NCC-7100 was the registry number on a model of a Template:ShipClass starship.
The model appeared in Captain Jean-Luc Picard's ready room aboard the USS Enterprise-D throughout its lifetime (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint"; Star Trek Generations), although it was briefly replaced by that of a refit Template:ShipClass starship at various points in 2364. (TNG: "The Battle", "Hide and Q", "Too Short a Season", "The Big Goodbye")
Template:ConstellationClassStarships
Background
This model was the result of a collaboration between Andrew Probert and Rick Sternbach, using parts from two commercially-available AMT/Ertl USS Enterprise-A kits and detailing from several anime kits for The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, The Super Dimension Century Orguss, Gundam, and Crusher Joe. The largest of these anime model kit details were the wings and wing box assemblies of a VF-1 Valkyrie model kit from Macross. [1] [2] [3]
An aft view of the model
The model first appeared in "Encounter at Farpoint" and, ironically, was absent during the first official appearance of a Constellation-class ship in "The Battle", replaced with a refit Constitution-class ship, as the USS Stargazer was originally intended to be a member of that class. Probert and Sternbach later persuaded the producers to build a new miniature for the Stargazer and the desktop model remained missing for additional episodes as it was needed for reference during the construction of the motion-control model. This later four-foot (120 cm) shooting model used parts tooled from scratch to replicate the model kit parts used in the desktop model, with the exception of the VF-1 Valkyrie parts, since equivalent parts were found from a larger-scale kit.
This starship was still referred to as the Stargazer by some members of the writing staff, notably in the script for "Chain of Command, Part I".
The yellow model's registry was accomplished by rearranging the "NCC-1700" registry decal available in the Constitution-class models. In reality, the registry numbers intended for use on the Constellation type vessels might have been that high, but the number NCC-2893 had already been used on the ship's plaque from the script (although at that time the ship was intended to be a refitted Constitution).
Portions of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, co-written by designers and builders who worked on the model itself, include descriptions of starship prototype phases when new ships are painted with a yellow overcoat to reveal warp field stresses. Some fans have interpreted that Picard keeps the model because the starship NCC-7100's test flight was important to him in some way.
Rick Sternback's perspective on the model, from the Drex Files: "It's like Camelot, it's only a model. Pretend the NCC-7100 isn't there, and it's exactly like a corporate desk model of, say, an F-22 with generic markings and no specific tail number. Yes, the model represents the USS Stargazer, and if we knew back in early 1987 what the actual reg number would turn out to be, we would have used that. Just keep saying: 'There is no 7100... there is no 7100'." [4]