What is sci fi's most beautiful spaceship?

[Orac Zen]

The Liberator from Blakes 7.

Only the White Star and Moya are even remotely in the same league.

 

[arch101]

Easily the Enterprise-D. Andrew Probert's testament to spacecraft as sculpture. It will be another generation before she's outdone. I could look at her all day. The TOS Enterprise looked dated by 1975. The Enterprise-D is 21 years old and is still contemporary without the need for a 'refit' to update her looks. Clean, simple design is good forever. Like Fallingwater, the Guggenheim in NYC or a Barcelona Chair.

 

[RAMA]

The Outer Limits solar sailer! Gorgeous!

 

[Neroon]

It is perhaps a little late in the thread to ask this, but what criteria are people using to qualify a spacecraft as "beautiful"? We've lightly touched on it a couple of times. Ultimately there are no right or wrong answers, jsut personal ones. So I'm curious when you classify the NCC-1701-D or the Liberator or an Omega class destroyer, etc. as "the msot beautiful" what characteristics make it so appealing to you?

 

[Orac Zen]

I really don't know. All I know is that the first time I saw B7's Liberator I was hooked and that was pretty much that. It just works for me. I've never seen the "plucked chicken" effect some say they see in the White Star; to me, it looks elegant and streamlined. And Moya's like the Liberator; the look just works for me, for whatever reason(s).

 

[Mysterion]

It is perhaps a little late in the thread to ask this, but what criteria are people using to qualify a spacecraft as "beautiful"? We've lightly touched on it a couple of times. Ultimately there are no right or wrong answers, jsut personal ones. So I'm curious when you classify the NCC-1701-D or the Liberator or an Omega class destroyer, etc. as "the msot beautiful" what characteristics make it so appealing to you?

Marriage of form and function. Andromeda has these wonderful flowing lines to her with those outriggers to ride the slipstream.

 

[RAMA]

It is perhaps a little late in the thread to ask this, but what criteria are people using to qualify a spacecraft as "beautiful"? We've lightly touched on it a couple of times. Ultimately there are no right or wrong answers, jsut personal ones. So I'm curious when you classify the NCC-1701-D or the Liberator or an Omega class destroyer, etc. as "the msot beautiful" what characteristics make it so appealing to you?

A graceful, integrated design is what counts most in my book. So while the Babylon 5 Earth ships are awesome and realistic, they are not beautiful. Same with the Serenity and Liberator. The Liberator looks like a Lego ship, and the Serenity like a wounded hog.

 

[Admiral2]

Battlestar Galactica. Either version.

My defintion of beauty in this case has nothing to do with looks and everything to do with function. Galactica is the only ship in sci-fi that's a pure carrier, the main reason I've always been fascinated with it.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

^^

Hey Darkwing duck

When is volume 3 coming out?

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Battlestar Galactica. Either version.

My defintion of beauty in this case has nothing to do with looks and everything to do with function. Galactica is the only ship in sci-fi that's a pure carrier, the main reason I've always been fascinated with it.

never been a fan of the "cockroachstar" new Galactica as a design...now the new Pegasus...

While I'm at it...working on my DOGA rendition of the Searcher (Buck Rogers Season 2) has given me a new appreciation for that design...

 

[Admiral2]

Battlestar Galactica. Either version.

My defintion of beauty in this case has nothing to do with looks and everything to do with function. Galactica is the only ship in sci-fi that's a pure carrier, the main reason I've always been fascinated with it.

never been a fan of the "cockroachstar" new Galactica as a design...now the new Pegasus...

While I'm at it...working on my DOGA rendition of the Searcher (Buck Rogers Season 2) has given me a new appreciation for that design...

Really? I always thought of the Searcher as just a built up Discovery. I kept expecting to hear from HaL when I watched that season of Buck Rogers.

 

[Skywalker]

All my other picks have already been mentioned, but I also really like the various Vulcan ships from Enterprise.

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Battlestar Galactica. Either version.

My defintion of beauty in this case has nothing to do with looks and everything to do with function. Galactica is the only ship in sci-fi that's a pure carrier, the main reason I've always been fascinated with it.

never been a fan of the "cockroachstar" new Galactica as a design...now the new Pegasus...

While I'm at it...working on my DOGA rendition of the Searcher (Buck Rogers Season 2) has given me a new appreciation for that design...

Really? I always thought of the Searcher as just a built up Discovery. I kept expecting to hear from HaL when I watched that season of Buck Rogers.

They definitely share some design aesthetics, now that you mention it.

I'd like to see the Searcher done up in modern CG with proper portholes,windows, detailing and such modeled in instead of the relatively primitive way they did it in 1980.

 

[JuanBolio]

Battlestar Galactica. Either version.

My defintion of beauty in this case has nothing to do with looks and everything to do with function. Galactica is the only ship in sci-fi that's a pure carrier, the main reason I've always been fascinated with it.

Carriers in space are illogical.

 

[Neroon]

There's a stark, deadly beauty with Vader's command ship from "Episode V". Long and lean and oh so mean!

 

[USS Phantom]

From Star Trek:
TOS Enterprise
TMP Enterprise
Ambassador Class
USS Excelsior
USS Rhode Island

Others:
Millenium Falcon
C57D from Forbidden Planet
The Jupiter 2
The Discovery

I also liked the flying saucer from the latest Indiana Jones flick.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Battlestar Galactica. Either version.

My defintion of beauty in this case has nothing to do with looks and everything to do with function. Galactica is the only ship in sci-fi that's a pure carrier, the main reason I've always been fascinated with it.

Carriers in space are illogical.

Why?

 

[Skywalker]

My defintion of beauty in this case has nothing to do with looks and everything to do with function. Galactica is the only ship in sci-fi that's a pure carrier, the main reason I've always been fascinated with it.

Wrong.

There's more to sci-fi beyond books, movies, and television.

 

[JuanBolio]

Battlestar Galactica. Either version.

My defintion of beauty in this case has nothing to do with looks and everything to do with function. Galactica is the only ship in sci-fi that's a pure carrier, the main reason I've always been fascinated with it.

Carriers in space are illogical.

Why?

Space fighters are impractical. This guy explains it better than I ever could:

http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3x.html#fighters

(Doesn't stop me, though - I love Wing Commander! )

 

[darkwing_duck1]

Battlestar Galactica. Either version.

My defintion of beauty in this case has nothing to do with looks and everything to do with function. Galactica is the only ship in sci-fi that's a pure carrier, the main reason I've always been fascinated with it.

Carriers in space are illogical.

How so? Wouldn't a spacefaring power need ways to project it's aerospace superiority, just as any terrestrial power would?