A Collectible Unboxing
A vessel with a legacy connected to one of Starfleet’s most decorated officers gets a 25th Century redux when Admiral Picard boards the all-new USS STARGAZER, named after the ship he first captained before taking command of the ENTERPRISE.
In the twilight years of the 24th Century, one of Starfleet’s most decorated officers and former fellow shipmates is invited aboard a specially named vessel and embarks on an unexpected journey. In 2401, under the command of Captain Cristóbal Rios, the Sagan-class USS Stargazer responded to a subspace anomaly, producing a unique energy signature that translated to a personal message directed at Admiral Jean-Luc Picard. It’s serendipitous that Picard finds himself aboard a ship bearing the same name as his first command.
In Star Trek mythology, the voyages of Starfleet’s Jean-Luc Picard are legendary. Before he took command of the Federation’s flagship and captained the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D, he commanded the USS Stargazer NCC-2893. The ship was in service during the 23rd century and belonged to the Constellation-class. Extremely reminiscent of similar vessels of the era, the Constellation-class was notable for its heftier saucer section and the four nacelles that were positioned parallel above and below the aft section of the ship.
In 2355, the Stargazer was presumed lost, the casualty of a confrontation with an adversarial warcraft that was ultimately identified as a Ferengi ship.. The melee became known as the “Battle of Maxia”. Years later, while Picard was in command of the USS Enterprise, the USS Stargazer was recovered and returned to Starfleet. The USS Stargazer NCC-2893 has since been restored to its former glory. It earned a position among the most celebrated ships in the line at the Federation’s Fleet Museum, curated by Commodore Geordi La Forge.
Although it doesn’t bear the same registry number as its namesake, the Sagan-class ship structurally supports four nacelles above and below the vessel's aft section. This allows the USS Stargazer to maintain its warp field more prominently. If two nacelles fail or are compromised, the auxiliary systems can kick in and keep the ship operable. The vessel also benefits from several Borg enhancements, including multiphasic shielding, defensive weaponry, and twin impulse engines. In keeping with the 25th-century design ethos, the vessel has a retro design with echoes of classic ships in the line.
Mission Statement
The first in its line, the Sagan-class ship incorporated into its systems Borg technology that was part of the “Artifact” studied by the Romulans. When the USS Stargazer encounters a spatial fissure that sends out a mysterious message summoning Admiral Picard, those very Borg enhancements compromise the ship, its crew, and the entire fleet. With few options available, Picard initiates the ship’s self-destruct sequence. The USS Stargazer is consumed in a blast that disables much of the fleet, but in fact, it displaces Picard and his allies in an alternate timeline.
As is, very little else is revealed about the USS Stargazer except that when Picard and his team reset the timeline and returned to the point from which they exited the existing continuity, the Stargazer was the catalyst in bargaining a truce between a friendly faction of the Borg. Picard granted Seven of Nine a field commission and installed her as the captain of the USS Stargazer in the absence of Cristóbal Rios. Along with the Borg Queen, he led the Federation fleet to create a barrier and prevent a cataclysmic event, which opened a stable transwarp conduit.
Whether Seven of Nine remained aboard the Stargazer or for how long is not entirely recorded, we know she accepted a promotion to first officer aboard the USS Titan, reuniting with Picard on a fateful mission. We can only assume that the USS Stargazer remained on active duty, was assigned a new captain and executive crew, and likely returned to deep space on the edge of the newly discovered transwarp conduit and monitored its traffic along with the Borg, who positioned themselves at the barrier.
UnBoxing
As with the rest of the series of releases in the Fanhome Official Starships Collection, the USS Stargazer NCC-82983 models are based on scans of the VFX vessels used in the current Star Trek series. The ship is based on the starship that appears in the Second Season of the Paramount+ Original Series Star Trek: Picard and measures approximately 7.9” in length. The starship model includes a stand for displaying the model, which makes a great companion for the USS Titan, the first model featured in the new series of ships in the collection.
A welcome addition to the collection, especially appealing to the fleet collector in all of us, the USS Stargazer redux ship design is unyielding compared to other recent starships. In the 25th Century of the Picard original series, many ship designs feel like they harken back, explicitly drawing inspiration from 22nd Century ships like the refit USS Enterprise NCC-1701 that appeared in the feature films. Star Trek: Discovery, which exists on the timeline between Star Trek: Enterprise and The Original Series, suggests that when Starfleet designs took on a less utilitarian design and resembled “hot rods.”
The edges of the USS Stargazer, especially around its nacelles and connecting pylons, feel arbitrary. The Fanhome model makes it more apparent. The design for the USS Stargazer came from several established inspirations. Long-time Star Trek starship designer John Eaves looked at the original Stargazer as a jumping-off point. He even turned to the “old faithful” silhouette provided by the USS Reliant, introduced in the second big-screen feature for the ship's main sections. Eaves also took inspiration from the USS Yeager, which appeared in Discovery.
Overall, the USS Stargazer is a serviceable design and very much in-world. The nacelles on the Stargazer would be repurposed to suggest technological continuity on the USS Titan NCC-80102-A.
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