The 7 best Star Trek ships ranked from worst to best

7. USS Defiant (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Kicking off our stellar lineup at number seven is the mighty USS Defiant, a real little powerhouse that punched well above its weight class. Unlike the sprawling, floating cities we're used to in the Star Trek universe, the Defiant was more like that scrappy underdog in the movies who's small but surprisingly tough. It came onto the scene in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and quickly turned heads because, let's face it, we hadn't seen anything quite like it in Starfleet's repertoire.

This ship wasn't built for leisurely cruises across the galaxy or making friends with new alien species - it was designed with one thing in mind: punching enemy ships in the face... with their phasers and photon torpedoes. What makes the USS Defiant stand out, besides its knack for getting into interstellar scuffles, is how it showed us a different flavor of Starfleet.

Typically, we see Starfleet as the spacefaring equivalent of explorers and diplomats, but with the Defiant, we got a glimpse of their "don't mess with us" side. It was the go-to ship when the Federation needed to flex its muscles, especially during the tense moments of the Dominion War. The Defiant was like that one friend you call when you're in a pinch and need to get out of trouble - reliable, tough, and always ready for action.

So, while it might not have the size or the iconic status of some of the other ships in our lineup, the USS Defiant earns its spot for showing us that sometimes, being small and feisty is just as important as being big and bold.