The older these refits get, the newer they look.
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00:00We are going to be diving into one of the biggest legacy nameships,
00:05depending on who you ask, written by the wonderful, the stunning, the outstanding,
00:10the frankly, like, crazy attention to detail person, Paul Sullen.
00:15Not to be confused with T. Paul Sud.
00:18Before we go on, remember everyone, thank you so much for your support.
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00:3410 million?
00:35With so much of the first season of Star Trek Picard kind of spent on a smaller scale in terms
00:41of ships, it was really, really wonderful to see the USS Stargazer appear in the second season
00:49for two episodes.
00:51But regardless of how little screen time that she got in the second season,
00:55there was so much care and development that went in to putting together this hero ship,
01:01because that's exactly what the Stargazer is in the second season of Picard.
01:06Wait until you see some of the things that went into putting this together.
01:10So without much further ado, let us take a deep dive into the command of Captain Cristobal Rios
01:18and 10 secrets about the USS Stargazer you need to know.
01:22Number 10, the pressure of legacy.
01:25The design of the USS Stargazer brought together a few old names from Star Trek,
01:30along with a few of the newer ones.
01:32The team was headed by production designer Dave Blass and saw the return of John Eaves
01:36and 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,
01:46and of course Michael Okuda.
01:49The 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.
02:14How would we update the technology to work for modern audiences,
02:17while also staying true to the original Next Generation feel?
02:20Despite this new Stargazer's fidelity to Captain Picard's original command,
02:24first seen in the battle, this creature was very much its own thing.
02:29Now, it was both evocative of that original Constellation-class,
02:32but also a new design of a TOS-era Radiant-class USS Stargazer
02:39that was designed by fan model-maker Bill Krauss.
02:43Number 9, a command with baggage.
02:45In the show, Picard says that this Stargazer is a refit of his original Stargazer,
02:52and you might look at the design and be like, ah, no, these are a little bit too different.
02:57But, according to showrunner Terry Metallus, that is actually true.
03:02Like the TMP Enterprise, it's a massively updated refit, he said.
03:06I like to think of it as the story of the broom.
03:08If one day you replace the handle, and another day the brush, is it still the same broom?
03:13We thought of it as a vessel endlessly repaired and upgraded,
03:16brought in line with current future tech,
03:18so that somewhere underneath all the lights and polish are the bones of Picard's original ship.
03:23Does it make sense? I don't know, but I sure like the spirit of it.
03:26Whether it makes sense or not, the producer still felt that the Stargazer
03:31was a minor vessel in the pantheon of Starfleet names.
03:36Dave Blass had this to say about the ship's registry.
03:39I dropped the hammer on this one.
03:41The Stargazer is an important ship,
03:43but it does not hold the same status in the Federation that the Enterprise had.
03:46I didn't feel it was warranted.
03:48Because then every ship gets it and it becomes a thing, the Stargazer didn't have that legacy.
03:54Therefore, there was no A at the end of the registry.
03:59Number 8.
04:00What does a Starship need with a carpet?
04:02The interiors of the Stargazer were designed by Dave Blass and Sean Hargreaves,
04:06who as previously mentioned designed the Enterprise A for Star Trek Beyond.
04:10Constructed 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.
04:18According to Dave Blass, the bridge was constructed 10 feet wider than the Enterprise E bridge so
04:24that they could take advantage of the new widescreen format that Star Trek Picard was
04:28going to be shown in.
04:28Designed to evoke Herman Zimmerman's Star Trek The Next Generation sets,
04:32which carried over into the movies as well,
04:34there is one thing that is missing from the Stargazer.
04:40Ample carpeting.
04:41According to Sean Hargreaves, there's been discussion on some of the online threads
04:45about whether there should have been carpet.
04:47I disagree wholeheartedly.
04:49This isn't a cruise ship, nor a living room.
04:51When it gets down to carpet, no carpet, how shiny the floors are, etc.
04:55It's missing the point.
04:57Number 7.
04:58Observation lounge observations.
05:00It sounds very strange to say the word observations without a certain word in front of it.
05:12Accomplished fan model maker Bill Krauss was tasked with creating
05:16practical models of the Sagan-class USS Stargazer,
05:20as 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,
05:30and all three of these models were used as set dressing
05:33in the observation lounge of this modern Stargazer.
05:37Other elements that were used as well were the original plaque from the episode of the battle,
05:42and of course a model of Captain Rios's original ship, La Sirena.
05:47According to production designer Dave Blass,
05:49the lounge set was a technological achievement in itself
05:52and featured a real view outside the windows.
05:54Custom conference table featured a gigantic integrated OLED screen,
05:59as well as integrated lighting.
06:00The chairs were custom designed to harken back to the Enterprise-E version of the chairs.
06:04The highlight of the set is the panoramic view out the back of the ship
06:08with giant windows showcasing the aft of the Stargazer.
06:11Number 6.
06:12Because callbacks.
06:13According to set designer Sean Hargreaves, the Stargazer was a group effort,
06:17but the overall look was accomplished by John Eaves and Doug Drexler.
06:21As they say, it takes a village.
06:23I just want everyone to get credit where credit is due, it's only fair.
06:27If you like the exterior of the Stargazer,
06:29that's John Eaves through and through with Doug finessing.
06:31Known for creating exhaustively detailed starships, like the NX-01 for Enterprise,
06:37Drexler included things like phaser strips, transporter emitters,
06:41tractor beam emitters, and including a shuttle bay as well
06:44between the two dorsal nacelle struts at the back of the Stargazer.
06:48The Stargazer also possessed two warp field governors
06:52located on the dorsal side of the saucer section, starboard and port.
06:57Not sure what a warp field governor is?
06:59Well, there's a long and detailed explanation for it, but basically it's an Easter egg.
07:02The TOS movie era ships always contained these.
07:06If you think of it, both the Reliant and the TMP Enterprise
07:10had them at the rear of the saucer section.
07:14So basically, it's just a nice nod to previous designs.
07:17Number 5.
07:18Stylegazer.
07:19All right, this one's not technically about the ship itself,
07:22but go with us here for a second.
07:24Season 2 of Picard introduces a new Starfleet uniform,
07:29something that really seems to be happening every three episodes in Star Trek since 2017.
07:34Created by costume designer Christine Clark,
07:36Starfleet's 2400 uniforms are an improved version of the same uniforms
07:41from Star Trek Picard Season 1.
07:43According to Clark,
07:44Our Starfleet uniforms in Season 1 were admittedly created in a bit of a haste,
07:48and though they're perfectly lovely designs,
07:51me and our producers felt we could deliver something more grand for Season 2.
07:54With Starfleet playing a much more featured role in Season 2,
07:57I wanted to pick up where we left off,
07:59but create a sleeker, more sophisticated design for 2400.
08:03This new spin on Starfleet's DS9 Voyager and TNG era uniforms
08:07features a dimensional raised ink delta across the shoulders,
08:12an asymmetrical style jacket,
08:14with a division colour running down the trousers as well.
08:18It was meant to be evocative of the monster maroons that were introduced in the Wrath of Khan,
08:23just one of the many callbacks to the original series in Star Trek Picard.
08:27Number four, Starfleet.
08:29Okay, again, this one's not technically about the Stargazer itself,
08:32but this kind of flows, right?
08:34There's been an awful lot said about the arrival of the Federation fleet
08:39in the first and last episodes of Star Trek Picard Season 2.
08:42There's even a list just waiting to be written about this fleet itself.
08:49Uh, Paul?
08:50But let's touch on the fleet briefly here,
08:52because it's still one of the best parts of Picard's second season.
08:55According to an interview with Dave Blass with Inverse's Ryan Britt,
08:59the different ships that appear in Star Trek Picard Season 2
09:03was effectively a direct response to the angry outcry of fans
09:09from the last episode of the first season of Star Trek Picard.
09:12I know that there's a lot of practical reasons why things happen, but I was like,
09:16okay, I wonder if there's a way to solve this problem,
09:18to turn this obstacle into an opportunity.
09:20I found these ships from Star Trek Online and I was like,
09:23damn, these are really good looking.
09:25I was like, why are we not doing something here?
09:27With limited resources available to the effects department,
09:30Star Trek Picard turned to Star Trek Online,
09:33sourcing several of their ships to appear alongside the Stargazer
09:38in the pilot and the final episode.
09:40The show also received aid from Eaglemoss's Star Trek Starships collections
09:44by providing digital models of ships like the Akira class.
09:48All of this in response to the so-called copy and paste fleet
09:52that appeared in the Season 1 finale, A. In Arcadia Ego Part 2.
09:57So, next time you wonder if an angry rant about Star Trek Starships
10:01is worth something on Twitter,
10:04love you, Dave.
10:05Number three, Elkars Mania.
10:07Fitting Star Trek Picard's second season now in the 25th century,
10:12new user interfaces were created by Andrew Jarvis and Twisted Media
10:17for display on the bridge of the USS Stargazer.
10:20These referenced back to the 24th century Elkars of Star Trek The Next Generation,
10:24but also pushed the aesthetic forward.
10:26For Season 2, Jarvis and Twisted Media were joined by Michael Okuda,
10:30the man who originally created the Elkars, lovingly dubbed Okudograms,
10:35for Star Trek The Next Generation,
10:37and Doug Drexler, who presented the production with original assets from the shows.
10:43Like the original Okudograms of the next generation DS9 and Voyager,
10:47Star Trek Picard's Elkars interfaces were integrated into the USS Stargazer's bridge
10:52using static backlit panels and animated live feed monitors, OLEDs,
10:58integrated into the ship's consoles and interfaces on set.
11:02This time though, the set designers were able to give the ship's computers
11:05an even more futuristic look by creating curved screens throughout the bridge.
11:08These curved Elkars displays were achieved live on set
11:12using real projection and non-reflective flex glass screens.
11:16According to Systems Integrator and Computer Playback Supervisor Todd A. Marks,
11:20having this wide display area,
11:22no one else has ever done something with the kind of complex curves on a practical set before.
11:26Number two, normalise Star Trek Insurrection references.
11:30Sometimes myself and Paul might disagree on some of the points on these lists,
11:34but here is one where I am in complete agreement.
11:37Star Trek Insurrection is good, actually.
11:40Of the four Next Generation movies,
11:42it is the one that is closest to an episode of The Next Generation.
11:47While that is often used as a criticism, I think of it as a compliment.
11:52It captures the pace and thoughtfulness of The Next Generation,
11:55features a beautiful score by Jerry Goldsmith,
11:59lush visuals by cinematographer Matthew Leonetti,
12:02and loads of John Eaves-style spaceships,
12:05including a slew of Starfleet auxiliary vessels.
12:09While references to Star Trek Insurrection have been light in the years since its release,
12:14the Sona are name-dropped in Star Trek Deep Space Nine,
12:16and the Ba'ku 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,
12:27the Stargazer's complement of shuttlecraft.
12:30Glimpse very briefly into Stargazer.
12:32The shuttlecraft that ferries Admiral Picard to the Stargazer
12:35is based on the Type 11 design of shuttlecraft
12:39that was created by John Eaves for Star Trek Insurrection.
12:42This 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,
12:51and Stargazer-style nacelles.
12:53Also of note, the Type 14 shuttle in this episode is actually graced with its own name,
12:59the USS Jameson, named after astronaut Mae Jameson,
13:03who appeared as transporter operator Palmer in The Next Generation episode, Second Chances.
13:08Number 1, see you in the funny pages.
13:11As of the recording of this, we are yet to know if the USS Stargazer is going to appear
13:16in the third season of Star Trek Picard.
13:18We can say, however, that it has continued to fly in the printed
13:24digital pages of IDW's ongoing comic series, Star Trek Stargazer.
13:30In that series, there is a new officer in command, taking over for acting Captain Seven of Nine.
13:36This is the Andorian officer Makara,
13:38who invites Admiral Picard aboard the Stargazer to relive some of his glory days.
13:43As 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
13:52have passed down, which is, its sets have been redressed and redesigned to serve
13:59as the USS Titan A in the third season.
14:02With so much history from the inception of Star Trek going into the design of
14:06the Sagan-class Stargazer itself, it's only fitting that the Stargazer
14:10would lend its own advances to a new generation of starship.
14:17You know, I think there might be a list in that.
14:19Thank you all so much for watching along, and thank you again for your support on this
14:22ongoing series.
14:23We love this series, it's so interesting.
14:25What ship do you want to see next?
14:27Let us know in the comments below.
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14:30And remember, you can catch us over on Twitter at TrekCulture.
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14:36Catch myself at SeanFerric and all the various.
14:38And you can catch Editor Chris at EditChrisEdit.
14:41You're all wonderful, you're all awesome.
14:43A very happy 2023 to you.
14:45Make sure you live long and prosper.
14:47To our friends in Ukraine, you are incredible.
14:49You are so brave, and it is amazing the strength you are showing us.
14:54To those who are protesting in Iran, in China, and all across the world, know that we are
14:58with you.
14:59Everyone, as much as you can, make 2023 a good one.
15:03Make it so.