- 8 hours ago
The older these refits get, the newer they look.
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00:00We are going to be diving in to one of the biggest legacy name ships, depending on who you ask,
00:06written by the wonderful, the stunning, the outstanding, the frankly, like, crazy attention
00:13to detail person, Paul Sutherland. Not to be confused with T. Paul Sutherland. Before we go on,
00:19remember everyone, thank you so much for your support. Please don't forget to like and share
00:23and subscribe. We hit 250,000 subscribers because of how amazing you all are. So thank you so
00:29much. So let's just go for something really nice and achievable this year. 10 million? With so much
00:36of the first season of Star Trek Picard kind of spent on a smaller scale in terms of ships, it was
00:43really, really wonderful to see the USS Stargazer appear in the second season for two episodes.
00:51But regardless of how little screen time that she got in the second season, there was so much care
00:57and development that went in to putting together this hero ship because that's exactly what the
01:03Stargazer is in the second season of Picard. Wait until you see some of the things that went into
01:09putting this together. So without much further ado, let us take a deep dive into the command of Captain
01:16Cristobal Rios and 10 secrets about the USS Stargazer you need to know. Number 10, the pressure of legacy.
01:24The design of the USS Stargazer brought together a few old names from Star Trek along with a few of
01:31the newer ones. The team was headed by production designer Dave Blass and saw the return of John
01:36Eves and Doug Drexler and also Sean Hargreaves who designed the Enterprise A in Star Trek Beyond,
01:42Jeffrey Mandel who was part of the design team of Star Trek Insurrection and of course Michael Okuda.
01:48The team was tasked with designing a ship that would be both new for the 25th century era of
01:55Star Trek Picard but also evocative of the original design by Andy Probert and John Dwyer.
02:02According to production designer Dave Blass, we needed to update the classic USS Stargazer design
02:07that was seen briefly in the TV series Star Trek The Next Generation and update the design of a
02:11Starfleet starship into a new century. How would we update the technology to work for modern audiences
02:17while also staying true to the original next generation feel? Despite this new Stargazer's
02:22fidelity to Captain Picard's original command first seen in the battle, this creature was very much its
02:28own thing. Now it was both evocative of that original Constellation class but also a new design
02:34of a TOS era Radiant class USS Stargazer that was designed by fan model maker Bill Krause.
02:43Number nine, a command with baggage. In the show Picard says that this Stargazer is a refit of his
02:50original Stargazer and you might look at the design and be like ah no these are a little bit too
02:56different but according to showrunner Terry Metallus that is actually true. Like the TMP Enterprise it's a
03:04massively updated refit he said. I like to think of it as the story of the broom. If one day you replace
03:10the handle and another day the brush is it still the same broom? We thought of it as a vessel endlessly
03:14repaired and upgraded brought in line with current future tech so that somewhere underneath all the
03:20lights and polish are the bones of Picard's original ship. Does it make sense? I don't know but I sure
03:25like the spirit of it. Whether it makes sense or not the producer still felt that the Stargazer was a
03:32minor vessel in the pantheon of Starfleet names. Dave Blass had this to say about the ship's registry.
03:39I dropped the hammer on this one. The Stargazer is an important ship but it does not hold the same
03:44status in the Federation that the Enterprise had. I didn't feel it was warranted because then every
03:49ship gets it and it becomes a thing. The Stargazer didn't have that legacy. Therefore there was no A at
03:57the end of the registry. Number eight. What does a starship need with a carpet? The interiors of the
04:03Stargazer were designed by Dave Blass and Sean Hargreaves who as previously mentioned designed
04:07the Enterprise A for Star Trek Beyond. Constructed at Santa Clarita Studios in Santa Clarita California
04:14there was a main bridge built along with a corridor set and an observation lounge set. According to Dave
04:19Blass the bridge was constructed 10 feet wider than the Enterprise E bridge so that they could take
04:25advantage of the new widescreen format that Star Trek Picard was going to be shown in. Designed to evoke
04:29Herman Zimmerman's Star Trek The Next Generation sets which carried over into the movies as well
04:34there is one thing that is missing from the Stargazer. Ample carpeting. According to Sean Hargreaves
04:43there's been discussion on some of the online threads about whether there should have been carpet.
04:47I disagree wholeheartedly. This isn't a cruise ship nor living room. When it gets down to carpet,
04:52no carpet, how shiny the floors are etc, it's missing the point. Number 7. Observation Lounge
04:59Observations. It sounds very strange to say the word observations without a certain word in front of it.
05:12Accomplished fan model maker Bill Krause was tasked with creating practical models of the Sagan
05:18class USS Stargazer as well as the constellation class USS Stargazer seen in the next generation.
05:24He was also tasked with creating a TOS era version of the Stargazer and all three of these models were
05:32used as set dressing in the observation lounge of this modern Stargazer. Other elements that were used
05:38as well were the original plaque from the episode of the battle and of course a model of Captain Rios's
05:45original ship La Sirena. According to production designer Dave Blass the lounge set was a technological
05:50achievement in itself and featured a real view outside the windows. Custom conference table
05:55featured a gigantic integrated OLED screen as well as integrated lighting. The chairs were custom
06:01designed to harken back to the Enterprise E version of the chairs. The highlight of the set is the
06:06panoramic view out the back of the ship with giant windows showcasing the aft of the Stargazer.
06:11Number six because callbacks. According to set designer Sean Hargreaves the Stargazer was a group
06:17effort but the overall look was accomplished by John Eves and Doug Drexler. As they say it takes a
06:23village I just want everyone to get credit where credit is due it's only fair. If you like the exterior
06:28of the Stargazer that's John Eves through and through with Doug finessing. Known for creating exhaustively
06:33detailed starships like the NX-01 for Enterprise Drexler included things like phaser strips, transporter
06:40emitters, tractor beam emitters and including a shuttle bay as well between the two dorsal nacelle
06:46struts at the back of the Stargazer. The Stargazer also possessed two Wartfield Governors located
06:53on the dorsal side of the saucer section starboard and port. Not sure what a Wartfield Governor is?
06:58Well there's a long and detailed explanation for it but basically it's an easter egg. The TOS
07:03movie era ships always contain these. If you think of it both the Reliant and the TMP Enterprise had
07:10them at the rear of the saucer section. So basically it's just a nice nod to previous designs. Number
07:17five, Stylegazer. All right this one's not technically about the ship itself but go with us here for a
07:23second. Season two of Picard introduces a new Starfleet uniform. Something that really seems to
07:30be happening every three episodes in Star Trek since 2017. Created by costume designer Christine
07:36Clarke, Starfleet's 2400 uniforms are an improved version of the same uniforms from Star Trek Picard's
07:42season one. According to Clarke, our Starfleet uniforms in season one were admittedly created
07:47in a bit of a haste and though they're perfectly lovely designs, me and our producers felt we could
07:52deliver something more grand for season two. With Starfleet playing a much more featured role in season
07:57two, I wanted to pick up where we left off but create a sleeker, more sophisticated design for 2400.
08:02This new spin on Starfleet's DS9, Voyager and TNG era uniforms features a dimensional raised ink
08:10delta across the shoulders, an asymmetrical style jacket with a division colour running down the
08:16trousers as well. It was meant to be evocative of the monster maroons that were introduced in The Wrath of
08:22Cannes. Just one of the many callbacks to the original series in Star Trek Picard. Number four,
08:28Starfleet. Okay again, this was not technically about the Stargazer itself but this kind of flows,
08:33right? There's been an awful lot said about the arrival of the Federation fleet in the first and
08:40last episodes of Star Trek Picard season two. There's even a list just waiting to be written about this
08:46fleet itself. But let's touch on the fleet briefly here because it's still one of the best parts of
08:54Picard's second season. According to an interview with Dave Blass with Invers' Ryan Britt, the different
09:00ships that appear in Star Trek Picard season two was effectively a direct response to the angry outcry of
09:08fans from the last episode of the first season of Star Trek Picard. I know that there's a lot of
09:13practical reasons why things happen but I was like okay I wonder if there's a way to solve this problem
09:18to turn this obstacle into an opportunity. I found these ships from Star Trek Online and I was like
09:23damn these are really good looking. I was like why are we not doing something here? With limited resources
09:28available to the effects department Star Trek Picard turned to Star Trek Online sourcing several of their
09:35ships to appear alongside the Stargazer in the pilot and the final episode. The show also received
09:42aid from Eagle Moss's Star Trek Starships collections by providing digital models of ships like the Akira
09:47class. All of this in response to the so-called copy and paste fleet that appeared in the Season 1
09:54finale A in Arcadia Ego Part 2. So next time you wonder if an angry rant about Star Trek Starships is worth
10:02something on Twitter. Love you Dave! Number 3. Elkars Mania. Fitting Star Trek Picard's second season
10:10now in the 25th century new user interfaces were created by Andrew Jarvis and Twisted Media for
10:17display on the bridge of the USS Stargazer. These referenced back to the 24th century Elkars of
10:23Star Trek The Next Generation but also pushed the aesthetic forward. For Season 2 Jarvis and Twisted Media were
10:28joined by Michael Okuda the man who originally created the Elkars lovingly dubbed Okudagrams for
10:35Star Trek The Next Generation and Doug Drexler who presented the production with original assets from
10:42the shows. Like the original Okudagrams of The Next Generation DS9 and Voyager Star Trek Picard's Elkars
10:48interfaces were integrated into the USS Stargazer's bridge using static backlit panels and animated live feed
10:56monitors integrated into the ship's consoles and interfaces on set. This time though the set
11:03designers were able to give the ship's computers an even more futuristic look by creating curved
11:07screens throughout the bridge. These curved Elkars displays were achieved live on set using real
11:13projection and non-reflective flex glass screens. According to systems integrator and computer playback
11:18supervisor Todd A. Marks, having this wide display area no one else has ever done something with the kind
11:23of complex curves on a practical set before. Number 2. Normalize Star Trek Insurrection references.
11:30Sometimes myself and Paul might disagree on some of the points on these lists but here is one where
11:35I am in complete agreement. Star Trek Insurrection is good actually. Of the four next generation movies
11:42it is the one that is closest to an episode of the next generation. While that is often used as a
11:49criticism I think of it as a compliment. It captures the pace and thoughtfulness of the next generation,
11:55features a beautiful score by Jerry Goldsmith, lush visuals by cinematographer Matthew Leonetti,
12:02and loads of John Eves style spaceships including a slew of Starfleet auxiliary vessels. While references
12:09to Star Trek Insurrection have been light in the years since its release, the Sona are name dropped in
12:15Star Trek Deep Space Nine and the Baku are given a shout in Star Trek Discovery's fourth season,
12:21Star Trek Picard's second season contains a big nod to Star Trek Insurrection, the Stargazer's
12:28complement of shuttlecraft. Glimpse study briefly in the Stargazer, the shuttlecraft that ferries Admiral
12:33Picard to the Stargazer is based on the Type 11 design of shuttlecraft that was created by John Eves
12:40for Star Trek Insurrection. This design was dubbed the Type 14 and was nearly identical to the Type 11
12:47although it featured an additional antenna assembly on the dorsal side of the ship and Stargazer style
12:52nacelles. Also of note, the Type 14 shuttle in this episode is actually graced with its own name,
12:59the USS Jameson, named after astronaut May Jameson who appeared as transporter operator Palmer in the
13:06next generation episode second chances. Number one, see you in the funny pages. As of the recording of this
13:12we are yet to know if the USS Stargazer is going to appear in the third season of Star Trek Picard,
13:18we can say however that it has continued to fly in the printed pages of IDW's ongoing comic series,
13:28Star Trek Stargazer. In that series there is a new officer in command taking over for acting Captain
13:34Seven of Nine, this is the Andorian officer Makara who invites Admiral Picard aboard the Stargazer to
13:41relive some of his glory days. As for the filmed adventures of the USS Stargazer we will have to see,
13:46but it is continuing a legacy that several of the other ships in Star Trek's history have passed down,
13:54which is its sets have been redressed and redesigned to serve as the USS Titan A in the third season.
14:02With so much history from the inception of Star Trek going into the design of the Sagan-class
14:07Stargazer itself, it's only fitting that the Stargazer would lend its own advances to a new
14:14generation of starship. You know, I think there might be a list in that. Thank you all so much for
14:20watching along and thank you again for your support on this ongoing series. We love this series, it's so
14:24interesting. What ship do you want to see next? Let us know in the comments below. Please don't forget to
14:29like, share and subscribe. And remember you can catch us over on Twitter at TrekCulture,
14:33you can catch us on Instagram as well at TrekCultureYT, catch myself at Sean Ferrick and all the various,
14:38and you can catch Editor Chris at EditChrisEdit. You're all wonderful, you're all awesome, a very
14:43happy 2023 to you. Make sure you live long and prosper. To our friends in Ukraine, you are incredible,
14:49you are so brave and it is amazing the strength you are showing us. To those who are protesting in Iran,
14:56in China and all across the world, know that we are with you. Everyone, as much as you can,
15:01make 2023 a good one. Make it so.
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