INTRODUCTION

I enjoy thinking about the future and being inspired by the words written and images created by others about the future. While I enjoy all sorts of future-oriented objects, my favorite is the spaceship crewed by humans. For a number of decades I have been drawing spaceships and to some extent writing about them. I take the most satisfaction in creating designs inspired by others rather than copying them directly. The three main goals of my spaceship work are 1) to explore interesting forms for spaceships, 2) to present spaceships serving in a variety of roles at a variety of technology levels in a variety of fictional background settings, and 3) to promote a positive view of our future.

VARIETY OF FORMS, FUNCTIONS, AND TECHNOLOGY

I attempt to employ a variety of shapes in my spaceship designs. I usually see my vessels more as sculptural exercises rather than serious proposals of what future spaceships will look like. While I find myself attracted hulls shapes that are long and tubular or slab-like and faceted, I also include more curvaceous forms in my designs. The handful of exotic looking spaceships I have been able to concoct are used for the generic sentient alien species mentioned below.

I enjoy the challenge of creating spaceship designs for the whole gamut of missions and roles such ships could have. I have a particular fondness for large exploration vessels and gigantic space battleships. The speculative designs I have put the most effort into are in these two categories. Over the years I have come up with lots of designs for exploration and military spaceships of all sizes, numerous designs of cargo-carrying vessels and traveling space-resource processing facilities, and a small collection of hospital ships and star liners. While I have done my share of shuttlecraft, space fighters, and other small spacecraft, the primary focus of my work has been on starships in the 100 meters long to 1000 meters long range. Finally, I have made some forays into designing large space stations and traveling space habitats.

My first thoughts on the concept of star-faring habitats, advanced space habitats equipped with faster-than-light propulsion, began back in the 1980's. I was influenced by a number of science fiction stories that included this concept, especially those of Olaf Stapledon and Everett B. Cole. One of the best depictions of the star-faring habitat concept is the "General Systems Vehicle" presented in the science fiction novel Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks. Some quotes from this novel are presented in my article, Some Spectacular Spaceships of Science Fiction. Another major influence on my conception of star-faring habitats is an advanced alien space station called The Node described in the "Rama" series of science fiction novels by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee.

In addition to creating ships serving a variety of functions, I also like to present vessels from many different levels of star-faring technology. I do not focus much on the mechanics that would be required to make my spaceship designs work. Rather, I employ various families of pseudo-technological terms that suggest the function of devices used by my ships as they perform their fictional missions. For a listing of and definitions for the various terms I use, see my article Guide to Speculative Star-Faring Technology. For a brief exploration of what star-technologies might be employed to achieve these technological abilities, see my article So You Want to Be a Speculative Spaceship Designer? In general, most of my work falls into what I consider to be the middle levels of star-faring technology with only a handful of designs set in the levels where faster-than-light travel does not yet exist. I have a somewhat larger collection of vessels set at the other end of the technological spectrum with abilities bordering on the fantastic.

VARIETY OF SCIENCE FICTION SETTINGS

I have seven distinct science fiction settings for my various speculative spaceship designs to be part of. I use the terms "setting" and "environment" instead of the more common term "universe" because the actual amount of background material I have developed for each of them is very slight; usually little more than the names of the space fleets and sentient species in it. Some of these fictional environments can be seen as alternate futures for Humanity and they are not meant to be linked together. Many of the settings share the same generic alien sentient species mentioned below while others use just one or two. The general outlook in most of my fictional environments are quite optimistic, like that of the upbeat science fiction literature of the mid 20th century and the most uplifting episodes of the various Star Trek TV series and movies. However, I do have afictional setting that is more pessimistic in outlook, similar to the space-opera tradition in science fiction where the primary activity of the various sentient species is warfare.

The great bulk of my speculative spaceships are for Humans with only a handful of designs devoted to sentient alien species with body shapes quite different from Humans. I have six generic alien sentient species that I use in my various science fiction settings: the Cybernethi, the D'Jalarons, the Nimrithi, the Nyoshahl, the T'lar, the Ventasians, and the Ventronian. They each serve specific roles: the D'Jalarons, T'lar, and Ventronians are partners of Humanity, the Nimrithi and the Nyoshahl are the competitors of Humanity, the Ventasians are mentors of Humanity, and the Cybernethi are potential replacements of Humanity. You can read more about these seven species in Aliens and Their Starships Gallery.

The order of the fictional environments listed below is from most optimistic to most pessimistic:

The Galactic Travelers setting is a far future era millennia from the present where Humans are working together with a handful of other sentient species to peacefully explore the galaxy. In this fictional environment, Humans, T'lar, Cybernethi, and Nyoshahl live and work together in advanced starships and star-faring habitats run by sentient computers. These sentient vessels are members of Galactic Travelers, a loosely organized mutual aid society and collective security pact. The star-faring technology of the Galactic Travelers fictional environment borders on the fantastic with capabilities akin to those displayed by The Culture in the science fiction of Iain M. Banks. The other main source of inspiration for this setting is the science fiction novel "Star Maker" by Olaf Stapledon. The Galactic Travelers environment is the most exuberant of my fictional settings with what I hope is an awe-inspiring vision of our far future.

The Deep Space Exploration Group setting consists of two fictional eras that begin many centuries from the present. The Human star-faring technology of the first era is similar to that used by the Federation of Planets Starfleet as portrayed in the original Star Trek TV series from the 1960's. In the following era, that technology develops capabilities like those used by Starfleet in the Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series from the 1980's-1990's. The primary differences between the Deep Space Exploration Group setting and the Star Trek setting are that the former has much fewer star-faring sentient species with more peaceful interstellar relations than the latter and that the main Human space fleet in the former is more akin to the United States Coast Guard than the United States Navy. The Deep Space Exploration Group is the most romantic of my fictional environments with the look and technological capabilities of its starships meant to bring to mind those of Star Trek.

The Interstellar Exploration Corps / Galactic Exploration Corps setting consists of two fictional eras that begin over a millennia from the present. In this fictional environment, Humans work alongside a handful of sentient alien species at varying levels of star-faring technology with Human technology being in the intermediate range. Over the centuries the Interstellar Exploration Corps grows in size and capability to become the Galactic Exploration Corps. This fictional environment is inspired by the Sector General series of science fiction novels by James White as well as the science fiction of Arthur C. Clarke. I consider it my most sober portrayal of Humanity equipped with maturing faster-than-light technology combined with equally maturing societal development.

The Federated Star Systems setting is a fictional era perhaps five hundred years from the present where Humans and an alien sentient species called the D'Jalarons have finally made peace after struggling over a century or two to co-exist as equal partners. These two sentient species are leaders of the Federated Star Systems with a combined space fleet using intermediate star-faring technology. This fictional environment is inspired by the science fiction novel Manifest Destiny by Barry B. Longyear, a portion of which was made into the movie Enemy Mine.

The Space Exploration Consortium setting is a fictional era perhaps a just a century or so from the present where faster-than-light travel has just been developed. In this fictional environment Humanity has only recently been united into a peaceful global federation of democratic nation-states. The Star Explorers organization is sending out the first large exploration starships. These starships take weeks to travel the handful of light years separating one star system from another. The Space Exploration Consortium fictional environment is inspired by the 2001 series of novels by Arthur C. Clarke with a little of the TV show Babylon 5 thrown in. It is the most realistic of my settings from the viewpoint of having low level star-faring technology combined with relatively simple shapes used for spaceship hulls.

The Star Vessels setting is a fictional era that starts over a thousand years in the future. It employs star-faring technology quite similar to that of the Star Explorers setting but uses a much greater variety of shapes for its spaceships. In the Star Vessels fictional environment, Human starships have been around for just a few decades following centuries of exploration by slower-than-light traveling space habitats. Human star-faring culture is undergoing a transition from a very loose collection of independent-minded, far-flung colonies to a more centrally controlled federation led by the home star system Sol and its fleet of military and commercial starships. I consider the Star Vessels setting to be more romantic than Space Exploration Consortium, especially in its use of whimsical spaceship hull forms with elaborate patterns of view ports. The former is also a bit more pessimistic than the latter in that is it obvious that not all of the colonies will join the federation willingly.

The Humanasol League setting is my most pessimistic fictional environment. It is set in an alternative universe sone centuries in the future where Humanity has been exploring interstellar space for some time. I have used a fictional font for the Human ships in this setting to indicate that I believe that our actual future will be brighter than this. In the Humanasol League history, there have been two waves of interstellar colonization, one from Earth and another from its most successful colonies. The second generation colonies have broken away from Earth and formed the Kruegarian Protectorate which is more expansionist orientated than the Humanasol League. Two star-faring alien sentient species have been encountered during this time; the defensive-minded Ventronians and the expansionist-minded Klolodians. The Ventronian Interstellar Consolidation has become allies of the Kruegarian Protectorate and both need the cooperation of the Humanasol League in holding off the larger Klolodian Empire. All four of the instellar powers use star-faring technology akin to that in the science fiction film Wing Commander.

The Humanasol League Fleet ships are inspired by the Colonial Fleet as depicted in Sci-Fi's TV show Battlestar Galactica and the Terran Confederation Fleet as depicted in the science fiction film Wing Commander. The Kruegarian Protectorate Starfleet vessels are inspired by the Imperial ships of Star Wars. The Ventronian Interstellar Consolidation Fleet ships are inspired by various modular designs. The Klolodian Imperial Starfleet ships are inspired by tactical space-combat gaming miniatures from the 1970's.

MY VISION OF A POSITIVE FUTURE FOR HUMANITY

I see the most important purpose of my speculative spaceship design work to be sharing my deeply held belief that the future for Humanity will be positive over the long term. In the majority of fictional backgrounds I set my work in, Humanity has entered the early stages of spiritual adulthood. This transition from the chaotic, spiritually adolescent condition we find ourselves in at present to the beginning of spiritual maturity implies some basic advances in human culture:

1) A profound recognition of our common humanity that transcends the political, religious, and cultural beliefs that we perceive as dividing us

2) The abandonment of the acquisition of material things as the primary way to measure our self worth

3) The conversion of the economy from only the gross accumulation of material wealth to the serving of the needs of all humanity with the much greater mutual reciprocity that such a change implies

4) Using deadly force only for self-defense and the protection of those under our care rather than for territorial conquest, glory, wrestling material resources away from others

5) The creation of a pan-Human society that actively promotes the positive personal growth of individuals and balances such growth with encouraging the integration of individuals into a community that takes delight in its diversity

6) The realization that one of the greatest joys in life is unexpected discovery, especially if it is the discovery of joy in being part of a peaceful, diverse community that looks forward to meeting other forms of sentient life.

Obviously, the Human star-faring cultures set in my handful of fictional settings are not mere replicas of current and past Human cultures full of squabbles over territory and resources, but rather societies reflecting a spiritual maturity equal to the vast improvements in technology they have obtained. My visions of these better potential futures for Humanity are grounded in the positive visions presented in both the utopian science fiction that I love and the Bahá'í Faith of which I am a member. They both offer us new spiritual outlooks on our current problems as we make our way though our collective spiritual adolescence as a sentient species.

My humbly offered but deliberately upbeat views about the future of the Human race are currently out of fashion. Much of modern science fiction media assumes that the future is a mere continuation of the present; from the depressing near future of Bladerunner, to the cynical and conspiracy-ridden focus on power politics in Babylon 5, to the stark depictions of the depths of Human degradation seen in Sci-Fi's Battlestar Galactica. Even in the relatively progressive Star Trek, the positive vision seen in much of the original Star Trek TV series, the first Star Trek movie, and the first seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation was eventually replaced by darker, supposedly more "realistic" vision that focused more on dealing with belligerent alien sentient species than the wonder of space exploration. For those who don't connect with or appreciate my particular type of positive slant, I hope you may at least see my work as a small counterbalance to the predominantly negative viewpoints that current dominate popular science fiction media. For those who do feel a connection to the hopeful assumptions that underlie my work, I encourage you to read The Artist's Favorite Science Fiction Novels and David's Personal Introduction to the Bahá'í Faith.

CONTRIBUTIONS BY OTHER ARTISTS

A number of fellow science fiction artists have contributed to my speculative spaceships design work over the years. The most frequent contributor has been Jeff D. Robb. He has done numerous evocative illustrations for me of advanced starships and sentient aliens species. Jeff's imaginative star vessel designs make a wonderful counterpoint to my own rather industrial looking vehicles. Jeff and I co-created a book of starship illustrations and essays, "Interstellar Vessels of the Radiant Era," self-published in 2001. While the bulk of Jeff's efforts were done for a fictional setting I no longer work in, I have brought his designs into the fictional settings I am active in. He did the initial designs for Deep Space Explorer Empyrean and the Catamaran Shuttle along with much of the background material for the Ventasians and all of that for the Nyoshahl. My Ventasian starship is based on his concept illustrations and I have modeled one of his Nyoshahl starships as a tribute to all the help he has given me. Jeff was particularly helpful in coming up with the appearance for the Cybernethi, the Nyoshahl and the Ventasians. Finally, Jeff contributed some important concepts for Human star-faring technology such as reactive catalytic hulls.

In addition to Jeff, a handful of other artists have furnished material for me. Sean Kennedy created a 3D CGI model of Jeff Robb's Catamaran Shuttle as well as graciously allowing me to use many of his custom-made textures in my own 3D CGI designs. Michael Mobes created the font originally used for the T'lar. Steve Wilson and Richard Jeferies created much of the 3D geometry used on Solar System Explorer Endurance and well as many miscellaneous 3D parts used on other ships.