USS Discovery

This LEGO^® Star Trek MOC is a replica of the USS Discovery, seen in Star Trek Discovery.

Quick Facts

Building time: Twelve months
Parts count: Nearly 4000
Versions made: One
Dimensions: 113cm long, 52cm wide
Weight: 5kg/11lb

Gallery

Scroll down to see the full gallery!

The Design Process

The first step in designing the LEGO^® Discovery was to get some good images so I could really articulate the detail. Once I had some images, I started with the ship’s unique saucer design. I chose to go basic, simply stacking bricks to build it, as I would a normal saucer. Therefore this was one of the simplest parts of the overall MOC. To make it a bit less grey, I added clear window pieces.

The Saucer section of the USS Discovery
A close up of the USS Discovery bridge
The USS Discovery saucer section from a different angle

Next was the connection piece to the stardrive, again this was straightforward and I added in clear pieces to create some more detail. The stardrive was the most challenging, and I forgot Discovery is a unique design where the saucer is proportionally much smaller than the rest of the ship, so the MOC ended up being much bigger than I expected – a happy surprise!

Have a look at the measurements to see how this starship is different from the normal Starfleet design
Its a challenge to get the whole ship in a photo because the nacelles are so long!
Some perspective to show how long the warp nacelles are

I’ll talk more below about the challenges of the stardrive, but this section created the biggest delays which is why the project took so long. I took a break from working it out and started on the warp nacelles. With some SNOT (Studs not on top), I put together the front of the warp nacelles to a level of precise detail.

A close up of the USS Discovery warp nacelle
A close up of the USS Discovery warp nacelle
a side view of the USS Discovery warp nacelle
A top view of the full USS Discovery warp nacelle

The rest of the warp nacelles seemed straightforward, but needed a few rebuilds so they could taper out properly. Due to the nature of the pieces I had available I wasn’t able to taper them as much as I would like at the end, as they go from very thick to almost completely flat. The weight was also an issue as they are so long, but it held together with the extra stands.

Challenges

Discovery was by far one of my most challenging builds. The challenge lay in the unusual shape of the stardrive section. The angles didn’t match any LEGO^® elements, so I needed to find a creative way to achieve the right angle. Because of the size of the model, if it wasn’t precise it would have made the entire model out of proportion.

A close up of the stardrive section. If you look closely you can see where the angles change marking the separation between the two main sections
A close up of the stardrive section. If you look closely you can see where the angles change marking the separation between the two main sections

I ended up rebuilding the stardrive section 3 times! The angle ended up being the easy part. The challenge was building it at that angle, while being strong enough to support itself. Each technique I tried that allowed me to achieve the needed angle didn’t allow the strength to support the heavy warp nacelles, and ended being fragile.

Trying a few different structures for the skeleton of the stardrive (this one wasn’t nearly strong enough)
The skeleton of the USS Discovery stardrive section with the half-built warp nacelle I was using to test the weight

I ended up with a compromise, a moderate strength design which was a sturdy frame, with a fragile covering. Connecting the nacelles to the sturdy frame achieved just enough strength, but I still needed additional stands to support the weight – especially for displays where it could be easily knocked.

Another major challenge was I started the project as soon as the first images of the ship were released, and they were far from clear! I struggled a lot to achieve the accuracy I needed, so I waited until the first few episodes aired so I could get the details right.

Discovery was an incredibly challenging build, but also so much fun. It’s a completely unique and different design for the Star Trek universe, with the smaller saucer, triangular star-drive and long warp nacelles. I was sceptical at first but now I am a huge fan!