10 Favorite Alien Ship Designs

10

Borg cube

The Borg cube is in stark contrast to the elegant or at least intricate ship designs of the Federation and of most other alien races. Its simplistic shape and exposed machinery conveys a sense of uncompromising efficiency. Its sheer size signals that the Borg are an unstoppable force in their natural urge to assimilate everything and everyone in their way. When it premiered in TNG: "Q Who", I admit it took me a while to appreciate the design ethics of the Borg cube, which I initially deemed just ugly. Today I know that's an important part of its appeal. I now even prefer the TNG cube, whose details consist of model kit sprues and other random leftovers, over the more refined "First Contact" version. The Borg cube deserves a spot in the list of my favorite ship designs, although or just because it has nothing in common with the rest.

9

Tarellian ship

Andrew Probert had a key role in shaping the look of the golden era of the franchise, first in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and later in early TNG. It is no surprise his designs can be found in my list of the best alien starships. The Tarellian ship from TNG: "Haven" is a perfect example of how a design can look both beautiful to human eyes (with its elegant and somewhat familiar lines) and very alien (with the huge sphere that seems to be an unknown propulsion system). It is a pity that some of the designers who followed in Probert's steps didn't come up with anything more imaginative than conventional designs with two engine pods, plus spikes to make it look somehow alien.

8

D'deridex-class Warbird

The D'deridex class is the arguably most notable alien starship by Andrew Probert, a groundbreaking update of Romulan design for the 24th century. It may seem unfortunate that the Warbird doesn't retain anything of the simplistic classic Bird-of-Prey from TOS. On the other hand, the massive ship with its "bird beak" and the hollowed out center is very impressive and recognizable. The Warbird was originally supposed to be vertically oriented until it was decided to go for a more conventional look. A smaller ship based on the vertical design appeared in the fourth season of Lower Decks.

7

Surak type

Designed by Doug Drexler, the Surak takes inspiration from 1950's hood ornaments. In-universe, it exemplifies the Vulcan dedication to harmony. I initially deemed the very elongated shape and the single strut that connects the main hull with the engine hoop anachronistic and somehow illogical. But this design has grown on me like no other ship from the Enterprise era. It is simply classy. Unfortunately, the original CG model of the Surak was soon replaced with a "refined" version, the Sh'Ran, whose proportions are off and which is a different (and larger) class in my firm opinion.

6

Miradorn ship

Designed by Ricardo F. Delgado, this ship appeared in DS9: "Vortex" and in TNG: "Gambit". Long before spikes were en vogue and appeared just everywhere on alien starships, this design demonstrates how efficient and distinctive those design elements can be when applied with caution. It is neither a big nor a very powerful ship but I think being run without the resources of the Federation or other empires is part of its charm.

5

Vor'cha class

The Klingon Bird-of-Prey was used as a stand-in for a still missing modern and larger Klingon ship in a couple of early TNG episodes. A genuine design for the 24th century was finally created by Rick Sternbach for TNG: "Reunion". The Vor'cha may not be as elegant as the K't'inga but is a perfectly reasonable evolution of the battlecruiser, reminiscent of how late 20th century warships relate to the designs from World War I. It is a formidable design and a match for the Galaxy just like the K't'inga used to be one for the Constitution.

4

Karemma ship

The Karemma ship from DS9: "Starship Down" is just a freighter but ranks among the most beautiful designs of the franchise. In contrast to other cargo ships of Star Trek, which are usually boxes with some greebles, it follows much the same principles as warship design. Yet, it has a sense of practicality, and we can recognize the cargo container section as such. The Karemma ship must have been popular behind the scenes as well, but it was a poor choice to create a badly proportioned CG model of it and re-use it for so many unrelated civilizations, even in the Delta Quadrant, which sort of devalues the original design.

3

Galor class

Another design by Rick Sternbach, and another classic. When it first showed up in TNG: "The Wounded", I was immediately smitten with the ship. The Galor class exemplifies the Cardassian claim to dominate space but follows still different design principles than the ships of the Klingons and Romulans, for instance. I love the unique overall hull shape of the Galor, and how Sternbach used many angular elements to a create a faceted surface. The Keldon class is a variation created for the Obsidian Order with some sort of backpack, which doesn't look as clumsy at all as it sounds.

2

D7 & K't'inga class

Matt Jefferies famously created the original Enterprise, but his Klingon D7 is a masterpiece just as well. It is hard to believe, but this signature design of the franchise with the long neck and the nacelles attached to wings was created as late as for season 3 of TOS. It showed up in no more than two episodes, "Elaan of Troyius" and "Day of the Dove" (and as a Romulan ship in "The Enterprise Incident"). The D7, just like the Enterprise, was significantly updated for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and became the K't'inga, which may still be encountered in the 24th century (well, and anachronistically in ENT).

1

Klingon Bird-of-Prey

What would Star Trek be without this apparently ubiquitous small Klingon ship with its pivoting wings? Created by Nilo Rodis and David Carson for "Star Trek III", it was originally intended to be a ship that Kruge stole from the Romulans, which is why the design has a red feather pattern on the wings. In-universe, however, it is indisputable that the BoP always was a Klingon design, at latest since the 22nd century predecessor appeared on Star Trek Enterprise. Maybe I am biased because the BoP is the first detailed alien ship I ever saw in Star Trek, but it is my favorite design still today. Shame on those who decided to reboot the iconic ship in Discovery!