Starship

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A starship is a type of still-theoretical vehicle designed for interstellar travel, as opposed to a vehicle designed for interplanetary or orbital spaceflight which is often referred to as a spacecraft.

The term is mostly found in science fiction, as humanity has not yet constructed such vehicles (while the Voyager and Pioneer probes have traveled into local interstellar space, they are not generally considered starships, mainly because they are unpowered and unmanned). However, exploratory engineering has been undertaken on several preliminary designs and feasibility studies for starships that could be built with modern technology or technology thought to be available in the near future. For examples of such studies, see Project Daedalus, Project Orion, and Project Longshot.

Fictional types

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A common literary device is to posit a faster-than-light propulsion system (such as warp drive) or travel through hyperspace, although some starships may be outfitted for centuries-long journeys of slower-than-light travel. Other designs posit a way to boost the ship to near-lightspeed, allowing relatively "quick" travel (i.e. decades, not centuries) to nearer stars. This results in a general categorization of the kinds of starships:

Sleeper ships, which put their passengers into stasis during a long trip.

Generation ships, where the destination will be reached by descendants of the original passengers.

Relativistic ships, taking advantage of time dilation at close-to-light-speeds, so long trips will seem much shorter (but still take the same amount of time for outside observers).

Faster-than light ships, which can move between places very quickly (transcending current understanding of physics or using interdimensional 'shortcuts').

Fictional elements

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Different authors and different stories will, of course, imagine different kinds of starships. Certain common elements are found in most fiction that discusses starships.

Slower-than-light

Generation ship

Fiction that discusses slower-than-light starships is relatively rare, since the time scales are so long. Instead of describing the interaction with the outside world, those fictions tend to focus on setting the whole story within the world of the (often very large) starship during its long travels. Sometimes the starship is a world, in perception or reality.

Faster-than-light

Faster-than-light

These starships are typically large, multi-passenger vehicles (see starfighters). They range in size from small personal yachts and courier ships, up to vast bulk containers (used for intersystem shipping) and enormous warships.

Starships are usually depicted as operating under laws and guidelines similar to 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, are often described as being similar to modern ocean liners, 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 Marine-like soldiers trained in assaulting and capturing enemy spacecraft, targets on planetary surfaces, or both.

Exceptions

Exceedingly large spacegoing craft (e.g. the Death Star) are typically not referred to as "starships" (but see 'slower-than-light ships' above). Terms like (artificial) planetoid may be considered to be more accurate.

Space stations and other structures intended to orbit a celestial body are not usually called starships, even if they can move under their own power.