system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Trek] Why didn't The Federation/Starfleet ships incorporate design elements from their member races? Why did they all follow the Earth style progression and aesthetic?
gpt
The saucer + nacelles design is part of the functionality of the human-designed warp drive. You can make some alterations to it, but generally speaking, that's the best shape for your ship for that particular warp configuration. As humans seemed to have a good grasp on warp technology (warp 1 to warp 5 in a few decades), their warp systems quickly became the standard for Starfleet, and with it, the hull configuration that best suited it.

Other races did contribute to the design of ships. The Columbia-class, the first proper ships developed out of the NX program, had Andorian shields, Vulcan tractor beams, and Rigelian impulse engines and deflector dishes. It may not be as obvious just by looking at the silhouette, but Federation Starfleet ships were far different to Earth Starfleet ships.