Why make a Starship artifact from stainless steel?

Stainless steel is dense, hard, and slow to finish. Tool marks are harder to remove, polishing takes longer, and mistakes are expensive. Those are production disadvantages, but they are collector advantages.

The finished object has the cold touch, reflection, and weight that a 3D printed or chrome-painted model cannot fully imitate. It turns the shape replica into a material artifact.

A true mirror finish reveals the room around the artifact. It also reveals mistakes, which is why every piece goes through repeated sanding, buffing, and direct-light inspection instead of being hidden under chrome plating.

That process is slow, but it is the reason the artifact looks different on a desk than it does in a render. The reflection changes with the room, making the object feel alive without electronics.