It would have to be the half-station width and just a trick of "camera angle," or an animation oddity, as otherwise the TAS bridge would have to be a half-station bigger in diameter than the TOS bridge. Insomuch as the TAS bridge looks more circular that it was in TOS, due to the way it is drawn in perspective, but it would not make sense to change out or update the bridge module to be a more circular but almost identical model, I'm going with it being an animation/rotoscoping consideration.
Is the bridge at a funny angle?
- Thread starter Mike Doyle
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Thanks, I missed the spirit of intent your post! Thanks @blssdwlf for noting that, it would indeed have been amusing if the TAS animators had deliberately used the WNMHGB railing setup
Yes, I'm pretty sure the animators just used the regular turbolift alcove as a template
I agree that the alcove should be larger. Maybe angle the right alcove wall out a little and rotate the turbolift clockwise a smudge... the animation process created objects/people that were proportional off in many cases.
One other point to keep in mind when comparing Pilot Bridge to Series Bridge: According to, I believe, Solow & Justman's memoir, the bridge set used for the pilots had to be designed to work on the sloping, silent-era soundstage floor at Gower Street. The entire soundstage had a "rake" like a classic theatre stage. The set pieces took this into account and were built so as to "level up" the set when assembled. They were not as modular as the later, fiberglas series set, which could be pulled apart and reconfigured on a level concrete surface. I seriously doubt you could easily shuffle pieces of the Pilot Bridge without rebuilding their entire bases. They really are two different sets; even though the later one is based in large part on casts of the earlier one.
M.
M.
Or rotated turbolifts?If you're going to do that, you should really lean into the rotated bridge:
Really, if security was a concern (along with redundancy) then a turbolift on either side of the Captain is the way to go. This is something with the ST6 Bridge got exactly right IMO
There was also a door on the other side too—about where Spock would grip the console..actual studio bathroom that way?No it was the same size as the TOS bridge - it fitted the extra Turbolift station by removing the half-console to the left of the viewscreen:
Technically never shown on screen but based on numerous observations in the episodes, it is certainly a part of my own head-canon!
Technically never shown on screen but based on numerous observations in the episodes, it is certainly a part of my own head-canon!
Has there been an episode that showed your screenshot and then also showed that wedge (like from a reverse angle)? If not, then you could definitely make an argument that there is a gap there on a per episode/mission basis
Since we rarely see that side of the Bridge, examples are rare of seeing both the console absent AND present in the same episode.Has there been an episode that showed your screenshot and then also showed that wedge (like from a reverse angle)? If not, then you could definitely make an argument that there is a gap there on a per episode/mission basis
However, 2 examples spring to mind:
In Space Seed there's an establishing shot showing full rails on the right hand side of the Bridge, yet later Kirk leans on the shortened version of the handrail next to Spock's console.
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x22hd/spaceseedhd003.jpg
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x22hd/spaceseedhd138.jpg
In Obsession the science console gets a lot of use and the adjacent console is missing:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/thumbnails.php?album=66&page=37
Yet earlier in the episode, the console behind Kirk on the reverse shot is is a single overhead screen type, definitely not Spock's or Uhura's:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/thumbnails.php?album=66&page=11
It's not always the console next to Spock though; this bonus shot from Catspaw (slightly brightened) shows that the wedge NEXT to the wedge next to Spock is absent, including the steps! Probably battle damage
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x07hd/catspawhd0734.jpg
Thanks @Mytran!
I just rewatched Space Seed and it looks like a regular 4 post rail that Kirk leans on so I think there is no oddity here.
Ahh yep, this episode shows the wedge left of the science station and with the full 4-post rail...
and later on the wedge is gone, the 4-post rail is now a 3-post and the steps have moved (Chekov steps down much earlier)
Hmm... Catspaw has the wedge next to Spock's absent in scenes before and after your screencap (catspawhd0734)...
I wonder what it might look like if the two starboard-side wedges forward of Spock's station can slide in and out of the bridge to access important circuits?
Since we rarely see that side of the Bridge, examples are rare of seeing both the console absent AND present in the same episode.
However, 2 examples spring to mind:
In Space Seed there's an establishing shot showing full rails on the right hand side of the Bridge, yet later Kirk leans on the shortened version of the handrail next to Spock's console.
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x22hd/spaceseedhd003.jpg
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x22hd/spaceseedhd138.jpg
I just rewatched Space Seed and it looks like a regular 4 post rail that Kirk leans on so I think there is no oddity here.
Ahh yep, this episode shows the wedge left of the science station and with the full 4-post rail...
and later on the wedge is gone, the 4-post rail is now a 3-post and the steps have moved (Chekov steps down much earlier)
It's not always the console next to Spock though; this bonus shot from Catspaw (slightly brightened) shows that the wedge NEXT to the wedge next to Spock is absent, including the steps! Probably battle damage
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x07hd/catspawhd0734.jpg
Hmm... Catspaw has the wedge next to Spock's absent in scenes before and after your screencap (catspawhd0734)...
I wonder what it might look like if the two starboard-side wedges forward of Spock's station can slide in and out of the bridge to access important circuits?
Except from this angle you can see the handrail end piece, which has no business being there if it's a 4-post variant.
Is that from Obsession too? If so it makes me wonder which console they used for Kirk's reverse shot when he quizzes Garrovick, earlier:Ahh yep, this episode shows the wedge left of the science station and with the full 4-post rail...
Except from this angle you can see the handrail end piece, which has no business being there if it's a 4-post variant.
Trekcore's screencap only show a part of the scene. A few seconds before we can see the full rail in the episode and it is the full 4-post version with the middle segment obscured by Spock and his seat. If it is the 3-post version then the rail segments would be longer than any we've seen before.
Is that from Obsession too? If so it makes me wonder which console they used for Kirk's reverse shot when he quizzes Garrovick, earlier:
It is from Obsession (a later scene).
I didn't use Trekcore for this scene either, as it only gave a very general selection of images.
I accept your point about the hand rails appearing to be unusually long for a 2-section (3 post) variant, but that could just be a trick of perspective. The key for me is how close Kirk is standing to Spock - looking at the layout on the Catspaw image I posted earlier (and your Obsession image with Chekov leaving), Kirk seems like he ought to be located much further to the right in the Space Seed image.
However, with all the tight camera angles and limited images I'm perfectly happy to concede this point as inconclusive. We have other examples in any case
Not surprising, since it would have been a lot of work to plug that wedge in and reorient the camera back on itself! I checked the McMaster diagrams and the console seems to be Environmental Systems, located to the right of the Engineering console:
https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lca...ter-uss-enterprise-bridge-blueprints-6-ss.jpg
Curiously enough that part of the Bridge does not appear in Obsession at all! However, Space Seed gives us a good look and the middle screens all match.
Great catch, as to identifying the Environmental station used in "Obsession."
In other news, I can see wanting to upgrade the "Space Seed" bridge with an alternate exit, but you can do that without giving up any workstation real estate whatsoever. You don't even have to alter the "as seen on TV" TOS bridge. Just have that wall panel, on one side of the main viewing screen, swing open as a door. Behind it is a circular hallway with a staircase and a lavatory. Bam. Done.
I didn't use Trekcore for this scene either, as it only gave a very general selection of images.
I accept your point about the hand rails appearing to be unusually long for a 2-section (3 post) variant, but that could just be a trick of perspective. The key for me is how close Kirk is standing to Spock - looking at the layout on the Catspaw image I posted earlier (and your Obsession image with Chekov leaving), Kirk seems like he ought to be located much further to the right in the Space Seed image.
However, with all the tight camera angles and limited images I'm perfectly happy to concede this point as inconclusive. We have other examples in any case
No worries. Another indicator that it is the 4-post rail is that ends roughly where you would expect it when compared to the rail on the opposite side of the captain's chair. If it was a 3-post rail, it would result in Kirk being further back and he would line up with the the captain's chair and the opposite rail's end.
Not surprising, since it would have been a lot of work to plug that wedge in and reorient the camera back on itself! I checked the McMaster diagrams and the console seems to be Environmental Systems, located to the right of the Engineering console:
https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lca...ter-uss-enterprise-bridge-blueprints-6-ss.jpg
Curiously enough that part of the Bridge does not appear in Obsession at all! However, Space Seed gives us a good look and the middle screens all match.
The camera cuts imply that the screens from the environment instruments were shown on the wedge to the left of Spock's station based on where Kirk and Garrovick are standing. It makes sense that the real wedge for that spot probably wasn't moved back in just to film the reverse angle but I'm okay with the instrumentation changing as needed for a wedge or that the wedge was reconfigured and then slid out of the way to modify the scanning circuits
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