In what ways does the U.S.S. Enterprise function as a character, not just a vehicle in Star Trek? Does “she” have a personality? Do the other ships in the Star Trek universe have the same level of character development?

To be honest I do not think that the starships actually can be viewed as characters. Yes, Enterprise is named, gendered, and the “real” characters talk to her. And the computer responds. But as a general rule, the computer has no selfawareness, does not solve problems (only at the prompt of the real characters), and only has a personality to the extent that the real characters project their own perceptions and ideas on to the ship.

We like to talk about Enterprise as a character. And Star Trek would not have been Star Trek without Enterprise. But I flatly dismiss the idea that Enterprise is actually a character in her own right.