History Main / ISOStandardHumanSpaceship

Also, some of these designs actually make some sense. For example, the external tank of the Space Shuttle was un-painted because of the extra weight paint would add (to give you an idea, the paint on a 747 jetliner weighs hundreds of pounds), not to mention the fact that it would all burn up when it fell into the atmosphere anyway. For deep probes our designs are pretty non-blocky only because they are not meant for any kind of combat. Wings may be used on craft [[SpacePlane intended to work in atmosphere as well]] (like [[BattlestarGalactica BSGs]] Vipers), even though it wouldn't probably be very practical to make a dual-purpose craft like that given the hugely different conditions, especially when considering the different atmospheres and gravities of alien worlds. Unpainted metal or reflective exteriors may also be justified if the ship is intended to fly near stars: this would reflect the light assist the ship in [[SpaceIsCold staying cool,]] similar to the way that skyscrapers in the southern USA and other hot places tend to be designed with reflective glass exteriors.

* ''{{Homeworld}}'' with the exception of the Mothership.

* In the ''{{X}}-Universe'' games, the Argon, Terran, and Teladi ships all follow this.

* ''SinsOfASolarEmpire'': Played straight with the TEC, but averted with the Advent(who are also humans, just psychic ones with a different culture). Advent ships are sleek, [[ShinyLookingSpaceships shiny]], and definitely non-utilitarian in appearance.

* ''{{Halo}}'', the UNSC ships are boxy in shape, in contrast to the curvy purple flowing aesthetics of the Covenant.

* ''BabylonFive'' : Humorously lampshaded in “Legend of the Rangers” with the human design of the Valen looking like “a flying brick.” ([[FlyingBrick No relation]].)

** Probably the reason the later design of the new ''Valen'' in ''[[Babylon5TheLostTales The Lost Tales]]'' was made to look more Minbari with their patented triple-fin look.

* The titular ship from ''{{Andromeda}}'' is--along with most of the other ships in the Home Guard fleet--a huge aversion of this. Colorful, shiny, curvaceous, and almost frail-looking. The background materials took care to explain this, in that generally the only thing to get through its defense net to hull proximity would be a [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter guided kinetic weapon]]. 'Frail' structures provide less of a target, more opportunity to [[ArtificialGravity deflect the weapon]], and less mass to get turned into high-energy plasma by a successful strike.
** ''Andromeda'''s sister ship ''Pax Magellanic'' is notably destroyed by a single kinetic missile, after she [[SuicideByCop shuts off her defenses right before impact]].

* The titular ship from ''{{Andromeda}}'' is--along with most of the other ships in the [[TheGoodGuys Home Guard]] fleet--a huge aversion of this. Colorful, shiny, curvaceous, and almost frail-looking. The background materials took care to explain this, in that generally the only thing to get through its defense net to hull proximity would be a [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter guided kinetic weapon]]. 'Frail' structures provide less of a target, more opportunity to [[ArtificialGravity deflect the weapon]], and less mass to get turned into high-energy plasma by a successful strike.

Also, some of these designs actually make some sense. For example, the external tank of the Space Shuttle is un-painted because of the extra weight paint would add (to give you an idea, the paint on a 747 jetliner weighs hundreds of pounds), not to mention the fact that it would all burn up when it falls into the atmosphere anyway. For deep probes our designs are pretty non-blocky only because they are not meant for any kind of combat. Wings may be used on craft [[SpacePlane intended to work in atmosphere as well]] (like [[BattlestarGalactica BSGs]] Vipers), even though it wouldn't probably be very practical to make a dual-purpose craft like that given the hugely different conditions, especially when considering the different atmospheres and gravities of alien worlds. Unpainted metal or reflective exteriors may also be justified if the ship is intended to fly near stars: this would reflect the light assist the ship in [[SpaceIsCold staying cool,]] similar to the way that skyscrapers in the southern USA and other hot places tend to be designed with reflective glass exteriors.

* ''TachyonTheFringe'' has this for the [[LaResistance Bora]], whose warships are hastily-converted cargo haulers. Some of the designs aren't so functional, though, like the ''Battleaxe''-class fighters, which prominently feature a sharpened ''blade'' on the top. Mostly averted with other ships, although freighters still have an elongated, blocky look. [[MegaCorp GalSpan]], notably, has sleek-looking ships with wings (fighters) and the blue-and-white color scheme. [=GalSpan=] fighters are also weaker than Bora ones in terms of firepower and armor. They do, however, have higher speed and maneuverability, as well as guided missiles and energy torpedoes (the Bora only have dumbfire rockets).

** Probably the reason the latter design of the ''Valen'' was made to look more Minbari with their patented triple-fin look.

* ''MassEffect'' averts this: the Normandy SR-1 and SR-2, the main ships in the series so far, are non-conventionally shaped, though vaguely reminiscent of rocket ship designs, and always brightly painted white. This is sort of justified, however, by the fact that visual recognition in space is almost impossible, so it doesn't really matter what color the ship is painted. Other ships featured in the series tend to follow the same philosophy, and the ''Destiny's Ascension'' is essentially a large flying cube.
** The Destiny Ascension isn't [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091227112424/masseffect/images/e/e8/DestinyAscensionFlyby.png really]] that [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090207040549/masseffect/images/2/2b/MassEffect_2008-08-13_12-37-43-71.png cube]] like

** Or olive-drab if the developer's american

*** It's aliens like the Romulans and Klingons who have clunkier looking hulls, and the [[HiveMind most clunky looking ship on the show]] was designed specifically to look ''in''human.

* ''{{Halo}}'', in contrast to the curvy purple flowing aesthetics of the Covenant.

* Played very straight in ''Firestorm Armada'' the human faction the [[TheAlliance Terran Alliance]] are usually flat, and shaped in squares, and triangles, with most of their color being blue and grey.

** ''Andromeda'''s sister ship is notably destroyed by a single kinetic missile, after she [[SuicideByCop shuts off her defenses right before impact]].

* Pretty much averted in the first ''EscapeVelocity'', which (in part due to the simple models) had ships with ærodynamic, rather anime-like shapes. Later games (especially Terrans and Voinians in ''Overdrive'', Federation and Aurorans in ''Nova'') conformed more and more closely to this.

* In DavidWeber's [[HonorHarrington Honorverse]] it's mentioned that all of the major powers use reactive pigments to give their ships a primary color to distinguish them in visual inspections, but it's also noted how easy it is to change the paint-scheme.

** ST ships also tend to have smoother outlines in the later series because [[SpaceIsAnOcean warp fields act like hydrodynamics]].

* ''XCom Interceptor'' tends to avert this, with the human ships actually using functional, forward-swept-wing designs, or in the case of the second-tier ship, rounded wings. All ships are also painted, and in the case of the X-1A tier one ship, even whimsical, with shark teeth painted on the nose.

* Played very straight in ''Firestorm Armada'' the human faction the [[TheAlliance Terran Alliance]] are usually flat, and shaped in squares, and triangles with most of their color being blue and grey.