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This article is about the vehicle for interstellar travel; Starship was also a mid-1980s name for a follow-on to the band Jefferson
Airplane.
the starship Enterprise-D, from Star Trek
A starship is a spaceship designed for interstellar travel, specifically between solar systems. Science
fiction abounds with tales of such ships. Space-going vessels that are not intended for travel between star systems are often
referred to as spaceships.
A common literary device is to posit a faster-than-light
propulsion system (such as warp drive), although some starship stories have their craft outfitted for centuries-long journeys of slower-than-light travel.
Humanity has not yet constructed any true starships, although many scientists and enthusiasts have discussed proposals for
interstellar travel. This article focuses on starships as
they are encountered in science fiction.
Starship designs can be divided into:
Fictional starships
Different authors and different stories will, of course, imagine different kinds of starships. Certain common elements are
found in most fiction that discusses starships. Fiction that discusses slower-than-light starships is relatively rare, since the
time scales are so long. Faster-than-light starships are often imagined as analogous to sea-going ships.
Starships are typically large, multi-passenger vehicles (cf starfighter).
They range in size from small personal yachts and courier ships, up to vast bulk containers (used for intrasystem shipping) and
enormous warships. Exceedingly large spacegoing craft (e.g. the Death Star) are
typically not referred to as "starships," since words like "artificial planet" are often more accurate. Space stations and other structures intended to orbit a heavenly body are not
usually called starships, even if they can move under their own power. In order to save costs, many ships are usually built to the same plans; in some universes a successful class can have
production runs can reach into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of units and see service with dozens of customers.
Starships virtually always operate under similar laws and guidelines as real-world seagoing vessels. The primary reason is
that deep space is an even more hazardous environment than the deep sea, and so extreme caution must be taken in all starship
operations. A side effect of this is that spacegoing fleets, especially space militaries, are usually organized similar to modern
Earth navies.
Depending on original design, recent history, current intended use, local laws, space piracy, and the ethics of the current
owner, a starship may be fitted with a wide variety of engines, weapons, equipment, and internal compartments. Small freighters
used for smuggling are typically fast, modified to avoid detection, are often heavily armed, and may have secret holds for hiding
contraband cargo. Large container ships usually have little in the way of shielding or weaponry, but have huge, powerful engines necessary for moving vast quantities of cargo
through (or between) star systems.
Passenger vessels, such as luxury liners, are often similar to modern cruise ships, containing luxurious
passenger cabins, gambling halls, showrooms, restaurants, and lounges. Warships contain crew quarters, extensive weaponry and
shielding, massive engines, sophisticated sensor and communications arrays, and usually a detachment of non-naval soldiers trained in assaulting and
capturing enemy spacecraft, targets on planetary surfaces, or both.
Famous fictional starships
See also
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