Every intergalactic outlaw needs a spaceship, and Star-Lord is no exception. However, while Peter Quill has already owned two different ships in the MCU, his most iconic vessel from the comics has yet to appear on the big screen.
Star-Lord’s first ship, the Milano, appeared in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Quill states he’s been flying the Milano since he was only ten years old and is clearly very attached to the ship, evidenced by the gratitude he shows when the Nova Corps repairs it after the final battle against Ronan. Unfortunately, the Milano is destroyed in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and left in disrepair on the planet Berhert, causing the Guardians to get a new ship called the Benatar, which first appeared in Avengers: Infinity War. After most of the Guardians are turned to dust by Thanos, Nebula and Tony Stark use Benatar to try and get back to Earth in Avengers: Endgame. The Benatar breaks down during the journey but holds up long enough for Captain Marvel to come to the rescue and carry it the rest of the way. It’s an impressive vessel, but the Benatar can’t hold a candle to Quill’s ship in the comics.
Star-Lord’s ship – which, in the comics, is literally named Ship – can do a lot more than just fly him from planet to planet. In fact, Ship technically isn’t even a ship; she’s a sentient being of energy that can take virtually any form, including a human body. While in the form of a spaceship, Ship can travel through almost any environment and has all the standard weapons and accessories one would expect to find on a space-worthy vehicle, including blasters, energy shields, sensors, and hologram projectors. She also has a replicator that can create any kind of food or drink, as well as the ability to send out small drones called Widgets to do recon.
Quill may have an emotional attachment to the Milano in the movies, but his connection to Ship in the comics is even deeper. Because Ship is sentient, she can actually reciprocate Star-Lord’s love, whereas the Milano is inanimate. Beyond that, Quill and Ship also have an actual psychic link they can use to communicate, which makes Ship’s demise in Annihilation: Conquest – Starlord #1 all the more tragic. When Quill is nearly killed by The Fallen One, a former herald of Galactus who can wield the Power Cosmic, Ship nurses him back to health, after which Quill devises a plan. He has Ship absorb the energy from a mining colony in the hopes of gaining enough power to defeat The Fallen One. The plan works, but it costs Ship her life, not to mention the lives of the people in the mining colony – a crime for which Star-Lord is imprisoned by the Nova Corps.
Quill and Ship’s story may have a grim ending, but their relationship is still one worth exploring in the movies. Ship could essentially be the Guardians’ version of Jarvis, and her wide array of capabilities would make her pretty handy in a fight, not to mention her sassy attitude would open up more opportunities for jokes. After all, the Guardians and Star-Lord spend so much time on their ship, the ship may as well be a character too, and who better to fill that role than Ship herself?
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