The two bridges looked quite different and yet the films were only a few years apart.
Why Did the Bridge in VI look different to the Bridge in VI?
- Thread starter Captain Zog
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Um, you're asking about VI and VI. I don't know if you mean 4 and 6, 5 and 6, etc.
I'm guessing it was meant to be IV and VI since that would be an easy typo to make.
The reason it looks different is because the bridge set was converted for use on The Next Generation and then converted back for the movies (V & VI) so they did it differently each time.
The reason it looks different is because the bridge set was converted for use on The Next Generation and then converted back for the movies (V & VI) so they did it differently each time.
Not exactly. IIRC, the white set used in IV was a repaint and refurbish of the STI-III set, which was in turn modified and used variously as the battle bridge and Stargazer bridge, and other bridges for a while on TNG. (As I recall, the set was damaged heavily by water at some point- I'm just not sure if this was before or after its use in STIV.) When the Shat set out to make STV, he was so impressed by Herman Zimmerman's production design that he asked him to create a new, 'friendlier' TNG-style bridge set for his film. Then, for VI, Nick Meyer added some military flair to the set designs giving us the set we had there. (Personally, this was my favorite movie bridge set.) This set was redressed for the Excelsior in that film, and also used for several ships on DS9 and Voyager.
Of course, the in-universe reason is said to be that the bridge is a plug-in module that can be easily swapped out as needed, and each bridge change would represent some form of upgrade.
It was actually an all-new set for The Final Frontier. As Praetor mentioned, the set was exposed to the elements between TNG's first two seasons, and was ultimately scrapped. (Some parts of it did live on; the turbolift alcoves made their way to the TFF bridge and were later incorporated into the Enterprise-E bridge set. The viewscreen also was salvaged and was used on most of TNG's "ship of the week" sets, including the revamped "Best of Both Worlds" battle bridge, the Hathaway and Enterprise-C bridges, Baran's ship in "Gambit," and the Pasteur bridge in "All Good Things...")
But... the wooden framework, which was beneath the Phase II/TMP bridge consoles, was still in place when the soundstages full of VOY sets were finally cleared to build the ENT sets. When they pulled out the pieces they were still labeled with the unique "Phase II" markings and woodrot had set in.
The clocks were a weird choice. I mean, I understand why on a real ship they'd be more or less believable, but for a pretend ship they're just an invitation to continuity glitches. Even Stanley Kubrick couldn't plan out his shots and edits precisely enough to keep them from going all awry.
It would be easier to do now... it would be pretty easy to add in some CGI clocks that no one would notice, or believe, weren't real. If they ever did that again - I wouldn't mind seeing them, I don't know why, but I always thought they were a nice touch.
But yeah, the VI bridge was definably the best of the TOS era. The real console placements were just right and the extra splash of ed beneath the MSD made it look more visually interesting.
But yeah, the VI bridge was definably the best of the TOS era. The real console placements were just right and the extra splash of ed beneath the MSD made it look more visually interesting.
I thought the ENT sets were in a different building, I remember reading that they condemed they Trek studio when Voyager ended.
The soundstage is still in use. It was the Phase II framework that was condemned, because it had wood rot, not the building itself.
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Paramount_Stage_9
In 2001, following the end of Voyager's final season, all of the sets in Stage 9 were permanently removed... Instead of being home to the interiors of the NX-01 for Enterprise, Stage 9 housed only that series' cave set and various swing sets.
Paramount Stages 18 and 8 housed all of the NX-01 interiors used in ENT.
According to a May 2007 news item from The Trek Movie Report website, J.J. Abrams' 2008 film, Star Trek, was - in part - filmed on Paramount's Stage 9.
There were things about the Star Trek V bridge I thought were fantastic. I just looked cool. Everything was bright and shiny and modern.
But then there are things about the Star Trek VI bright I thought were just as fantastic. I loved the rubberized deck, the gunmetal colors, those clocks everywhere. The bridge looked larger, a little more retro with its dials and switches everywhere.
I don't know which one I prefer. I think they both look great.
Reading the comics, I remember being mildly annoyed in '92 when they switched over to the new bridge right around issue 29 or so. It just... changed. They didn't explain it.
Which actually brings up something that's been on my mind. As Star Trek VI was being developed, I wondered if it was meant to be the next mission after Star Trek V, in the way that film picked up fairly shortly after Star Trek IV. So I wondered if the comics were going to do a storyline to lead up to the film the way they had done Saavik's origin to lead into Star Trek III and the Romulan virus storyline (to get Kirk off the Excelsior and mess up Spock's mind) to lead into Star Trek IV. Fortunately, the vast gap of years between V and VI meant that DC didn't need to have a storyline leading into the film, and the comics continued to chronicle the post-Star Trek V mission for the next four years or so.
I quite liked the ST IV bridge actually, i always thought that looked the 'cleanest' of all the bridge designs, also i always wondered what all the other STI/II/III ent sets would look like with that kind of redress. Apparently the part of the bridge that you see at the end of ST IV is the only part that was altered, the rest was left unchanged. Makes sense since it would be pointless to spend money on part of a set that doesn't actually end up on camera.
This picture was posted on a thread about Majel's passing, but it clearly illustrates that more of the bridge was painted white and Okudagrammed for TVH than was visible in the film. In the film we only saw a fragment of the bridge from the lift to the right of this station around to Uhura's station.
Wow. What a picture. It's hard to believe that they're both gone now. It's a reminder of how fleeting life is.
I knew I'd seen that picture somewhere before! That obviously contradicts Shane Johnson's account of the condition of the set when he was taking photos for Mr. Scott's Guide. (his answer to question #10)
^Not necessarily. Here is what Shane said in the interview referenced above:
Quote:
Quote:
The section showed in the picture above is still part of the back-half of the set. The section may not have been visible in the final film, but technically Shane only said the front-half was unchanged from its burned appearance.
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