Four full minutes. Thats how much time Star Trek: The Motion Picture devotes to a sequence in which Scotty and Kirk take a shuttle to the new USS Enterprise. The Motion Picture gets a lot of guff for its slow pace and its indulgences, and rightfully so. But we forgive the flyby sequence because its not just our two Starfleet members admiring their ship. We get to admire it too, lavishing in every line and curve.The Motion Picture wouldnt have even attempted the sequence were they working with anything other than the Enterprise. More than just the Starfleet flagship or the hero ship of the mainline franchise entries, the Enterprise is one of the most beloved space ships of all time. It has lived in the public consciousness for decades, spawning endless parodies, imitators, and homages.Yet, everyone knows that the Enterprise isnt the only Enterprise. Various legacy ships and alternate versions have appeared in the franchise. Of course, the name Enterprise does not a great starship make, and these Enterprises are not equal, which means we get to rank them.Quick point of order: for this list, were really only focusing on ships that received a great deal of attention or played an important role in their stories. So while the ISS Enterprise served as the setting of Mirror, Mirror, the ship itself wasnt terribly important and did not appear again in canon outside of an episode of Discovery. And no, were absolutely not going to include the 285,000 Enterprises that hailed each other in The Next Generation episode Parallels.Also worth noting: were only going with on-screen and canonical details here. For example, the Enterprise refit and Enterprise-A from The Original Series movies are basically identical on screen, and thus get lumped together here. Yet, plenty of non-canonical sources lay out the many differences between the two vessels.Those restrictions out of the way, weve still got 11 great ships to choose from. And while were sure some are better than others, theyre all so great that history will never forget the name Enterprise.In theory, we understand what producers wanted to accomplish with the Enterprise-E, giving Picard and his crew a cinematic upgrade to launch their own voyages on the big screen. However, the Enterprise-D was designed for television first and foremost, so putting a new slick coat of gloss on those qualities for the -E only made them stand out, eliminating the charm of the beige interior and horseshoe bridge and making it feel like a corporate boardroom.Worse yet is the sheer scale of the -E. As a Galaxy-class ship, the -E outmatches its predecessor in size and in firepower. Its 16 phaser arrays and 10 torpedo launchers, compared to the 12 arrays and three launchers on the -D, mark it as a ship ready for war. Thats the biggest problem with the -E. The ship perfectly encapsulated the Next Generation movies shift from character-driven stories to action-driven stories, a serious downgrade.In short, we dont need to know what Worf did to destroy the -E between Nemesis and Picard. Were just glad he did.9. Enterprise-F (Star Trek: Picard)Yes, the Rock did fight Seven of Nine in an episode of Voyager. Otherwise, Star Trek doesnt have much in common with wrestling. The other exception might be the treatment of the Enterprise-F in the third season of Star Trek: Picard. The first episodes do a lot of talking up the -F as a noble, powerful ship that has earned its early decommission. And when Ro Laren reveals to Picard the conspiracy with the Changelings, the threat feels all the worse because the -F is involved. And yes, when the -F does finally take to the skies under the command of Captain Shelby, it promptly gets destroyed, showing the depth of the Borg threat.Looking at the few shots we have of the -F, its clear the ship deserved a better fate than Borg Jobber. The sleek design marries the dynamics of the Voyager with the traditional Enterprise aesthetic, giving it a coiled look while still keeping the traditional saucer and hull separation. The nacelles in particular, protruding atop the saucer instead of below, make the -F seem ready for battle. Apparently, that was all for show, as the -F gets killed off pretty quickly, revealing the ship to be little more than a paper tiger.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!8. Enterprise-B (Star Trek: Generations)Theres nothing we could say about the Enterprise-B thats more cruel than the way director David Carson treated the ship in its one and only outing. Star Trek: Generations devotes more screen time to a bottle of champagne floating through space than it does to showing off the -B during its maiden voyage. Were clearly a long way from The Motion Picture.Which is too bad, because what we see of the Enterprise-B looks pretty great. The blue and green lighting scheme of the bridge contrasts well with the darker shadows needed for a film set, and the circular layout, while perhaps a bit cramped, feels more functional than most takes on the starship. On the outside, the hull flaring and more compressed look makes the ship feel propulsive, even in dry dock.All of these qualities help the Enterprise-B stand out from its predecessor and successors, but not from the USS Excelsior, on which it is based. Given that the -B gets a giant hole blown in it pretty quickly, and never gets a captain telling it to fly it apart, its a pretty sad Excelsior and, thus, a lackluster Enterprise.7. Enterprise-G (Star Trek: Picard)Like the -B, the Enterprise-G ranks lower for two reasons: 1) we didnt see enough of it (as the Enterprise) to give it a full evaluation, and 2) it used to be another ship. More specifically, it used to be the USS Titan, the ship most often associated with Rikers command. So while it might be a nice moment when Picard ended by revealing that Seven of Nine would take command of the Enterprise-G, we cant help but mourn the loss of the Titan, at least a little.Still, if we pay attention to what the Enterprise-G was as the Titan-A, then we have to admit its a pretty great ship. Where the original Titan, a Lunar-class ship, had a bit more of a squat and sturdy design, the Constitution III-class Enterprise-G is a bit more narrow, which better resembles other ships with that name. Yet, the nacelles wrapping above the saucer instead of below give it a unique look we hope to see again in the future.So unique, in fact, that it kinda feels like the -G shouldnt be an Enterprise at all and should be a Titan instead.6. Enterprise-C (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Yesterdays Enterprise)As far as the canon goes, the Enterprise-C is a one hit wonder, only showing up in a single episode. But what an episode it is. Yesterdays Enterprise, from TNGs third season, is a story of heroism and sacrifice for the greater good, one of the best entries in the entire franchise.The ship is pretty great, too. When designing the Enterprise-D for TNG, artist Andrew Probert imagined the -C as a perfect fulcrum point between Kirks Starfleet and that of Picard. He created a mock-up by combining the Excelsior with a Galaxy-class ship, which was then created for the show by Rick Sternbach and others.In the eyes of its creators, the finished -C isnt quite as elegant as they hoped. Its saucer section lacks the pop of the original Enterprise or the grace of the -D. Its lighting scheme, while flashy, looks a bit out of step with the rest of the TNG universe, which serves a story in which the -Cs sacrifice prevents a dark future, but doesnt serve the ship as much as one would hope.5. Kelvin Enterprise (Star Trek-Star Trek Beyond)At this point, people might get upset that the Enterprise from 2009s Star Trek ranks so high while the Enterprise-E ranks so low. The two do have much in common, including a sleek approach to televisual qualities and an emphasis on action.Heres the thing, though. The battleship take on the Enterprise fits within the Kelvin Universe, which, as J.J. Abrams presents it, is all about action. The Kelvin Enterprise has huge, winding corridors, perfect for Kirk and Spock to run through in one direction, shout a bunch of stuff, and run in the other.All snark aside, the Kelvin Enterprise looks amazing. It is recognizably the Enterprise that Kirk captained on TOS, just through an Apple Store lens. Every surface shiny, every curve elegant. Yet, it still found a way to make engineering look like a brewery (which it was), keeping with the incongruities of the first ship.4. NX-01For better or worse, Star Trek: Enterprise depicted humanity taking baby steps into space. That made for some awkward moments as Jonathan Archer and his crew fumbled alien encounters that Kirk and Picard would handle with grace. Those moments may have mixed results, but Enterprise nailed its proto-Starfleet approach with its titular ship, the Enterprise NX-01.With its prominent saucer and warp nacelles, the NX-01 is unquestionably a forerunner to the Enterprise. The NX-01 lacks the secondary hull found in every other Enterprise, which speaks to its smaller crew and more focused mission. There arent any families aboard the NX-01 like there are on the Enterprise-D. That stripped down aesthetic continues with the bridge. The circular layout with a command chair in center anticipates the haunts of Kirk and Picard, but its tighter and cramped. Apropos of Enterprises opening montage of previous ships by the same name, its easy to see the naval forerunners within the NX-01s futuristic design.Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the NX-01 is the Swiss army knife quality that designer Douglas Drexler gave the ship. Knowing that various storytellers would need the ship to do different things, Drexler gave the NX-01 ports and sections with no clear purpose, indicating promise that the show never got the chance to realize.3. Enterprise Refit/-A (Star Trek: The Motion Picture-Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)How good is the Enterprise of the TOS films? Its a ship so good that God tried to steal it.The refit Enterprise might be the ship that got the most attention behind the scenes, as creator Gene Roddenberrys people had been working on it as part of the production for the abandoned sequel series Star Trek: Phase II. Even though Paramount commissioned a new model when Phase II changed to The Motion Picture, they had already spent plenty of time thinking about what they could do with a bigger budget.That attention and support paid off in spades with the new model. The refit and the -A retain the sleek, angular look of the original and even heighten the effect with sharp nacelles and a hull sitting back further under the saucer. Internally, the Refit and -A feel bigger, befitting a movie set, with more room for the crew to spread out and do their jobs.The biggest knock against the Refit is that its essentially just the Enterprise redux. But when youre mostly repeating a perfect ship, its hard to go wrong. 2. Enterprise-D (Star Trek: The Next Generation)Say what you want about the bald, dignified Patrick Stewart stepping in for virile William Shatner. TNGs real test involved its hero ship. How could designer Andrew Probert make an Enterprise that both felt like the NCC-1701 of TOS but also stood as the believable Starfleet flagship a century after Kirk left the bridge?All questions ceased the very second that the camera panned over the Enterprise-D in the opening credits. Even without Stewarts majestic voiceover, the -D looks amazing. The subtle curves leading to the warp nacelles. The pleasing glow of the core. Even the specks of lights emanating from windows along the sides, hinting at the thousands of people aboard. All of these elements make the Enterprise-D feel like the ideal vessel for an ongoing mission, voyages that continue far past five years.And yet its just so beige. The one thing that keeps the otherwise glorious -D in second place is its color scheme, a real downgrade from the vibrancy of its most notable predecessor. The softness of the color scheme does reflect the more intellectual stylings of its captain, as does its bridge, with a horse-shoe design that creates a communal feel and two chairs alongside the captains. The Enterprise-D feels not just like a ship that people take on adventures. It feels like a ship on which people live.1. Enterprise (The Original Series)Despite the common misconception that he was a womanizer with a girl in every port, Kirk really only had one true love: his ship. And its easy to see why.Roddenberry and designer Matt Jefferies set out to create something truly unique in the world of science fiction, combining the rocket aesthetics of the Kennedy era with the flying saucers of the 1950s, with elements grounded in real-world aviation. Drawing from his own knowledge of aircraft innovations, Jeffries created something that felt like a natural evolution of the vehicles humans were already sending into space.Such an approach could have resulted in something functional but ugly. Yet, the Enterprise is gorgeous, its unusual look denoting speed and adventure instead of practical stodginess. The grey, blue, and red color scheme feels timeless even today, as does its interior. Its original rounded bridge never feels like a television set, and always seems like the place where explorers of the future do their work, even when eye lighting and technicolor hues appear on the crew.The Enterprise may have been made for a five-year mission that lasted three seasons, but its timeless appeal is one of the main reasons we continue to love Star Trek today.