10 Unused Star Trek Ship Designs We NEED To See
7. USS Altair
The USS Altair was an early idea from Doug Drexler and Mike Okuda for the Intrepid-class USS Voyager. The design was based on the V-shaped antennae that were often found on cars. The design of Voyager for the series went in another direction. The Altair, as it was later renamed, was strikingly different from anything that had come before, lacking the familiar saucer section configuration of most other Starfleet vessels. It was also used by Doug Drexler as a potential design for the Enterprise NX-01, though it was rejected for this as well.
It would see a kind of new life as part of the design for the Universe-class USS Enterprise-J. Initially, the massive saucer section of this vessel was simply sat atop the Altair design, though in the process many elements from the Altair were pared-back, resulting in a more traditionally shaped Enterprise.
The image above was commissioned for the Ships of the Line calendar and to-date, it has yet to appear in any media bar this print edition and Star Trek: Armada II. In the game, the Altair entered service but the overall class was hampered by power distribution issues. This prevented it from entering full-scale production.