NCC-1974 U.S.S. Stargazer

Forgive the non-spacey backgrounds. My space box is still in storage.

Here we have the USS Stargazer. Picard's first command and an interesting bridge between the refit Enterprise and the few rare four-nacelle designs out there. 

To me the most striking element of this design is not the four nacelles, rather then number of shuttlebays. When it comes to something like an evacuation or a delivery to a distant colony, I could imagine no vessel that fits the bill better.  

More pictures after the jump!

 All in all, i like the idea of different configurations of nacelles. There is always a different and sometimes easier way to accomplish a task. In my mind four nacelles seems an easier way to maintain a more structurally sound warp field that is less likely to suffer malfunction. The other excuse is redundancy. We all know that a ship can run with two nacelles. Imagine if losing one or even two in a fight would not simply strand you until you could effect repairs or wait for retrieval.

 I appreciate how similar and yet unique these are to the Refit Enterprise.

Again, the sheer number of hates is so cool to me. I imagine a small wing of shuttles being capable of launching into battle or to rescue.

The underside of the saucer and the center of much contention, from the sensor cannon, to the arboretums. No matter what an MSD suggests, the beauty with the plug-and-play nature of Starfleet technology, you can simply swap out a bridge module or an arboretum for something more functional, like external shield generators or replace your sensor cannon with an experimental federation disrupter cannon. No one's going to tell you 'no.'
 

 I like the pitch of the curve of the saucer. I'm aware of the original scratch components, but the shadows that play as the ship passes a light source are fascinating.

I personally prefer a federation experimental disruptor cannon on the port side and a forward facing bank of photon torpedo launchers to starboard.


In overview, the Stargazer, a constellation class is a ship that has so many familiar components, and yet feels so unique. A truly remarkable achievement considering the sheer number of different combinations out there. This kit performed the Picard maneuver directly into my heart. I love it and its gritty design. With so many hard lines it somehow still looks heroic, and will stand in sequence alongside the galaxy class and the sovereign class.

See you in the next post!