# Which starship would you command? Pilot? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858 "2007-06-13T15:15:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Haunted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/898d66/32.png) [@Haunted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/41 "2007-06-13T21:08:38Z")
Oooo, I would command the Serenity. And my first official act would be to make ex-Captain TightPants my First Mate. Or my sex slave. Tomayto, tomahto. And that chick on my shuttle has to go. Now. Pilot? I’m in command… let somebody else do that. I’m busy counting my doubloons. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/42 "2007-06-13T21:12:18Z")
The USS Discovery from 2001 [![](http://lemonolithe.free.fr/maquette/disc/discg.jpg) ](http://lemonolithe.free.fr/maquette/disc/discg.jpg) Almost as pretty as the Enterprise-A and, since it is made with turn of the millenium tech, much easier to maintain and repair. HAL tells me the antenna thingy unit should be allowed to fail before replacing it with the spare, I say " Yeah, okay. Sure!" 😛 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/43 "2007-06-13T21:35:18Z")
[QUOTE=Stranger On A Train] … the “Slapstick” Libby-enhanced _[New Frontiers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methuselah's_Children)_ … [/QUOTE] “Slapstick” Libby? Is that Slipstick’s circus clown brother? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/44 "2007-06-13T21:41:44Z")
Sheesh, why do all you people want huge crews to manage? Talk about headaches. I want something that can be run either by myself, or by a small crew (no more than four), or by a single _sane_ AI. Something with a bit of living space (not all that much needed, just enough.) and SSTO capability, preferably with some kind of star drive as well. Which leaves me the following vessels, I think: Gay Deciever, a T.A.R.D.I.S., or Ryo-ohki from Tenchi Muyo. Dahak might squeek in there, except that the idea of landing him anywhere is kinda dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/45 "2007-06-13T21:46:48Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] Dahak might squeek in there, except that the idea of landing him anywhere is kinda dangerous. [/QUOTE] That’s what the sublight parasites are for. Besides, Gay is just too small, and if I were cooped up with the same people 24/7, there would be mutiny or beaching within a week. No, give me a huge ship to command, so I have a plentiful supply of redshirts to do the dangerous stuff. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/46 "2007-06-13T21:48:50Z")
I know Gay is small - that’s why it would be just me and her. And Barsoom is just a hop, skip and a jump away, if I need to walk about. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/47 "2007-06-13T22:01:38Z")
[QUOTE=butler1850] Not to mention that it has an SEP field. So often, I’ve tried to perfect my design for a small SEP generator for my work cube, but it doesn’t seem to work quite right. 😃 [/QUOTE] You need to paint it pink, or some other unexpected color that is inexplicable or unexpected. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/48 "2007-06-13T22:33:42Z")
I’d like to have the big chair of the SDF-1 Macross. Whether UN Spacey or RDF, that baby is one of my favourite starships ever. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/49 "2007-06-13T23:47:43Z")
How about the _Teacher_? With Gay as the shuttlecraft, of course. There would be a advantage of having two different drive techs… ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/50 "2007-06-13T23:53:13Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] Sheesh, why do all you people want huge crews to manage? Talk about headaches. I want something that can be run either by myself, or by a small crew (no more than four), or by a single _sane_ AI. Something with a bit of living space (not all that much needed, just enough.) and SSTO capability, preferably with some kind of star drive as well. [/QUOTE] That’s why I broke out the two categories. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/51 "2007-06-14T02:05:03Z")
USS Reliant NCC-1864-B, a Genesis-alloy clone of the original mined out of an asteroid from the explosion of that planet. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/52 "2007-06-14T06:10:36Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] From all the starships in film. Well? And what would be your second choices? Assume you’re in total command [/QUOTE] Well really as long as it makes it to ludicrous speed , its all good. Declan ---
**Author:** ![BlakeTyner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@BlakeTyner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlakeTyner)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/53 "2007-06-14T07:17:49Z")
Command: USS Excelsior or Enterprise-B - I always thought the Excelsior class was the most elegant looking. Pilot: X-wing - I’d much rather be a Star Wars fighter jock than a Star Trek helmsman (unless I could get Worf’s ‘little ship’. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/54 "2007-06-14T11:57:15Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Why anyone would want to pilot or command the Serenity is beyond me. Parts keep falling off the gorram thing! 😃 [/QUOTE] Yes, and every time there’s a major breakdown, you, as captain, are entitled to spank the ship’s mechanic. Any other questions? ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/55 "2007-06-14T12:10:25Z")
[QUOTE=Dewey Finn] The OP asked about starships from movies, but some of these are from novels. Otherwise, I’d agree on the Gay Deceiver. If you’re willing to consider Star Trek televsion shows, I’d say the Defiant. [/QUOTE] s’ok the defiant was in a movie. It was plot crutch A to get Worf on to the Enterprise. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/56 "2007-06-14T13:42:57Z")
[QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer] Yes, and every time there’s a major breakdown, you, as captain, are entitled to spank the ship’s mechanic. Any other questions? [/QUOTE] I sit duly chastised and corrected. I hadn’t thought it through as completely as you. Excuse me while I find a place to hide this toolbox. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/57 "2007-06-14T14:02:59Z")
Command: I’ve always liked the way the _Reliant_ looked, so I’d go with it. Pilot: Koensayr BTL-S3 Y-Wing. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/58 "2007-06-14T16:28:55Z")
Jefferson Starship! ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/59 "2007-06-14T17:18:23Z")
Trying to not be a jerk, but what’s the difference between all those Star Trek ships? They all look the same to me. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2007, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858/60 "2007-06-14T19:24:56Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] Trying to not be a jerk, but what’s the difference between all those Star Trek ships? They all look the same to me. [/QUOTE] Size, degree of streamlining, and arrangement of warp nacelles, I’d say. Roddenberry once suggested that all Starfleet warp-capable ships should have nacelles (in multiples of two) symmetrically arranged outside of a primary hull, perhaps in reaction to the popularity of Franz Joseph’s _Star Trek Technical Manual_, which had some one- and three-nacelled starships. But later ST production teams modified (or ignored) Roddenberry’s precepts, so more recently there have been some very offbeat designs. Here’s a good article on the subject: [Ex Astris Scientia - Starship Design Guidelines](http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/design.htm) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-starship-would-you-command-pilot/407858.md?page=2)