An Constellation-class Federation starship under the command of Jean-Luc Picard from 2333-2355, during which time he won the "Battle of Maxia" with a tactic later studied at the Academy as the "Picard maneuver."

Picard was assigned as a lieutenant to bridge duty when the Stargazer's captain was killed and he took command, later rewarded with a permanent captaincy.

During a truce mission in Sector 21503 in the 2350s, Cardassian forces severely damaging both the warp engines and the impulse drive. Picard ran with shields down as a sign of peace and escaped.

In 2354, Picard took the Stargazer on a mission to the planet Chalna.

The Stargazer was destroyed near the Maxia Zeta star system and the attacking ship was later identified as Ferengi. After the loss of his ship, Picard was cleared of any wrongdoing in the incident as a result of the mandatory court-martial hearing.