Sunday night, I directed your attention to Martin Anderson's excellent list on Den of Geek: Top 75 Spaceships in Movies and TV. 75! That's a lot! And yet, there have been so many great designs over the years that I'm still left thinking some vessels got robbed. Don't get me wrong, there are some great spaceships in there, and Anderson doesn't usually go for the obvious either. The TARDIS and the Planet Express get some love, for example, but fans of Lexx, Andromeda or Farscape don't get any acknowledgment.
And they won't get any from me either, but I will single out a few ships that would certainly have made MY list.
10. Martian Warship (War of the Worlds)
Despite the fact that it's a total departure from the novel's tripods, I have a certain affection for the 1953 saucer with reading light attachment version ever since I saw it on afternoon tv when I was a kid. The reading light or shower head thing packs quite a punch, and the sleek design of the saucer turns out to have close ties to the design of the Martians themselves. It's the unity of design that makes it so memorable for me.
9. Swinetrek (Pigs in Space)
There's nothing wrong with a "silly" design, not if it works. Which is why I couldn't put the Heart of Gold on here. But Miss Piggy's "bottle rocket" does. The muppet pig face, the Flash Gordon aesthetic, and that "do not" symbol on the nose. Pigs on patrol, cease and desist!
8. Sontaran Ship (Doctor Who)
Doctor Who doesn't have very many cool spaceships. Lots of saucer designs, a few rockets, some Star Wars and Aliens knock-offs... But I do like the Sontaran ships. Originally just tiled balls with a door, the new series has reimagined them with window space without affecting the overall look.
7. White Star (Babylon 5)
If there's one series that was neglected in the Den's list, it's Babylon 5. The show produced a large number of unique designs with interesting shapes and textures. When B5 unveiled its version of the Defiant, the White Star, it was as kickass a moment. The ship had great moves and great lines, in line with an alien aesthetic that made many vessels look like marine animals.
6. Shadow Ship (Babylon 5)
Creepy as hell, the Shadows had unique vessels that inch out the White Star based on intimidation power alone.
5. Vorlon Ship (Babylon 5)
And this squid design? It completes my B5 trifecta by appealing to my steampunk sensibilities. To me, it's what Captain Nemo would drive in 20,000 Leagues Over the Sea.
4. USS Defiant (Star Trek)
Anderson has a lot of Star Trek ships on show, of course, but he's missing a couple of my favorites. Case in point: The Defiant. Taking the saucer/nacelle design to new heights of minimalism, this over-powered little ship became a favorite as soon as its gonzo phasers started firing. Yes, I know very well it's a take on the Millennium Falcon, but it kicks a lot more ass.
3. Borg Cube (Star Trek)
I understand why the Borg Cube wouldn't be considered. After all, it's just a big box of old car model parts. But it does a lot with it. It reminds us that in space, there's no call for aerodynamics, and it does so in a spectacularly intimidating way. One need only watch the opening of First Contact to see what I'm talking about. Insert opera music here.
2. Arcadia/L'Atlantide (Albator AKA Captain Harlock)
The Den of Geek does give a spot to the similar "boat in space" design of Starblazers' Yamato, but (and I'm gonna use the French names here) Albator's Atlantide (that would be Atlantis, not Arcadia) takes it just a little further with the skull and crossbones on the front and the antique captain's cabin at the stern. Throw in a sentient computer that holds the soul of Albator's dead friend and you've got #2 on a list like this.
1. Chiggy von Richthofen's Chig Fighter (Space: Above and Beyond)
Now, I like the Chig fighters as a rule. Cool three-clawed design, and spinning moves that would make any human pilot red out, but the Red Baron of space has an even cooler feature: Scrawled on his hull is "Abandon all hope". Does it seem as if I like intimidating ships a heck of a lot? I guess that's a fair cop.
I'm sure Den of Geek's list could have gone up to 100. What are your favorite overlooked ships from movies and tv?
Tomorrow... well, Cat of the Geek, but the Day After Tomorrow: Top Spaceships from Comics! Don't get left behind on this mudball we call Earth!
And they won't get any from me either, but I will single out a few ships that would certainly have made MY list.
10. Martian Warship (War of the Worlds)
Despite the fact that it's a total departure from the novel's tripods, I have a certain affection for the 1953 saucer with reading light attachment version ever since I saw it on afternoon tv when I was a kid. The reading light or shower head thing packs quite a punch, and the sleek design of the saucer turns out to have close ties to the design of the Martians themselves. It's the unity of design that makes it so memorable for me.9. Swinetrek (Pigs in Space)
There's nothing wrong with a "silly" design, not if it works. Which is why I couldn't put the Heart of Gold on here. But Miss Piggy's "bottle rocket" does. The muppet pig face, the Flash Gordon aesthetic, and that "do not" symbol on the nose. Pigs on patrol, cease and desist!8. Sontaran Ship (Doctor Who)
Doctor Who doesn't have very many cool spaceships. Lots of saucer designs, a few rockets, some Star Wars and Aliens knock-offs... But I do like the Sontaran ships. Originally just tiled balls with a door, the new series has reimagined them with window space without affecting the overall look.7. White Star (Babylon 5)
If there's one series that was neglected in the Den's list, it's Babylon 5. The show produced a large number of unique designs with interesting shapes and textures. When B5 unveiled its version of the Defiant, the White Star, it was as kickass a moment. The ship had great moves and great lines, in line with an alien aesthetic that made many vessels look like marine animals.6. Shadow Ship (Babylon 5)
Creepy as hell, the Shadows had unique vessels that inch out the White Star based on intimidation power alone.5. Vorlon Ship (Babylon 5)
And this squid design? It completes my B5 trifecta by appealing to my steampunk sensibilities. To me, it's what Captain Nemo would drive in 20,000 Leagues Over the Sea.4. USS Defiant (Star Trek)
Anderson has a lot of Star Trek ships on show, of course, but he's missing a couple of my favorites. Case in point: The Defiant. Taking the saucer/nacelle design to new heights of minimalism, this over-powered little ship became a favorite as soon as its gonzo phasers started firing. Yes, I know very well it's a take on the Millennium Falcon, but it kicks a lot more ass.3. Borg Cube (Star Trek)
I understand why the Borg Cube wouldn't be considered. After all, it's just a big box of old car model parts. But it does a lot with it. It reminds us that in space, there's no call for aerodynamics, and it does so in a spectacularly intimidating way. One need only watch the opening of First Contact to see what I'm talking about. Insert opera music here.2. Arcadia/L'Atlantide (Albator AKA Captain Harlock)
The Den of Geek does give a spot to the similar "boat in space" design of Starblazers' Yamato, but (and I'm gonna use the French names here) Albator's Atlantide (that would be Atlantis, not Arcadia) takes it just a little further with the skull and crossbones on the front and the antique captain's cabin at the stern. Throw in a sentient computer that holds the soul of Albator's dead friend and you've got #2 on a list like this.1. Chiggy von Richthofen's Chig Fighter (Space: Above and Beyond)
Now, I like the Chig fighters as a rule. Cool three-clawed design, and spinning moves that would make any human pilot red out, but the Red Baron of space has an even cooler feature: Scrawled on his hull is "Abandon all hope". Does it seem as if I like intimidating ships a heck of a lot? I guess that's a fair cop.I'm sure Den of Geek's list could have gone up to 100. What are your favorite overlooked ships from movies and tv?
Tomorrow... well, Cat of the Geek, but the Day After Tomorrow: Top Spaceships from Comics! Don't get left behind on this mudball we call Earth!
Comments
Never watched Space: Above and Beyond. Is it any good?
In fact, I wouldn't mind an entire post devoted to this series as I'm betting a lot of folks (who are probably also fans of "space battle shows" like DS9 and BSG) never watched it...
(A Micro Machines Defiant sits next to the Grandizer saucer at my desk at work. Yes, I am a bit cluttered.)
Now I'll have to check out that other list. Tell me there's an Eagle on it...
Googum: There is. Grandizer ALMOST made this list, but I decided against ships that could transform into robots. As for the Defiant being easy to steal, I think that's a feature on all Starfleet ships.
The whole idea of the aware computers as terrorists and the engineered human soldiers were also cool elements that made it more than just a space combat show.
When I stated "space battle shows" referring to DS9 and BSG (3 of my favorite series), I included those quotation marks as if to say, "Hey, these are incredibly solid science-fiction shows that concentrate a great deal on human drama, but they ALSO tend to include a healthy diet of space combat."
That's all.
I'm certainly not implying that SAAB is just a show about lasers and 'splosions and such. Ha.
And again, yeah, let's have a post about it.
Shame. It's a great little cargo hauler. And it has a basketball court.
I would add the Ark from the original Transformers, even if it didn't get much use past episode one (not counting the lookalikes from the movie and season three); the royal cruiser from Phantom Menace, the only Naboo ship that didn't look like crap; the Duck Dogers ship, both the classic shorts and the recent TV series; and the SDF-1 of Robotech.
After an encounter with the Borg, the Defiant is badly damaged but deemed salvageble.
Riker: Tought little ship.
Worf: Little?
Brilliant!
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Bajoran_lightship