The older these refits get, the newer they look.
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00:00 We are going to be diving into one of the biggest legacy nameships,
00:05 depending on who you ask, written by the wonderful, the stunning, the outstanding,
00:10 the frankly, like, crazy attention to detail person, Paul Sutherland.
00:15 Not to be confused with T. Paul Soth.
00:17 Before we go on, remember everyone, thank you so much for your support.
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00:24 We hit 250,000 subscribers because of how amazing you all are.
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00:30 So let's just go for something really nice and achievable this year.
00:33 10 million?
00:35 With so much of the first season of Star Trek Picard kind of spent on a smaller scale in terms
00:41 of ships, it was really, really wonderful to see the USS Stargazer appear in the second season
00:49 for two episodes.
00:51 But regardless of how little screen time that she got in the second season,
00:55 there was so much care and development that went in to putting together this hero ship,
01:01 because that's exactly what the Stargazer is in the second season of Picard.
01:06 Wait until you see some of the things that went into putting this together.
01:10 So without much further ado, let us take a deep dive into the command of Captain Cristobal Rios
01:18 and 10 secrets about the USS Stargazer you need to know.
01:22 Number 10, the pressure of legacy.
01:25 The design of the USS Stargazer brought together a few old names from Star Trek,
01:30 along with a few of the newer ones.
01:32 The team was headed by production designer Dave Blass and saw the return of John Eaves
01:36 and Doug Drexler, and also Sean Hargreaves, who designed the Enterprise A in Star Trek Beyond,
01:42 Jeffrey Mandel, who was part of the design team of Star Trek Insurrection,
01:46 and of course Michael Okuda.
01:49 The team was tasked with designing a ship that would be both new for the 25th century era,
01:55 of Star Trek Picard, but also evocative of the original design by Andy Probert and John Dwyer.
02:02 According to production designer Dave Blass,
02:04 "We needed to update the classic USS Stargazer design that was seen briefly
02:08 in the TV series Star Trek The Next Generation,
02:10 and update the design of a Starfleet starship into a new century.
02:14 How would we update the technology to work for modern audiences,
02:17 while also staying true to the original Next Generation feel?"
02:20 Despite this new Stargazer's fidelity to Captain Picard's original command,
02:24 first seen in the battle, this creature was very much its own thing.
02:29 Now, it was both evocative of that original Constellation class,
02:32 but also a new design of a TOS-era Radiant-class USS Stargazer
02:38 that was designed by fan model maker Bill Krause.
02:43 Number 9, a command with baggage.
02:45 In the show, Picard says that this Stargazer is a refit of his original Stargazer,
02:52 and you might look at the design and be like, "Ah, no, these are a little bit too different."
02:57 But, according to showrunner Terry Metallus, that is actually true.
03:02 "Like the TMP Enterprise, it's a massively updated refit," he said.
03:06 "I like to think of it as the story of the broom.
03:08 If one day you replace the handle and another day the brush, is it still the same broom?
03:13 We thought of it as a vessel endlessly repaired and upgraded,
03:16 brought in line with current future tech,
03:18 so that somewhere underneath all the lights and polish are the bones of Picard's original ship.
03:23 Does it make sense? I don't know, but I sure like the spirit of it."
03:26 Whether it makes sense or not, the producer still felt that the Stargazer
03:31 was a minor vessel in the pantheon of Starfleet names.
03:36 Dave Blass had this to say about the ship's registry.
03:39 "I dropped the hammer on this one.
03:41 The Stargazer is an important ship,
03:43 but it does not hold the same status in the Federation that the Enterprise had.
03:46 I didn't feel it was warranted.
03:48 Because then every ship gets it and it becomes a thing,
03:51 the Stargazer didn't have that legacy.
03:54 Therefore, there was no 'A' at the end of the registry."
03:59 Number 8. What does a starship need with a carpet?
04:02 The interiors of the Stargazer were designed by Dave Blass and Sean Hargreaves,
04:06 who as previously mentioned designed the Enterprise A for Star Trek Beyond.
04:10 Constructed at Santa Clarita Studios in Santa Clarita, California,
04:13 there was a main bridge built along with a corridor set and an observation lounge set.
04:18 According to Dave Blass, the bridge was constructed 10 feet wider than the Enterprise E bridge
04:24 so that they could take advantage of the new widescreen format
04:27 that Star Trek Picard was going to be shown in.
04:28 Designed to evoke Herman Zimmerman's Star Trek The Next Generation sets,
04:32 which carried over into the movies as well,
04:34 there is one thing that is missing from the Stargazer.
04:39 Ample carpeting.
04:41 According to Sean Hargreaves, there's been discussion on some of the online threads
04:45 about whether there should have been carpet.
04:47 I disagree wholeheartedly.
04:49 This isn't a cruise ship nor a living room.
04:51 When it gets down to carpet, no carpet, how shiny the floors are, etc., it's missing the point.
04:57 Number 7. Observation lounge observations.
04:59 It sounds very strange to say the word 'observations' without a certain word in front of it.
05:05 [MUSIC]
05:12 Accomplished fan model maker Bill Krause was tasked with creating
05:16 practical models of the Sagan-class USS Stargazer
05:20 as well as the Constellation-class USS Stargazer seen in The Next Generation.
05:24 He was also tasked with creating a TOS-era version of the Stargazer,
05:30 and all three of these models were used as set dressing in the observation lounge of this modern Stargazer.
05:37 Other elements that were used as well were the original plaque from the episode of the battle,
05:42 and of course a model of Captain Rios's original ship, La Sirena.
05:47 According to production designer Dave Blass,
05:49 the lounge set was a technological achievement in itself
05:52 and featured a real view outside the windows.
05:54 Custom conference table featured a gigantic integrated OLED screen
05:59 as well as integrated lighting.
06:00 The chairs were custom designed to harken back to the Enterprise-E version of the chairs.
06:04 The highlight of the set is the panoramic view out the back of the ship
06:08 with giant windows showcasing the aft of the Stargazer.
06:11 Number 6. Because callbacks.
06:13 According to set designer Sean Hargreaves, the Stargazer was a group effort,
06:17 but the overall look was accomplished by John Eaves and Doug Drexler.
06:21 As they say, it takes a village.
06:23 I just want everyone to get credit where credit is due. It's only fair.
06:26 If you like the exterior of the Stargazer, that's John Eaves through and through with Doug finessing.
06:31 Known for creating exhaustively detailed starships like the NX-01 for Enterprise,
06:36 Drexler included things like phaser strips, transporter emitters, tractor beam emitters,
06:42 and including a shuttle bay as well between the two dorsal nacelle struts at the back of the Stargazer.
06:48 The Stargazer also possessed two Warfield governors
06:52 located on the dorsal side of the saucer section, starboard and port.
06:57 Not sure what a Warfield governor is?
06:58 Well, there's a long and detailed explanation for it, but basically it's an Easter egg.
07:02 The TOS movie era ships always contained these.
07:06 If you think of it, both the Reliant and the TMP Enterprise had them
07:11 at the rear of the saucer section.
07:14 So basically, it's just a nice nod to previous designs.
07:17 Number 5. Stylegazer.
07:19 Alright, this one's not technically about the ship itself, but go with us here for a second.
07:24 Season 2 of Picard introduces a new Starfleet uniform,
07:29 something that really seems to be happening every three episodes in Star Trek since 2017.
07:34 Created by costume designer Christine Clark, Starfleet's 2400 uniforms are an improved
07:39 version of the same uniforms from Star Trek Picard season 1.
07:43 According to Clark, "Our Starfleet uniforms in season 1 were admittedly created in a bit of a haste,
07:48 and, though they're perfectly lovely designs, me and our producers felt we could deliver
07:52 something more grand for season 2. With Starfleet playing a much more featured role in season 2,
07:57 I wanted to pick up where we left off but create a sleeker, more sophisticated design for 2400."
08:03 This new spin on Starfleet's DS9 Voyager and TNG era uniforms features a dimensional raised
08:09 ink delta across the shoulders, an asymmetrical style jacket with a division colour running down
08:16 the trousers as well. It was meant to be evocative of the monster maroons that were introduced in
08:22 the Wrath of Khan, just one of the many callbacks to the original series in Star Trek Picard.
08:27 Number 4 - Starfleet
08:29 Okay, again, this one's not technically about the Stargazer itself, but this kind of flows, right?
08:34 There's been an awful lot said about the arrival of the Federation fleet in the first and last
08:40 episodes of Star Trek Picard season 2. There's even a list just waiting to be written about
08:46 this fleet itself. Uh, Paul? But let's touch on the fleet briefly here because it's still one of
08:53 the best parts of Picard's second season. According to an interview with Dave Blass with Inverses Ryan
08:59 Britt, the different ships that appear in Star Trek Picard season 2 was effectively a direct
09:06 response to the angry outcry of fans from the last episode of the first season of Star Trek Picard.
09:12 I know that there's a lot of practical reasons why things happen, but I was like, okay, I wonder
09:16 if there's a way to solve this problem, to turn this obstacle into an opportunity. I found these
09:21 ships from Star Trek Online and I was like, damn, these are really good looking. I was like, why are
09:26 we not doing something here? With limited resources available to the effects department, Star Trek
09:31 Picard turned to Star Trek Online, sourcing several of their ships to appear alongside the Stargazer
09:38 in the pilot and the final episode. The show also received aid from Eagle Moss's Star Trek Starships
09:44 collections by providing digital models of ships like the Akira class. All of this in response to
09:50 the so-called copy and paste fleet that appeared in the season one finale, A. In Arcadia Ego, part
09:56 two. So, next time you wonder if an angry rant about Star Trek Starships is worth something on
10:02 Twitter, love you Dave. Number three, Elkars Mania. Fitting Star Trek Picard's second season
10:10 now in the 25th century, new user interfaces were created by Andrew Jarvis and Twisted Media for
10:17 display on the bridge of the USS Stargazer. These referenced back to the 24th century Elkars of Star
10:23 Trek The Next Generation, but also pushed the aesthetic forward. For season two, Jarvis and
10:27 Twisted Media were joined by Michael Okuda, the man who originally created the Elkars, lovingly
10:34 dubbed Okudograms, for Star Trek The Next Generation, and Doug Drexler, who presented the production
10:40 with original assets from the shows. Like the original Okudograms of the Next Generation DS9
10:46 and Voyager, Star Trek Picard's Elkars interfaces were integrated into the USS Stargazer's bridge
10:52 using static backlit panels and animated live feed monitors, OLEDs, integrated into the ship's
10:59 consoles and interfaces on set. This time though, the set designers were able to give the ship's
11:04 computers an even more futuristic look by creating curved screens throughout the bridge. These curved
11:09 Elkars displays were achieved live on set using real projection and non-reflective flex glass
11:15 screens. According to systems integrator and computer playback supervisor Todd A. Marks,
11:20 having this wide display area, no one else has ever done something with the kind of complex curves on
11:25 a practical set before. Number two, normalised Star Trek Insurrection references. Sometimes myself
11:31 and Paul might disagree on some of the points on these lists, but here is one where I am in complete
11:37 agreement. Star Trek Insurrection is good, actually. Of the four Next Generation movies, it is the one
11:43 that is closest to an episode of the Next Generation. While that is often used as a criticism,
11:50 I think of it as a compliment. It captures the pace and thoughtfulness of the Next Generation,
11:55 features a beautiful score by Jerry Goldsmith, lush visuals by cinematographer Matthew Leonetti,
12:02 and loads of John Eaves style spaceships, including a slew of Starfleet auxiliary vessels.
12:09 While references to Star Trek Insurrection have been light in the years since its release,
12:14 the Sona are name dropped in Star Trek Deep Space Nine, and the Baku are given a shout in Star Trek
12:19 Discovery's fourth season, Star Trek Picard's second season contains a big nod to Star Trek
12:26 Insurrection, the Stargazer's complement of shuttlecraft. Glimpse very briefly in the Stargazer.
12:32 The shuttlecraft that ferries Admiral Picard to the Stargazer is based on the Type 11 design of
12:38 shuttlecraft that was created by John Eaves for Star Trek Insurrection. This design was dubbed
12:43 the Type 14, and was nearly identical to the Type 11, although it featured an additional antenna
12:49 assembly on the dorsal side of the ship and Stargazer-style nacelles. Also of note, the Type
12:54 14 shuttle in this episode is actually graced with its own name, the USS Jameson, named after
13:01 astronaut Mae Jameson, who appeared as transporter operator Palmer in the Next Generation episode,
13:07 Second Chances. Number one, see you in the funny pages. As of the recording of this, we are yet to
13:13 know if the USS Stargazer is going to appear in the third season of Star Trek Picard. We can say,
13:19 however, that it has continued to fly in the printed, digital, pages of IDW's ongoing comic
13:27 series, Star Trek Stargazer. In that series, there is a new officer in command taking over for acting
13:34 Captain Seven of Nine. This is the Andorian officer Makara, who invites Admiral Picard aboard
13:40 the Stargazer to relive some of his glory days. As for the filmed adventures of the USS Stargazer,
13:45 we will have to see, but it is continuing a legacy that several of the other ships in Star Trek's
13:52 history have passed down, which is its sets have been redressed and redesigned to serve as the USS
14:00 Titan A in the third season. With so much history from the inception of Star Trek going into the
14:06 design of the Sagan-class Stargazer itself, it's only fitting that the Stargazer would lend its own
14:12 advances to a new generation of starship. You know, I think there might be a list in that.
14:19 Thank you all so much for watching along, and thank you again for your support on this ongoing
14:23 series. We love this series, it's so interesting. What ship do you want to see next? Let us know in
14:27 the comments below. Please don't forget to like, share and subscribe, and remember you can catch us
14:31 over on Twitter @TrekCulture. You can catch us on Instagram as well @TrekCultureYT. Catch myself
14:37 @SeanFerric and all the various, and you can catch Editor Chris @EditChrisEdit. You're all wonderful,
14:42 you're all awesome. A very happy 2023 to you. Make sure you live long and prosper. To our friends in
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14:59 Everyone, as much as you can, make 2023 a good one. Make it so.