Star Trek: Every Starship Enterprise Ranked From WORST To BEST

Welcome to the Sophie's Choice of starship rankings, where we finally settle the age old debate

Star Trek Enterprise J NX 01
OTOY/The Roddenberry Archive/CBS Media Ventures

The USS Enterprise, regardless of what comes after, is one of, if not the, most recognisable names in Sci-Fi. All respect to the Millennium Falcon and the TARDIS, but those opening sequences announcing the ongoing mission of the Enterprise helped solidify its place in pop culture history. 

The destruction of the Enterprise in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock couldn't erase the need for another Enterprise to zoom off, leading to the christening of the Enterprise-A. Thus began a lineage of ships, all introduced out of order, expanding on the history of the name.

To rank these ships, we're doing our best to put our own personal preferences aside. Some would have the aircraft carrier as the number one slot, what with its colourful place in Star Trek's history, but this list is confined to starships only. When we're comparing warp cores here, it's only fair!

There will also be an honourable mention, which will hopefully make sense when seen.

Enterprises have arrived, departed, returned, made cameos, and popped up in unusual places through the years. Only one has been constant to every timeline in Trek, though, does that make it a saucer section and nacelles above the rest? 

Place your bets now on which of these classic ships will come out on top. Until then, engage warp engines and get ready for the fighting words in the comments. 

Make it so!

14. Honourable Mention: XCV-330

Star Trek XCV 330 Ringship Enterprise
OTOY/The Roddenberry Archive

We begin with the XCV-330, affording it an honourable mention because it has yet to be seen on screen. To date, it has appeared in drawings, paintings, and even in the form of a model on a desk, but this ring ship hasn't taken flight in the Star Trek universe. 

OTOY have depicted in their short films, though that version was downed on a planet's surface, and the overall ring design served as the inspiration for the USS Beagle in Star Trek: Lower Decks. The ship was based on one of Matt Jefferies' original concepts for the USS Enterprise, but was discarded when the designer felt a studio model wouldn't hold up to the rigours of television.

It returned in The Motion Picture as a backlit transparency on the rec deck, then again in Star Trek: Enterprise. Its portrait hung in the 602 Club on Earth, suggesting it was launched before 2143. In the Kevlin timeline, there is a model of this ship on Admiral Marcus's desk. If the ships are arranged in order of their launch date, then in that universe at least, it departed Earth before the launch of the Phoenix.

The design inspired Doug Drexler when it came to the Vulcan ships on Enterprise, so its legacy lives on through variations and that famous name. 

Contributor
Contributor

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"