star trek size comparison

Starship size comparison chart updated

We here are ShortList.com have an apology to make. We made a mistake, we mislead you and for that we are truly sorry.

You see, late last year we shared an exceptional poster with you all. The work of German graphic designer Dirk Loechel, it was a size comparison chart the likes of which we'd never seen. We were rightly impressed, and made the bold claim that "every sci-fi starship" was contained within its monstrous depths.

We were wrong. As word of the poster spread, more and more sci-fi aficionados came forth to point out oversights, errors and ships missing from the star-gazing canon. The poster didn't contain every sci-fi starship ever - just a great many.

We should point out that Loechel never made this claim. He's just a fan of spaceships, inspired by the work of Jeff Russell , keen to help sci-fi fans gain a context for their favourite vessels. And he's carried on his amazing work. Below we have the updated Starship Comparison Chart, bigger than ever before. It's added missing Star Trek gems, Red Dwarf essentials and a heap of others. It's not every ship ever, but it's not far off.

And no, the TARDIS isn't on there. It's too small.

To view the full size image click on the image below. To see more of Dirk's work, visit his DeviantArt page .

(Images: Dirk Loechel ; Rex)

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A Mindblowing Spaceship Chart Every Sci-Fi Fan Needs to See

Have you always wanted to know how a Xurian Scout Fighter compares to a Valor-class Type-2 Valkyrie Attack Fighter? Wonder no more. DeviantARTist Dirk Loechel has created what is likely the most accurate and complete size comparison chart of almost every science fiction starship, from famous Star Trek and Stars Wars battle cruisers to ships from games like Halo to vessels from obscure sci-fi books. This new chart is an updated version of one Loechel made earlier. It looks like Loechel is taking suggestions for doing another update if you find he’s missed some.

Click on the image above to have access to the large original version on DeviantART, and enjoy the diversion.

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Starship Sizes

What is so interesting about starship sizes?

My answer is that they are an important part of Star Trek's consistency. Other figures such as warp speed or phaser power often lead to pointless discussions because they are quite abstract. In contrast, a physical dimension is something much more definite because it can be determined without any knowledge about fictitious subspace physics or the rapid nadion effect. We just need to recall that starships are built to accommodate humans or humanoids to recognize that size does matter.

General Considerations

Starship sizes are often unknown or, even worse, disputed. The reason is that they are no real-world objects designed for and built in a certain size. Each ship exists only as a model (hardware or CGI), plus a limited number of full-scale sets that are supposed to be somewhere inside. The size of the "real" ship depends not only on what the model looks like but also on how it is presented on screen. Kitbashing or scaling up and down an existing design often obstructs the size estimation.

Basically, there are three possible references to determine the size of a starship:

Outer/inner structure The decks of Federation starships are usually around 3.5m tall, confirmed by the interior sets whose basic cross-sections are about the same for all Federation ships and by MSDs and deck measurements of those ships whose size and deck count is known. The clear height of rooms and corridors on a ship is some 2.5m, bearing in mind that 24th century humans are evidently not taller than in the 21st century. Andrew Probert assumed 10 feet between decks, 2 feet in between and hence a ceiling height of 8 feet. Rick Sternbach designed the deck centerlines to be 3m to 4m apart, with 0.5m in between to accommodate EPS and consumables conduits. This gives us up to 3.5m clear space, or it would allow Jefferies tubes between the decks . So unless we know how tall the decks are intended to be, there is an uncertainty range of some 25%. Moreover, this method doesn't work for alien vessels that often don't have window rows to count, let alone cross-sections to shed light on their internal structure. Even if it were possible to count the decks, the deck height is not necessarily the same as on Federation ships. Using deck heights as a scale Evaluating starship encounters Starship encounters Starship encounters or space battles are commonly used references, provided that trustworthy figures for at least one of the participating ships are known. However, when analyzing the visual effects of the pre-CGI age, the limitations of motion control photography have to be taken into account. Occasionally two ships of different scales were filmed in one take (like the Excelsior and Enterprise-D), moreover naturally at a much too close distance. Shuttles sometimes can't be made as small as they should be because they would be barely recognizable. But even in cases where it would be technically possible to get the relative scaling right and with modern CGI, VFX people sometimes don't do their job carefully enough or even increase or decrease ships intentionally for the dramatic impact. So the comparison method may yield contradictory results. A considerable error has to be taken into account, and often the only reliable statement is something like "the unknown ship X is bigger than ship A", or "ship X is at most or at least y meters long". Official/VFX sizes Size figures in official publications or given by individuals involved in the production process (Probert, Okuda, Sternbach, Drexler, Eaves, Stipes) are possible references likewise. However, they should be treated judiciously, for they don't necessarily reflect the "actual" sizes of the ships. For instance, if the designer says his ship is x meters long, but the VFX people evidently always assume y meters, the whole thing has to be reconsidered. Moreover, ship sizes may be based on a preliminary sketch rather than the final ship, or they use a faulty reference, which is the case in the Deep Space Nine Technical Manual where, among other ships, the well-known Excelsior is scaled up by 10%. The sizes mentioned in several official publications are evaluated on a separate page .

A Classification System

Concerning the reliability of size figures and of the designs themselves, I have found the following categories of ships (however, I don't refer to them elsewhere at EAS because they are too abstract):

Type A A ship which has been designed in a process close to real engineering and is well-documented, implying that the designer has adhered to a certain size and deck count and the people in charge of the VFX abide by this size. There is at least a sketch of the interior layout in the form of an MSD or a similar cross-section, and it has to match the outer appearance as indicated by window rows and lifeboats. If such a ship is present in a scene with contradictory size ratios, it has to be used as a reference, rather than being scaled up or down itself. Such a design is what it should be, a scale model, i.e. with a fixed scale and a definite size. Only the major ships featured in the shows, the Constitution refit, Galaxy, Intrepid and NX classes are of this type, but rather not the Defiant and definitely not the "Star Trek (2009)" Enterprise . Type B A ship which has not been designed quite as carefully as type A, but whose size can be exactly determined due to very reliable references. For instance, the ship employs the same components as another ship, or there is a size chart that has been used for both the design and the VFX. If this applies, the figures are as reliable as those of type A. The Miranda, Constellation, Sydney , Nebula , Prometheus, Vor'cha, D7 and K't'inga are members of type B. Type C A ship whose size is not quite as evident, but can be determined with a reasonable uncertainty range. This is the case if the size based on the deck count, the size comparison with other ships, a possible figure provided by the designer and references from literature are close together. The error should not be more than 10%. This type includes the Ambassador, Excelsior , Akira , Oberth , D'deridex, Galor and the Ferengi Marauder. Type D A ship whose size stays roughly the same in VFX shots, but a reliable figure is not available. Such a ship often doesn't have window rows to count, and it seems it has been intentionally designed without a definite size in mind. There are many alien ship types in this category, for instance the Romulan scout, Jem'Hadar "bug" and battlecruiser, (Bajoran) Antares-class freighter and Bajoran raider, as well as the Norway, Steamrunner and Saber. Type E A ship whose perceived size is subject to vary and is in dispute, irrespective of the figures given in publications, by the designer or by the VFX staff. This is the case if a design changes its size (Defiant, Deep Space 9, "Star Trek (2009)" Enterprise) or if the same model is used to represent ships of intentionally different sizes ( Klingon Bird-of-Prey , Kazon raider/fighter , Jem'Hadar battleship ), both of which is impossible. The same applies for kitbashed designs combining scaled components such as the Yeager class. Type F A ship whose size is not that relevant. These are alien-of-the-week ships for which the same model (the triangular guest starship from TNG, for instance) is used again and again. Other ships whose size doesn't matter that much are those which can be described as "just huge" (Borg cube, Kazon mothership) or "just tiny" (ships which are described as shuttles or single-seated).

Summarizing, there are reliable figures for type A and B ships. The sizes of type C ships are not exactly known, but the evidence is sufficient for a good estimation. Ships of type D are satisfactory in that there are no blatant inconsistencies, but fans have derived different figures all of which could be true. Essentially the same applies to the type F ships.

This leaves the type E ships as the ones that cause controversies because of contradictory evidence. We have to come up with a compromise, but which one would be appropriate? We could take the average of the varying VFX sizes. We could ignore the most blatant outliers from what we consider a reasonable size. We could decide that the designer's intent overrules VFX sizes if the latter are not consistent. There is no ultimate recipe and usually no definitely true or wrong size estimation. And even though some of the conclusions at EAS may sound dogmatic, I am open to suggestions.

Type G A ship that has been redesigned per the "visual reboot" principle. This always means, it is much bigger (in DIS or SNW) than it used to be (in TOS). The original USS Enterprise and the D7 battlecruiser belong into this category.

There is most definitely no way the TOS and the corresponding DIS/SNW starship designs could be the same or could have the same size. This is the most important of several reasons why starships from the reboots are in confinement at EAS.

Starship Size Table - a list of starship sizes as given in several publications

Starship Scaling - about starships that look the same but are (supposed to be) of different sizes

Fleet Charts - comparison of all ships which allow a reasonable size estimation

Fleet Chart Annotations - references used for the ship lengths listed at EAS 

The New Enterprise Design - my two cents on the redesign in "Star Trek (2009)" and its true size

Defiant Problems - Just how little is the tough little ship?

The Bird-of-Prey Size Paradox - one, two or even more sizes?

Size of the Dominion Battleship - Does the 5km version really exist?

Thanks to Boris S. and to the people in the Starships & Other Technology forum of the Flare Sci-Fi Forums for suggestions. Thanks to Greg Price for the deck height references.

https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/articles/ship_sizes.htm

Last modified: 07 Aug 2022

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Sci-Fi Starship Size Comparisons

By chris higgins | nov 15, 2007.

Have you ever wondered which is bigger -- Battlestar Galactica , or Battlestar Pegasus ? And how do those compare to Deep Space 9 ? How do those compare to the crazy alien craft in Independence Day (officially named City Destroyers , apparently)? Well, all these nerd questions are now answered by the Sci-Fi Starship Size Comparison Chart ! Now I finally have data to back up my, uh, "thought experiments" about how many Battlestar Galacticas it would take to destroy the Borg.

Taking things a step further, check out the Starship Dimensions site, which includes some additional comparison points -- from Dr. Who's Tardis (listed as 3 meters high), to the Imperial AT-AT walker listed at approximately 20 meters high -- the site includes the note: "The 15.5m height stated at StarWars.com just doesn't add up when you watch the movie." There's also a nice comparison under the "-2x" tab that shows relative dimensions of Godzilla (100m high), the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (43m high), and King Kong (12.5m high -- "approximate").

And if that hasn't sated your sci-fi size comparison needs, check out the Starship Schematics Database , "dedicated to the sole purpose of archiving every single starship design ever conceived in the Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, and Space Battleship Yamato (A.K.A. Star Blazers in the USA) Universes, both official and unofficial, interesting and mediocre." Awesome. (Seriously -- check out the Battlestar Galactica Colonial Vessels section.)

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What's the biggest enterprise new art compares sizes of star trek's greatest ship.

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Star Trek: Every Version Of The Starship Enterprise

The q are finally evolving in star trek lore (all thanks to q's son), i hope star trek never fully explains the borg.

• The fan art compares the sizes of 9 Starship Enterprises from different Star Trek series and films.
• The USS Enterprise NCC-1701 from the Original Series was the first starship seen by fans.
• The fan art does not include the USS Enterprise from J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, which is said to be larger than the others.

The Starship Enterprise is Star Trek ' s greatest ship, and amazing new fan art compares the sizes of the USS Enterprise throughout the generations. Star Trek: The Original Series ' USS Enterprise NCC-1701 was the first Starship Enterprise seen by fans until Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced the USS Enterprise-D. In the decades since, prequels like Star Trek: Enterprise and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Next Gen 's continuations like the TNG movies and Star Trek: Picard have introduced many other starships named Enterprise, designated A to G.

Twitter/X user @JaceRidley shared his own fan art comparing the sizes of 9 Starship Enterprises, from Captain Jonathan Archer's (Scott Bakula) NX-01 to Captain Seven of Nine's (Jeri Ryan) USS Enterprise-G seen at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 3 . Check it out below:

It's worth noting that @JaceRidley lined up nine of the Enterprises from Star Trek's Prime Timeline only. Not pictured is the USS Enterprise in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, which is Constitution Class but said to be larger than the Enterprises in Strange New Worlds and TOS.

The Federation flagship, the USS Enterprise, has a long, fabled history, and each version of the classic Star Trek spacecraft has its own unique look.

Starship Enterprise Size Comparison Explained

The 9 Starship Enterprises seen in @JaceRidley's art are as follows: NX-01 Enterprise, USS Enterprise NCC-1701 Constitution Class, USS Enterprise NCC-1701 Constitution Class Refit (also could be Enterprise-A), USS Enterprise-B Excelsior Class, USS Enterprise-C Ambassador Class, USS Enterprise-D Galaxy Class, USS Enterprise-E Sovereign Class, USS Enterprise-F Odyssey Class, and USS Enterprise-G Neo Constitution/Constitution III Class. Although the Enterprise-D has the widest saucer section, hence it's nickname - "The Fat One" - in Star Trek: Picard season 3, the biggest ship by a good margin is the Enterprise-F, which is seen for the first time in Picard season 3, episode 9 , "Vox."

The Starship Enterprises continually increased in size until the USS Enterprise-G, which is the cause of some fan debate. The Enterprise-G was actually the USS Titan-A, Star Trek: Picard season 3's hero ship. The Titan was renamed Enterprise and assigned to Captain Seven of Nine to honor their heroism in saving Earth during Frontier Day in Picard season 3's finale. While a segment of Star Trek fans would prefer the Enterprise's lineage continue to grow bigger and more powerful, the Titan is a ship with a story and history that's certainly worthy of inheriting the storied name Enterprise.

Source: Twitter/X

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Feb 9 The Massive SciFi Starship Size Comparison Chart

The massive SciFi  Starship Size Comparison Chart is one of my favorite infographic design projects. Designed by Dirk Loechel and shared on DeviantArt, this is a project he has been working on for years. I posted an earlier version of his design in 2013 here  which was hugely popular. Dirk’s notes claim that this may be the last update.

The last update For real this time: This is the final major content update, though if there are issues I’ll still fix them. I also haven’t forgotten I wanted to vectorize the writing. It’s still on the radar. But content-wise, I think that is about all I can put in.  Also, I added the ISS. For scale. It’s on top, with a yellow frame so it’s relatively easy to find. Lots of errors fixed, lots of new ships too. Well, off for now, but I’ll be replying in the comments more or less regularily.  This is probably at least for the forseseeable future the last round of adding ships. I have pretty much all I wanted now (excepting some old scifi, and many Anime series, which tend to not have many usable images). Lots of new content. And that’s it for now. Enjoy the new-and-improved chart! 

This is one of the visual designs that clearly demonstrates why visuals can be much more effective than text descriptions. Especially when it comes to comparing size and scale. You just don’t comprehend the scope when someone tells you that the Star Wars Executor Class Super Star Destroyer is 19,000 meters long. You have to see it in comparison to something you already know.

The images on DeviantArt are high enough in resolution, that you can download and print it out as a poster yourself to hang on your wall. The full-size poster resolution is 4,268 x 5,690 pixels. Most of the ships are clustered by franchise (Star Wars, Star Trek, Halo, Eve, Warhammer, etc.). As a reality check, the International Space Station (ISS) is included for reference.

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STAR TREK Size Comparison Charts - Ships from TNG to DS9

 Here are the size chart with the ships from the Alpha, Beta and Gamma Quadrant.