TOS Enterprise WIP

[Albertese]

^^^

I've never seen plans for either pilot version of the set. Recall that the two pilots were shot at a different facility than the production. So all the sets were packed up and carted across town when NBC bought the show and reassembled differently, and got more sets. This is why the circular briefing room and the long straight corridor never appear in the regular episodes.

If there is some extant blueprints showing how that stage was laid out, I'd love to see them too!

--Alex

[blssdwlf]

Well sooner or later I'll have that straight corridor in the ship

[Mytran]

I've spent a long while studying that particular corridor and trying to puzzle out how they fitted the various rooms we see into it. The corridor itself sports some very odd architectural features, not least of which it a couple of steps DOWN at the far end!
http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x...ehdalt0076.jpg
Just look at that door - it's a foot and a half below the deck line!

Of course, anyone who's read Solow & Justman's book will know about the awful slanting floors in the studio where the pilots were shot, and that they had to physically raise parts of the sets in order to keep the floors level.

However, in-universe it raises some interesting questions...

[blssdwlf]

I think the part near the camera for that corridor branches to the right as well given how the wall angles off.

Excellent catch on the stepping down at the far end! What I like about this is that it adds to the idea that the decks don't need to be level from bow to stern. The examples so far seen are:

Bridge = you step down into the central area.
Engineering, S2+ = that 2nd level including EMM are only 6 1/2' above the deck, which means entry from that deck you'd have to step down into them.
Long straight corridor = deck steps down at the end.

and in TMP
Airlock to the cargo/flight deck is a few steps higher necessitating stairs or a ramp.

Variety, that's the TOS Enterprise

[Albertese]

Yep, on my deck plans project, I've found it easier to have certain sections on a slightly different level that other parts of the deck. Here's one such corridor on my WIP plans. This is in the saucer. The upper right on the image is slightly higher than the floor of the lower left and those two thin lines indicate a change in elevation, transitioned by a ramp. The grid overlaid is made of 10' squares.



Not much to see, but the idea does make some sense.

--Alex

[Robert Comsol]

The irritating part of this set is the angle it takes close to the "Environmental Engineering Ladder" but I found out it works perfect in the engineering deck drafts I'm currently doing (and made me return to an earlier draft I had abandoned).

The steps are helpful in the shot with Sulu and Dr. Piper assuming - in this scene - they're passing the outer "window" corridor on the port side of the engineering hull as the windows on the exterior could suggest that the observation corridor deck level above the flight deck is a bit lower (the thought that this could be a corridor next to the ship's outside is fed by the fact the entire right hand side is an open space from which the studio lights illuminate the corridor once you notice the shadows of the actors on the wall with what appears to be cabins. It therefore doesn't appear to be a rectangular corridor inside the ship as I'm not aware of one that has strong illumination on one and none on the other side).

The door just before the A-frame and the steps was also used to present the turbolift door Kirk, Spock and Mitchell enter to move to the bridge.

Bob

[chronografer]

I'm new at this. This is an astounding thread! I want to make my small contribution to it.

I have taken the corridor image and made elevation views of it in Hugin. I don't know if it really adds much knowledge other than the sense of space and proportion.
FYI - The camera position is at the midpoint on the left side of the deck view.
... argh... it looks like I have to post them to my website first and link to it. I will have to report back when I get that done.
(apologies--it's my first post)

[blssdwlf]

After watching the opening scenes a couple of times, it looks like they utilized that corridor when Kirk exits the transporter room and walks to the left. The corridor angles right or is split like a fork with a ladder at the split.

Later scene is after the titles, the same corridor is seen (Mytran's screen link) where it is at a distance and you can make out the turbolift close to the A frame.

However, they cut again, to an overhead view at the turbolift entrance and Kirk and co are entering.

The catch is that they aren't in the previous scene so, the interpretation for me is that these are three different corridors, IMO. As to the shadows from the side, it depends on the lighting conditions and what is on the other (hidden from camera) walls. We've seen whole sections open to a workspace or perpendicular hallway so it could be anything which makes placing these corridors very open ended (and I like that.)

Mytran wrote:

---

I've spent a long while studying that particular corridor and trying to puzzle out how they fitted the various rooms we see into it. The corridor itself sports some very odd architectural features, not least of which it a couple of steps DOWN at the far end!
http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x...ehdalt0076.jpg
Just look at that door - it's a foot and a half below the deck line!

Of course, anyone who's read Solow & Justman's book will know about the awful slanting floors in the studio where the pilots were shot, and that they had to physically raise parts of the sets in order to keep the floors level.

However, in-universe it raises some interesting questions...

[chronografer]

Back again. I have posted my efforts as three images: wall (length of corridor), deck (looking down at floor), and corridor (looking straight down corridor to the end). The alignment is close but not perfect, e.g., the trapezoidal arch at the end is not quite perpendicular to the wall. The big problem I had was the right hand wall in the image. It would NOT go parallel with the corridor wall and allow everything else to be at right angles. I also did a view of the ceiling. Those cross members are perdicular as well (or close anyway).
Here are my photos, linked from a folder on my website (I sure hope this works):
+RK

[chronografer]

Looks like I can only do one at a time. Let's try this: here is the folder for the images:

www.richkurz.com/posts

+RK

[blssdwlf]

@Chronografer - thank you for your valiant attempts at posting and help. Unfortunately, the images have too much distortion to be able to work with for my purposes. You can see in my previous posts, I build the set in Lightwave and match it to the screenshot. I might get around to posting this corridor in the near future.

[Robert Comsol]

Gentlemen,

this mysterious WNM corridor has practically been sitting in front of our eyes for the past decades (well, i.e. for everybody who owns the Whitfield Making of Star Trek).

On page 11 of the first picture section in the book, the top photo shows the end of the corridor (not steps but a ramp!), the bottom one the angled-in corridor at the other end. If someone has taken his Making of apart, maybe he (or she) could be so kind to scan these b&w pictures in their full detail glory.

Bob

[chronografer]

Thanks for the encouragement, blsswlf. The images are "interesting" to work with. I did see (and was very impressed) with what you did in Lightwave with screen matching. My own procedure is to trace the details in Photoshop as paths and export them into Illustrator. I do not have 3D skills yet, so I end up with a 3-view elevation dwg. or go on to make a paper model.
I want to go back to compare your analyzed photos of the hangar deck to my own to see how close the two methods compare. But that will be for my own edification.
+RK

[chronografer]

I do have the book, but do not want to take it apart. I will attempt to scan the page since the back of the book is well broken already. That should get most of the page. Its a busy weekend, so stay tuned.
+RK

[blssdwlf]

Good spotting Bob. I've got that book. I'll scan it in tonight.

It does look like a ramp. Unfortunately, some of the details won't be easily visible because of the photo. Perhaps someone who might have the original...