Alien Ships

This page contains descriptions and some specifications for the most common ship classes in the alien fleets.

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My alien ship size chart

Klingon Ships

Battlecruiser-type

These cruisers, being in service by 2151, are an early version of the traditional Klingon battlecruiser design that was later developed into the D7-class. These early battlecruisers were very powerful for their time, far exceeding the firepower of the best Earth Starfleet ships. It's remarkable how the design so strikingly resembles the K't'inga-class, the ultimate configuration of the Klingon battlecruiser.

In reality this cruiser, appearing in ENT "Unexpected", was a reuse of the K't'inga-class CG model rather than a unique design. Illustrator John Eaves was working on a new battlecruiser design but it was too late to be used in "Unexpected" and was likely never completed (at least not in the form he originally intended). Rather than predate the K't'inga-class by 120 years(!), I'm assuming that the 22nd century cruiser was a unique design that was succeeded by the D7s, which in turn was succeeded by the K't'ingas. I've included Eaves' sketch as a reference to the true appearance of this design.

Battle Cruiser (Decommissioned)
235m
12 decks
385 crew
120,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
2 torpedo launchers (1 fwd/aft each), disruptor mounts
1 shuttlebay

John Eaves design sketch

D7-class

The Klingon D7 Battle Cruiser was first seen in action in the mid 2260s. This was actually the first ship that could cloak and still travel at warp. It was equipped with shields, disruptor banks, and a forward torpedo launcher. These ships were later replaced by the K't'inga-class Battle Cruisers. The model was designed by Matt Jefferies and first appeared as a Romulan ship in TOS "The Enterprise Incident". It has been speculated that there was a technology exchange between the Klingons and Romulans -- hence the Romulans using D7 cruisers (a Klingon design) and the Klingons later using Bird of Preys (presumably of Romulan origin) and cloaking devices. The D7 cruisers made their first appearance as a Klingon vessel in TOS "Elaan of Troyius". The term D7 was a gag by Shatner and Nimoy but became official in DS9 "Trials and Tribble-ations". That episode actually featured a more detailed D7 model that was built by Greg Jein.

Battle Cruiser (Decommissioned)
228m
11 decks
400 crew
2 warp nacelles, 1 impulse engine
1 fwd torpedo launcher, disruptor mounts
1 shuttlebay

side view

K't'inga-class

This class is the successor to the D7 Battle Cruiser and has a very similar overall layout. The main difference in the design seems to be a far more detailed surface with exposed panels and cables. This class was in service by 2272 and still exists in the Klingon fleet by 2375. In 2293 the Klingon flagship was a K't'inga cruiser. By 2370 the K't'ingas have mostly been supplanted by the more advanced Vor'cha-class Attack Cruiser. The K't'inga-class first appeared on screen in ST: The Motion Picture. The term K't'inga is conjectural but has become widely accepted. The 4' studio model was designed by Andrew Probert and built by Magicam.

The original published length for the K't'inga-class is 710' (216m) but this results in deck sizes and structure that is simply too small. There is really also no VFX evidence that supports the small size. I've boosted the length up to 770' to better reflect the structure of the ship and to try to conform to the original D7 being 228m.

Battle Cruiser
235m
12 decks
385 crew
120,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
2 torpedo launchers (1 fwd/aft each), disruptor mounts
1 shuttlebay

side view top view

Bird of Prey

The Bird of Prey is by far the most common ship in the Klingon Defence Force. They were first introduced in the early 2280s and have since proven themselves in combat time and time again. A Bird of Prey is responsible for the destruction of the Enterprise-D (ST:Generations), contributed to the destruction of the original Enterprise (ST-III), and necessitated the decommissioning of the Enterprise-A (ST-VI). It is by no surprise that even a high ranking member of the military, such as Martok, is happy to command a Bird of Prey over an Attack Cruiser. They are capable of entering a planets atmosphere and landing on the surface with their adjustable wing configurations. All are equipped with a cloaking device. The Bird of Prey was first seen in ST-III: The Search for Spock and the model was designed by ILM's Nilo Rodis. The originally Romulan name and design originates from an early version of the ST-III script that called for the Klingons to steal the ship from the Romulans.

Scout/Raider
110m (360')
7 decks
12-36 crew
46,300 tonnes
warp engine, 1 impulse engine
1 fwd torpedo launcher, 2 fwd disruptor cannons

side view top view

Vor'cha-class

This class was in service by 2366 and served as Chancellor K'mpec's flagship. This class has a large replaceable forward weapon module but is always seen equipped with the disruptor cannon module. The ship is also armed with smaller disruptor banks. The Vor'chas are the most common cruiser in the Klingon fleet during the 2370s. This class was first seen in TNG "Reunion". The model was designed by Rick Sternbach and built by Greg Jein. The class name was first used on screen in DS9 "Way of the Warrior" (appropriately by Worf).

Attack Cruiser
481m
22 decks
800 crew
2,238,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
torpedo launchers
1 fwd disruptor cannon, multiple disruptor mounts

side view top view

Negh'var-class

The Negh'var is currently the flagship of the Klingon Defence Force. This class was first introduced by 2371 and is the largest and most powerful of the Klingon fleet. It has a similar but more menacing design as the Vor'cha-class. This class was first seen in TNG "All Good Things...". The prototype ship, adding two underslung weapon pods to the original miniature, first appeared in DS9 "Way of the Warrior". The original "All Good Things..." studio miniature was designed by Rick Sternbach and the "Way of the Warrior" modifications were designed by John Eaves.

Flagship, Battleship
w/o fwd spike 640m
w/ fwd spike 686m (2250')
35 decks
1200 crew
4,310,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
torpedo launchers
multiple disruptor cannons, multiple disruptor mounts

Negh'var side view Negh'var top view future variant top view

Romulan Ships

Bird of Prey

The Romulan Bird of Prey was first encountered by the Enterprise (and the Federation) in 2266 when the Romulans used this, their first ship with a cloak, to test the Federation resolve after a long period of no contact. This was also the first time the appearance of the Romulans was revealed. It's been suggested that this ship didn't have any warp drive at all, but if this was the case, it would have taken an incredibly long time to traverse the Neutral Zone. It's possible the ship was warp capable but couldn't use this ability when cloaked. The BoP was first seen in TOS "Balance of Terror". The model was designed and built by Wah Ming Chang.

Scout/Raider (Decommissioned)
140m
7 decks
170 crew
2 warp nacelles, impulse engine
fwd plasma torpedo launcher

side view

D'deridex-class

This class of ship, more commonly known as a Warbird, currently makes up the backbone of the Romulan fleet. No other class of warship is ever seen. This massive vessel was first encountered by the Federation (the Enterprise-D) in 2364. The Warbird has a very advanced cloaking device that makes the ship nearly impossible to detect. It is equipped with powerful disruptor cannons and shields. The warp engines are powered by a controlled quantum singularity instead of a matter/anti-matter reaction. Likely because of it's size, the ship's maximum warp speed is limited when it is cloaked. At one time, Starfleet designated these vessels as a B-Type Warbird (TNG "The Defector"). The D'deridex-class was first seen in TNG "The Neutral Zone". The model was designed by Andrew Probert and built by Greg Jein.

Warbird, Battleship
1341m (4400')
115 decks
1500 crew
4,320,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
torpedo tubes, disruptor cannons

side view top view

Scout/Science

These relatively small vessels have been used as scouts (TNG "The Defector") and also as science vessels (TNG "The Next Phase"). The science vessel was experimenting with the use of a phased cloaking device that can render a ship both invisible and intangible. The two types are variants of the same studio model. The model was designed by Rick Sternbach.

Scout/Science
95m
? decks
70 crew (science)
2 warp nacelles, impulse

Scout side view

Shuttle/Runabout

This warp capable vessel is designed for relatively short interstellar trips. Can accommodate a small crew. Is also equipped with a cloaking device. The Romulan shuttle was designed by Doug Drexler and appeared in DS9 "In the Pale Moonlight" where it used a runabout landing pad.

Runabout
24m
1 deck
15 crew
142.31 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, impulse engine
torpedo launchers, disruptors

side view top view

Early Bird of Prey

This is the earliest of all known Romulan warships. The design is very similar to the later TOS Bird of Prey other than the increased detail (natural for todays VFX technology), no bird/feathers painted on the underside, and the colour is already green instead of grey. The warp nacelles are annoyingly very similar in design to those on the Jem'hadar battle cruisers (also designed by Eaves) but at least they're also alike those on the Valdore Warbirds (again designed by Eaves). One seeming continuity error is that the Early Birds already have cloaking devices whereas the TOS Birds were supposed to be the first with cloaks, although, as far as I can remember, the crew of the NX-01 never actually saw the Birds cloak themselves. This Bird of Prey incarnation first appeared in "Minefield" (ENT) and was designed by John Eaves. The model only exists as a CGI.

presumeably Warship
~200m
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines
2 fwd torpedo launchers

side view top view

Valdore-type

The Valdore is one of two ships of a never before seen Warbird type that first appeared in Nemesis. The design can most simply be described as a cross between the usual D'deridex Warbird and a Klingon Bird of Prey. The designer, John Eaves, has stated in an interview that the similarity to the Klingon vehicle was intentional because of how the initial concept for the Star Trek III Klingon ship was that it is of Romulan origin. Klingon and Romulan ships have always had similarities in design and concept and that link is very strong now, yet still hard to adequately explain within the Trek universe. Anyway, the Valdore is a smaller than usual Warbird with a very wide wingspan and a sleek and thin body -- overall a very striking design.

I personally assume that the Valdore and her kind are a new type of Warbird (C-Type) rather than an old design that's only now making an appearance. I'd say that comparing a Valdore to a D'deridex would be like comparing an Intrepid-class starship to that of the Galaxy-class i.e. the D'deridex is more powerful in raw terms but the Valdore is smaller, faster, more agile, and generally a product of more advanced technology. Granted the D'deridex-class can probably absorb more damage and may even have more powerful weaponary.

Warbird, Battle Cruiser
604m (1980')
2 warp nacelles, impulse engines

Cardassian Ships

Galor/Keldon-class

The Galor-class are the most common warships in the Cardassian fleet. These vessels have also appeared as the upgraded Keldon-class warships operated by the now defunct Obsidian Order. The Cardassian fleet was somewhat supplanted by the "allied" Jem'Hadar ships during the Dominion War. The Galor-class first appeared in TNG "The Wounded" and the Keldon-class was first seen in DS9 "Defiant". The model was designed by Rick Sternbach and built by Ed Miarecki. The Keldon modifications were built by Tony Meininger.

Warship, Medium/Heavy Cruiser
481m
~20 decks
600 crew Galor, 800 crew Keldon
Galor: 1,678,000 tonnes
Keldon: 2,230,000 tonnes
2 warp engines
Galor: 3 impulse engines
Keldon: 5 impulse engines
2 disruptor cannons (1 each fwd/aft), multiple disruptor mounts

Galor side view Galor top view Keldon side view Keldon top view

Hideki-class

This is the token Cardassian fighter class. It is strange how this ship has a similar outward layout as the Defiant-class. The studio model was designed by James Martin and first appeared in the second season DS9 episode "Profit and Loss".

Fighter
152m (500')
6 decks
30 crew
120,000 tonnes
2 warp engines, impulse
2 disruptor cannons (1 each fwd/aft)

side view top view

Military Freighter

This would seem to be the standard military freighter of the Cardassian Union. The freighter made its first appearance in DS9 "Return to Grace". The studio miniature was designed by John Eaves.

Freighter
240m
? decks
30 crew
1,340,000 tonnes
warp engines, impulse

side view top view

Jem'Hadar Ships

Attack Ship

These small craft of the Dominion usually attack in groups. In most respects they are comparable to a Klingon Bird of Prey. The Jem'Hadar are known to even use these ships in suicidal ram raids. The miniature was designed by Jim Martin. They first appeared in the DS9 second season finale "The Jem'Hadar". I was stunned when the USS Odyssey was rammed.

Fighter
122m
6 decks
40 crew
2,450 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 1 impulse system
1 fwd polaron beam emitter

side view top view

Battle Cruiser

These large vessels are the Jem'Hadar token cruisers and flagships. The battle cruisers were first seen in DS9 "In Purgatory's Shadow". These cruisers were designed by John Eaves.

Battle Cruiser
594m
? decks
2500 crew
4,215,000 tonnes
2 warp nacelles, 2 impulse engines

side view top view

Battleship

The largest and most powerful of the Jem'Hadar ships was first seen in DS9 "The Valiant" and showed the Red Squadron (and the USS Valiant) who's boss. They later had brief appearances in the Final Chapter of DS9. This ship was designed by John Eaves.

Battleship
~1500m
? decks
? crew
2 warp nacelles, impulse engines

side view

Breen Ships

Warship

This is the only type of Breen ship that has ever been seen. The Breen warship is fitted with a special weapon that drains enemy vessels of power, including their shields, leaving them dead in space. The prototype USS Defiant was destroyed in this manner (DS9 "The Changing Face of Evil"). Later it was discovered how to neutralize the effect of the weapon with especially configured shields. The USS Sao Paulo was the first starship with the special shields (DS9 "The Dogs of War"). The Breen vessel was first seen in DS9 "Penumbra" rendered as a CGI. The ship was designed by John Eaves.

Warship
~300m
? decks
? crew

Thanks to Mike Brown for the scan of the 3 views.
top view fore view aft view beauty shot

Ferengi Ships

D'kora-class

This is the only Ferengi Alliance ship known to exist (other than the small shuttle-pods). They are more commonly known as Marauders. They are appropriate for use as a warship and/or a freighter. The Marauder was first seen in TNG "The Last Outpost" and the class name was given in TNG "Force of Nature". The model was designed by Andrew Probert and built by Greg Jein.

Marauder (Armed trading vessel)
366m (1200')
? decks
450 crew

side view

Borg Ships

Borg Cube

These are the backbone of the Borg fleet. Each cube is a collective in itself with each drone contributing to the cube. Like all Borg ships, the cube is a living extension of the collective and repairs damage as if it was regrowing. The original cube was first seen in TNG "Q Who". The miniature was designed by Rick Sternbach. The second cube was seen in ST:First Contact. The miniature was designed by John Eaves. The Voyager series uses a totally CGI cube that was first seen in VOY "Unity".

Cube!
28 cubic km (3.04km long per side)
? decks
~130,000 crew

TNG beauty shot First Contact beauty shot

Borg Sphere

These are a sub unit of the cubes and are used for various types of missions. They can be used as an escape vessel from a terminal cube, or simply as a scout. The sphere was first seen in ST:FC. The miniature was designed by John Eaves.

Scout
457m diameter (1500')
? decks
? crew

Borg Block

These relatively small ships are shaped like a giant torpedo. They serve the collective as droned probes that probably originate from a cube. This CGI only vessel first appeared in VOY "Dark Frontier".

Probe
~400m
? decks
? crew

Borg Queen Command Ship

These relatively small ships are shaped like a giant diamond. The Borg Queen is known to use this type of ship for her own transport and as a base to command her missions from. This CGI only vessel first appeared in VOY "Dark Frontier".

Command Ship
820m
? decks
? crew
498,300 tonnes