Starfleet’s armada continues to take shape with the Star Trek: Discovery Starships Collection from Eaglemoss Collections and HeroCollections with the introduction of the USS KERALA.
While you wait for the next season of Star Trek: Discovery this is the time to become more familiar with the premiere season on CBS All Access and explore this era of Federation history especially as the world’s of the Star Trek universe collide as exampled in the new series’ cliffhanger with the appearance of the Constitution-class USS Enterprise in the episode’s final minutes. The classic hero ship will feature prominently in the upcoming Second Season of Star Trek: Discovery and much of its familiar crew will as well.
On Star Trek: Discovery’s First Season, as the show entered into its first act, one of the most dramatic moments occurred in Episode 2 “Battle at the Binary Stars”. In a stand-off on the edge of the final frontier, the USS Shenzhou is confronted by an armada of Klingon ships. It isn’t long before Starfleet is called in to engage their long-standing adversaries. One of the ships that arrives on the scene and joins in the melee is the USS Kerala NCC-1255. The Shepard-class vessel is among the new ships being introduced in this 23rd Century.
An Era of Experimentation
In order to justify the unique approach to the design of the Federation ships that populate the 23rd Century Starfleet of Star Trek: Discovery John Eaves who has been associated with the franchise since Deep Space Nine was on the air, introduced along with collaborator Todd Cherniawsky the idea that this is an ear of experimentation for Starfleet, similarly influenced by the Air Force’s own era of “X-planes” innovation from the 1940s. Feeling more confident and ready to take more risks as they chart their own course in space exploration, innovation and especially design.
Eaglemoss Collections along with herocollector.com is the leader in providing highly-detailed, well-crafted modeled replicas of the ships in this universe with the Star Trek: Discovery Official Starships Collection. The latest release in the line is the first non-hero ship, the aforementioned USS Kerala NCC-1255, described as a Shepard-class ship, named after astronaut Alan Shepard, keeping with the new tradition that ships in this experimental era of Starfleet are named after test pilots and astronauts.
A distinctly obvious detail that is present in the design of the USS Kerala is the square nacelles. Bryan Fuller, the series showrunner, expressed that most of the ships in Star Trek: Discovery would be sporting a “new technology” to travel through space, and this would be reflected in the angular shape of the nacelles, while more traditionally round nacelles might suggest that this technology may not become universally adapted, signaling the USS Enterprise Constitution-class use of the familiar design.
Fleet Takes Shape
The model crafted by Eaglemoss of the Shepard-class ship measure about 7 inches in length and is very reminiscent of the NX-01 first introduced in the 22nd Century on Enterprise. The model is based on the CGI model used in show of the theorized vessel which measures about 505.6 meters in length and is suggested to have launched in the 23rd Century. The design actually served as a template for the USS Shenzhou which would very much confirm how that ship works with the bridge module on the underside of the saucer section. The USS Kerala bridge is topside.
Appearing more elegant in its length and detail versus the muscularity of the USS Shenzhou the USS Kerala appeared and survived the now epic Battle of the Binary Stars in Episode 2, but other Shepard-class ships have been introduced in season as well perhaps indicating the popularity of this design. The model is accompanied with its own magazine that provides rare insight into the new ship and also gives unprecedented access to the behind-the-scenes influences that shaped its presence on screen.
To check out the Star Trek: Discovery Official Starships Collection goto startrek-discovery.herocollector.com.
