How do you quantify starship power in the Star Trek universe?

Is it the armament? The speed? The shields? The sheer size of a vessel? Or perhaps it’s the captain and crew at the helm?

We believe it’s all of those things and more, so we took 46 of the most noteworthy Star Trek starships and placed them in a head-to-head battle. 

Which iconic ship came out on top? Find out below. 

Warp ahead for our rankings of the most powerful Star Trek ships ever.

Most Powerful Star Trek Ships, Ranked

The Phoenix is a critical ship in the Star Trek canon, as seen in Star Trek: First Contact. It is the first warp 1 (light speed) capable ship and its initial flight leads to the first contact between humans and an alien species, in this case, the Vulcans. But, it’s also the oldest and least technologically-advanced ship and, therefore, takes last place. 

The Friendship 1, which appeared in the Star Trek: Voyager episode of the same name, is a deep space probe launched four years after first contact with the Vulcans. Its mission is to seek out other intelligent life forms and teach them about Earth. The Friendship 1 is not a powerful ship by any means, but it manages to survive in space until 2248. The technology housed within it caused a nuclear winter on an unidentified planet in Grid 310, albeit by accident. In 2378, the Voyager is tasked with retrieving the probe.

The Botany Bay, seen here from The Original Series episode “Space Seed,” doesn’t have too much power behind it. It’s a DY-100-class sleeper ship meant to guide cryogenically frozen life forms to a new planet to colonize. It’s only noteworthy for carrying one of Star Trek’s most powerful villains, Khan!

The Galileo is a Class F shuttlecraft used by the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701. Its most notable mission takes seven officers to investigate Murasaki 312 in The Original Series episode “The Galileo Seven.” Although beloved, we have to dock the Galileo for crash-landing due to an ionization effect from a quasar and ultimately burning up. However, Starfleet continues to use Class F shuttle crafts all the way through the 2270s.

The Prometheus is a Nebula-class Federation ship. Its only appearance in Star Trek, during the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Second Sight,” is as impactful as it gets when it helps reignite the dead sun, Epsilon 119. Talk about solar power! Because this experiment could have gone bad quickly, the Prometheus is souped-up to be capable of warp 9.6, giving it a slight edge over other Nebula-class ships.

The Raven, seen in the Voyager episode “The Raven,” is a Federation exploration vessel that is taken by Magnus and Erin Hansen on a field mission to investigate the Borg. Its greatest feature is multi-adaptive shielding, which is a stealth technology that makes it virtually invisible to sensors. Unfortunately, an ion storm damages the shielding. It is tracked down and assimilated along with Magnus and Erin and their daughter Annika, who is later known as Seven of Nine. 

The Enterprise-J deserves a lot of credit. It is one of the ships that helped destroy the galactic threat of the Sphere-Builders in the Battle of Procyon V. The only problem is this timeline may have never come to pass since Captain Jonathan Archer denied the wishes of Temporal Agent Daniels in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “Azati Prime.” It’s unknown if this ship will ever be built. 

The Defiant is a prototype warship stationed at Deep Space 9 that was in-part designed by Commander Benjamin Sisko himself. It's the first ship built by Starfleet specifically for war, in light of a devastating defeat by the Borg. The Defiant is equipped with a Romulan cloaking device and ablative armor that can rapidly dissipate impact from energy weapon fire. After many missions, the Defiant was destroyed in 2375 during the Second Battle of Chin’toka in the DS9 episode “The Changing Face of Evil.”

The Sao Paulo (renamed Defiant) is launched in 2375 following the catastrophic defeat in the Second Battle of Chin’toka in the episode “The Dogs of War.” It is the third Defiant-class ship and comes to be known simply as the Defiant, except this one has shield generators specifically designed to counteract Breen weaponry. It goes on to fly in the Battle of Cardassia, which ends the Dominion War. 

The Jellyfish is a Vulcan starship from the 24th century seen in Star Trek (2009). It comes with torpedo launchers and a warp drive, making it the fastest ship owned by the Vulcan Science Academy. However, its primary responsibility, and power, is its capability to store and transport red matter, a substance capable of forming a black hole.

The Jem’Hadar fighter, mostly seen in Deep Space Nine, is a warship used by the Dominion in the 24th century. What it lacks in size it makes up for in speed and maneuverability. At the onset of the Dominion War, Starfleet vessels are constantly outgunned by Jem’Hadar. The biggest problem is a transporter technology that is impervious to tractor beams and moves through Federation shields. Once the Federation discovers this, they are able to counter and destroy the relatively weak shielded fighters with ease. 

The Cerritos, which is the main ship in Star Trek: Lower Decks, is a California-class starship used by the Federation in the late 24th century. Although similar in style to a Galaxy-class ship like the Enterprise-D, it is not made for dangerous exploratory missions, but rather second contact follow-ups to ensure proper paperwork and classification of the discovered alien life. In fact, the Cerritos famously fled a battle between Romulan D’deridex-class warbirds and Borg cubes after receiving minimal damage. In spite of Federation technology and photon torpedoes, the Cerritos does not have what is needed to climb the rankings. 

The Bird-of-Prey is the umbrella term given to several different classes of Klingon warships deployed by the Empire during the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th centuries. It is typically equipped with photon torpedoes, disruptor cannons, and deflector shields. Its most notable feature is its cloaking device. Although intimidating, they usually don’t fare well in battles against Federation ships. 

The La Sirena, first seen in the Star Trek: Picard episode “The End is the Beginning,” is a warp-capable Kaplan F17 Speed Freighter that appears at the end of the 24th century. It has basic phasers, photon torpedoes, and deflector shields. It is capable of being operated by a single person. This is possible due to its Emergency Hologram installation which includes engineering, medical, navigational, and tactical holograms.

The Franklin is a Freedom-class Federation starship from the 22nd century. It is the first ship produced by Earth that is capable of warp 4. It has pulsed phase cannons, spatial torpedoes, and polarized hull plating for defensive measures. It vanishes in 2164 and is only known to have been discovered in the Kelvin timeline according to Star Trek: Beyond. It is not as powerful as other Federation ships to come, but integral in laying the technological groundwork.

The Sh’Raan is a Vulcan Suurok-class starship that is useful as both a science vessel and a combat cruiser. With modifications, it can reach a top speed of warp 7. It is outfitted with a tractor beam, deflector shields, and photonic and particle beam weaponry. The Sh’Raan most notably disables three Mazarite ships that confront the Enterprise NX-01 in the episode “Fallen Hero.”

The Enterprise is Starfleet's first warp 5 capable ship and the first to carry the name Enterprise. Although it does not have the technology and weaponry of Enterprise ships from future centuries, its creation and missions lead to humans being a powerful player in interstellar politics.

The D7-class battle cruiser is a 23rd-century Klingon warship that is also used by the Romulan military. At its peak, its impressive armament makes it one of the scariest sights for Federation ships. However, the design is eventually retired for the more impressive K’t’inga class in the 2270s.

Deep Space 9 is a space station that grows in power throughout the series of the same name. It is built as a Cardassian mining vessel, but when they withdrew, Starfleet took it over to make it an important commercial and defensive port in Bajoran space. Since it had blue collar beginnings, the original armament is relatively pedestrian. That changes during the Federation-Klingon War, when it is retrofitted with a whopping 5,000 torpedoes. 

The Jem’Hadar make up the military branch of the Dominion, the primary enemy in Deep Space Nine, and their battleships do not disappoint. They can reach a warp speed of 9.6 and once they reach their destination, their torpedo volleys make quick work of enemies. Deep Space 9 considers just one battle cruiser to be a significant threat and the Dominion send many more than that to the Alpha Quadrant, kicking off the harrowing Dominion War.

The K’t’inga battle cruiser becomes the most powerful Klingon ship in the Imperial fleet once it enters the scene in the 2270s, and it remains at the top for nearly a century. It reaches a speed of at least warp 5, has disruptor cannons, phasers, fore and aft torpedo launchers, and concussive charge weaponry. It also comes with standard deflector shields and signature Klingon cloaking technology. 

The Shenzhou is a Walker-class Federation starship considered old but reliable by the mid-23rd century. In addition to standard Federation armament, it houses a plasmatic filter, which is meant to give it extra protection against plasma weaponry. Although resilient, it can not hold its ground when it becomes the first ship attacked in the Battle at the Binary Stars in the Star Trek: Discovery episode of the same name and is ultimately abandoned by its crew. 

If you want to pick a fight with the Klingons in the mid to late-24th century, you are bound to go up against a Vor’cha-class attack cruiser. It boasts enough firepower to destroy a subterranean base. Yet, it struggles against targets with superior fortification. Even after this class is usurped by the Negh’var-class to be the flagship for the Imperial Fleet, it still sees action in the Klingon-Cardassian and Federation-Klingon War. 

The Enterprise-A is succeeded by the Enterprise-B, which solidifies Starfleet’s era of Excelsior-class ships. Unfortunately, the Enterprise-B has a disastrous beginning when its first-ever mission sees it trapped inside the Nexus ribbon and results in James T. Kirk’s disappearance (he is rescued 78 years later from the Nexus by Captain Picard.) It does, however, manage to save face in several Star Trek novels including The Captain’s Daughter and Serpents Among the Ruins.

The Excelsior really shows its power when Captain Hikaru Sulu takes command of it in the 2290s during the events of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. This Excelsior-class prototype is the first transwarp-capable ship in the Federation, a revolutionary propulsion concept that allowed it to hit speeds some Starfleet engineers once considered impossible. 

Captain Picard and crew encounter many of these Romulan warbirds throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation and they will be the first to tell you that they are nothing to mess around with. Powered by a forced-quantum singularity, these vessels are some of the most advanced starships in the entire Alpha Quadrant. They come packed with disruptor arrays, phasers, photon torpedoes, deflector shields, and, of course, a cloaking device. 

The Enterprise, famous for its five-year mission to explore the galaxy with Kirk at the helm during The Original Series, is not as technically impressive as some of the ships preceding it. However, like the Enterprise NX-01, it draws power from the bold progress it represents.

The Enterprise-A is a Constitution-class Federation vessel that is captained by Kirk from 2286-93 for the first few Star Trek movies. It is a similar ship to the Enterprise NCC-1701 except it has a more automated torpedo system. 

In the 24th century, this Klingon warship becomes the flagship of an already impressive fleet. It is known to be one of the most massive and technically-advanced ships in the galaxy. Nothing is quite as threatening as a 2,250-foot ship that can fully cloak until it’s close enough to start blasting you with multiple disruptor rays.

The Voyager is an Intrepid-class ship that earns fame when Captain Kathryn Janeway leads it on the Federation's first successful exploration of the Delta Quadrant. Starfleet didn’t mean to send the Voyager that way, so it’s fortunate the Voyager can cruise at a warp factor of 9.975. The vessel reaches its full power thanks to integration with Borg technology, including a stolen transwarp coil. 

The Discovery is a 23rd century Federation Crossfield-class ship. As a science vessel, it has relatively standard weaponry for its time. What sets it apart is its displacement-activated spore hub drive. This drive uses harvested mycelium spores from fungi to take subspace roads inside the mycelial network. In layman's terms, it is able to jump huge galactic distances quicker than ever imagined, although at the time the technology is experimental and extremely dangerous. 

In the Kelvin timeline, Starfleet has a rapidly-developing military after receiving a devastating attack from the renegade Romulan Nero. This leads to the Constitution-class Enterprise seen in Star Trek (2009) being almost twice the size of its Prime timeline counterpart. It also means the weaponry installed rivals an armament from the 25th century in the Prime reality. 

This starship, captained by Picard during The Next Generation, serves as the flagship of the Federation during its impressive seven-year mission. Early in its career, it is able to push warp 9.6. Its features include a separating saucer and armaments that include 12 phaser arrays and two torpedo launchers.  For perspective, the Galaxy-class Enterprise-D is also roughly twice the size of the Consitution-class Enterprise that Kirk captained. 

The Sovereign-class Enterprise-E succeeds the Enterprise-D to become the most technologically-advanced starship produced by Starfleet. It can theoretically reach a warp speed of 9.995. Any doubts about its firepower are dismissed on one of its first missions when it’s able to destroy a Borg cube.

Only one Xindi weapon makes it to Earth, and it fires one shot before self-destructing, but that one shot manages to kill seven million people as seen in the Enterprise episode “The Expanse.” Captain Archer quantum dates a fragment of the weapon which shows it was constructed 420 years in the future. It’s important to mention they were made in collaboration with the Sphere Builders. In an alternate time, these probes successfully destroy Earth and nearly the rest of humanity. 

The Scimitar, featured in Star Trek: Nemesis, is a Reman warbird made specifically to overthrow the Romulan government and destroy the Federation, so it comes with a little extra firepower. In addition to its warp 9.7 capability, pulse disruptor cannons, and photon torpedo launchers, it possesses a thalaron biogenic pulse weapon. That’s a chemical weapon capable of destroying all life on a planet within seconds. 

The Sarcophagus, or the Ship of the Dead, is a vessel for the Klingon House of T’Kuvma that is used as the command center for the Federation-Klingon war at the beginning of Star Trek: Discovery. Despite being several times larger than most Federation ships, it can make itself nearly invisible with stealth cloaking technology. It also has enough firepower to destroy the surface of a habitable planet. It gets extra points for its cool name.

The Nomad, seen in The Original Series episode “The Changeling,” is a space probe from the 21st century that is designed to discover new life forms, and it functions using artificial intelligence. Somewhere along the way it merges with alien probe Tan Ru and gets it in its head that all organic life is imperfect and must be destroyed. Yes, this little guy wiped out four billion inhabitants of the Malurian system. It fires energy bolts that travel at warp 15 and hit with roughly 100 times the power of a standard torpedo from the same era. The only known way to destroy it is to convince it that it’s imperfect. 

The Krenim weapon ship, seen in the Voyager episode “Year of Hell,” uses a weapon of a completely different caliber: time. These ships are capable of eliminating an entire species, simply by pushing them out of the space-time continuum. When it attacks, the species, and everything they have built, are replaced with untouched nature. Despite this horrifying power, the Krenim weapon ship gets docked for having weak shields and slow speed. 

The all-black Vengeance is a massive, ultra-militaristic ship from the Kelvin timeline seen in Star Trek: Into Darkness. It is built covertly by Section 31 and designed by Khan Noonien Singh. The ship is constructed for one thing: combat. In addition to its brawn, the ship also has great brains. Its automated systems allow it to be commanded by a single person. No one person should have all that power…

The “Doomsday Machine,” seen in The Original Series episode of the same name, is a weapon of unknown origin that is capable of destroying entire planets. Captain Kirk theorizes that it was built as a bluff during an unknown war and was never supposed to be activated. Well, it was activated. Kirk is only able to destroy it by exploding the damaged U.S.S. Constellation from within the planet-killing Doomsday Machine. 

The Narada is a Romulan mining vessel originally from the late-24th century. It pursues Ambassador Spock through a black hole, emerging in the mid-23rd century as chronicled in Star Trek (2009). There, it promptly destroys a Federation starship and an entire planet. It is unknown how the Narada would fare in battle against weapons from its own era, but put simply, anytime your ship creates an alternate timeline it is considered to be fairly powerful.

The Species 8472 bioship is an organic starship in which the pilot and the ship share genetic similarities. Although it only carries one directed energy weapon, that beam is powerful enough to make quick work of an entire Borg cube. This idea is so devastating that it leads the Borg to team up with the crew of the Voyager in the episode “Scorpion” to help defeat these powerful enemies.

The Voyager 6 leaves Earth in the 20th century. It returns almost 300 years later as a living entity traveling in an extraordinarily powerful energy cloud that spans roughly 180 million miles. In between it is taken in by living machines that provide it with scientific and militaristic capabilities previously thought impossible by the Federation. In combat, it is able to dispatch three K't'inga-class Klingon battle cruisers with three shots of a plasma beam. The only way the Federation can defeat this ship in Star Trek: The Motion Picture is to appeal to its evolved senses. 

The Whale Probe, discovered in Star Trek: The Voyage Home, is a massive probe of unknown origin that has seemingly a single mission: communicate with humpback whales. You would think that would make it a friendly vessel. This is not the case. Although it may not know what it’s doing, the colossal cylinder ravaged Earth with the energy from its communications, which also disabled the power of all starships within reach. Although disaster was averted, it is interesting to ponder exactly how much damage this alien vessel is truly capable of. 

No other starship strikes fear into the Federation like a Borg cube. During the Battle of Wolf 359, a single Borg cube destroys 39 of 40 attacking Federation ships while receiving almost no damage. Even if you manage to get through its numerous shields, it has capabilities to regenerate itself. Once it’s done slicing and dicing your ship or planet with cutting beams, guided charges, missiles, and more, it strips your soul of all individuality and assimilates your knowledge into its hive mind. Add in transwarp capabilities and you have the most powerful ship in the Star Trek universe. 

What is the most feared ship in the entire galaxy?

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Most Powerful Star Trek Ships, Ranked

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