The legacy of the USS Voyager is very important.
As such we’ve just got a hint of the NEXT Starship, USS Voyager-A in Star Trek: Prodigy!
However, we know that following its return from the Delta Quadrant, the ship was eventually decommissioned.
Yet we know the ship still exists in the 32nd Century, with the USS Voyager-J as the eleventh incarnation of the starship to bear the name of Voyager.
However, we don’t know what it took to get there. Like, where are the letters in between?
When we look at the USS Enterprise, we’ve seen multiple versions of the ship and how its legacy continued.
It travels through the timeline of Star Trek with us.
Right from the NX class, the Constellation class, Excelsior, Ambassador, Galaxy class, Sovereign class and now the Odyssey class in Star Trek: Picard Season 3.
But when it comes to the Voyager, we don’t know about these Starships in between the first Intrepid-class Voyager and then the new Voyager-J in the 32nd Century.
However, as mentioned, we’ve now got a clear hint at the next starship in the line of the USS Voyager namesake.
Star Trek: Prodigy featured two shuttlecraft with the registry of NCC-74656-A, which is the registry of the USS Voyager.
However, as the registry has the letter A attached, we can presume that this is a subtle confirmation that Star Trek is about to introduce the next Starship Voyager.
Therefore, let’s look at some prototype designs and what could be the next Voyager.
Here we go!
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Anyway, here we go!
Recapping for a moment!
The original USS Voyager eventually returned home to earth in 2378, years before the events of Star Trek: Prodigy.
We’ve actually got a whole video on the Star Trek: Prodigy timeline coming up. Give that a watch.
Anyway, Voyager returned home to Earth, also outfitted with new technology. This being provided by the alternate future Admiral Janeway.
Such technology included “transphasic” torpedoes and ablative generators. Not to mention all the upgrades and tech Voyager acquired during its seven years on the Delta Quadrant.
Pretty impressive!
Starfleet’s Engineers would want to take a look at the ship that survived by itself for so long.
Especially taking a look at all the upgrades and new technology the ship had come home with, as they were bound to change a few things.
It’s only right to assume that following Voyager’s return home and the crew debrief, Starfleet would decommission the ship.
Therefore, it would be taken away and examined by the corps of Engineers.
We know most of the crew went to do their own thing.
B’Leanna Tores, helped construct the USS Dauntless starship that Vice Admiral Janeway would command in Star Trek: Prodigy.
Cool Starship by the way!
Chakotay would go on to command the Protostar. Rip him!
Just joking, he's not dead he's just lost!
So far, we don’t know the fate of everyone else, but it’s safe to assume that one of the crew from Voyager might be the commanding officer of the new ship. Captain Tuvok anyone?
Naturally, if Starfleet launched the new USS Voyager, there is a high chance they have redesigned the ship, and a new class has likely been born.
Then again, Starfleet launched the USS Enterprise-A as a constellation class, albeit redesigned from the original.
Therefore, launching the Voyager-A as an upgraded and refitted Intrepid class could be possible.
However, it’s likely a new class has been born and launched as Voyager. Let’s talk about the Pathfinder-class ship.
Introduced via the Star Trek: Online MMO Video-Game in the year 2410, the Pathfinder-class Long Range Science Vessel represents an upgraded version of the famed Intrepid class.
This was needed during the planning for Operation: Delta Rising, which would see a return of the Federation and its allies to the Delta Quadrant via the use of the Iconian Gateways.
The technology onboard the Pathfinder class was actually tested onboard the original USS Voyager before being implemented.
Voyager itself was updated before it departed for the Delta Quadrant. Admiral Tuvok signed off on the Pathfinder class and allowed work to begin producing the new class for the fleet.
Currently, we are aware of the USS Pathfinder NCC-97600, which is the first starship and prototype of the class.
It was launched as part of Starfleet’s Operation Delta Rising and assigned to the 403rd Survey Squadron.
Also, it’s actually commanded by Captain Thomas Marrone. Thomas is the lead artist for starships at Cryptic Studios, Star Trek: Online developer. A fun little detail if you ask me.
Technical detail-wise, we know the Pathfinder class featured a secondary deflector dish that could be equipped with the ablative generators we mentioned earlier.
Also, like the Intrepid class, the Pathfinder was equipped with an Aeroshute, which could be deployed to assist in away missions or combat.
Perhaps this ship will actually make use of the damn thing on-screen more, huh? Just an idea…
Ultimately the Pathfinder could represent a natural evolution from the Intrepid-class USS Voyager into the next starship to bare the name.
It’s from Star Trek: Online and naturally has a modern twist to things.
However, this is not the first time an STO ship would be used in live-action Star Trek.
Let’s not forget that Star Trek: Picard is about to use the USS Enterprise-F, which is an Odyssey-class starship introduced in Star Trek: Online as the successor to the USS Enterprise-E.
Also, Star Trek: Picard Season 2 included a ton of STO ships in it's fleet scenes,
So uh, anything is possible!
Before we end this video, I had to mention the Bellerophon-class starship. This is another evolution of the Intrepid-class starship.
Therefore, a design like this could also serve as the basis for the Voyager-A. This class was a long-range science vessel and was a variant subclass of the intrepid-class starship.
The main difference between Intrepid and Bellerophon was the streamlined design.
It was in service alongside the Pathfinder class. Therefore you could see either of these ships taking the place of the USS Voyager in future Star Trek.
Also, worth noting that Admiral Ross commanded an Intrepid-class called the Bellerophon
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, so there is always that!
Ultimately, we will need to wait and see what is next for Voyager in the Star Trek: Universe.
However, it’s worth noting the following. Only the ships registry number of the Voyager-A appears on-screen on the shuttles in Star Trek: Prodigy. As such, without the Voyager-A appearing on-screen, we can’t 100% say this is the ship yet.
But, if we follow Starfleet naming conventions, it would strongly imply that this vessel is also called the USS Voyager.
But what do you think? Could you see the USS Voyager-A being a Pathfinder-class starship, or do you have another design in mind for it?
Perhaps one of the former concepts for the USS Voyager. Now that would be an interesting twist for sure.
Let us know what you think in the comments below! We’ll have a bit of a wait before Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, so plenty of time to get brainstorming.
And for CBS/Paramount to actually introduce the damn ship!
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