar makes it simply because who wouldn’t want to pilot such a cool nod to our childhoods, before computer graphics became the video perfect resolution state that they are in today we had games like Asteroids where the ship was basically a triangle and you had to use your imagination, big time. The Gunstar whilst a little more advance than the Asteroids ship is still a polygon reminder of my childhood playing arcade games and pretending deep inside that they are more than they appear.Notable scene: The scene where the death blossom is unleashed and pretty much kills every mofo in the immediate galaxy.
- Lexx (Lexx)
I was a late comer to Lexx and have yet to watch the entire series although I’m told the last season is not really worth it. I love the Lexx’s business card: “the most powerful destructive force in the two universes”. It’s also one of the only science fiction shows Tracey will watch with me currently.Notable scene: Why are most of these notable scenes involving destruction? Because blowing up a planet is cool.
- Liberator (Blake’s 7)
This is from my childhood. When I was very young I was given a matchbox version of this ship and it has been a favourite of mine ever since, I haven’t even watched an episode of Blake’s 7 which I know I should (my Mum’s favourite sci fi show) but the DVDs are expensive so unfortunately no notable scene for this one. - Sulaco (Aliens)
I just love the look of this ship, it’s like a shark slipping through water, and you know that it can kick ass. It didn’t really do anything other than look slick and slice through space so no notable scene again. - Viper (Battlestar Galactica)
Again something from my childhood that was happily updated for the new show. The vipers always looked cool and had that great launch sequence on the show oh and King Tut helmets!!Notable Scene: I really loved the scene when the Battlestar Galactica jumped into the atmosphere of new Caprica (in the remake) and launched the Vipers through a wall of flame.
- Starfury (Babylon Five)
These are such cool little fighters that have muscle written all over them, they don’t even get launched they get dropped out B5 on racks, like guns!!! They have to be arguably the most manoeuvrable of the ships on the list.Notable scene: I like how they can change direction on a heartbeat.
- Space Battleship Yamato (Star Blazers at least that’s what the series was called here)
Another from my childhood and a show with a lot of memories as my Mum used to watch it with me when I was very young, so good memories. Once again how cool is it to have a traditionally water based design in space with cannons and jets and everything an air craft carrier would have… except for a freakingly huge gun barrel down the middle of the ship that absolutely stops dead whatever is in its path. Another series that I have to buy and watch again!Notable scene: You guessed it - big bloody cannon down the middle firing.
There are a bunch of ships that came really close to the list that I might mention anyway, Discovery from 2001 A Space Odyssey, Freedom and Independence from Armageddon, Roger Young from Starship Troopers, the Event Horizon from Event Horizon and finally but certainly not least the ships from Star Wars. A note about the Star Wars ships, I don’t love them, I like them but I can’t say that any of them including the Falcon rock my world. Controversial I know, go on tell me which ones I’ve left out.
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Categories: Science Fiction | Tags: Aliens, Babylon 5, Battlestar Galactica, Blake's 7, Farscape, Firefly, Lexx, Science Fiction, Serenity, ships, Star Trek, The Last Starfighter
Cool choices - both the ones that look like they’d be fun to whizz about in and the cool empathic ones (Moya especially)
Every time I see Serenity, I remember that speech Mal makes about what makes a good pilot and a good ship
By the way, not having seen Lexx, is it meant to look like a big dragonfly, with those bulging compound eye wotsits?
John’s last blog post..Curly cloud horizons
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‘Space Battleship Yamato’ isn’t this name also used for the big ass ships in Starcraft?
The Babylon 5 starfury’s rule! I also love the ship Babylon 5 itself and the shadow ships.
Other ships:
- I love the newest Stargate human ships they’ve been using since say..season 9 or so (and in atlantis) and the Wraith Darts..they’re like modern stuka’s striking fear into their enemy
- as you mentioned yourself: starwars ships (a bunch),
Arjan’s last blog post..Meme
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#5 looks like a penis.
sir jorge’s last blog post..Value Village Tale
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Gunstar pretty much shaped my life, because now I play every video game, including Minesweeper, like the future of the universe rests in my hands.
golfwidow’s last blog post..golfwidology
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I agree with your top choice.
The falcon will always have a big space in my heart, but the X-wing would be my pick from star wars. Vipers from Battlestar galactica are cool, but admit it they are just x wing rip offs.
I’d put Red Dwarf up there too (from red dwarf). and the ship from flight of the navigator.
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I must admit that I haven’t heard of ships #4, #5, #6 and #8, but I agree with the rest, especially #1.
What was the ship from G-Force called that all the smaller vehicles fitted into? I can’t remember, but that would definitely be on my list.
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NO NOSTROMO????? Agh!
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John - yes the ships in Lexx are all grown and descended from the great bug (or something to that effect). Lexx’s eyes produce the devastating planet destroying beam.
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Couldn’t confirm that one for you Arjan, the Shadow ships are pretty cool (mmmm top ten enemy ships?). I don’t mind the Stargate ships either actually.
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ummmm SJ I don’t think I want to know then what your penis looks like!
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Hi Arjan,
The big ass ships in Starcraft are called Behemoth-class Battlecruisers and their special weapon is the Yamato Cannon. Blizzard probably called it that so the owners of Star Blazers didn’t sue for copywright infringement.
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GW - I’m pretty happy that someone knows where I’m coming from with the Gunstar!!
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Dan - Serenity seems to be a popular choice! Yeah I’m happy to admit that the vipers are copies because I’m pretty certain BG was a television response to Star Wars, I do however like the Vipers more!
I did think about Red Dwarf, I must admit but I’m not all that taken with the ship.
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Ian wasn’t that the phoenix or something like that? All I remember is that Mark had the racing car and he was pretty much the coolest.
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Awww Daisy I could only have one ship per franchise!!!!
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In gaming, I would put the Tiger’s Claw from the Wing Commander series. That’s just me of course/
MC’s last blog post..It started with some swearing
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I agree with you, Serenity would have to be my favourite space ship as it was so much a part of the story that it wasn’t just a ship, more almost a character.
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MC - the less said about the Wing Commander movie the better I think so I’ll give you ‘gaming’ on the Tiger Claw - actually was it even in the movie?
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Greg - The Serenity is their, especially Mal’s source of freedom, whilst he’s moving he isn’t beaten and thus it gives the ship a whole other meaning in the scheme of things. When I saw the movie in the cinema the whole place (which was packed too) was silent for what I imagine different reasons when she crashed all except one guy who gasped and everyone in the cinema must’ve heard him and no one laughed I think everyone was just so caught up with it.
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Unfortunately yes, it was in that stupid movie, and I was only talking about the games (with Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, Rhys-Davies of Indiana Jones fame, John Spencer, Tim Curry and so many more).
I mean, I think it really says something when the game something is based on has better, more appropriate actors than the actual movie.
MC’s last blog post..Infomercials and Specialty Cable
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LOL you are so right on this - and had they used those actors we may have had a movie!!! Unfortunately we had Freddie Prince Jr who was so great in Boston Legal but so awful in that.
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Well, the fans did try to get McDowall into the movie… but he had a scheduling conflict and thus dodged the bullet.
MC’s last blog post..Infomercials and Specialty Cable
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McDowall did a weird turn in Lexx actually, it was this semi small role and was well in the flavour of the rest of the series I guess
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[...] is a cool blog that pretty much covers off a lot of my interests. For the geeks, check out top ten fictional space ships. Every one loves a top ten [...]
OMGZERS, WHERE IS TEH MILLENIUM FALCON!?!
&@Arjan: It’s called a Battlecruiser, because it cruises around battling things… Because it’s totally sweet. The battlecruiser is also worthy of the top 10 list. Also, the carrier from starcraft would be awesome for the top ten two.
In my opinion, starcraft and star wars would totally pwn the rest of those spacecraft, if not, I’ll use my tazers on them.
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David! Don’t get your Mynock in a twist!! I gave the Star Wars ships a special mention because they are cool and I respect them but they just didn’t make the top ten.
Although I’ll give you a chance to vote for the Falcon over the Serenity if you check back this evening!
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Awesome that you included the Gunstar.
Not awesome that these were missed..
Heart of Gold (Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy)
Millenium Falcon
Max (Flight of the Navigator) yeah, it’s Disney but that ship rocked.
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Ahh but which Heart of Gold? The movie or the BBC series? Funny thing about the movie one is that it is based on a cup of tea, literally.
I think I prefer the Explorers ship (with garbage can door) to Max - I dunno what it is about that - Max has more of the UFO standard feel to me. I do remember it has cool steps to get in (or was it a gangplank?).
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