"Science Fiction Ships for Adventure" Topic

Inspired by Parzival's question about SF fighters, how about science fictional spacecraft for adventuring? To start the list--
The Profitable Venture from Witches of Karres.
Muddlin' Through from Poul Anderson's "Trader Team" stories
Le Cigne from Cherryh's Merchanter's Luck
Kimbal Kinnison's Dauntless
The Serenity from Firefly
The Liberator from Blake's 7
The Millenium Falcon, back from when Lucasfilm made decent movies.

And The USS Enterprise (NCC 1701 only: accept no imitations) because this is TMP, and some of us get twitchy without an armor class and uniforms.

Because SF didn't begin with videogames, and shouldn't end with them.

Does the TARDIS count?

As posted in the thread that got bugged:
Type-S Scoutship (Traveller RPG)

Since you named the Enterprise, she will need an opponent or two. Klingon D7 Battlecruiser and Romulan Warbird.

Red Dwarf, think of the adventures you could have without leaving the ship!

The Free Trader Beowulf class from the original Traveller.
The Far Trader Empress Marava class from the original Traveller.

The Pride of Chanur

Millennium Falcon

Tardis

Tormentum Malorum (Jaq Draco's ship)

Phantom Cruiser – Space Ghost
Planet Express Ship – Futurama
Heart of Gold – HHGTTG
Jupiter 2 – Lost in Space

The Endeavor from Micronauts

Zarkov's Ship (Flash Gordon)
The Planet Express Ship
Different kind of adventure, but The Vulture (Salvage-1)

HMS Camden Lock?

From Hyperdrive – mediocre programme, but gotta love a ship that's basically the BT Tower with engines.

link

I would have to throw in Discovery One from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Just as a side note: TSR Star Frontiers had details (for their game system) for Discovery and Lennov in their 2001 and 2010 supplements. Two great books in my opinion.

Andromeda Ascendant

For adventuring in style in the Star Wars galaxy:
The Wild Karrde aka Personal Luxury Yacht 3000
link

Most notably used in my reading by Talon Karrde in the Thrawn novels.

"And The USS Enterprise (NCC 1701 only: accept no imitations) "

I'm kind of partial to the USS Reliant myself… ;-)

I was trying to avoid other, less interesting Enterprises, Zephyr. Truth is, I was reluctant to include even one. My fear was that it would turn the poll and discussion into the seemingly inevitable "Warship I would Most Like to Command in a Videogame."

But the original checked up on isolated colonies and science teams, transported civilians, delivered supplies and medicines and generally did a lot of the stuff Han Solo would have done if someone offered enough money. It didn't seem fair to exclude it for having uniforms and answering to a higher headquarters. I had a lot of great adventures on NCC 1701 back in the 1960's.

The D7 just looks mean and is ready to do it's business.

Hey You. I like your 4 recommendations.

@robert piepenbrink – ChatGPTs answer to your criticism:

Yes, there are a few "Star Trek" video games that focus more on exploration, diplomacy, or problem-solving rather than combat. Here are some examples:

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (1992) – This point-and-click adventure game emphasizes puzzle-solving and story-driven missions rather than combat. While there are some space battles, the primary focus is on exploration, dialogue, and using various tools to solve problems.

Star Trek: Judgment Rites (1993) – A sequel to "Star Trek: 25th Anniversary," this game follows a similar format with an emphasis on narrative and puzzle-solving. The combat is minimal and mostly confined to a few space battles.

Star Trek: A Final Unity (1995) – This game is based on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and features a mix of exploration, diplomacy, and puzzle-solving. Combat is present but not a primary focus, allowing players to engage in more peaceful resolutions to conflicts.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew (2017) – While there is some combat, the core experience is about managing the ship and working with other players to complete missions. The game can be played with minimal combat by focusing on diplomacy and problem-solving.

Star Trek: The Next Generation – A Final Unity (1995) – This game is a mix of space exploration and puzzle-solving, where combat is not the primary focus. The game is more about engaging with the story and the characters, making decisions, and solving problems.

These games allow players to immerse themselves in the "Star Trek" universe without the need to constantly engage in combat, focusing more on the values of exploration, diplomacy, and problem-solving that are central to the series.

I was able to independentally find reviews of each, and the summary from ChatGPT is accurate.

I was really hoping some of the text-based Trek games form the 70's would be in there. When I started looking for them before I asked ChatGPT for a nudge on content, the first few were strictly battle-driven. I was thinking of other text-based non-Trek games that were more focused on adventure rather than combat.

To your point, that list is a scant few in a metric butt-tonne of ST games.

White Star from Babylon 5.

Thank you, eto. Good list, though it wasn't so much combat in general I was trying to avoid as ship to ship combat. At that point, some sort of wargaming reflex kicks in, and it's all about firepower and armor.

But as far as I'm concerned, you accomplish more missions with a diplomat, a thief and a gunslinger than you do with just a diplomat. (Unless he's Retief, of course.)

"The best diplomat I know of is a fully loaded phaser bank."— Lt. Commander "Chief" Montgomery Scott. (A Taste of Armageddon)

Starbug?

Beowulf Free Trader or Serenity

Civilian use or clandestine military ops and has enough storage to carry a vehicle.

Wow, you start off the list and I see the Dauntless from Lensman.

I'll ad in a strange one.
The xgp15a-II, sometimes called the Outlaw Star

Corsair or a Merc Cruiser from the original Traveller (a bit more oomph than the standard Scout or Free Trader).

And a second for Andromeda Ascendant (It's good to be a warship).

The RCS Princess Cecile from Drake's Leary books.