Bridge Layout guess

Just that the ship was molded symmetrically to simplify it, and the set has the turbolift off to the side, so if that cylinder at the back of the dome is the turbolift, the bridge has to be rotated in order for the interior and exterior to match up.

 

Sometimes, not all the time, as screencaps here have recently shown.

 

No, we had extensive discussions about this in the Trek Art forum, involving all sorts of diagramming and modeling and what-not and the consensus was crystal clear: TOS may not have been consistent, but the physical designs leave no doubt that the single turbolift Jefferies designed into the bridge set and ship model was right on the ship's center-line. That was his intention, and so it was done.

 

So basically a mistake in the original production, I guess? The interior and exterior don't match up then. Duh! Now I get it.

It wouldn't be very logical to have the bridge offset that much. Hopefully they have corrected it with that viewscreen/window facing forward.

 

During WNMHGB, the turbolift was directly behind the captain's chair -- no offset:

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x03hd/wherenomanhasgonebeforehd052.jpg

 

Interesting... I don't think I've ever seen that shot before... Any other pics to corroborate that?

 

Ummm...wrong. The two pilots had the turbolift to the left-rear of the captain's chair. The communications console was always directly behind the captain in both the pilots AND the regular series.

 

It's, you know, from the actual episode.

 

^^^

Yes, and those other shots show that the navigation console moved around a bit, especially during WNMHGB... so canonically, the lower bridge platform must rotate!

 

Well, yes, but I've never seen it as a still that I noticed. LOL My DVDs are in a box at the moment, so I can't watch for myself and look at the bridge layout.

 

I think it's a couple deceiving angles.

 

To make it even more confusing, I think if you compare angles you find that in WNMHGB the captain's chair and front console are actually between the communications console and the turbolife.

 

No, later in the series, there'd be no why a close-up on the navigator would show the turbolift door -- the communications station was directly behind:

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x16hd/thegalileosevenhd534.jpg

Not true in WNMHGB...

 

Well, damn. I stand corrected.

 

And you'll see how the railing position moves too between WNMHGB and the rest of the series. The railing gap straight out of the turbolift in WNMHGB, but during the rest of the series, that gap is in front of the communications station, so Kirk always has to go around it when going from the turbolift to his chair.

 

^
^^
^^^Probably because WNMHGB was a pilot vs. the actual TOS series. Also because of the space-time continuum shift effect of breaching the edge of the galaxy. I heard that it messed with much of TOS's continuity.

 

Maybe glowing-eye Gary said, "I've always wanted the bridge like this..."

One handwave and the bridge took its "usual" shape?

 

I guess you've never seen Requiem for Methuselah?

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The episode where Kirk peers into the shrunken ship from the port side and above? And the people inside still see his face smack in the middle of the viewscreen?

It would seem to solidly confirm that the viewscreen merely replays imagery from exterior cameras, some of which are pointed (or can be pointed) to the upper left of the bridge. Certainly Kirk cannot be looking through a window there, not from that angle.

Timo Saloniemi