The U.S.S. Stargazer NCC-2893 was a Constellation-class starship in service with Starfleet in the mid 24th century. In 2333, Lieutenant Commander Jean-Luc Picard took command of the ship after the captain was killed in a hostile attack, an action for which Picard was eventually promoted to captain and made the ship’s permanent commanding officer. In 2355, the Stargazer was severely damaged in an unprovoked attack in what became known as the Battle of Maxia. Picard’s quick thinking led to the development of the “Picard Maneuver” to surprise the unknown hostile vessel and destroy it, however the damage to the Stargazer was too severe and the ship was abandoned by its crew. Years later, in 2364, the attackers were revealed to have been Ferengi: and the Stargazer was returned to Starfleet as part of an unsuccessful plot to avenge the captain of the destroyed Ferengi ship by his father.

U.S.S. Stargazer NCC-2893 Bridge | Deck 1 (2355)

The bridge of the Starship Stargazer, whilst still in service in the mid-24th Century, reflected a slightly older design aesthetic when compared to more modern ships active in the same era. This was a multi-level bridge with the aft of the room consisting of two turbolifts on the port and starboard sides, as well as two wall-mounted displays and accompanying control surfaces. The center of the aft wall consisted of several wall-mounted displays providing information about the status of the ship. The captain's chair resides alone on a lower level near the center of the room. Down one further level was the combined navigation and helm consoles. On the lowest level there were two doors on the port and starboard walls connecting to adjoining rooms.

Ship Model (Physical)

As portrayed in Star Trek: The Next Generation - “The Battle” (TV, 1987)

The U.S.S. Stargazer was originally intended by the writers to be a refit Constitution-class vessel, like the original U.S.S. Enterprise. After the episode started filming, it was decided to create a new model instead, so the name Constellation was chosen for the class as it would be easy for the actors to redub their already filmed lines. The new design was based on the golden starship model used as set dressing for Picard’s ready room onboard the U.S.S. Enterprise-D, of which Andrew Probert and Rick Sternbach had designed using elements from commercially available AMT refit Enterprise kits, planning for it to represent the Stargazer.

Bridge Set (Physical)

As portrayed in Star Trek: The Next Generation - “The Battle” (TV, 1987)

The bridge of the Stargazer is a reworked version of the Enterprise-D's battle bridge from "Encounter at Farpoint," which itself was a modification of the movie-era Enterprise bridge. For this iteration, the TNG-era chairs and conn/ops consoles were replaced with Captain Kirk’s command chair and the combined navigation/helm station, last seen in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. The turbolift interior from the first three Star Trek films also makes an appearance. Interestingly, several crewmembers are shown exiting through the side of the turbolift rather than using it in the usual way. Within the context of the story, this suggests that battle damage may have disabled the lift car, forcing the crew to access the turboshaft directly—a scenario later mirrored in the episode "Disaster."