Starfleet on screen has always been focused on the visual of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge with locations on each end being used. While various buildings have been added tot he mix including the Tillman Water Reclimnation Centre for it’s sci fi appearance, or th eGetty Centre for a more traditional aesthetic, the bridge has always made for a great and recognisable visual for the franchise.
There’s other reasons, aside from the image, of course. San Fransisco was chosen as thats where the UN Charter was signed, which created a nice link to a unified fleet in the future. The main location for Starfleet Headquarters, which was very nicely refined for Star Trek Picard, is Horsehoe Bay, home of Fort Baker which had been a key port for the United Stated Navy since the early 20th century and now hosts the US Coast Guard.
While some locations in Star Trek go beyond the United States, such as Federation Headquarters in Paris, Quadrant 2’s separation from Quadrant 1 gave the chance to give our fleet some of it’s own localised history. Even though the fictional world of Q2 is all there for a bit of fun, we still like to make sure our fictionalised locations have a link back to both the on-screen Starfleet as well as give a not to the history and legacy of British forces.
ADMIRALTY ARCH
The ceremonial entrance from Trafalgar Square, the Arch is often seen used during public processions from the ceremonies ahead of the London 2012 Olympics as well as Royal Ceremonies with it’s central of three arches reserved for royal events. Completed in 2012 by John Mowlem & Co based on designed by Aston Webb, Admiralty Arch is a large asymmetrical building connecting the Old Admiralty Building to initially become home of the First Sea Lord and various naval and government offices.
Marking the military use of the building are sculptures by Thomas Brock showcasing the figured of Navigation and Gunnery, while the arches are adorned with a large inscription in Latin which reads to highlight the building in King Edward’s VII’s reign as a tribute to his mother, Queen Victoria.
A once bustling government building, in which it’s complex basement would host critical and historical archives, in modern times Blair Associates had been hired in to convert the historic building into a hotel with Montcomb Estastes now under ownership to build it into a Waldorf Astoria hotel by 2026.
Quadrant 2’s iteration of the Arch plays on it’s original use with a 23rd century conversion into the base of operations for Quadrant 2 and home to Fleet Operations and the Admiralty.
DEVONPORT RESERVE
The core of Quadrant 2 is it’s localised units which all build their own legacies with names chosen by their Captain and confirmed by the board. From the USS Tesla, named for famed inventor Nikola Tesla as a nod to their science and engineering focus, to the USS Proxima whjich ties in with the six month scientific mission with Thomas Pesquet on board the ISS for the European Space Agency and France’s CNES.
But what if you don’t want to be active or join a unit? What if you just want to be a member, log in every now and then and maybe drop a comment or two before vanishing back into the abyss? Or what if you just need a bit of a break for a while without deactivating your membership? In comes Devonport!
Based on the west side of Pymouth, Devonport is one of three major ports in England for the Royal Navy dating back to the 17th century. Expanding over two centuries, what would eventually become HMNB Devonport was a repair and refuel dock for the navy and continues those duties to this day as the sole nuclear repair facility for the RN.
Devonport was first added to the fleet lexicon in 2018 for members who wanted to retain their status while taking a break from ‘active duty’, allowing officers a chance to refuel with some well deserved down time!
CLYDESIDE SHIPYARDS
Despite the idea of starships being built in space, which was a highlight of Enterprise’s first episode, the original Enterprise’s dedication plaque in the 60’s highlighted the San Fransisco yards as the place the Enterprise was put together. Later we even saw the Kelvin Timeline Enterprise being built-on the ground, through this time in Iowa.
Though there is a long debate whether the yards are just a base of operations or physical construction site, for Quadrant 2 we used a similar theme building on the infamous ports of Glasgow as our launching pad for new units being commissioned. Sprawling multiple locations spawning from the opening of the Scott family shipbuilding yard in 1711. Being Clyde Built has since been a mark of pride and a symbol of precision engineering with famous ships including the first commercially successful steam ferry, The Comet; The Pride of the Navy since it’s launch in 1918, the HMS Hood which launched from Clydebank; and in recent years had been home to six Type 45 Destroyers including the HMS Daring which launched the line from Scotstoun in 2006.
While we do try and give nods to other iconic locations such as Rosyth Shipyards, which gave launch to the current Royal Navy Flagship the HMS Prince of Wales, and will be making an effort to bring in more localised locations for non-UK based units, when building a history for Quadrant 2 it makes sense for our ships to have the Clydebuilt mark!
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
As we race through 2025, the launch of Proxima – the first non UK unit since the mass reorganisation of Q2 over ten years ago – inspired the idea to expand the UK-focused origins of Q2’s fictional infrastructure and recognise more beyond our shores in celebration of the historical partnerships with the EU as well as our dedication to representing Europe as a whole. With the first ‘expansion’ coming very soon…
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Fleet Focus: Location, Location, Location…
Starfleet on screen has always been focused on the visual of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge with locations on each end being used. While various buildings have been added tot he mix including the Tillman Water Reclimnation Centre for it's sci fi appearance, or th eGetty Centre for a more traditional aesthetic, the bridge has always made for a great and recognisable visual for the franchise. There's other reasons, aside from the image, of course. San Fransisco was chosen as thats where the UN Charter was signed, which created a nice link to a unified fleet in the future. The main location for Starfleet Headquarters, which was very nicely refined for Star Trek Picard, is Horsehoe Bay, home of Fort Baker which had been a key port for the United Stated Navy since the early 20th century and now hosts […]
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