Summary
Keeping order in the universe requires a few big ships, and the United Federation of Planets has some impressive starships in theStar Trekuniverse. However, the Federation has its detractors, and there are plenty of civilizations that have built their own big, impressive fleets to fill in this balance of power.
A few of the powerful and modern ships that are not produced, owned, or operated by the Federation are intended for combat, and these are often famous for devastating battles or important political events. Others are designed for exploration or science, but they’re so advanced that any encounter with them would be dangerous for a standard Starfleet-operated ship.
7Kronos One
The Official Transport Of The Klingon High Command
When the Kronos One appeared in Star Trek 6, it wasone of the first timesaudiences saw a Klingon ship that wasn’t a Bird-of-Prey. Some aspects of the design are similar, like the placement of the nacelles, making it more distinctly a ship built on Qo’noS. It was more of a fortress than a battleship, with extra features like cryogenic sleep facilities.
The ship was the flagship of the Klingon fleet and carried the leader of the Klingon High Council to peace talks with the Federation. In 2293, Chancellor Gorkon was on his way to Federation peace talks in the wake of the destruction of Praxis. Even after he was assassinated, his daughter Azetbur continued the diplomatic mission in his place.
6The Xyrillian Ship
Holodeck Technology And An Indoor Garden
It’s fortunate for the Federation that the reclusive Xyrillians are a peaceful race, more interested in developing their stealth and bio-technology than making weapons or war, because they have some devastating advanced knowledge that could be very destructive if misused.
The Xyrillian’s ability to move unseen while siphoning power from nearby ships can outdo any missile or laser when it comes to long-term destructive power. This is also the race that first developed the technology that later Trek shows would use as the basis for the Holodeck, and anyone familiar withStar Trek: The Next Generationknows how much trouble that thing causes.
5The Whale Probe
A Destructive But Successful Search
The origin and builders of the ship nicknamed “The Whale Probe” are still unknown, and it seems the catastrophic effect the ship had on everything it even came near was completely unintentional. The ship was so big, its size made it oblivious to all of the much smaller creatures it was inadvertently killing, but luckily,Captain Kirk and his crewshowed up just in time to save humanity, planet Earth, and the whales.
The Whale Probe has few discernible markings and no visible weapons, the only distinctive feature being the blue and white glowing “probe” that is extended from one end for communication. Or in this case, destruction on a galactic scale, and when the ship withdrew, power was restored without any further damage.
4The Borg Cube
Adapt, Explore, And Consume
The Borg Cube first appeared in the notoriousTNGepisode, “The Best of Both Worlds,” and since then, the Federation has been compelled to face and fight many more. The Borg and their signature “cube” ships often make appearances inStar Trek: Voyager as well, since the Delta Quadrant is the Borg’s home in space.
Part of the reason the Borg is so dangerous is thattheir ships are equally savage. Every Borg Cube is trans warp capable and carries virtually every weapon in existence: photon torpedoes, cutting lasers, tractor beams, and missiles, along with subspace and force fields for defense.
3The Vetar
A Cardassian Military Ship
The Cardassians were the main villains of theStar Trek: Deep Space Nineera, although this ship first appeared in an episode ofTNGandthe premiere episode ofVoyager. It was one of many ships pulled into the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker, but was sent back and eventually destroyed by a Maquis attack.
The Vetar was one of the Cardassian ships chosen to survey the settlements on Dorvan V that were intended to be a part of the deal they made with the Federation, the main reason being as a show of force with a powerful military ship. The Commander of the ship at the time, Gul Evek,threatened Picard to send moretroops if he and his crew continued to interfere with their plans.
2Chang’s Bird Of Prey Prototype
It Can Fire When Cloaked
Officially, this vessel was part of the Klingon imperial fleet, but its status as a prototype kept it off the books, and it was nicknamed after its Captain, General Chang. This was the ship that was used to disable Kronos One, an impressive battleship in a league of its own, so the assassins could access the ship and get to Chancellor Gorkon.
The Federation had no idea that it existed until a group of conspirators tried to use it to derail an intergalactic peace conference. No other ship would have had the combined power of stealth and firepower to not only make the calculated attack on Kronos One, but also to frame the nearby Enterprise for the Chancellor’s assassination. InStar Trek: Picard, the ship appeared again as one of the historical exhibits in the Fleet Museum on Athan Prime.
1The Nicor Bioship
A Powerful Bioship From The Delta Quadrant
Species 8472 are reclusive and dangerous, and an even more deadly enemy than the Borg, who gave them this numeric designation. They’re also referred to as the Undine. They are a non-humanoid race that can exist in both our plane of reality in space and another dimension called “fluidic space.” This can be compared to an underwater environment without stars or planets, and both this species and their vessels can function in either.
Captain Janeway and theVoyagernarrowly escaped destruction at the hands of this ship, and it’s only a frigate, one of the smaller ones in the fleet. Despite its size, it is still armed to the teeth with a slew of biological weapons that include, but are not limited to, a fluidic antiproton beam array, bio-plasmic warheads, a fluidic antiproton beam array, and a collection of bio-plasmic warheads.
