The USS Titan-A will be the central ship of Star Trek: Picard season 3, but why does it resemble Captain Kirk's (William Shatner) Enterprise instead of the USS Titan commanded by Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) or even Captain Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) USS Enterprise-D or E? The prior seasons of Star Trek: Picard avoided a Starfleet vessel and were set on the starship La Sirena, although Picard season 2 introduced a new version of the USS Stargazer. Star Trek: Picard season 3's USS Titan-A will have a yet unnamed Captain even though Riker and iral Picard will be aboard.
The USS Titan is famed as the ship commanded by Captain Riker. It was spoken of but not seen in Star Trek: Nemesis as Star Trek: Lower Decks, and Riker proved to be a jazzy and hilarious wildman as Captain. However, Star Trek: Picard season 3 is set at the dawn of the 25th century, nearly 20 years after Riker's voyages aboard the Titan in the 2380s. As seen in Star Trek: Picard season 1, Riker and Troi retired from Starfleet and were living with their daughter on Nepenthe in 2399, but they'll be back in action along with the rest of their old Enterprise crew in season 3.
The Reason Picard Season 3's Titan-A Looks Like Kirk's Enterprise
Star Trek: Picard season 3's showrunner Terry Matalas gave an interview to USS Titan-A and its design. According to Matalas, Riker's Luna-class USS Titan was "damaged and retired," and some of its systems were placed into the new Titan-A. However, the Titan-A wasn't built as a Luna-class. Instead, it's what's known as a Neo-Constitution-class or Constitution III-class starship. Matalas explained that fighting the Borg factored into the design of starships like the Sovereign-class USS Enterprise-E, but now that the Borg were no longer considered a threat, Starfleet design looked backward to the classic Constitution-class vessels like the USS Enterprise NCC-1701.
The Titan-A's resemblance to Kirk's Starship Enterprise is on purpose. The Neo-Constitution class Titan "is more of a long-range workhorse of a ship. Harkening back to the Constitution class that was designed for the long 5-year missions. It is an exploratory vessel with some serious maneuvering capabilities," Matalas explained. The showrunner also felt that recent Star Trek ships were designed to look "too aerodynamic... ovals and arrowheads." Matalas posited Starfleet designers looked back at older starship designs and updated them. The Titan-A, with its proper saucer section and twin nacelles, is unmistakably a Star Trek ship at first glance. But it's also easy to mistake the Titan-A for the Enterprise.
Why Picard Season 3 Can't Be Set On The Enterprise-F
It's logical to wonder why Star Trek: Picard season 3 isn't set on the USS Enterprise-F, which will finally be seen. By Picard's early 25th century, Jean-Luc's Enterprise-E is over 25 years old, and it makes sense that it was decommissioned and replaced. But why go through the trouble of introducing the Titan-A and redeg it to look like the Enterprise instead of placing iral Picard and the reunited Star Trek: The Next Generation crew aboard the actual Enterprise of the era?
However, the Enterprise-F is the flagship of the United Federation of Planets, and, by Star Trek: Picard season 3, the TNG legends are past the point of serving long-term on starships. Perhaps setting Picard season 3 on the Enterprise creates the expectation that they would simply be the main crew of the flagship. Since its inception, Star Trek: Picard has always been about moving Jean-Luc (and his crew) into the next stage of their lives, and returning to the Enterprise is a step backward. Rather, the USS Titan-A evokes the Enterprise while still letting Star Trek: Picard do something new.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 premieres February 16, 2023, on Paramount+.