Star Trek: The Original Series held plenty of impressively creative starships, used by a variety of different alien life, and enjoyed by fans.
Highlights
- Star Trek: TOS starships range from bizarre to iconic, showcasing the creativity and innovation of the show’s artists and creators.
- The Tholian Starship and Romulan Bird-Of-Prey are among the many unique vessels encountered by Captain Kirk during his galactic explorations.
- The USS Enterprise, designed by artist Matt Jefferies, remains the most well-recognized starship in popular culture due to its innovative appearance.
Star Trek: The Original Series features some memorable quotes, uncanny aliens, and plenty of questionable fashion choices. Yet one of the show’s most important aspects is its starships, which are used to both explore the galaxy and confront its various threats.
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Technical and budgetary limitations meant that many Star Trek: TOS starships were depicted as smears of light; luckily, the 2007–2008 remasters enhanced the show’s visual diversity. As such, the weird and wonderful vessels encountered by Captain Kirk owe as much to the artists who worked on the remasters as they do their original creators. From doomsday weapons to massive flagships, The Original Series is full of inventive designs.
8
Lazarus’ Ship
First Appearance: “The Alternative Factor” (Season 1, Episode 27)
While TOS features some classic episodes, not all installments can be winners, as demonstrated by “The Alternative Factor”. This first-season clunker sees the Enterprise crew dealing with two versions of the same man, Lazarus, from different planes of existence—if the two men touch, the universe goes boom.
The silly premise is not without its silver lining. Lazarus’ dimension-hopping vessel is a brilliant piece of sci-fi kitsch thanks to its bubble-dome cockpit and retrofuturistic styling. This cute starship is also one of the most technically advanced to appear in the series: the Enterprise may travel through space (and sometimes time), but Lazarus’ ship is a rare example of a craft that can move through dimensions.
7
The Planet Killer
First Appearance: “The Doomsday Machine” (Season 2, Episode 6)
Long before Star Wars tested the destructive potential of the Death Star on Alderaan, Star Trek had its own planet-busting superweapon. Kirk’s Enterprise crosses paths with the so-called Planet Killer while attempting to recover a damaged Starfleet ship, the USS Constitution. The only surviving member of the Constitution‘s crew, Commodore Decker, explains that he has been investigating several ruined star systems, and that the Planet Killer is responsible for their destruction.
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The Planet Killer’s antiproton beam represents one of the franchise’s most devastating offensive technologies, easily disabling a top-of-the-line Constitution-class starship. The motives of the Planet Killer are more obscure—however, various Star Trek novels and comics have offered their own explanations for the powerful vessel. According to one questionably canon source, the Planet Killer was designed as an anti-Borg superweapon, while another novel sees the damaged ship reactivated and used to destroy an enhanced Borg cube. Whatever its purpose, it represents one of the greatest threats to the Federation.
6
Tholian Starship
First Appearance: “The Tholian Web” (Season 3, Episode 9)
The Tholians are one of Star Trek‘s most mysterious races. These apparently crystalline arachnids appear in only three of the franchise’s more than nine hundred episodes, but this lack of screen time does nothing to detract from the threat posed by these xenophobic aliens.
“The Tholian Web” sees the Enterprise investigating the wreckage of another starship, the USS Defiant, which appears to be phasing in and out of existence. However, the Enterprise finds itself snared in the eponymous Tholian web when two alien starships weave an energy field around the Federation vessel. Although the Enterprise is able to escape, narrowly avoiding capture or destruction by this bizarre alien power, fans are sure to remember the unusual vessels responsible for Kirk’s predicament.
5
The Fesarius
First Appearance: “The Corbomite Maneuver” (Season 1, Episode 10)
The spherical Fesarius encountered by the Enterprise in “The Corbomite Maneuver” is the flagship of the First Federation (not to be confused with the United Federation of Planets). Its unusual, simplistic design sets it apart from the sleeker ships usually seen in the series; in many ways, it is a more rounded precursor to the Borg cube seen in The Next Generation. However, luckily for Kirk and his crew, the Fesarius is more interested in exploration than assimilation.
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In addition to its impressive appearance, the Fesarius is also home to the alien Balok, played by Clint Howard. This was Howard’s first Trek role—he would go on to make frequent appearances throughout the franchise, most recently in a 2023 episode of Strange New Worlds. The Fesarius itself would also reappear, albeit off-screen, as the ship plays a central role in a Shatner-authored novel and a Star Trek: Voyager short story.
4
Eymorg Starship
First Appearance: “Spock’s Brain” (Season 3, Episode 1)
To call “Spock’s Brain” divisive is perhaps being too kind to an episode that many fans consider as the nadir of The Original Series. This campy caper involves the theft of Spock’s brain (his body is turned into a robot by Doctor McCoy) and a race against time to retrieve the organ from the mysterious Eymorg civilization. Fred Frieburger, who helped to write the episode, is often accused of ruining Gene Roddenberry’s utopian series—based on “Spock’s Brain”, the fans might be right.
However, even the worst episodes can feature interesting starships. The Eymorg vessel responsible for abducting Spock’s brain is an inspired design that perfectly fits the show’s bold, retrofuturistic aesthetic. There are two different versions of the Eymorg ship: a rocket-shaped vessel seen in the original episode, and a more spherical design created for the TOS remasters. Of the two, the latter is more interesting, as it draws upon contemporary ion-powered spaceships while retaining the classic sixties feel.
3
Romulan Bird-Of-Prey
First Appearance: “Balance of Terror” (Season 1, Episode 14)
The Next Generation‘s D’deridex-class warbirds maybe Star Trek‘s most memorable take on Romulan starships, but the precursors seen in The Original Series are also worthy of examination. The hull and nacelles combination of the warbird recalls the design of many Federation ships—indeed, a line of dialogue cut from “Balance of Terror” suggested that the Romulans had stolen the blueprints from the Federation. The Bird-of-Prey encountered by Kirk in the Neutral Zone is more than capable of taking on the Enteprise, and is even superior in some respects.
For example, the Bird-of-Prey possesses cloaking technology, allowing it to conceal itself from enemy vessels. This makes the starship ideal for sneak attacks and hit-and-run strikes against the Federation, a strategy perfectly suited to the scheming Romulans. Furthermore, its arsenal of nuclear warheads may be relatively old-fashioned, but it is nonetheless effective.
2
Klingon D7 Cruiser
First Appearance: “Day of the Dove (Season 3, Episode 7)
Despite being one of Star Trek‘s most iconic starships, the Klingon D7 cruiser is rarely seen in The Original Series as broadcast. Indeed, the recognizable model is absent until the show’s final season, as Klingon ships are instead represented by indistinct smears on the Enterprise‘s screen. This shortcoming is remedied in the noughties remasters of the series, which insert CGI models of the cruiser into several earlier episodes.
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The D7 is primarily associated with the Klingon Empire, but this well-armed vessel also sees service under the Romulan Star Empire. For instance, a D7 is one of several Romulan-aligned ships that confronts Kirk’s starship during “The Enterprise Incident”, suggesting an alliance of sorts between the Klingon and Romulan states. Like many other ships under Romulan control, the D7 possesses a cloaking device, making it a deadly threat to the Federation.
1
USS Enterprise
First Appearance: “The Cage” (Unaired Pilot)
The Starship Enterprise has undergone numerous redesigns and reiterations since its debut in The Original Series, but Kirk’s version of the Federation starship remains the most well-recognized version in popular culture. This is due, in part, to the hero ship’s innovative appearance—Gene Roddenberry’s design rules prevented the vessel from being just another generic flying saucer.
Yet few people deserve more credit for the Enterprise‘s design than artist Matt Jefferies, who played a crucial role in crafting the Constitution-class starship. Jefferies’ finest work has come to define the franchise, with this version of the Enterprise appearing throughout the Star Trek canon. Of all the ships to appear in The Original Series (and in Trek) as a whole, none is more iconic than Kirk’s USS Enterprise.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Sci-Fi
Release Date
September 8, 1966
Seasons
3
Creator
Gene Roddenberry
Number of Episodes
79
Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
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