No matter the subgenre, great romance books will thrive. Well-written romance novels have complex and nuanced main characters who have their own lives, but who still fit well together. These love stories are easy to root for and get attached to, and their interactions are filled with great chemistry and banter. No matter the obstacles that they are facing, they ultimately come together by the end of the novel for their Happily Ever After.

Contemporary romance, in particular, is an especially enjoyable subgenre. These stories take place in a modern setting, typically have high emotional stakes but low physical ones, and are often cozy and comedic. Readers can enjoy these novels, knowing that a happy ending is in store for the main pairing, even if quite a bit of miscommunication is as well. These are contemporary romance books that are perfect from start to finish.

‘To Sir, with Love’ (2021)

Image via Gallery Books

Inspired by You’ve Got Mail, To Sir, with Love by Lauren Layne tells the love story of two real-life rivals who don’t know that they’ve been falling in love with each other online. Gracie Cooper is an aspiring artist who has taken over her father’s champagne shop in the wake of his death. The family business may not be Gracie’s passion, but she believes in what they do, and she’s trying to make it work. Unfortunately, a big corporation is determined to buy them out and destroy their business, and their spokesperson, Sebastian Andrews, can’t understand Gracie’s opposition to this.

All the while, Gracie has been falling for a stranger whom she met on a dating app. They know each other only as “Sir” and “Lady,” and they don’t know what the other looks like, or anything about each other’s real lives. All Gracie knows is that she connects with Sir in a way that she never has with anyone else. What Gracie doesn’t know, though, is that Sebastian is Sir. He doesn’t know about her, either, and the closer they get online, the more they grow to dislike each other in real life. To Sir, with Love is the perfect mental vacation throughout, with cozy vibes and an absolutely delightful main romance.

‘Boyfriend Material’ (2020)

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Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall is an absolutely hilarious fake-dating rom-com. It follows Luc O’Donnell, the 28-year-old son of two former rockstars. Luc’s father left when he was young, and Luc never really knew him, but his life is always being upended by his father’s fame. After some recent bad press, the obscure charity that Luc works for threatens to fire him for being the “wrong” kind of gay man, unless he can get a respectable boyfriend in time for an upcoming event.

Panicked and determined to keep his job, Luc decides to fake-date Oliver Blackwood, a barrister with whom he shares a mutual friend. Luc and Oliver have never gotten along, and Luc always feels like Oliver is judging him. Still, though, they both know that they would benefit from having a fake boyfriend to accompany them to upcoming commitments. Thus, the two of them agree to start fake-dating, and, in spending more time together, they realize that their initial impressions of each other might have been wrong. Boyfriend Material is a true romantic comedy. It’s sharply funny, and Luc and Oliver have an amazing connection that jumps off the page.

‘Thank You for Listening’ (2022)

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Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan follows Sewanee Chester, a former actress who lost her career after a tragic accident took her right eye. Sewanee is now an audiobook narrator — and a very successful one at that. She used to narrate romance novels under a pseudonym, but she gave up on them years ago. After the death of June French, a wildly successful author of romance novels, for whom Sewanee used to narrate, Sewanee is chosen to narrate June’s last book. It’s a dual POV novel that requires two narrators, and for the other, June requested the mysterious Brock McKnight.

Brock McKnight is the most famous romance audiobook narrator by far. His voice is known and beloved in the romance reader community, and many of his listeners are enamored with him. Brock works under a pseudonym as well and has always been very secretive about his identity, so he and Sewanee start working on the project together by exchanging emails. Through these emails, the two really get to know each other, and Sewanee finds herself deeply connecting with another person in a way that she hasn’t let herself in a long time. Thank You for Listening is an excellent romance novel, both for Sewanee’s journey, and for her truly delightful love story.

‘One Last Stop’ (2021)

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One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a contemporary romance with a speculative twist. It follows August Landry, a 23-year-old woman who has just moved to New York City. It’s a big adjustment for August, but she soon finds her footing, largely thanks to her new roommates. One day, August is riding the subway, when she meets her dream woman. Jane Su is cool, calm, and everything that August is looking for. The only problem is, Jane doesn’t remember much about herself, except that she is actually an accidental time traveler from the 1970s.

One Last Stop is a fantastic romance novel that both follows August’s journey of finding a home and family for herself in the city, as well as slowly builds a real connection between August and Jane. August has quite a bit of experience with detective work, so she tries to help Jane piece together past details about herself. In the process, the two only become closer, and August starts to realize how much it will affect her if Jane ever does go back to her time.

‘Get a Life, Chloe Brown’ (2019)

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Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert is the first in Hibbert’s trilogy about the three Brown sisters each finding love. The novel follows Chloe Brown, a chronically ill woman who has been struggling with isolation and a stale routine in the wake of her illness. After a near-death experience, Chloe decides to shake things up and finally live the life that she wants for herself. This starts with making a list of everything she believes she needs to do in order to kickstart the next stage of her life.

First, Chloe moves out of her parents’ house and into her own apartment. There, she meets Red, the building’s superintendent and her new neighbor. Red is bold and adventurous in all the ways that Chloe is unable to be, so she asks him to help her check off the items on her list. Thus begins a fun and delightful quest that sees Chloe and Red going out of their way to tick off each item on her list, and in doing so, they slowly open up to each other along the way. Get a Life, Chloe Brown is a funny, heartwarming romance novel, and it is wonderful all the way through.

‘The Charm Offensive’ (2021)

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The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun is a delightful spin on The Bachelor. It follows Dev Deshpande, the star producer of a reality dating show called Ever After. Dev is phenomenal at his job for a reason: he adores a great love story, and he knows how to write and sell them. Ever After is a fictionalized version of The Bachelor that casts a male lead who has to decide between a group of women. This season’s lead is Charlie Winshaw, a tech millionaire who’s recently and publicly gotten into some hot water.

In order to save his image, Charlie has agreed to be this season’s lead. The problem is, he is doing so very reluctantly. He has no interest in charming his contestants or the show’s viewers, and he’d rather be anywhere else. Charlie does feel a connection to Dev, though, and he quickly starts to lean on him throughout the process. Dev, on the other hand, needs Charlie to fall for one of the women, but he can’t help his own growing feelings for the one person he absolutely can’t fall for. The Charm Offensive is as fun as it is sweet, and it is an absolute joy to read – and reread.

‘Book Lovers’ (2022)

Image via Berkley Books

Emily Henry is well-known for her phenomenal romance novels, which include the sharply funny and truly captivating Book Lovers. The novel follows Nora Stephens, a successful literary agent who lives in New York City. Nora has been unlucky in love after regularly getting dumped in Hallmark-movie-style scenarios that have seen her exes leave her for women in cozy small towns. Now, her sister has convinced her to take a month-long vacation together to one such town: Sunshine Falls, North Carolina, which happens to be where one of Nora’s clients sets her novels.

While in Sunshine Falls, Nora runs into Charlie Lastra, a book editor whom she dislikes. As it turns out, Sunshine Falls is Charlie’s hometown, and he’s in town to help his parents out with their bookstore. Despite their previous negative interactions, Nora and Charlie keep crossing paths in Sunshine Falls, and they start to realize that they have more in common than they initially thought. Book Lovers is full of funny banter and sweet romantic moments between Nora and Charlie, and it is a true delight of a novel.

By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated 19 seconds ago

For every emotional, character-driven episode of Farscape that pushes forward the battle against the Peacekeepers, there’s an episode that exists for no other reason than the universe of the show is cool and the writers want to spend time in it. “Scratch N Sniff,” Season 3 Episode 13, adds nothing to the overall plot and yet, it’s essential viewing. Years before The Hangover, John Crichton and D’Argo wake up after a wild night of partying, unsure what happened, where all of their stuff is, and why Crichton is wearing stockings. It’s fun, it ends up meaning nothing, and it’s one of the series best episodes. 

Pleasure Planet Excursions Never End Well

Crichton (Ben Browder), D’Argo (Anthony Simcoe), Chiana (Gigi Edgley), and Jool (Tammy Macintosh) are kicked out of the Moya by Pilot (Lani Tupu) because, well, everyone was annoying him. After only two days, Crichton returns to the Moya and tries to tell Pilot the story of what happened to them on the pleasure planet LoMo. Crichton and D’Argo work to piece together the missing night, and try to find what happened to Chiana and Jool. 

Raxil (Ben Browder’s wife Francesa Butler, back for her third appearance, third character, and always an annoyance to Crichton) explains to the men that the women were kidnapped by a local crime lord to produce the pleasure drug Frelin. To get back their friends, D’Argo and Crichton have to infiltrate a criminal hideout, by sneaking into an auction for Chiana and Jool, with a little help from Harvey (Wayne Pygram). Along the way, Raxil wants them to help rescue her mate, but if you’ve seen any other episode of Farscape with Butler, you can guess how it’s going to end. 

Scratch N Sniff Was Originally Much Different

“Scratch N Sniff” is filled with fun moments, including Chiana’s fire-twirling (performed by Gigi Edgley herself), Jool doing gymnastics (performed by Tammy Macintosh, a former gymnast), and D’Argo’s smooth dance moves (also performed by Anthony Simcoe). Pilot’s annoyed interjections during the story, and Crichton’s frustrated attempts to explain himself, serve as a running bit. It’s also the first, and only time, that Harvey appears to someone else when D’Argo gets dragged along into Crichton’s subconscious through an alien connector. 

Originally “Scratch N Sniff” was going to be a serious, noir-detective story. According to the cast and crew in various interviews over the years, it ended up being boring. Farscape can be described in a lot of different ways, but boring is never one of them. Re-editing the footage with the homage to The Usual Suspects and using quick, music video-style cuts as often as possible turned the serious mystery into an offbeat, quirky adventure. 

Between all of the drug references and the human trafficking, it’s easy to see how this episode was originally much darker, and then there’s Crichton using a deep southern accent while undercover. The second, significantly less serious version, works so well, it’s hard to imagine it was originally anything else. Farscape was always able to walk the fine line between heavy emotion, and good old fashioned sci-fi fun, which is why over 20 years after it ended, it’s still one of the best sci-fi shows of all time.

UPDATE 7/21/26 at 2:27 p.m. E.T. — The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release on Tuesday, sharing that officers responded to a single-vehicle collision in Ijamsville, Maryland, at about 2:52 a.m. local time.

A preliminary investigation shared that a vehicle driven by a 19-year-old man traveled off the right side of the road and struck a culvert. The press release noted that excessive speed may have been a contributing factor in the crash.

The driver was transported to a local hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening. One of the passengers declined medical treatment at the scene, while the second passenger was identified as Kaylee. She was transported from the scene to a trauma center in the area, where she was pronounced dead.

The crash is currently under investigation by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit.

Original story:

Godzilla vs. Kong star Kaylee Hottle has died after being involved in a car accident. She was 18.

Kaylee’s dad, Joshua Hottle, told TMZ on Tuesday, July 21, that the actress was killed earlier that day in Maryland.

He also shared the news in a Facebook livestream, explaining in ASL that he flew from Texas to claim her body, according to TMZ.

Joshua reportedly said that he learned Kaylee was involved in a serious car accident and was later called by officials to share that his daughter’s heart stopped on the way to the hospital.

Related: Celeb Deaths of 2026: Brenda Fricker and More Stars We’ve Lost

Hollywood mourned the deaths of some of its most legendary stars in 2026. The year started off with Broadway performer and influencer Bret Hanna-Shuford’s death at age 46. At the end of the month, comedy acting icon Catherine O’Hara died at age 71. In February, Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Beek died at age […]

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Joshua shared that the family is now preparing for arrangements, per Newsweek.

The video was captioned, “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.” Joshua received support in the comments section.

“What a bright light she was. So talented in every way. A huge loss for all of us. So sorry. ,” one user wrote, while another added, “I’m so sorry for your unimaginable loss. My heart goes out to you and your family. Sending you love, strength, and comfort during this heartbreaking time.”

A third added, “My deeply [sic] condolences.. She’s lucky [to] have you as her daddy. Wow, my heart’s broken. She’s gone so soon. Prayer with you and family…”

Kaylee, who comes from a multi-generational deaf family, was born in Atlanta. She was then raised in Austin, Texas, where she attended the Texas School for the Deaf.

Kaylee started in the entertainment industry with a PSA for the live video messaging app Glide, a tool that is used by members of the community. She was 9 at the time.

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Kaylee went on to play Jia in 2021’s Godzilla vs Kong. Her character communicated with King Kong via sign language and lived on Skull Island with Dr. Ilene Andrews, played by Rebecca Hall.

“Hi, this Kaylee Hottle known as Jia in the movie, Godzilla vs Kong,” Kaylee wrote in her first Instagram post in 2021, alongside a video of herself signing. “This is my official Instagram page. I wanted to thank you all for your support and love! ♥️ 🤟 #godzillavskong.”

Three years later, Kaylee reprised her role in the film Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. She also appeared in the Magnum P.I. reboot, where she portrayed Joon in a season 4 episode. Before her death, Kaylee had a film in pre-production on IMDb titled What Doesn’t Kill Us.

By Jonathan Klotz
| Updated 1 minute ago

The coolest part of science fiction isn’t the exotic alien planets, destructive weapons, or the outfits, it’s the spaceships. Nothing captures the imagination like a spaceship flying to a different galaxy, or weaving through a zero-gravity dog fight. They’re sleek, they’re cool, and they’re iconic. Think of Star Wars, and you think of the Millennium Falcon. Star Trek has the Enterprise, and Farscape has the organic Moya. 

The ships in this list aren’t like those icons. Spaceships often suffer from a design flaw. They look… uh…  like… well. 

We all know it. We all think it the first time we see one of these POP UP. It’s HARD not to. And there’s just no beating around the BUSH here, we’ve gone made a list of the most INAPPROPRIATE spaceships. 

And we’re ranking them in order by which one is the most totally raunchy. 

14 – Dr. Evil’s Rocket – Austin Powers

The first Austin Powers was once the most quoted movie on the planet. Mike Myers became a comedy superstar with his sendup of James Bond and spy movies in general. A sequel was inevitable, and this time, science fiction didn’t escape the parody unscathed. The extended bit about Dr. Evil’s rocket is one of the best parts of the movie.

The gag works on two levels, first, the obvious, in that the rocket looks like a phallus. Secondly, it keeps going with every quick shot including dialogue that leads into the next.  Did I mention that it keeps going? By the time it gets to One-eyed Monster you think it’s running out of gas, and then it goes with the obvious joke, and Woody Harrelson pops up on screen. 

Sci-fi spaceships looking like a phallus isn’t a secret. We all know. 

It’s so common that a mainstream comedy can use it as a joke. Dr. Evil is a man of science and science can’t help it that a long, cylindrical object is the most efficient rocket design. The only stopping the obvious penis rocket from ranking higher is that it’s a deliberate gag. Science fiction is filled with ships that weren’t intended to be a pecker. 

13 – Heighlighnier – Dune

Is it a massive Space Guild transport ship capable of holding thousands of passengers as it folds space and time… …or is it a sex toy? 

The Heighlighnier from Dune is a technological marvel, working less as a ship and more as a tunnel through space. At least it was in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. Frank Herbert’s novels never go into detail. The exact shape, form, and function of the vessel is left to the imagination. Both David Lynch and Villeneuve decided that it should be a massive cylinder, and it unfortunately looks a lot like a….well….not a flashlight. 

But…yeah I’m going to go with flashlight.

In the prequel HBO Max series, Dune: Prophecy, the Heighliners are more rectangular. 

I’ll have to admit, it’s honestly a great design for a spaceship that doesn’t have to actually travel anywhere. With no need for propulsion, there’s no need for thrusters, and it doesn’t have to be aerodynamic. Dune is the strangest sci-fi universe to break through into the mainstream, even the spaceships are more complex than any other franchise. 

That said, the brutalist, monolithic design of the Heighlighnier makes them standout. It’s an immediately striking, recognizable look,  but again, did it really have to look exactly like a FLASH light? 

12 – The Dauntless – Star Trek Prodigy 

Star Trek Prodigy was never given a chance to become a success. Paramount didn’t know what to do with a Star Trek cartoon meant for kids. The show itself is fantastic and a great way to get kids into Star Trek. Voyager stars Kate Mulgrew and Robert Picardo reprise their roles as Janeway and The Doctor, the new characters are colorful and vastly different from previous Trek series, taking full advantage of the animated format. 

And then there’s the Dauntless. 

On the one hand, the Dauntless shows Star Fleet incorporating alien technology into its ships. On the other, it’s either a flying arrowhead or a….well….you know. Long, slender backend, thick, girthy front? 

It’s a unique design for Star Fleet, with a unique engine: a quantum slipstream drive. Coincidentally, the tech was first introduced in Voyager. This means the Dauntless can reach a speed of Warp 9.9, though the technology is missing from Discovery, meaning it likely ended up being one of many failed FTL prototypes of the Federation. 

Thankfully the design was also shelved. The Dauntless might be the ugliest ship in Star Trek. 

11 – War Rocket Ajax – Flash Gordon 1980 movie

FLASH! Ah ah ah! 

Get used to seeing Flash Gordon pop up on this list. Between the serials and the 1980 movie, it’s a treasure trove of retro sci-fi designs which means lots of inappropriate spaceships. 

One of the lesser offenders is the War Rocket Ajax, seemingly the only ship in the fleet of Ming the Merciless, the War Rocket Ajax is sent in pursuit of Flash and his team after they attack his city. It’s fast, it’s powerful, and it’s a flying phallus. It’s not even subtle. That’s a giant, gold… 

Design for the film was split across different production studios, but the elaborate model used for filming was put together by Martin Bower, who also designed the miniatures used in Blake’s 7, Space 1999, and a little film called Alien. 

He was joined by Bill Pearson, who also did the models for Wing Commander, Gravity, and would go on to work on Red Dwarf. Honestly, those credits explain why Flash Gordon’s designs, though suggestive, are so damn cool. War Rocket Ajax looks like the type of ship a six-year old would design. In the world of Flash Gordon, that’s a good thing. 

The whole film plays with classic sci-fi tropes and it’s catnip for nerds. War Rocket Ajax being armed to the teeth with lasers, electrifying cloud tech, and housing an entire unit of heavily armed soldiers, makes it one of the coolest ships in sci-fi. 

It still looks like a johnson.

10 – Syreen Penetrator – Star Control

It’s a sci-fi video game and not a show or a film, but the classic PC strategy game Star Control needs to be called out, because it has no chill. The Syreen Penetrator isn’t subtle. It has ridges. It’s called the Penetrator. One of its best stats? Thrust. 

The Penetrator’s also fast, and it has great range. In the world of Star Control, it also has the unique ability to convert victims into crew. The Penetrator is cheap, it’s effective, but it also runs out of fuel pretty quick and needs time to refuel. 

Star Control has some of the wildest alien designs in sci-fi gaming. Every race has their own unique designs and playstyles, but if you haven’t heard of Star Control, that’s because it’s been awhile. 

The last mainline game came out in 1996, and the latest is allegedly coming out in 2026. Once it does, every defense needs to be penetrated by the Penetrator at least once. 

9 – Heart of Gold – Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Not every inappropriate ship is phallic, some are boobs. 

Douglas Adams described The Heart of Gold in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as a long, pure white ship that looks like a running shoe. It kept that look for the BBC television series, but when it came to the big screen, The Heart of Gold was reimagined into….a boob. 

It’s large, perfectly round, and has a noticeable hole in the front of the ship. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is, to this day, the greatest sci-fi satire ever written, which is why the film producers deciding to use a teapot as the inspiration instead of the usual sci-fi ship design is the type of thing Douglas Adams would enjoy. They didn’t want to use a penile ship, but instead, they made a flying tit. 

The heart of gold at the center of the Heart of Gold is an Infinite Impropability Drive. By accessing every single possibility at once, the engine is able to move the ship to any point in the universe without the need for any hyperspace, or faster than light travel. The downside is that it tends to mess with reality. Turning a nuclear missile into a whale, unleashing party balloons from a hole in space, and briefly turning the entire ship and crew into yarn are a few of the unfortunate, but ultimately safe, side effects from using the Infinite Impropability Drive. 

The Heart of Gold looks like a female body part, but it’s also one of the coolest ships in all of sci-fi, and if you haven’t read Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, you need to. 

8 – Dr. Gel’s Ship – Space Dandy

Not every ship is inappropriate because it looks like genitalia. There’s some out there that are just downright bizarre. Take for example, the anime Space Dandy. It’s an off the wall space opera stuffed full with references to classic sci-fi. Most episodes end with Dandy and his crew dying, or turning into zombies, then the next episode starts as if nothing ever happened. And then there’s Dr. Gel. 

Dr. Gel’s spaceship is one of the weirdest designs you’ll ever see. It’s gigantic, flies vertically, has that cool triangular design to the base of it, and what else sticks out about it….oh right….the giant Statue of Liberty head with a… uh…. in its mouth. That’s…different. The reasoning behind the Statue of Liberty is never explained. It’s likely a Planet of the Apes reference considering Dr. Gel is a genius-level ape. He’s also decked out in red, white, and blue. Because America. Statue of Liberty. It makes sense. 

If you’ve never watched Space Dandy, you should. It’s animated by Studio Bones and looks incredible. The sci-fi references are found in every single episode, and the series, obviously, doesn’t take itself seriously. It’s one of the best sci-fi anime out there, and when a show embraces the absurd inappropriate spaceship design trope on purpose, it’s always worth checking out. 

7 – Blue Origin Rocket

We need to take a moment and get away from the world of science fiction and made up suggestive spaceships to address the giant johnson in the room. 

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has done a lot for space exploration, from working on landers for the NASA Artemis Mission, developing an orbital space station, and pushing forward the design of reusable rockets. It also has kept alive the great tradition of suggestive space ships. Forget the successful launches, the impressive scientific and engineering feats that made the rocket possible, Blue Origin’s rocket is phallic. Not slightly. Not “squint and you can see it.” It’s right out there. 

I know hundreds, thousands, of people smarter than me have worked on this and that there’s very real mathematical reasons behind the shape of the rocket. You know this too. That doesn’t make it any less amusing. No matter how many successful launches, or massive, historic explosions, take place, the rocket is going to be the butt of jokes. 

6 – Nell – Battle Beyond the Stars

Roger Corman’s Battle Beyond the Stars is another 80s classic. It’s another re-telling of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, but IN SPAAAACCCEEE. 

Made for only $2 million dollars, Battle Beyond the Stars is filled with wild designs and amazing visuals, thanks to the young art director who got his big break working on this film: James Cameron. Maybe you’ve heard of him. One of the ships specifically designed by Cameron was Nell, the space ship used by our hero, Shad, as he rounds up criminals, washed-up gunslingers, and other unlikely heroes to save his planet. 

And as you can tell, Nell looks like it has breasts. 

You have to credit James Cameron for designing a very different type of space ship. The forward facing arms are the opposite of the typical rear thrusters you see in sci-fi, from everything including the Enterprise-D to Serenity, which makes Nell instantly recognizable. It’s the two low-hanging compartments at the bottom of the ship that make it, well, also instantly recognizable. 

Nell make look different, but in the world of Battle Beyond the Stars, it’s an outdated, older ship with only a pair of wing-mounted laser cannons to take into the climatic battle for the fate of Akira. Most of the ship is taken up by a trio of engines, giving it a speed advantage in battle to compensate for the weak firepower. 

Nell’s design is so iconic that models of the ship were popular for years after the film’s release. Corman reused the design again three years later in other movies, including Space Raiders. It’s the only ship on this list that can claim to be designed by James Cameron, and the only one that looks like a bosom. Can’t forget that. 

5 – Zarkov’s Spaceship – Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon is a sci-fi classic. The old adventure serials helped establish a lot of the sci-fi tropes we still see today, including a rocket that looks exactly like a part of the male anatomy. Brilliant inventor Hans Zarkov built his rocket by hand, and somehow, it works. The girthy ship is able to bring Flash, Zarkov, and Dale Arden to the planet of Ming the Merciless. It’s not the fastest ship out there, but it gets the job done. 

Unlike every ship on this list, Zarkov’s rocket is never shown going fast enough to break the speed of light. Instead, in the old serials and television show, it’s mentioned to be flying 1200 miles per hour. That’s fast, but to put it in perspective, that speed would take you about 7 years to get to Mars. Back when Flash Gordon was first created, 1200 miles per hour was a ludicrous speed. Comic artist Alex Raymond first developed the look for Zarkov’s ship in 1933. 

It first appeared in a 1936 film serial, making this design 90 years old. The intention was for it to be a bullet with fins. That’s….not what it looks like. The old-school retro-futuristic style of science fiction is filled with ships like Zarkov’s that look exactly like a body part. There’s no getting around it. Old book and magazine covers don’t hide the phallic influence. The real science behind this is that a long, cylindrical shape is aerodynamic and able to move through air without much friction. 

Add some engines to the back of a long, firm, cylindrical shape and well…. you get the idea. 

4 – Kryptonian Dropships – Man of Steel

In case you thought inappropriate spaceship designs were all found last century, here comes one you probably forgot all about: Man of Steel’s Kryptonian Dropships. Zach Snyder’s reimagining of Superman for a new century may have divided fans, and there’s a lot to say about Snyder’s sense of style, but at least he has one. For better or worse. In this case, it was for worse, as he purposely wanted the dropships to look phallic as an ode to the retro sci-fi of the 50s. 

All of the Kryptonian ships in fact, look a little suspect. The prison ships bound for the Phantom Zone? Incredibly suggestive. Clark’s escape pod? It looks like a sperm. And yes, it’s all intentional. Zach Snyder developed the idea that Kryptonian technology was based around birth. Kryptonians had trouble giving birth the natural way, and so this ended up influencing their entire culture. From birthing pods to their spaceship design. 

When General Zod’s Kryptonians reappear in The Flash, they have the same ship designs, so at least the DCU was consistent about giant flying space phallusees. 

Also inappropriate? General Zod’s hair.

3 – The Stratosphere – Flesh Gordon

Remember back in the day when adult film parodies had creative titles? Typically obviously bad puns, like Flesh Gordon? Now a days it’s all Batman XXX or just straight up The Big Bang Theory. There’s no art to it anymore. And amazingly, Flesh Gordon is more inventive then most parodies of the last few decades. 

Released in 1974, the spoof of the original Flash Gordon serial was obviously put together by sci-fi fans. It pokes fun at the absurdity of the original series while throwing a little naked flesh up on screen. That’s not the memorable part. 

Flesh Gordon took the design of Zarkov’s rocketship and turned into an actual dong. There is no denying that ship is a flying dong. The intentional choice to point out every retro spaceship has a phallic design is a sight gag that still gets passed around today on social media. 

The best part is, they didn’t have to change a lot from the original Zarkov design. Flesh Gordon changed all the names because of well, parody law, including Ming the Merciless to Emperor Wang the Perverted, Zarkov is Jerkoff, and Prince Barin is now Prince Precious. It’s campy, it’s over the top, and it was nominated for a Hugo award in 1975, which makes it legitimate enough to qualify for this list. I don’t know what to tell you. The 70s were a very different time. 

2 – Alien Ship – The Explorers 

Dumped into the summer box office of 1985 only nine days after the release of Back to the Future, The Explorers was a complete flop that, as with most sci-fi of the 80s, became a cult classic on VHS. Directed by Joe Dante and starring both Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix in their debut roles, The Explorers is a fun, family-friendly adventure through space in a homemade spaceship. There’s nothing wrong with the boys’ ship, Thunder Road, but well, look up and you’ll see what one of the alien ships looks like.

Oh come on. Seriously!? There’s even a hole in the tip. 

There is absolutely no question what that ship looks like. Joe Dante had to have done this on purpose. It would fit his sense of humor. I’m going to tell myself this was on purpose. That giant ship is piloted by the father of two aliens the boys meet who learned about Earth from television reruns. 

That gag in Futurama about Single Female Lawyer? It came from The Explorers. One of the aliens, Wak, and Wak’s dad, are both played by Star Trek and Stargate veteran Robert Picardo. 

The Explorers is a fun film, right up until they meet the aliens, and then it all falls apart. You have to admit, the alien ship may a little inappropriate, but Thunder Road has a cool, semi-truck design to it that makes it stand out in a sea of suggestive spaceships.

1 – Lexx – Lexx 

There’s nothing quite like Lexx. One of the lowest budgets of any sci-fi series of the 90s didn’t stop the production team from going nuts when designing Lexx, the most powerful weapon in both universes. 

The organic spaceship resembles a giant insect, until you see it from behind, and then you can tell it’s packing. 

The inside of the Lexx is also completely organic, leading to a lot of pulling and tugging on flesh for basic functions, from steering the ship to taking a shower.

Every inch of the ship is a reminder that Lexx is the most sex-obsessed sci-fi series ever made. Not even Flesh Gordon talked about it as much as the crew of the Lexx. Thankfully, we know Lexx was designed to be as suggestive as possible. The production crew have bene very up front about that, usually while giggling in interviews. The ship even had a male voice and a male personality, except for that one time it turned into a female weapon of mass destruction. 

Lexx itself didn’t have a good grasp on the concept of human mating, giving its Captain, Stanley, one of the worst people in existence, a hard time when he wanted to fly to a planet of loose women. 

No ship is more phallic than Lexx. That’s by design, but as you can tell, the production crew had to somehow outdo over 80 years of inappropriate ship design to put it together. Lexx is also the most powerful ship on this list, capable of destroying entire planets, devouring countless civilians, and it’s the only ship to eat Holland. 

Inside and out, nothing will ever beat Lexx when it comes to being inappropriate. 

If there’s one thing that Kate Middleton‘s wardrobe proves, it’s that belted dresses are always a good investment. The Princess of Wales has worn the waist-defining silhouette for nearly a decade, from printed midis in 2016 to the tailored styles she still reaches for today. The elegant silhouette creates a beautiful shape while remaining timeless.

Luckily, you don’t need a royal budget to channel her signature style. I found belted dresses that deliver the same polished, waist-defining look, whether you’re after a crisp shirt dress, a feminine floral midi or an elegant solid-color option. Even better? These Middleton-inspired styles start at just $25.

13 Kate Middleton-Inspired Belted Dresses

1. Our Favorite: I’d expect to spot this elegant white midi at a royal engagement. The flattering tie waist creates a beautifully defined silhouette, while the timeless design is the kind you’ll reach for summer after summer.

2. Classy Contrast: This black-and-white belted dress is ready for everything from brunch to Buckingham Palace. More than 1,300 five-star reviewers love its “flattering fit,” while another shopper said it “looks classy.”

3. Palace Stroll: This light blue shirt dress instantly reminded me of the effortless elegance Middleton brings to daytime royal events. I’d pair it with a woven handbag and espadrille wedges.

4. Timeless Neutral: Few pieces feel as versatile as a beige tie-waist dress. The soft neutral shade makes it endlessly versatile.

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5. Pretty in Pink: This flutter-sleeve belted dress feels like something the princess would wear to a spring garden party. The flutter sleeves add just enough drama while the belt keeps the silhouette beautifully defined.

Related: Even Kate Middleton Approves of This Flattering Summer Dress Trend

Rarely is a trend irresistible enough to reach a royal wardrobe, but here we are. Kate Middleton wore the pretty dress style we’ve spotted everywhere this summer, and her polished look is only $40! At the Royal Charity Polo Cup, the Princess of Wales strolled the sidelines in a timeless gingham-print midi, kitten heels and […]

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6. Palace Escape: Between the fluttery ruffles and belted midi silhouette, this dress is fit for a royal summer retreat. The olive green shade is effortlessly elegant.

7. Garden Glam: Not many prints feel more royal-ready than a blue floral midi dress. I love how the tie waist keeps the bold pattern looking tailored instead of overwhelming.

8. Summer Statement: A flutter-sleeve floral midi dress brings plenty of personality while still creating a beautifully defined waist. It’s proof that bold prints and flattering silhouettes can absolutely go hand in hand.

9. The Classic: Some dresses never need reinventing, and this button-front shirt dress is one of them. Between the flattering silhouette and eight color options, I’d have a hard time picking just one.

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10. Serious Staple: If there’s one color Middleton wears often, it’s navy. This button-front belted dress combines both with the polished, waist-cinching shape she’s worn for years.

11. Always Appropriate: I love when a collared midi dress works for practically every occasion. The waist-defining tie makes it feel just as flattering as it is sophisticated.

12. Princess Prep: Between the crisp collar and vertical stripes, this puff-sleeve style feels quintessentially Kate.

13. Pretty Petals: There’s a reason Middleton keeps coming back to florals. This flutter-sleeve maxi dress feels polished, feminine and perfect for spring celebrations.

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