WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery, season 5, episode 4, “Face the Strange”.Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, “Face the Strange”, reminds us that the USS Discovery was built on Earth, just like the USS Enterprise in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies. Written by Sean Cochran and directed by Lee Rose, “Face the Strange” catapults Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) through the personal history of the USS Discovery. From its construction in the 23rd century to the crew being killed by the Breen in the 32nd century, Discovery season 5, episode 4, covers the full spread of the starship’s history.
Star Trek: Discovery season 1 established that the USS Discovery was still a new and groundbreaking vessel in 2256. It’s unclear exactly when Burnham and Rayner’s trip to the in-construction USS Discovery takes place, but deck seven hadn’t quite been completed on schedule. However, it’s very clear from a glimpse of the outside world where Burnham and Rayner have traveled to, the San Francisco Fleet Yards on Earth, drawing a direct link with J.J. Abrams’ version of the starship Enterprise from the Kelvin Timeline movies.
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USS Discovery Was Built On Earth Just Like USS Enterprise In J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek
The USS Discovery was built at the San Francisco Shipyards, something first mentioned way back in Star Trek: Discovery season 1. “Face the Strange” reveals the location of the shipyard, via a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge. This places Starfleet’s San Francisco Shipyards somewhere in or around Starfleet Academy and Federation Headquarters. A huge amount of space must be required to construct starships, so it’s possible that specialist platforms have been erected in the area around San Francisco Bay. The height of Burnham’s view means that the audience don’t see the ground, suggesting that the Crossfield-class starship could be constructed on a floating platform.
The Kelvin Timeline version of the USS Enterprise was also built on the Earth’s surface, at the Starfleet Shipyard in Riverside, Iowa. However, while the majority of construction took place in Iowa, the Enterprise itself was launched from the San Francisco Fleet Yards. This draws a direct link with Star Trek: Discovery, suggesting that the nature of starfleet construction in the 23rd century was largely unchanged by the destruction of the USS Kelvin. However, the USS Discovery and the Kelvin Timeline USS Enterprise are still unique, because the majority of Star Trek‘s starships are built in space.
Starfleet Ships Are Usually Built In Space
In the Star Trek universe, Starfleet’s ships are generally built in space, either at the Utopia Planitia Shipyards above Mars, or in various space docks. The USS Excelsior, first glimpsed in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was being built and tested at Spacedock One. A century later, the USS Enterprise-D, USS Defiant and USS Voyager were all constructed at the orbital Utopia Planitia Shipyards. This makes the USS Discovery unique in the prime Star Trek timeline, as it’s the only hero ship confirmed to be built on Earth. In fact, Discovery is unique among other starships in Star Trek: Discovery‘s 32nd century timeline.
Starships in the 32nd century are built and refitted at Starfleet’s Archer Spacedock, unveiled in Star Trek: Discovery season 4. The USS Discovery has made several trips to Archer Spacedock for repairs following its encounters with the Dark Matter Anomaly and the avalanche on Q’Mau. All of which proves that, while starships can be constructed on Earth, it’s far more convenient and efficient for them to be built and repaired in space so that they’re primed to join Starfleet’s armada at the nearest opportunity.
Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Discovery
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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
Star Trek (2009)
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J.J. Abrams’ 2009 movie Star Trek rebooted the iconic sci-fi franchise in a totally new timeline. When a Romulan ship travels back in time and alters the past, the lives of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the future crew of the USS Enterprise are drastically changed. In this new timeline, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) sets out for revenge on Spock, setting off a chain of events that reshape the entire universe.
