In order to keep this as short as possible, I'm limiting this to starships that appear in the canon movies (Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, The Clone Wars, Solo, Rogue One, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker). I'm noting each ship's first appearance in these movies. If I don't include a description, it's probably there just because I like the design/think it's practical.
The Last Jedi
More like a StarBetty than its supposed inspiration, this fragile ship fails miserably as a bomber. Then again it makes sense for the New Republic to make a failed design then pawn it off on some desperate ragamuffins. I still like its design.
72.
Return of the Jedi
Never was the biggest fan of this ship. It crossed into GI Joe vehicle territory, in that it was designed more as a crazy toy concept than a practical in-universe ship. Rebels theorizes the complicated, awkward design was a remnant of its prototype’s having a miniaturized superlaser, but the only practical aspect that remained is the slim target profile.
Attack of the Clones
70. Sentinel-Class Landing Ship
A New Hope: Special Edition
Faster and more durable than the Lambda class, it still lacks the latter’s grace. Looks like it has a big goiter.
69. Sphyrna-class Hammerhead Corvette
Rogue One
A useful ship that got its chance to shine during the Battle of Scarif.
68. CSS-1 Shuttle
The Phantom Menace
A good example of CEC’s practical, modular design philospohy
Revenge of the Sith
I'm not the biggest fan of the Separatist cruisers (except for the Malevolence), but this does get a spot just for the cool Zeppelin-like sound it makes. Also, "Invisible Hand" is a cheesy name for something in a fantasy universe.
66. LAAT/i
Attack of the Clones
I think the design is a little too much like an unflattering copy of the Mi-24, but I can’t argue with its versatility and practicality.
65. Mandator-IV-class Dreadnought
The Last Jedi
This simple design looks a bit like an ersatz Star Destroyer from Starfox 64, but it serves a useful purpose.
The Phantom Menace
63. MC85 Raddus
The Last Jedi
One of the more streamlined Mon Cal designs
62. Libertine
The Last Jedi
An interesting design, but not as pretty as the Nubians.
The Clone Wars
A subtle fan favorite that's getting some belated attention.
The Empire Strikes Back
A cool design, but the connecting shaft makes it way too fragile.
Rogue One
Krennic's personal shuttle with a personal flair.
57. TIE/sa Bomber
Empire Strikes Back
It makes sense for the Empire to stick to the TIE design for things. Oddly enough, the First Order actually did display some creativity with its own bomber than it did with its fighters.
56. Twilight
The Clone Wars
Not a great design, but it does have sentimental character value for Anakin while adding a bit of truth to Uncle Owen's claim that the former navigated a spice freighter.
55. TUG-b13
The Force Awakens
I kinda like this mostly-engines design.
54. Trident-class Assault Ship
The Clone Wars
A rare submersible ship with an appropriate design
53. Nau'ur-class Yacht First Light
Solo
A distinctive luxury yacht whose interior did a better job that TLJ did at depicting high society in a galaxy far, far away.
52. TIE/sf
The Force Awakens
Although I hate the sequels' creatively bankrupt reversion to the original TIE/ln design, this is a clever development of it. A TIE fighter with a turret added. Also note how the engineering sections are moved to the end of the wings to accommodate the gunner. Of course, now TIEs have life support because apparently putting suits on actual characters is too much trouble for Disney.
Rogue One
I like the symmetrical diamond shape and the engine pattern. CEC's interesting departure from the YT-series.
Attack of the Clones
An EU Easter egg in the prequels. I also like its design.
48. Nu-class Shuttle
The Clone Wars
A rougher predecessor to the Lambda.
Attack of the Clones
A graceful design from the prequel era.
Revenge of the Sith
The Phantom Menace
A purpose-built trop carrier. I like how it efficiently stacks APC because it doesn't need support areas for living troops.
42. Punworcca-116 Interstellar Sloop
Attack of the Clones
Nice, distinctive design. I particularly like the spherical canopy.
41. GR-75 Transport
Empire Strikes Back
A surprisingly sleek design that increases efficiency by loading modules directly, although the force field system for it seems a bit risky.
40. Dowager Queen
A New Hope: Special Edition
Supposedly a wrecked colony ship from which Mos Eisley spawned, now converted into a hotel. A nice bit of lore.
39. GX1 Short Hauler
The Rise of Skywalker
I always liked this rejected Imperial shuttle design, and now its canon.
A New Hope
A beloved, sturdy ship with a lot of character. Even the offset cockpit has a practical explanation.
37. Slave I
Empire Strikes Back
One of the more creative and interesting unorthodox designs.
36. TIE Advanced x1
A New Hope
A TIE with a hyperdrive: a perfect ship for Darth Vader
35. Vulture-class Droid Starfighter
The Phantom Menace
A rare use of a droid fighter.
34. RZ-1 A-Wing
Return of the Jedi
A fast, small ship with a lot of features. Good for quick attacks, but a bit fragile.
33. ZH-40 Tribune Light Freighter
The Rise of Skywalker
Not much to say except I like this design.
Attack of the Clones
A sleeker faster Nubian that Padme related to more.
The Force Awakens
A great design, but tries a bit hard to look evil in comparison to the Lambda.
29. TIE/rp Reaper
Rogue One
I like the aggressive shape, and a quick troop lander is useful
28. Scimitar
The Phantom Menace
An interesting precursor to the TIE design.
27. CR90 Corvette
A New Hope
The first Star Wars ship. A definitive Corellian design, and that mess of engines gives it some speed.
26. Lucrehulk-class
The Phantom Menace
Revenge of the Sith
24. UT-60D U-Wing
Rogue One
A well-thought out purposefully-designed light troop carrier that suits the movie's plot well.
23. Eta-2 Actis-class Interceptor
Revenge of the Sith
I love how it shows the evolution of the TIE fighter from the Delta-7.
Revenge of the Sith
I love the design. You can definitely see the Incom pedigree that led to the X-Wing, and there's a bit of a Japanese WW2 look in it as well.
21. Belbullab-22 Starfighter (Soulless One)
Revenge of the Sith
20. Delta-7 Aethersprite-class Starfighter
Attack of the Clones
A graceful design with the speed and simplicity that fits the Jedi. The hyperdrive rigs are a bit impractical, though.
19. BTL-A4 Y-Wing
A New Hope
A perfectly designed light bomber, sturdy and capable, but unfortunately most of them were so old they needed a lot of maintenance. Tons of character.
18. Nubian J-Type
The Phantom Menance
I love the Art Deco look of the Naboo ships. Even Vader ended up getting one for sentimental reasons, though you'd think he would have gone with an H-Type.
17. Venator-class Star Destroyer
Revenge of the Sith
I like how those niches on the side are far bigger than on the Imperial-class. It's a sleek, evolutionary design. Not sure I like the long dorsal hangar doors, though.
16. Imperial-Class Star Destroyer
A New Hope
The most iconic symbol of the Empire's power. The command tower does look a tad ungainly, though.
Return of the Jedi
The Mon Cal ships were a trendsetter for alien ship design, and the Liberty class is the best looking of the bunch.
14. YV-865 Aurore-class Freighter
The Rise of Skywalker
I love the brutal look of this one, but its rugged appearance is offset by the engines' turning upward when it lands.
12. Resurgent-class Star Destroyer
The Force Awakens
One of the few FO designs I think is an improvement. The sleeker shape makes sense, considering some lessons were learned. They realized a prominent bridge was a bad idea after what happened to the Executor. A good evolution.
11. TIE/vn Silencer
The Last Jedi
An awesome new design in the TIE line. Too bad JJ had to replace it with a donked-out TIE Interceptor because screw the entire idea of having new ship designs.
Return of the Jedi
Beautiful and graceful, but at the same time oddly soulless with its clinical look. In contrast with the Upsilon, which looks like it's trying to look evil, the Lambda actually just looks evil.
Revenge of the Sith
A great design. A relatively intelligent droid dogfighter. The face is a bit cute for an antagonist, and I hated those sabotage droids they launched, which made the scene tedious.
A New Hope
Possibly the most creative design in the franchise, and partially because of its logical premises. The hight technology of the Empire anables them to make a fast ship with minimal engine size. Their fragility and short range reflect the Empire's mentality: the pilots are dependent and expendable. Also a bit of a penny-wise/pound-foolish mentality there. It's gothic canopy, demonic wings, and frightening wail are truly memorable. The vertical wings also give it a regal look. It's too bad the First Order had to just rip it off instead of making a new version.
Return of the Jedi
Basically the TIE except faster and looks more aggressive.
Revenge of the Sith
Though still beautiful, its appearance was a reflection of turbulent times.
4. Executor-class Star Dreadnought
Empire Strikes Back
I love the dagger shape. A truly evil design, and far more creative than the generic flying wing look of the Supremacy.
Attack of the Clones
I love this design. I forgot to mention I also like the piston engine sound effects in the prequels.
The Phantom Menace
Possibly the most beautiful fighter in the series.
A New Hope
A perfect balance of ruggedness, speed, and firepower. It's got a cute face and a thicc shape too, unlike the skinny-ass T-70's with their rickety half-wings.
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