Starship

A starship was any manned spacecraft that was capable of viable interstellar travel, i.e. any manned spacecraft that had the ability to transport and support a crew across interstellar distances. Most starships accomplished this via the employment of some form of faster-than-light spacecraft propulsion technology, such as warp drive. 

Many times, starships were often personified as female by their crew. (, etc.)

In the Federation during the 22nd and 23rd centuries, spacecraft, such as those of the , were identified almost exclusively as vessels operated by Starfleet, or as stated by R.M. Merik, "a very special vessel and crew." () 

Within the Federation, starships were viewed as having the role of protector within the civilian community, as starship captains were given a certain level of authority in the region they patrolled. () 

Design was also a factor in defining a starship. The configuration of a vessel, as identified by sensor scans, could be used in identifying a starship. () 

Likewise, a starship could be identified on sensors by its  utilization curve, as a vessel utilizing 100% power had the ability to skew sensor readings. () 

Generally limited to the roles of exploration and defense, starships did not generally transport cargo, unless in the case of an emergency, where they could take on any role. ()

While discussing his service history with Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Captain Montgomery Scott noted that in his lifetime he had "served aboard eleven ships," including "freighters, cruisers, [and] starships." ()

By the mid-24th century, though, the exclusivity of the term "starship" had essentially fallen out of use, and was redefined as a term interchangeable with "spaceship" and "spacecraft". (, , ) 

When the Ferengi Marauder Kreechta was about to target the , after interfering with the battle simulation Operation Lovely Angel, the Ferengi ship's sensor codes were overridden and it was fooled to believe there was "another Federation ship" closing. When it was further revealed that the Federation ship was in fact "a starship," the Ferengi feared that they had been outmaneuvered and quickly retreated. ()

Appendices

See also 
 Galactic starship design
 Starship classification
 List of classifications
 List of starships
 List of starship classes

Background information 
In The Original Series, the term "starship" was seemingly synonymous with , if not any reference made to any other Starfleet vessels. In at least two instances, the term was applied to two other non-Constitution-class vessels, namely the "old Class J starship" in , and the D7 class in . Contrarily, at least two other alien ships were specifically said not to be starships, the Orion scout ship in , and the Orion vessel in .

External links

bg:Звезден кораб
cs:Hvězdná loď
de:Raumschiff
fr:Vaisseau spatial
it:Nave stellare
ja:宇宙艦
nl:Sterrenschip
sr:Звјездани брод
sv:Stjärnskepp
Spacecraft classifications