Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge?

Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies I-X' started by Aldo, Sep 20, 2013.

  1. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Premium Member

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    I liked the Enterprise-A bridge from the end of The Voyage Home. :shrug:
     
  2. trevanian

    trevanian Rear Admiral

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    One thing it'd be interesting to track is that for phase 2, they pulled 6 extra skins when casting the various bridge modules. The idea was they'd have stuff in case they needed to blow up a whole wall (at least that's what I remember the memo saying), but I think it was more so they could quickly mockup a different starship as needed. Blowing up fiberglass is just NOT a good idea.

    I've often wondered if those saw use in early TNG on those mix-n-match battle bridges and the like. Can't believe they'd've let them go to waste. I'm pretty sure they weren't used for RELIANT, because the different look of that bridge was done (according to a Mike Minor STARLOG interviews) with not much more than balsa wood and paper decals, since those stations get blown up in mid film and during the climactic action.
     
  3. GeorgeKirk

    GeorgeKirk Commodore Commodore

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    The set didn't look so garish when it was lit more subtly, as seen in this Good Morning America segment from 1986:

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m20-wN4udao[/yt]

    Also, the Memory Alpha article says that only the section of the set seen in the film was given the white paint job and Okudagram control panels, but as you can see from this photo of Gene and Majel at the Science station, that is clearly not the case:

    [​IMG]

    Maybe the set wasn't fully overhauled until after Star Trek IV wrapped, but clearly at some point before TNG went into production the entire set was given the Enterprise-A makeover, no doubt with the intention to continue using it in the films.
     
  4. Hober Mallow

    Hober Mallow Commodore Commodore

    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    Speaking of the Excelsior bridge, I remember even back in the day thinking it looked terrible in STIII, like something quickly cobbled together for a TV movie.

    EDIT: Damn, that's some hair Joan London's sporting...
     
  5. cardinal biggles

    cardinal biggles A GODDAMN DELIGHT Moderator

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    While there might have been other reasons for rearranging the wall modules, I'm sure the ability to compose this final group shot was a contributing factor. Kept in the TFF configuration, Spock and Uhura would both be out of frame unless they got up for no reason to stand by the railing.
     
  6. Mycroft Maxwell

    Mycroft Maxwell Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    Also, I think it made an excuse to turn the 1 divider behind the captains chair in TFF, to a 2 divider, making it a 3 section.



    heres the complete gallery at ex astris that has illustrations of all incarnations of the enterprise bridge.

    http://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/gallery/bridges1.htm
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2013
  7. cardinal biggles

    cardinal biggles A GODDAMN DELIGHT Moderator

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    ^The Master Systems Display behind Kirk is actually the same size in both movies, but instead of having two whole wall units with a divider down the middle, you have one whole wall unit right behind Kirk (instead of the divider), and two half-units flanking the large one.

    Also, EAS doesn't allow hotlinking to their images. ;)
     
  8. Mycroft Maxwell

    Mycroft Maxwell Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    Wait this is hotlinking? I knew i coundn't just post the images. But i didnt realize posting the links was hotlinking. I'll remove them. I don't want Bernd mad at me. Is a link to the gallery at the site still hotlinking?
     
  9. cardinal biggles

    cardinal biggles A GODDAMN DELIGHT Moderator

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    He has his website set up so you can't directly link to any of his images. The revised link you posted is fine.
     
  10. Workbee

    Workbee Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    That, and this nifty shot where camera follows Kirk coming out the Turbolift, seeing Spock and Valaris come out the one on the opposite side. I know this isn't the exact frame but its the closest one I could find.
     
  11. Workbee

    Workbee Commander Red Shirt

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    Same here! :)
     
  12. trevanian

    trevanian Rear Admiral

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    The theatricality of that shot always bothered me some, but what really bugged me was that they didn't end with Spock and McCoy standing on either side of Kirk, the traditional series end in many eps. Even TMP messed that up, putting them together on one side of Kirk.

    There really isn't any KSM alone moments in the whole film, which is also problematic for me (close as they come is when they confront Valeris in sickbay, and it ain't even close.)
     
  13. Aldo

    Aldo Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    That was a big problem for me with the film too (well, not a huge one, I still find it enjoyable enough).

    It just seems like a wasted opportunity having your last film not feature the big three together except for a few token moments.
     
  14. Praetor

    Praetor Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    Agreed.
     
  15. Aldo

    Aldo Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    I just watched Star Trek V for the first time in a while, and I suppose I never realized it before that the Officer's Lounge was just a redress of the Ten Forward Set. Someone mentioned it up thread so while I was watching the movie I kept it in mind, and while it's a pretty extensive redress and not apparent at first, the corridor right outside of the doors gives it away.
     
  16. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    ^To be precise, I didn't say it was a Ten Forward redress, just that it seemed plausible that it might have been. I really don't know either way.
     
  17. Maurice

    Maurice Snagglepussed Admiral

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  18. Ryan Thomas Riddle

    Ryan Thomas Riddle Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    The Observation Lounge in TFF was not a redress. It's construction and design was discussed at length in Captain's Log: The Making of Star Trek V The Final Frontier. I don't have my copy handy, but Herman Zimmerman discusses how the set had to have wild walls so as to allow for the pivotal scenes in which Sybok walks through Spock and McCoy's pain.

    The Paradise City bar, however, is a redress of Ten Forward.
     
  19. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    Oh! Well, there you go. I never suspected that. Which supports my point that TFF did a good job of hiding its reuse of TNG sets, while TUC did a terrible job of doing so.
     
  20. Aldo

    Aldo Admiral Admiral

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    Re: Was the Star Trek 4 Ent-A bridge a redress of the Excelsior bridge

    D'oh! I read that making of TFF book, I should have known that the officer's lounge was a new set.

    Do you have a source for this? I'm on Memory Alpha and they don't mention anything about this.
     
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2013