Star Trek: Discovery. U.S.S. Discovery, NCC-1031

Updated by Cassius Adams: October 21 16:44 GMT

About the U.S.S. Discovery, NCC-1031

The USS Discovery will be the primary ship of Star Trek Discovery. While it did not appear at all in the shows two-part premiere (which focused mostly around the USS Shenzhou), we know that most of the series, if not all, will occur on this Starfleet vessel.

The USS Discovery is under the command of Captain Gabriel Lorca.

While not the USS Discovery itself, this starship is of the same class as the Discovery

The revised version of the USS Discovery.

The CBS All Access website has posted an image of the USS Discovery’s saucer section with Michael Burnham standing on the hull. It’s the first time we can get a real sense of the scale of the ship.

USS Discovery saucer section with Burnham on hull (Courtesy CBS All Access)

Released by CBS, here’s the first look at the USS Discovery’s test flight animation. It should be noted that this was not the final design of the Discovery.

And here’s our rendition of the USS Discovery. You can download the 3D model for Android on our site.

NAME: U.S.S Discovery
REGISTRY: NCC-1031
CLASS: Crossfield Class
LAUNCH DATE: 2250s (Specifics Currently Unknown)
CREW COMPLIMENT: 136
LENGTH: Approx 244 meters (~800ft)

These images were taken from a video that CBS released and are likely early work-in-progress concept art of the USS Discovery, featured in the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery television and streaming series.

Multiple sources, including Bryan Fuller, have reported that the ship has changed significantly since this early work.

We can get a good idea of the scale of the ship based on this image. If one is to assume that the windows are no more than 6 feet tall, that puts the U.S.S. Discovery’s length at about 244 meters, which is nearly 800 feet. The registry “NCC-1031” is also clearly visible on the ships saucer section.

USS Discover - NCC-1031 — *The NCC-1031 appears to have 3 Bussard Collectors per Warp Nacelle compared to 1 on the USS Enterprise and USS Voyager. Will the USS Discovery be a sub-warp 8 ship?*

Screen Shot 2016-07-24 at 12.25.21 AM — *Minimal windows on the Discovery’s bridge*

Screen Shot 2016-07-24 at 12.25.35 AM — Early design deflector dish. Appearing smaller than we see in later Star Treks, its possible its not only used as particle deflection but for some other purpose as well. Additionally, we can see that the “neck” section of the U.S.S. Discovery is quite rugged and seems to be built for strength. Is the 1031 designed for rugged, long-duration voyages?

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Screen Shot 2016-07-24 at 12.25.42 AM — Aft saucer-section thrusters on the U.S.S. Discovery. The thrusters appear to be 23rd century design, but may not be finalized in appearance for when the show starts. There’s a slight Star Trek: Enterprise feel to them.

Screen Shot 2016-07-24 at 12.25.51 AM — *Aft thrusters on the U.S.S. Discovery face slightly inwards, making for a more efficient turning radius. I’m unsure if the designers of the Discovery intended this or not.*

Screen Shot 2016-07-24 at 12.26.01 AM — The NCC-1031 appears to be an early-federation star ship design overall. It is likely based on designs by Ralph McQuarrie which, in the 1970’s, was designed for the U.S.S. Enterprise but never used. The USS Discovery’s sharp edges give a feeling of Klingon inspiration and a more rugged existence than most Starfleet vessels.

*There is a distinctly retro feel to the ship that has a “future’s past” feel that’s unfamiliar to most Star Trek.*

We can see that the USS Discovery’s registry is simply “NCC-1031” with no appended alphabet characters. Suggests it’s the first ship to bear the name “U.S.S. Discovery” and “NCC-1031” registry number. It’s for this reason that I believe the series is placed just before Star Trek: The Original Series.

Discovery looks pretty good from this angle, having a very flat feeling akin to the Sovereign class Enterprise NCC-1701-E.

Curious that the U.S.S. Discovery seems to be leaving a fleet yard that has been built out of a meteor or asteroid. Possibly indicating that times are more difficult, or is it early in the Federation’s history and so resource utilization is more ‘primitive’?

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