Star Trek: Every Starfleet Starship Class Ranked Worst To Best

32. Constitution (Prime)

Star Trek USS Enterprise
Paramount

The Constitution class vessels were the backbone of Starfleet for much of the second half of the 23rd century. Designed by Matt Jefferies for the original pilot The Cage, the USS Enterprise set the template for almost every vessel that followed - introducing the idea of the saucer section rising above the drive section, with the warp nacelles swept up away from the ship.

This enduring image lasted for the entirety of the Original Series and, though heavily redesigned, returned for the movies, beginning with The Motion Picture in 1979. The Enterprise-A would be the last Constitution class vessel shown on-screen for many years - even with that drive hull shown in the wreckage of Wolf 359.

For its appearance in Star Trek: Discovery, John Eaves beautifully re-imagined the classic, bringing it more in line with the current aesthetic of Star Trek, while still honouring the Matt Jefferies original concept.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"