Starships and space exploration have always been one of the main themes of science fiction. Over the years, writers and filmmakers have tried to fantasize what spaceships are capable of and dreamed of what they could become in the future. In this review, the most interesting and iconic starships that have been encountered in science fiction.
1 Serenity
series "Firefly"
The ship "Serenity" ("Serenity") under the leadership of Captain Malcolm Reynolds could be seen in the TV series Firefly ("Firefly"). The Serenity is a Firefly-class ship first acquired by Reynolds shortly after the galactic civil war. The defining feature of the ship is the lack of weapons on it. When the crew gets into trouble, they must use all their ingenuity to get out of it.
2.Derelict
Alien franchise
Named "Derelict" (Abandoned) and codenamed Origin, the alien spaceship was found on LV-426 in the Alien movie. It was first discovered by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, after which it was investigated by the Nostromo team. No one knows how he got to the planet or who piloted him. The only remains that could be a potential pilot were a petrified creature. This sinister ship housed xenomorph eggs.
3.Discovery 1
movie "Space Odyssey"
The 2001 film is a science fiction classic, and the Discovery 1 spaceship in it is almost as iconic. Built for a manned mission to Jupiter, Discovery 1 was unweaponized but had one of the most advanced artificial intelligence systems known to man(HAL 9000).
4 Battlestar Galactica
movie "Battlestar Galactica"
"Battlestar Galactica" from the movie of the same name ("Battlestar Galactica") has the design of a real killer and a legendary story. It was considered a relic and was to be decommissioned, but became humanity's sole protector after the Cylon attack on the Twelve Colonies.
5. Bird of Prey
Star Trek franchise
The Bird of Prey was a warship of the Klingon Empire in Star Trek. While its firepower varied from ship to ship, it was common for the Birds to use photon torpedoes. They were considered the most dangerous due to the fact that they were equipped with a cloaking device.
6 Normandy SR-2
video game "Mass Effect 2"
The Normandy SR-2 has a particularly cool exterior design. As the successor to the SR-1, it was built to help Commander Shepard stop kidnappings by the Collector race. The ship is equipped with high-tech weapons and defenses and is constantly improved throughout the game.
7 USS Enterprise
Star Trek franchise
How can you not include in this list "USS Enterprise" ("Enterprise") from "Star Trek" ("Star Trek"). Of course, many fans of this saga will be interested in which version of the ship to choose. Naturally, it will be the unique NCC-1701 under the captaincy of James Kirk himself.
8 Imperial Star Destroyer
Star Wars franchise
The Imperial Star Destroyer was part of the vast Imperial fleet that maintained control and order throughout the galaxy. With its enormous size and large number of weapons, for years it symbolized the reigning power of the Empire.
9. Tie Fighter
Star Wars franchise
The Tie Fighter is one of the coolest and most unique ships in the galaxy. While it lacks shields, hyperdrive, or even life support systems, its fast drive and maneuverability make it a hard target for enemies to take down.
10. X-Wing
Star Wars franchise
Used by some of the best fighter pilots in the galaxy, the Tie Fighter is the starship of choice for the rebels in Star Wars. It was he who played a key role in the battle of Yavin and the battle of Endor. The wings of this fighter, armed with four laser cannons and proton torpedoes, were laid out in the shape of the letter "X" when attacking.
11. Milano
Guardians of the Galaxy franchise
In Guardians of the Galaxy, the Milano was an M-Ship class starship used by Star-Lord to find a mysterious orb and sell it to get rid of Yonda and his gang. He later played a key role in the Battle of Xandar. Star-Lord named the ship after a childhood friend, Alyssa Milano.
12. USCSS Nostromo
Star Wars franchise
The space tug "USCSS Nostromo" ("Nostromo"), captained by Captain Arthur Dallas, explored Derelict, which led to the possible birth of a single xenomorph.
13 Millennium Falcon
Star Wars franchise
The Millennium Falcon is, without a doubt, the best spacecraft in all of science fiction. Its super cool design, worn out looks, incredible speed, and the fact that it's piloted by Han Solo sets it apart from the rest. Lando Calrissian, who lost the ship to Han Solo, said, "It's the fastest piece of junk in the galaxy."
14. Trimaxion Drone
Film "Flight of the Navigator"
The Trimaxion Drone is the spacecraft in the movie Flight of the Navigator. It is piloted by a computer with artificial intelligence and looks like a chrome shell. The ability of the ship is quite outstanding, it is able to fly faster speed light and travel through time.
15. Slave I
Star Wars franchise
Slave I (Slave 1) is a Firebrand-31-class patrol and attack ship used by the famous Boba Fett in Star Wars. In The Empire Strikes Back, Slave I brought Han Solo frozen in carbonite to Jabba the Hutta. The most characteristic feature of the Slave I is its vertical position during flight and horizontal position during landing.
BONUS
In continuation of the topic, a story about. It's hard to believe this is reality.
show us a future that we never arrived at. We are not familiar with other civilizations, we cannot move freely between planets and solar systems, and lightsabers were not invented. Especially since we do not have such a variety of spacecraft. And if they were, what would they look like? Our colleagues at Business Insider compared the size of Star Wars ships to what we might see in our universe.
Let's start with a ground ship, which, although it flies, will not be able to send the captain into deep space. On such a vehicle, the heroine Daisy Ridley moved around the planet. Her ship is comparable in size to an ordinary African elephant. The length of such a vehicle is almost 3.5 meters.
Let's move on to the famous X-Wings, thanks to which the brave pilots are so successful in fighting the forces of the empire. This maneuverable ship can be compared to a private yacht. Its length is 12.5 meters.
Colleagues from Business Insider decided to compare the famous Millennium Falcon with Rockefeller's New Year tree, which is 33.5 meters high. It is impossible to put such a Christmas tree in an apartment.
The length of the ship of Kylo Ren, the villain from, can be compared with the height of the Statue of Liberty - 46 meters.
But the length of the cargo ship can rather be compared with the height of the Empire State Building skyscraper - 440 meters.
Spaceship model from Star Wars. Episode 4: A New Hope sold at auction in the US for a record $450,000. This was announced by the website of the auction house Profiles in History.
An anonymous buyer paid almost twice as much for a rarity with a height of 41 centimeters than the organizers of the auction expected. In 2008, a miniature fighter from the George Lucas saga was sold for 402.5 thousand dollars.
Other Hollywood lots include a 1953-1954 Superman costume owned by actor George Reeves. For him offered 216 thousand dollars. The famous whip from the Indiana Jones movies cost the new owner $204,000.
“We completed the world's most successful auction of Hollywood items in 2015, breaking the Guinness record. It was delivered by us in 2003. This time we have sold the most expensive Superman suit and spaceship,” said Josef Maddalena, president of the Profiles in History auction house.
For three days, they traded here in the amount of 7.3 million dollars.
1. TIE Fighter (aka TIE Fighter, aka Dishka)
The main fighter of the imperial troops, equipped with a twin ion engine (Twin Ion Engine), this is a rather menacing ship, which, moreover, emits a characteristic ominous creak when flying, capable of infuriating the enemy. The main disadvantage of the SID is the flat panels around the edges of the fighter, which makes it look like an eye hanging between two playing cards. Of course, you can figure out why they are needed (how do we know how these very ion engines work), but from a tactical point of view, these panels make the fighter too easy a target, which has been demonstrated more than once in films, and also completely block the pilot’s view, leaving him less than 50 degrees of visible space. You can imagine that with the help of a special virtual reality helmet, the SID pilot got a full view (by the way, helmets of a radar complex with a distributed aperture that provide a 360-degree view already exist on the F-35 fighters), but when the first trilogy was released, there was nothing like out of the question, which meant that the pilot of the TIE fighter could actually see nothing behind him, or even to the side.
2. Super Class Imperial Star Destroyer. 
A huge spaceship 18 kilometers long, the flagship of Darth Vader, carrying on board a huge number of fighters (as many as 6 squadrons) and ground equipment. An imposing ship that inspires fear in enemies, but for some reason extremely vulnerable. Why was it necessary to build such a huge ship at all? It was much larger than regular Star Destroyers, but for some reason was not equipped with more powerful weapons. This is especially clear at the Battle of Endor, when one Rebel starfighter crashed aboard the flagship, the huge ship lost control and collided with the second Death Star. When a tiny fighter can shoot down a flagship, and then the main strategically important weapon, someone has big problems with the original project.
3. Fighter "Snowspeeder". 
We first saw this small atmospheric fighter in The Empire Strikes Back. In addition to two laser blasters, the Snowspeeder also has a harpoon that shoots out of the ship on a strong and flexible cable. With this harpoon, they pierce the body of "walkers" (probably the most ridiculous machines in service with the Empire) and use a cable to tangle their legs, causing the walkers to fall. It should be noted how strange such a strategy is, during which the pilot, winding a circle around the leg of the walker, can simply lose consciousness or become confused in his head, there must be very strong overloads there. In addition, if the cable is so strong and so tight around the legs of the walker, the fighter could easily be torn in half before the end of the maneuver. Well, in principle, this is a long operation, it is easily blocked and requires a lot of training from each pilot, which is almost impossible under the conditions shown in the films. By the way, where does such a huge army of rebels train?
4. Trade Federation Droid Control Ship. 
Many military organizations from the Star Wars universe are suffering - in addition to lousy shooting skills - from the most serious command and administrative problems. Take, for example, the droid control ship we saw in The Phantom Menace. He controls the ground robotroopers, a massive army of 139,000 droids. When, again, one fighter accidentally flies into this huge ship and starts a chain reaction to destroy it (in general, sometimes it seems that in the local universe they have an extremely vague idea about the concept of compartments), all ground troops simply stop, and the offensive stops. That is, no options in case of an accident, no other methods of control. Quite a strange strategy, you can’t say otherwise. The ship had exactly one function, and even that it performed poorly.
5. X-wings, or X-wings. 
The famous rebel fighters, which have become a real symbol of Star Wars, in which all the small oddities of the spaceships of this universe are embodied. The control system of local spaceships, including X-wings, does not make sense. How, for example, do they slow down? In zero gravity, these fighters would need engines to point in the opposite direction, or the exterminators themselves would have to turn around and point their engines in the opposite direction - however, in the films they do neither. How do fighters even change direction? the X-wing has four engines, but, judging by the design, there is simply no means of changing course. Of course, they could change the direction of flight by gradually changing the thrust of individual engines, but then any turn would take a lot of time, and maneuverability could be forgotten. Finally, as with many Star Wars spaceships, they are simply too small. How did Luke manage to get all the way to another star system in a tiny fighter when he was looking for Master Yoda? How did you not go crazy on the road, sitting in one place, unable not to get up, not to move, not to lie down? And if the X-wings have the technology of such a fast teleportation or a FTL drive, then all the massive battles of the films completely lose their meaning.
What comes to mind when you hear the words "spaceship". For some reason, personally, I don’t remember Baikonur or Cape Canaveral, but shots from Star Wars. A lot of ships have been shown in all five films so far, but not all of them could become hallmarks of the saga.
One of the symbols of OT, of course, is the beaten by life (and not only) Corellian freighter with a big name "Millennium Falcon". At first glance, this flying trash can evokes the same feeling in almost everyone, most of all reminiscent of admiration for the fact that someone dares to go beyond the atmosphere on it. But the rule "Meet by clothes ..." has not been canceled. The freighter began his career under the strict guidance of Lando Calrissian, who led until the loss of the Falcon in the sabbak to Han Solo. This was the start...
The Falcon is equipped with equipment that is unthinkable for an ordinary Corellian truck. Security systems, computer terminals, reinforced deflectors, an improved hyperdrive, an armored hull - all this gives hope that the Falcon will turn out to be a thousand years old.
Let's start with speed. Once in Han's very skillful hands, the freighter could only accelerate to 65 NGSS, but after a while, a hundred became available to him. This is despite the fact that up to 100 metric tons can be loaded onto an almost 27-meter length. In hyperspace, it is one of the fastest non-Imperial ships (class 0.5) due to unregistered and, under normal conditions, incompatible hardware, as well as numerous modifications to major systems. But not all of this worked as smoothly as we would like. Periodically, the wayward bird had to be forced to work with the help of a "shock" on the control panel.
"Falcon" is a bird of prey and can not only fight off overly arrogant harassment, but also turn out to be a very dangerous opponent. Its claws are replaced by two quadruple laser cannons, and its beak is a cumulative rocket launcher located between the front cargo grips. And also, in ground combat, a retractable pulsed laser located under the belly of the Falcon can be very useful. Protection is provided by: a Novaldex protective field generator, a KDY deflector-type rear protective field generator, a Torplex deflector-type front protective field generator. Deflector shields can be formed exactly as it is needed at the moment by transferring power from one screen to another.
Among the other secrets of the Falcon, one can single out unscanned holds for smuggling, which can actually be called the main ones, as well as a radar saucer that allows the Falcon to detect ships in the surrounding space somewhat faster than it is detected. While the rest of the YT-1300-class ships must refuel at almost every port, four additional fuel tanks allow the Sokol to refuel on average once a month.
Han Solo and Chewbacca's elaborate propulsion system and hyperdrive requires a much stronger navicomputer to control it and hyperjump calculations as accurate and precise as any other hyperdrive-equipped ship. Therefore, the Sokol is equipped with the Hanks-Vargel Super-Flow IV on-board computer and the Torplex Tendem navigation computer. But these same bells and whistles also require more careful monitoring of the state of the systems, which, in fact, the crew does during the flight and stops.
Now about the main system of the ship - its crew. Although the word "bastard" in their lexicon took about 
the same place as "hello" for normal people, this couple worked perfectly together [(c) "Alternative History 2"], understanding each other and their ship from a half word and half gesture. IMHO, even with all its alterations and bells and whistles, but with a different crew, the Millennium Falcon would never have become the ship we are talking about today.
All in all, the standard YT-1300 on the Millennium Falcon is a saucer shape, two cargo grips on the front, a cylindrical cockpit on the side, and two escape pods. But all the additions to the equipment and systems are so well hidden that the Sokol certainly does not give the impression of a great warship. But who knows, if it looked like a brand new credit card, then this ship could cover Luke Skywalker during the attack on 3C1, leave Hoth, taking the head of the Rebellion Leia Organa away, and decide the fate of the Empire by blowing up 3C2.
Let's go further, or as good guides say: "If you look the other way, you will see Imperial Star Destroyer".
The Star Destroyer was designed by Imperial engineer Lyra Wessex, who based on the designs of her father, Veilex Blissex. This engineer, who worked for the Republic, designed the old Victoria-class Star Destroyer, as well as a number of other starships. Wessex proposed an "Imperial" class project, which was discussed at length by the highest ranks of the Empire. The ship, embodied in metal, was a marvel of technology and served as a perfect illustration of the power of the Empire.
There are systems whose gross domestic product is less than the cost of a single Star Destroyer. There are entire nations that, in their entire history, have not produced as much energy as a Star Destroyer expends in a hyperspace jump. The 1.6-kilometer ship was charged with energy at least from a small star - a solar ionization reactor was put forward from the bowels of the starship, and the powerful radiation of the star was turned into energy for a giant ship.
By the time of the Battle of Yavin, the most common class of ISRs were "Emperor". They are a true technological marvel, built by the Kuato Shipyards specifically for the Imperial Navy and intended primarily for combat in deep space. For this purpose, the ship is armed with 60 powerful Taim & Bak XX-9 turbolasers, which are controlled by the modern LeGrange search and targeting system. To capture enemy ships, the destroyer can use 60 Borsel NK-7 ion cannons and 10 Phylon Q7 capture beam projectors. The main hangar, capable of accommodating ships up to 150 meters long, houses most of the ship's fighters. In total, the IIS of this class carries 3 squadrons of Di-fighters, 2 squadrons of Di-interceptors and 1 squadron of Di-bombers. The second hangar is dedicated to ground troops and contains 15 Stormtrooper transports, 20 AT-AT walkers, 30 AT-ST light vehicles and a large number of ground vehicles. Each ship also has 9,700 soldiers on board. The destroyer can deploy a ground base within a few hours. The Destroyer's nerve center is the bridge located at the rear of the ship. From there, the whole ship is controlled. Above the bridge are two domes that project the ship's powerful deflector shields. The casing is reinforced with titanium. The limiting sublight speed is 60 NGSS.
Despite all this, the Destroyer does not have a waste recycling system, so all waste is simply thrown overboard through a special hatch in the back of the ship. Garbage poses a great danger to civilian traffic. Naturally, among the imperial ships there are, like giants, on board of which there are several hundred thousand people (the "Executioner" is the flagship of Darth Vader), as well as single-seat fighters.
About them later, but now - "Executioner"- a cruiser (Super Class Star Destroyer) was laid down on Fonford. Its size was to exceed any of the ships in service with the Empire or the Alliance. A few months after the Battle of Yavin, construction began on the first ship of this class. Despite the objections of many Imperial admirals, who felt that it was militarily more profitable to build a large number of smaller ships than to spend resources on one giant, Darth Vader forced the construction of the first ship. The Executor, the first Super-class Star Destroyer, became Lord Vader's personal flagship. Soon the "Executioner" showed its high military and psychological effectiveness. The emperor gave the order to start building new ships of this class. Executioner-class Star Destroyers, sometimes referred to as Super Star Destroyers due to their gigantic size, have become a powerful symbol of the New Order and the Emperor's unlimited power. By the time of the Battle of Endor, several such ships were already in service.
The gigantic, dagger-like hull of the Executioner-class Star Destroyer inspires fear and terror with its very appearance. More than a thousand pieces of various weapons are distributed over its surface, allowing the ship to fight alone with an entire fleet. The ship's hangars can accommodate 144 fighters and about 200 other transport and warships. For ground operations, each Executor carries 30 AT-ATs, 40 AT-STs, and a whole corps of stormtroopers. Three ground Imperial bases, also stored on the ship, are always ready for rapid deployment on the planet. Due to their gigantic destructive power, Executor-class ships did not often have to engage in battle - enemy ships preferred to surrender. Usually, Executioners serve as a mobile base and command center for an Imperial group.
Actually, the Executioner differs from the rest of the Imperial destroyers in size, respectively, in a large number of weapons and crew, as well as in a lower sublight speed (60 NGSS). Otherwise, its design is similar to other Destroyers. Just like them, the Executioner carries squadrons of fighters, interceptors and bombers. About them, in fact, will be discussed further.
Among small ships, the most famous are, of course, fighters. Bosom enemies and sworn friends are SIDs and X-wings.
The main class of single-seat fighters used by the Empire were SIDs, they are also DISHs, they are also TIEs. Received a name for the applied propulsion system - a double ion engine (Twin Ion Engine). The engine configuration requires very little fuel, yet achieves amazing speed and maneuverability. The first development of technologies in the field of ion propulsion company Seinar Technologies began long before the Clone Wars. Later, a subsidiary of Ceinar Design Systems produced several spacecraft for wealthy customers (among these orders was the Sith Infiltrator), the design developments of which served in the creation of the first TIE fighters. After the success of Tie Fighter "and Sienar Fleet System continued the development of the Tie series ships, which led to the creation a large number modifications. In the later years of the Old Republic, the concern, renamed Republican Sienar Systems, released the first model of a short-range fighter - TIE. It was the Republic's first military order for such fighters. With the advent of the Empire, Republic Sienar Systems was renamed again, Sienar Fleet Systems. The SPS was commissioned by the Imperial Government to redesign the TIE Fighter. New model The Imperial TIE Fighter also soon required improvement, and the FSB developed the TIE Line Fighter (TIE/ln).
There are several specialized varieties of LEDs:
- TIE Fighter - the most common ship in the entire Empire, armed with two laser cannons and can reach speeds of up to 100 NGSS;
- TIE Interceptor (interceptor) - this model is more maneuverable and faster. It already has four lasers and a sublight speed of up to 111
- TIE Bomber (bomber) - the only ship that has a double hull. Thanks to this design, it is the most durable ship of the entire TIE series. It has two lasers and two launchers for missiles or torpedoes. At the same time, it is the slowest of the TIE series - 80 NGSS;
- TIE Defender (defender) - the ship was designed by Admiral Zaarin. Armed with four lasers, two ion cannons and two launchers, speed up to 140 NGSS. There are only a few such ships in the Emperor's fleet. There is no assembly line.
Deserves special attention Di-advanced, a starfighter designed personally by Darth Vader before the Battle of Yavin. During the battle, Vader flew a prototype of this ship, which saved his life when the Death Star was destroyed. This prototype was called "Revenge". Subsequently, Vader improved the ship. Armed with four laser cannons and two launchers. It can reach sublight speeds up to 145 NGSS and is equipped with a hyperdrive.
Common features of the entire TIE family are maneuverability (with the exception of the bomber), rate of fire and a very small profile (with the exception of the side panels).
Since we are talking about fighters, it is impossible not to mention the beloved ship of the Rebel Alliance - X-wing, he is the X-wing, he is the Incom T-65, and he is, he is, he is ... The X-wing is rightfully considered one of the most advanced single-pilot starships. The fighter got its name from the twin wings that open when entering the atmosphere or flying in combat, forming a characteristic "X", which increases the field of fire. Along with four powerful laser cannons, X-wing fighters are equipped with 
proton torpedoes, shielding field, hyperdrive (class 1) and astromech droid.
The Incom T-65 was the last development of the Incom Corporation before the start of the Imperial Terror. Realizing that the Empire will not stop and will capture everything and everything, the company joined the rebels. They managed to erase all data on their new fighter from the bases of the Empire. This transition was a great loss for the Empire and a great gain for the Alliance. Soon the rebels began to produce X-wings for their fleet. One of the reasons for the unprecedented success of the T-65 was its unusual concept and design. At the ends of the wings are laser cannons capable of firing simultaneously, individually, in pairs, or in any other mode. A pair of torpedo launchers are located in the center of the fuselage, each magazine loaded with three proton torpedoes, the same ones Luke fired into the ventilation shaft to destroy the first Death Star.
Like most other fighters, the X-wing is designed for only one pilot. Behind the cockpit, however, is a nest for an R2-series "Industrial Instrumentation" astromech droid that performs many co-pilot duties. In flight and in combat, the droid is responsible for astrogation and air navigation, damage control and course keeping. In case of emergency, R2 can take control of the ship. All astromechs assigned to X-wing fighters keep up to 10 hyperspace coordinates in memory in case of retreat or other need to enter hyperspace.
One of the most valuable qualities of this fighter is its reliability. The skin made of reinforced titanium alloy, the generators of the protective screen and the protective field "Champat", as well as the transparistal canopy of the cockpit allow the fighter to endure several hits without a significant loss of combat qualities and have high level life support. Minor malfunctions caused by enemy fire can be fixed by an astromech in a matter of minutes. However, in case of serious damage, the pilot can use the ejection system.
Another display of ingenuity in the design of the T-65 is the deliberate use of much the same control panel found on the T-16 hopper and similar airspeeders. Most of the Alliance pilots were recruited from the frontier planets, where they honed their craft in machines as inexpensive and durable as the hopper. Seeing the familiar controls, young pilots (such as Luke, Biggs Darklighter and Jack Porkins) quickly got used to their new fighters. The maximum sublight speed is 110 NGSS, the flight speed in the atmosphere is up to 1050 km/h.