The Dark Starship was an alternate reality Starfleet starship, similar in size and shape to the Excelsior class. Named "dark" due to its hull's dark shark gray, nearly black, color, the Dark Starship was stolen from an alternate universe by Samantha Delaney and her followers. She outfitted the ship with a folded space drive prototype, allowing it to travel through time and space. With the prototype installed, the ship also was outside of normal space-time, protecting it from conventional weaponry. The Starfleet Corp of Engineers took control of the Dark Starship to research its technology.