Star Trek: Voyager broke new ground when it debuted in 1995. In addition to featuring the franchise's first female protagonist (Kate Mulgrew's Captain Janeway), it also went where no one had gone before: the mysterious Delta Quadrant. However, despite these innovations, Voyager retained many aspects of earlier shows, like The Next Generation's mostly standalone episodes and the focus on cool ships and technology seen throughout the franchise.

The early CGI used for Voyager does somewhat detract from its inventive starship designs, as even the most interesting can look a little dated. However, many of these ships have stood the test of time. From lost science ships to rebel transports, Voyager has something for every breed of starship fan.

8 The Val Jean

First Appearance: "Caretaker" (Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2)

The Val Jean may be small, but in many ways, this Maquis fighter is responsible for everything that happens in Star Trek: Voyager. While fleeing from a Cardassian ship in the Badlands, Chakotay (Robert Beltram) and his crew are dragged into the Delta Quadrant by the godlike Caretaker. Janeway's Voyager is assigned to locate the Val Jean, a mission that results in the Federation vessel's unexpected voyage through the Delta Quadrant.

That the Val Jean is destroyed shortly after arriving in the Delta Quadrant has profound implications for the series. It forces the Maquis rebels to work with Voyager's Starfleet crew (although the show's writers seem determined to ignore the dramatic potential of this set-up). Nor does the little ship go out without a fight—Chakotay uses it to ram a Kazon warship, buying Voyager time to escape.

7 The Baxial

First Appearance: "The Chute" (Season 3, Episode 3)

Neelix is one of Star Trek's most divisive characters, with many fans questioning the appropriateness of his romantic relationship with Kes, a three-year-old Ocampan from the Delta Quadrant. Less controversial, however, is the Baxial, Neelix's personal freighter. This small starship may not look elegant, but it demonstrates significant speed and agility on multiple occasions, making it a vital tool in Voyager's repertoire during the vessel's seven-year journey home.

Despite only making a handful of appearances in Star Trek: Voyager (the Baxial's exterior isn't even seen until the show's third season), Neelix's ship enjoys an unexpected afterlife in another classic sci-fi series. It can be seen docked to a space station in "War Stories", an episode of Joss Whedon's short-lived Firefly; the freighter may be a footnote in Voyager itself, but its legacy casts a long shadow.

6 Dreadnought

First Appearance: "Dreadnought" (Season 2, Episode 17)

The Delta Quadrant may be many light years away from the Federation, but that doesn't stop familiar ships and technology from making occasional appearances in Star Trek: Voyager. In "Dreadnought", Belanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) must confront her past when a Cardassian missile threatens a planet in the Delta Quadrant. Torres had planned to use the missile ship (nicknamed Dreadnought) against the Cardassian Union, only for it to be pulled into the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker.

The ATR-4107 Dreadnought may only be an unmanned drone, but its advanced defensive capabilities make it more than a match for both Voyager and a fleet of alien ships. It can also carry a maintenance crew, supports an advanced tactical computer, and is powerful enough to devastate whole planets. Luckily, Torres is able to destabilize the Dreadnought's warp core, destroying the ship before it obliterates the world of Rakosa.

5 "Alice"

First Appearance: "Alice" (Season 6, Episode 5)

Star Trek may be a science fiction series, but it occasionally dabbles in the supernatural. In "Alice", Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeil) enters into a twisted relationship with the eponymous Alice, an alien shuttlecraft with a mind of its own and a sinister side. Alice uses an advanced neurogenic interface to interact with its pilot, allowing for unprecedented navigational input. However, this interface has a drawback: when the rogue ship is attacked by Voyager, the neurogenic technology causes Paris to feel pain when Alice is damaged.

The ship is also home to a ghost in the machine. Taking the form of a beautiful woman, Alice's computer seduces Paris and uses him to pilot the ship towards a dangerous anomaly. Indeed, despite Alice's sentience, the shuttle is entirely dependent on an organic pilot and is destroyed following Voyager's rescue of Paris.

4 USS Relativity

First Appearance: "Relativity" (Season 5, Episode 24)

While Kirk's Enterprise makes frequent trips back and forth through history, time travel is something of a rarity in the wider franchise. As such, the appearance of a Federation ship specially dedicated to time travel in Star Trek: Voyager is notable. In "Relativity", the crew of Voyager finds themselves contending with some time travel shenanigans when a version of the Relativity's captain travels back through time in a misguided attempt to change history.

In addition to being able to travel through time as well as space, the Wells-class starship possesses advanced systems appropriate to its 29th-century origins. Many of the starships seen in the franchise have transporters, but Relativity outdoes them: it can transport crew members anywhere in history thanks to its temporal transporters. However, overuse of this technology can have negative side effects for the traveler.

3 USS Equinox

First Appearance: "Equinox" (Season 5, Episode 25)

The short-range survey vessel Equinox finds itself out of its depth when, like Voyager, it is accidentally pulled into the Delta Quadrant. Things go from bad to worse when most of the crew are immediately killed, an event which drives the ship's Captain Ransom (John Savage) towards a desperate course of action. Ransom plans to use an alien lifeform as fuel in order to expedite his return to the Alpha Quadrant, much to Janeway's disgust.

The design of the Nova-class starship is interesting, as it combines Voyager's aesthetics with those seen in The Next Generation movies (particularly the starship's nacelles). The Equinox may be one of Starfleet's more immoral vessels, but it still makes a memorable contribution to Star Trek history.

2 Species 8472 Bio-Ship

First Appearance: "Scorpion" (Season 3, Episode 26)

The Borg may represent one of the greatest threats to the Federation, but the cybernetic race isn't actually at the top of the Delta Quadrant's pecking order. In "Scorpion", Voyager discovers a war between the Borg and the mysterious Species 8472—a war that the Borg are losing. In order to secure safe passage through the region, Janeway must ally with the Borg. However, even the combined might of the Federation and its greatest foe may not be enough to overcome the bio-ships of Species 8472.

Constructed from the same biological matter as their creators, these ships are capable of regenerating any combat damage. Offensively, the bio-ships pose a considerable threat: just one is capable of destroying a usually impregnable Borg cube, while several bio-ships could work together to destroy whole planets. Voyager's crew develops innovative new weapons based on Borg technology in order to counter the vessels, forcing them back into Species 8472's native fluidic space.

1 USS Voyager

First Appearance: "Caretaker" (Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2)

The titular USS Voyager is an Intrepid-class science vessel designed for long-term exploration. While far smaller than many Starfleet vessels, Voyager possesses many innovative technologies, including super-efficient variable geometry warp nacelles and bio-neural circuitry which allows for faster and more efficient computational work than was possible on previous starships. However, the latter technology can be a curse as well as a blessing: in "Learning Curve", cheese made by Neelix nearly destroys Voyager after its bacterial cultures infect the ship's bio-neural gel packs.

Voyager has one of Starfleet's most impressive track records, as it makes contact with numerous species in the Delta Quadrant. Admittedly, some fans have their doubts about the ethics of Voyager's captain, but this does nothing to detract from the vessel's incredible legacy. It's no surprise, then, that several other vessels also bear the Voyager name, as seen in Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Discovery. It may not be as iconic as the Enterprise-D or as punchy as the Defiant, but the USS Voyager is still one of Star Trek's coolest ships.