One of the oldest debates in nerd culture is Star Trek vs. Star Wars. Both are huge franchises with tons of ancillary material and deep lore. The most clear form this age-old debate has taken is comparing the two franchises' most iconic spaceships. The Starship Enterprise and the Millennium Falcon. From the outset, this doesn't really seem like much of a contest. After all, the Enterprise is a state of the art military research vessel and the Falcon is a hunk of junk that barely holds together while flying. But like Han Solo said, "she may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts."
Yes, the Millennium Falcon may be smaller and less well-equipped (or maintained) as the Enterprise, but she outclasses the Federation ship in many different ways. Mostly it comes down to her flexibility. The Falcon is a ship for daredevils and improvisers. It's at its best when it's getting into crazy situations and then finding ways out of them. The Falcon just has a lot more options for dealing with unexpected trouble than the larger, slower Enterprise does. Even if most of the time Han, Chewie, and Lando just decide to run away from whatever the trouble is.
So consider this a consumer report, of sorts. Next time you find yourself in the starship dealership having to choose between the shiny Federation ship and the beaten-up Corellian freighter, keep this list in mind. These are 30 Things the Millennium Falcon Can Do That The Starship Enterprise Can't.
30 Exceed Lightspeed
When Luke Skywalker first saw the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo proudly told him, "It can make .5 past lightspeed." Now all Star Wars ships can go lightspeed, but the Falcon can go even faster. The ship is so fast because Han installed a hyperdrive usually built for Star Destroyers.
That's a lot of horsepower for a tiny ship like the Falcon.
Granted, that's when you can get to the hyperdrive to work. Over in Star Trek though, they've got trouble going past Warp 10. As the Voyager episode "Threshold" showed us, any faster than that and you transform into a lizard.
29 The Millenium Falcon Can Outrun A Black Hole
For a ship built to explore the unknown, the Enterprise is oddly unprepared for space phenomena. Granted they never get too close to the anomalies they study but they're still in space. Stuff is bound to happen. It happens a lot when you're a devil-may-care smuggler like Han Solo. Good thing the Millennium Falcon can escape the gravity well of a black hole. The ship got caught in one during Han's famous Kessel Run. They did need some coaxium hyperfuel to escape, but the Falcon was fast enough to keep from crossing the event horizon. And that was without lightspeed.
28 You Can Find It On Google Maps
It's not every fictional spaceship you can find in real life. While the Starship Enterprise only exists in models and a series of Southern California soundstages, the Millennium Falcon has a full-scale set. Prop makers constructed one back in the day for the original trilogy and once again for the new sequel trilogy. And some eagle-eyed fans have stumbled upon it. Back during the production of The Last Jedi, the model was moved outside the London studio with cargo containers were put around it to disguise it. But fans searching on Google Maps spotted it from the air.
27 It Actually Has A Bathroom
There's a long-standing joke among Trekkies about the Enterprise's lack of facilities. Either nobody ever has to relieve themselves in Star Trek or they're just really good at holding it in. Even some of the technical manuals don't point out where the bathroom is. The characters in Star Wars may be similarly shy about their, uh, habits but we do have confirmation that the Millennium Falcon does indeed have a bathroom. The Incredible Cross-Sections book shows it's in the captain's quarters. That book doesn't show any shower though, and the Enterprise does have those. Guess it's a trade-off.
26 The Millenium Falcon Actually Lands On Other Planets
One of the Enterprise's big drawbacks is the fact that it can't land on the planets it visits. That's why it has to have shuttles and transporters to get people planetside. The Enterprise itself has to stay up in space. That's just way too complicated.
You know what's easier? Just landing on the Planet.
Like the Millennium Falcon does. Again, this is the value in having a smaller ship. It actually increases the number of places you can go. Want to stop into a port for a quick nip at the cantina? No problem, and no beaming necessary.
25 You Can Fly The Falcon Blind
You know that big display on the Enterprise bridge, the one they make phone calls on? You know that's not a window, right? It's a big flatscreen monitor. That starfield they see is just a camera feed. Cool, but it's not going to be very useful if all your instruments fail and you can't see where you're going. The Millennium Falcon, on the other hand, has an actual windshield in its cockpit. If its instruments go down, you'd still to be able to fly it (somewhat). And in space, being able to tell where you're going is kinda important.
24 It Can Jump To Lightspeed In Atmosphere
When you're a rugged space hero, being able to get out of a tight jam is imperative. After all, it's not very heroic to get blasted by the henchmen in the middle of your daring escape. Luckily for Han Solo, the Millennium Falcon is always ready to jump to lightspeed no matter the location. It can make the jump from inside a planet's atmosphere, or like in The Force Awakens, from the hangar of another ship. Doing this is incredibly dangerous though. If Han makes the jump at the wrong moment, he'll only escape into a wall smear.
23 Land At Lightspeed
Just because there are things the Millennium Falcon can do, that doesn't mean they are things it should do. Chief among those things is come out of Lightspeed inside a planet's atmosphere and then try to land. There's a reason you're supposed to enter and exit lightspeed while in space. It's because once you come out of lightspeed, you're still going ridiculously fast. A ship needs time to slow down before entering atmosphere and landing, if only so it doesn't turn into a fireball. In fairness, Han Solo only did this once, while infiltrating Starkiller Base to avoid detection.
22 The Falcon Has A Better Wardrobe Than The Enterprise
Star Trek is known for many things. Fashion sense is not one of them. Living in the Federation, you seem to either have the choice of monocular Starfleet uniform or garishly patterned jumpsuit. Or a sweater.
The two owners of the Millennium Falcon, contrarily, both had amazing personal styles.
Han Solo really pulls off his cowboy gunslinger look with his black vest. And Lando Calrissian would be nothing without his fabulous capes. He even had an entire closet full of them on the Falcon while he owned it. For the discerning space fashionista, the choice of ships is obvious.
21 It Can Escape From Space Monsters
Why space is full of giant monsters is unclear, but our heroes keep running into them. Good thing the Falcon has made a habit of escaping from their clutches. The moment from Empire Strikes Back is probably the most famous. Han flying the Falcon out of the space slug's mouth before it could eat them.
But he managed it during his Kessel Run in Solo too.
There he evaded the tentacles of a massive creature trying to crush them, leading it into a black hole. Meanwhile, this is something the Enterprise often has trouble with. Apollo's giant green hand anybody?
20 You Can Walk Around It In Real Life
Or at least you will be able to. Yes, a real-life version of the Millennium Falcon is currently under construction. As part of the new Star Wars Galaxy's Edge park at Disneyland, the Imagineers are building one for fans and parkgoers alike. You'll be able to sit in Han's seat and make the jump to lightspeed. The line will probably be three hours long but it will be worth it. Meanwhile, the closest fans can get to being on the Enterprise was the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas. But that was only the Enterprise bridge and it closed in 2008.
19 Maneuver Through Asteroids (Cause What Good Is A Ship That Can't)
Flying through an asteroid field is nearly impossible. C-3PO says so in Empire Strikes Back. Too many big rocks that can crush you moving in too many directions. Trying to weave and bob around them would make any pilot's head spin.
That's probably why the Enterprise doesn't even try.
They'll just throw up maximum shields and either go around or plow through. Not the Millennium Falcon though. It's small enough and its pilot is crazy enough to actually attempt maneuvering through an asteroid field. And he pulled it off! Han and the Falcon beat 3,720 to 1 0dds.
18 Fly Through Other Ships In A Pinch
The Millennium Falcon's small size is among its greatest assets. The ship wouldn't be nearly as maneuverable if it were any bigger and it wouldn't be anywhere as fast. Its stature is what makes it perfect for flying through other, bigger ships.
Ships even bigger than the Enterprise.
Think of that time in The Force Awakens when Rey and Finn were chased by TIE Fighters into that crashed Star Destroyer. Or heck, remember that Lando and the Falcon lead the assault into the second Death Star's innards in Return of the Jedi. The Falcon is like the tick of spaceships.
17 It Can Also Hide From Bigger Ships
Han Solo is, essentially, a space pirate. He's moving goods through space. Given his profession then, it's important that his ship is able to hide from authorities. Though it may be too small for a cloaking device, the Millennium Falcon can hide very well. One trick Han pulled in Empire Strikes Back was attaching himself to a star destroyer's back. By being in their blind spot, nobody on the Imperial ship could find them. Meanwhile, the Enterprise needs a convenient nebula if it wants to hide from anybody. Because the Federation are too goody-goody to develop cloaking technology.
16 Its Computer Has A Mind Of Its Own
The Enterprise's computer is not particularly reliable. It seems like every week it's either getting a virus installed, being affected by strange radiation, or turning of the holodeck safeties. It's somewhat lacking in personality too. Not the Millennium Falcon's computer though. It has personality to spare. That's because its computer was made from three cobbled together droid brains, including Lando's former co-pilot L3-37. L3's personality overwrote the basic functions of the computer, meaning she basically lived on after her destruction as the ship's computer. She even argues with C-3PO. L3 may be ornery, but at least she always pulls through.
15 You Can Throw A Party On It (Sorry, Trekkies)
Parties on the Enterprise tend to be rather dull affairs. Boring music, some hors-d'oeuvres, and synthetic booze. Not exactly the makings of a raucous good time, but it is primarily a diplomatic ship. No, if you want to have a good party then the Millennium Falcon is your ship.
Especially back when Lando owned it.
He tricked his ride out with only the best for entertaining. It had a wet bar, comfy couches, and a kicking sound system. No wonder the ladies loved him. And I think I know what kind of spirits he kept stocked back there too.
14 The Falcon Can Take Significant Damage
The reason the Millennium Falcon looks so beat up is because it has been beat up. Both Han and Lando (Mostly Han) have put it through some pretty heavy abuse. During the Kessel Run alone, it lost its radar dish and escape pod, got one landing pad knocked off, and had its engine flooded. But the Falcon is a tough little ship and it just keeps going. All the dings, dents, and scorch marks just give it character. The Enterprise, on the other hand, is infamous for how fragile it is. Some slight jostling and half the screens explode.
13 Fight Off Smaller Ships
It may not look it, but the Millennium Falcon is technically a pirate ship. As such, it's well-armed to take on any smaller vessels trying to attack it. Usually, its two quad-laser cannons take care of the problem. Han and Luke used them against TIE Fighters in A New Hope and Finn did the same in The Force Awakens. The Enterprise is really only built to fight ships the same size as it. For smaller enemies, it can only trap them in a tractor beam. Though to be fair, that is how the Death Star captured the Falcon.
12 Still Works When Its Broken
This entry feels like a cheat because the Millennium Falcon is always kind of broken. If one system is online, there's usually two that aren't. Nevertheless, it is something the smaller ship has over the Enterprise and shows the difference between the two universes. The Enterprise's problem is that its engine is also its main source of power. If that goes down, then everything on the ship stops working. But if the Falcon's hyperdrive stops working, the ship still has power. The crew can still do other things. Heck, the Falcon spends most of Empire Strikes Back in that condition.
11 The Falcon Was Built To Last
Say what you will about its looks, but the Millennium Falcon has almost every spaceship beat when it comes to longevity. That thing was already outdated when Luke Skywalker first saw it in A New Hope, being built at least 50 years before that film's events. Rey and Finn finding it in good working condition 30 years after that is nothing short of remarkable. Especially when you remember how much stuff that ship has been through. The Enterprise, meanwhile, has even harsher planned obsolescence than Apple. The longest any of them has lasted is 40 years and it had to be rebuilt twice.