Star Trek: 10 Secrets About The USS Protostar You Need To Know
6. 5,6,7,8
Believe it or not, steps have always been a part of Star Trek starships as part of their official blueprints, though it's taken until Prodigy for a vessel to incorporate them into the set design.
There have been Jefferies tubes and gangways right back to the Original Series but the Protostar is the first time we see characters using proper staircases. Turbolifts, which have been around since that very beginning, are not seen in the series although they do get a mention and Aaron J Waltke has assured us that they do exist!
They do appear on the USS Dauntless but the size of the Protostar makes steps a more realistic choice to get between decks. The wide staircase from the bridge down to the brig and deck two is a totally unique feature only realised to date on the Protostar with a bridge set that sweeps back to that descending feature.
At the base of those stairs is another feature only seen here - a large floor covering Federation emblem. Aaron Waltke has also noted that while viewers have seen key areas of the Protostar there are definitely other areas of the ship to visit - though perhaps not quite as many as aboard a Galaxy-Class!