Have you ever wondered why space and spaceships captivate our imagination?
In the foreword to the book Halo Warfleet, Halo Franchise Creative Director Frank O’Connor expounds on what spaceships represent in Sci-Fi and why they seem to be so captivating to us. To paraphrase, O’Connor notes that similar to the wonder and awe seafaring ships of old used to invoke in people, spaceships in Sci-Fi can evoke a very similar result. As the sails of a ship once brought people to different lands, so too do the warp drives of these ships.
This fascination with spaceships extends beyond mere admiration of their design. When we think about the Millennium Falcon, we conjure up an image of a sleek spaceship shimmering under distant starlight. We imagine the blaster marks, scrapes, and dents from past voyages, and ponder the adventures to come. It’s this potential to explore the unknown which makes these ships so interesting to me.
We live in a time where the surface of our planet has more or less been fully mapped. You could, hypothetically, get to the opposite side of the world in less than a day’s time. But these ships harken back to a time where the possibilities of exploration were limitless.
Below is a list of spaceships I believe encapsulate the wonder and mystery of exploring the infinite galaxy. It's my hope these space ships inspire in you the same fascination they do in me.
The Millennium Falcon
Suffice to say, there are few space ships more immediately identifiable than the Millennium Falcon. Flown by smuggler Han Solo throughout the Star Wars series, the Millennium Falcon is known for its speed, screaming through space at a mind-bending 600 miles per hour. Its speed, on top of its nimbleness and maneuverability, is perfect for smuggling contraband, saving the galaxy, and outrunning Imperial starships. It is also shaped like a Taco Bell Crunch Wrap Supreme, which is another huge plus.
The Millennium Falcon has also had a large cultural influence. Director Joss Whedon notes the TV show and subsequent movie “Serenity” were largely influenced by the Millennium Falcon. Likewise, the Falcon launch vehicles created by SpaceX all get their name from the Millennium Falcon. The Millennium Falcon also has a connection to our library, as it is one of the Legos proudly displayed in front of the Lego Lab.
Those interested in piloting the Millennium Falcon should head over to Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland or Disneyworld. Not only are you able to see a full-sized mock-up of the ship, but you can also assume the role of either pilot, gunner, or engineer as you crew the Millennium Falcon on a mission to steal from the First Order. [1] [2]
Featured In:
Star Wars. Episode IV. A New Hope
Star Wars. Episode VI. Return of the Jedi
The Orion III and Discovery One from 2001: A Space Odyssey
"2001: A Space Odyssey" showcases a fleet of elegant, functional, and captivating spacecraft. While each ship deserves its own entry, for balance, we'll focus on two standout vessels which epitomize the film's visionary approach to space travel.
The first ship worth mentioning is the Orion III Spaceplane. The Orion III is the answer to what a normal plane looks like if you took it and made it to work in space. What you get is a cross between a Boeing 737 and a Concorde jet. The Orion III is a sleek, cutting-edge marvel which ignites the imagination, serving as the perfect vehicle to take passengers between Earth and its orbiting space stations. [3]
The second ship from this film I believe is worth mentioning is the Discovery One. While the Orion III is the space-age equivalent of a short-haul flight, the Discovery One is akin to a cosmic cruise liner, designed for the long voyage to Jupiter. Due to the long travel time, astronauts onboard were put into hibernation and placed under the care of the ship’s caretaker AI, HAL9000.
While we haven’t sent a manned mission to Jupiter, the Discovery One still reminds us that the journey to the stars is as much about technological innovation as it is about the human spirit of exploration. [4]
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Infinity from Halo
Throughout the Halo series of books and video games, it always seems like humanity is at least a couple steps behind its alien Covenant foes. Throughout the series, the technology of the Covenant makes quick work of whatever capabilities humanity has. Humanity is so outclassed that it takes multiple human ships to match one Covenant ship. As a result, ship after ship is lost as the Covenant reduces humanity’s colonies to nothing more than slag. Little of what humanity had created stood a chance against the Covenant’s superior spacecrafts and numbers. Until the Infinity is constructed.
While technically created during the Covenant War, the events of 'Halo: Glasslands' transformed the Infinity into the fearsome flagship it is in the following books and in “Halo 4” and onward. The Infinity's gleaming hull stretches nearly three and a half miles, its massive silhouette inspiring awe in allies and terror in enemies. Capable of carrying over 18,000 personnel, the Infinity ushers in a new era in the Halo series where humanity finally has a fighting chance. Or so it would seem.
What makes this ship unique then isn’t the fact it is so large, but instead what it means for humanity within the series. Built in complete secrecy, the unveiling of the Infinity demonstrated to both humanity’s adversaries, as well as the human race as a whole, there is hope for our species after all. The Infinity embodies humanity's military might, scientific prowess, and indomitable spirit. Experience the might of the Infinity in “Halo 4” and beyond. [5]
Featured In:
TIE Defender
What if the Empire's best weapon wasn't the Death Star, but a starfighter?
The TIE Defender combined the bombing power of the TIE Bomber and the fighting prowess of the TIE Interceptor, while adding a hyperdrive and shields. In the Star Wars universe, a ship with the TIE Defender’s capabilities having a hyperdrive is significant because these ships could easily traverse the entire galaxy without the use of a carrier-type ship to transport them, revolutionizing Imperial fleet tactics. This focus on rapid deployment is also highlighted by their improved maneuverability. The TIE Defender’s shield deflectors likewise made it an asset in ship-to-ship combat.
The TIE Defender is a personal favorite of mine because it represents an interesting “what-if” scenario in Star Wars lore. In Timothy Zahn's 2017 'Thrawn' series, the Empire debates funding the Death Star or the TIE Defender Program. As anyone familiar with the Star Wars movies can tell you, the Death Star got the funding and the TIE Defender Program fell to the wayside. That being said, we do see a handful of ships clearly inspired by its design in later Star Wars media. As we watch the Empire's superweapons fail repeatedly, one can't help but wonder: could a fleet of TIE Defenders have secured Imperial dominance more effectively than any Death Star? [6]
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The Event Horizon from Event Horizon
Measuring just under a mile and a half long, the Event Horizon was designed to test out an invention called the Gravity Drive. With the success of the Gravity Drive, humanity would be capable of faster than light travel. Ideally, the Gravity Drive would work by creating a black hole allowing the Event Horizon to travel through it to its destination.
Unfortunately, the maiden voyage to test out the Gravity Drive spirals into a nightmare beyond human comprehension. What should have been a trip from point A to point B and back turned into a trip from point A
to a dimension of unspeakable horror, leaving the Event Horizon lost completely. That is, until it inexplicably returns and begins broadcasting a distress call. The crew of another ship, the Lewis and Clark, are sent out to investigate.
As the recovery mission unfolds, the true horror of the Event Horizon's journey becomes clear. While the Event Horizon came back, it definitely didn’t come back the same as it was when it left. Although it returned completely empty, it wasn’t as though the crew just disappeared. Besides for horrific recordings left by the crew containing blood-curdling screams and manic laughter, there was also clear signs a massacre took place. Something seemed to have changed with the ship itself as well, appearing to be possessed by some otherworldly entity bent on tormenting the crew of the Lewis and Clark and driving them insane. [7] [8]
Mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
There are few ships in sci-fi films as dazzling as the Mothership from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” While some ships on this list are awe inspiring due to their size or their technological capabilities, this ship is captivating due to its unique shape and colors. Its appearance, particularly the topside, feels almost as if the city of New York was built on top of a flying saucer and that flying saucer has just finished being decorated with Christmas lights.
The design of this ship is actually an interesting contrast with the other ships on this list, largely because the other ships on this list are human in origin. The Mothership's alien geometry and glow challenges our terrestrial senses, hinting at the creative wizardry filmmakers use to craft vessels which feel truly extraterrestrial. [9]
Harkening back to an earlier metaphor, it is easy to see the inspiration seafaring ships have on the way we conceptualize spacecrafts. Each of the human designed spacecrafts on this list have a clearly defined bow and stern, similar to boats you might see cruising down the channel at the State Park. However, the Mothership is different, with a design which is more vertical in nature rather than horizontal. This vertical stance jolts our perceptions, subconsciously challenging the horizontal bias demonstrated in human-made spacecrafts and reorienting our very concept of cosmic travel.
The creators of this list’s media have transplanted the familiar contours of earthly vessels into space, their designs echoing with the familiar seafaring crafts of Earth, now adapted for the silent vacuum of space. To me, this demonstrates space exploration truly is the new frontier.
Featured in:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Information for this blog post was found at the following sources:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Falcon
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Millennium_Falcon_%E2%80%93_Smugglers_Run
[3] https://2001.fandom.com/wiki/Orion_III_Spaceplane
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discovery_One
[5] https://www.halopedia.org/UNSC_Infinity
[6] https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/TIE/d_%22Defender%22_Multi-Role_Starfighter
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event_Horizon_(film)
[8] https://eventhorizonfilm.fandom.com/wiki/Event_Horizon
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Encounters_of_the_Third_Kind
