So, some time ago I was speculating about the Alcubierre warp drive concept. Basically, the idea suggests that, while we cannot move an
object faster than light, we
can move a volume of
space faster than light - since space is basically nothing, and "nothing" can travel faster than light. The fact that any atoms hanging around
inside this volume
also travel faster the light does not signify - they are not doing so in their own reference frame and, as relativity points out, there is no preferred reference frame. I don't doubt my understanding is rough, what I want to use it for is to speculate about what ships might look like built to use this FTL system.
It has a number of interesting ramifications. Firstly, space is not a perfect vacuum - there are one or two hydrogen atoms per cubic centimeter outside of nebulae. This is a very hard vacuum indeed - but if you're clipping through it at several thousand times the speed of light, that one or two atoms per cubic centimeter adds up to quite a breeze. This leads right away to an odd conclusion, your ship has to be streamlined and designed to control the flow of hydrogen around and through it. If it isn't, beyond a certain speed, it will tend to melt from friction. It also suggests they could maneuver using control surfaces - yes, starships really can bank!
These thoughts suggest that the usual depiction of an Alcubierre warp drive - with big, fat annular rings - may not go very fast. I have tried to design a ship that meets some of these requirements.
It does have a saucer, but that saucer is aerodynamic and designed to carry a centrifuge for gravity. It also has a secondary hull housing the stardrive. The saucer can probably detach and land at destinations. The stardrive could probably land as well, but rather than a helicopter-style point landing, likely it would need a long runway. Where a saucer landing vertically would not require a spaceport (or at least an airport), the stardrive would. Landing is handy since neither component requires servicing in space.
So, the saucer is round (has to be to contain the centrifuge) and aerodynamic. The stardrive is streamlined and built like a jet, with control surfaces, and intakes. It has no "navigational deflector" since you want to scoop up hydrogen, not push it out of the way, and the deflector isn't aerodynamic. The ship is essentially a Bussard ramjet, but would use the intakes to grab hydrogen rather than huge magnetic fields - in short, it looks like a jet.
So, using bagera3005's Black Knight, I mocked up a first stab at a design. Yes, it's rough, I had to rescale several components. But this might be a more plausible starship than your typical Star Trek fare. What do others think?