The United Federation of Planets is a federal republic with a universal reach in the Star Trek universe. Starfleet is the wing of the Federation that covers exploration, scientific research, peacekeeping, and defense. Naturally, they would have to have an impressive fleet to maintain their interstellar reach. The following ships are the fastest that Starfleet has to offer. Some of these ships were designed and intended for speed or travel while others were modified later for specific missions.
Updated on April 12th, 2020, by Richard Keller: Though we've only seen a handful of Federation starships in history of Star Trek, we know there are still more out there that are some of the fastest in Starfleet. Here are a few more of those craft to ponder.
USS Zheng He, Class Unknown
Not much is known about Captain Riker's temporary starship. Needless to say, when it appears in front of a Romulan fleet during Picard's season one finale, Riker says the Zheng He is the "... toughest, fastest, most powerful ship Starfleet ever put into service."
Though we only had a quick glimpse as it warped in-and-out of the system, we could tell it was a enormous starship. It might even be larger than the Sovereign-Class Enterprise-E. Hopefully, the origins of the Zheng He are fleshed out.
Enterprise, NX Class
Technically, the first starship to carry the name Enterprise wasn't part of the United Federation of Planets. It was solely a Starfleet vessel. Yet, it was the most important one, for it launched a long history of space exploration.
For its time, the Enterprise was the fastest ship in the fleet. It could reach speeds of warp five if necessary. It did so several times throughout its long career.
USS Defiant, Defiant Class
Since it was meant to be used for combat instead of exploration, the USS Defiant was built for speed. When introduced as Commander Sisko's flagship, it had a maximum speed of 9.2. As a result of its "stripped-down" setup, access to this level of speed was easily accessible.
It was the quick capabilities of the Defiant and its crew that allowed it to break through numerous attacks by the Klingons and the Dominion. Though the original Defiant met its demise in a battle with the Tholians, a new Defiant-class ship was given to Captain Sisko toward the end of the Dominion War.
Enterprise-F, Odyssey Class
Before Star Trek: Picard resumed the continuity of the TV show and subsequent movies, numerous short stories, novels, and video games moved the timeline forward. To the point they entered the 25th century. This is when the Enterprise-F was launched.
Equipped with a quantum slipstream warp drive, the newest Enterprise in Starfleet was extraordinarily fast. In addition, it was involved in numerous encounters during its first missions. For example, it was part of a fleet that stopped the Dominion from taking over Deep Space Nine. In other words, the same old thing for a craft named Enterprise.
Enterprise-B, Excelsior Class
Where the original USS Excelsior was a prototype for the next generation of starships, the Enterprise-B incorporated all its improvements, most of them probably suggested by Captain Hikaru Sulu. In turn, the newest Enterprise became the flagship not only for the Excelsior class but for Starfleet itself.
Plenty of its adventures were chronicled in Star Trek novels. It's in these that readers learned the fates of Captain Harriman and Ensign Demora Sulu. In fact, it was Captain Sulu who helped usher the Enterprise-B into the 24th century.
USS Monitor, Nebula Class
Often used as a scouting ship or for important deliveries because if it's maneuverability and speed, this ship is the proverbial Hermes of Starfleet. If there's a word about a ship that's been lost or destroyed or the Romulans are about to attack, send in the USS Monitor. The ship appears in several episodes of TNG television series and the Star Trek Generations video game doing exactly this. She does appear in combat but her real strength is in movement. The whole Nebula-class was designed with science and exploration in mind as opposed to offensive trips. Each is equipped with warp nacells on both the primary and secondary hull.
USS Ajax, Apollo Class
The crew of Star Trek, The Next Generation (TNG) were not only exploring the universe but also the limits of technology. Kosinski was a propulsion expert who was a recurring character on TNG, and the USS Ajax was one of the first ships that got his experimental transwarp drive upgrades. Starfleet command views it as a faster, more maneuverable ship since she's seen equal amounts of battle, exploration and travel time. In the original TNG episodes, she's described as part of the Excelsior class but this detail was retconned and she was officially listed in the internal Starfleet records as an Apollo-class vessel.
USS Discovery, Crossfield Class
The main setting for Star Trek: Discovery, the whole motive for this ship's existence is to research and measure speed. The entire Crossfield class was designed to test an experimental spore drive and other potential sources of propulsion that exceed the speed of light.
As much of this story takes place in the early days of Starfleet, some of the missions and experiments of the USS Discovery are very secretive or surrounded by tight security. After the ship was presumably destroyed after being consumed by a wormhole, her secrets would list in deep space for a thousand years. Any survivors that knew about the secret experiments, including the spore drive, were compelled to remain silent or be charged with treason
USS Fearless, Excelsior Class
A descendant of the original Excelsior, this is another ship from TNG era. In addition to the original design of the class that emphasized speed, the USS Fearless was also an early recipient of Kosinski's experimental upgrades. She combines both the power of the transwarp drive that the Excelsior class is known for along with the brilliant inventions of Kosinski. In the TNG episode in which she appears, the Enterprise-D gets the same upgrades. Mapping and exploration was her specialty, and in the TNG episodes where the Fearless is mentioned, she's always making maps or exploring another new galaxy.
USS Enterprise, Sovereign Class
Also known as the Enterprise-E, this model was designed in part by Montogomery Scott himself, so you know it has all the best of the models from the original right up until the Enterprise-D. Officially it can reach a speed of Warp 9.9 thanks to cutting-edge design and minor but effective fixes, like moving the warp nacells upwards and forward.
This is the ship that you see in the Star Trek movies that feature The Next Generation cast. It also makes an appearance in the Star Trek: Bridge Commander video game.