Enterprise-D Bridge Concept Large Version

[uniderth]

I'm taking a break from hammering out my Enterprise shuttle panels and decided to build Andrew Probert's concept for the Enterprise-D's Bridge. I've always loved the large spacious version. It's just a beast and it would have been awesome to see this on the screen.

I've started out, as always, getting the general shapes in place.

Here's the view from the bottom level:

Here's the view form the upper floor:

 

[Nightowl1701]

Well, now it can be the Enterprise-J bridge instead. Great start!

 

[Maurice]

More correctly, it's one on many concepts Mr. Probert did for the bridge.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

The original bridge concept for the E-D was pretty epic, though does make the ship look more like a luxury liner than a starship.

 

[Michael]

Just for context, it's this concept, right?

 

[Tallguy]

It has kind of a Space: 1999 feel.

 

[Santaman]

Quite large.

 

[cardinal biggles]

It's interesting that even though the bridge we eventually got was considerably scaled down, certain elements of this concept made it through to the final set: a floor-to-ceiling viewscreen, the lighted ceiling with the ribbed architecture, and computer stations with those tuck-away chairs.

 

[Santaman]

It would have fit the size of the Ent-D, space plenty on a ship that size, the bridge we got wasn't all that bad though.

 

[Tallguy]

The Enterprise-D bridge is one of the truly unique things in all of Star Trek. It was never seen again, it was never even echoed (as the original bridge was in every other Star Trek).

 

[Donny]

I'll be watching this with great interest!

 

[Bernard Guignard]

This is going to be very interesting

 

[The Librarian]

I always liked this design, although it felt like the table would be better on the upper level where there could be privacy.

 

[uniderth]

Just for context, it's this concept, right?

Yep that's the one.

It's interesting that even though the bridge we eventually got was considerably scaled down, certain elements of this concept made it through to the final set: a floor-to-ceiling viewscreen, the lighted ceiling with the ribbed architecture, and computer stations with those tuck-away chairs.

It's interesting looking at the different iterations of the bridge evolve from this into the one we eventually got.

I always liked this design, although it felt like the table would be better on the upper level where there could be privacy.

Yeah, that would make a lot of sense. As far as I know there wasn't anything planned to be be up there. I suppose I'll have to come up with something.

My other thought was of all the great potential for crewmen falling off those stairs when the ship get rocked by the disaster of the week.

 

[Nightowl1701]

Well, you've got the conference room and transporter room built in. Stick a mini-Sickbay/lab on the upper level and a combined ready room/captain's quarters on the side, and you've got half your required ship sets in one convenient budget-friendly place.

 

[A Chimpanzee & 2 Trainees]

My other thought was of all the great potential for crewmen falling off those stairs when the ship get rocked by the disaster of the week.

My thought looking at that sketch was "Why would I want someone sitting directly in front of me, blocking my view, while I'm working the panels." I sure hope that's not a navigation station.

Stated more broadly, that design strikes me as incredibly impressive, but not terribly functional.

 

[Rekkert]

Nice start! I really don't like the original concept, but it'll be cool nonetheless to see it come to life.

 

[SCE2Aux]

Wow, even though this isn't what we ended up with on the show, this really feels like the bridge of the Ent-D. Just to speculate: With Galaxy Class ships having a lifespan of 100 years, it could be a bridge for later in its design life, when they're sent on exploratory missions thousands of lightyears from Federation space.

I'll be following your project with interest

 

[uniderth]

...in one convenient budget-friendly place.

Which is, after all, the most important element of 24thcentury starship design. They have to be able to be built on a 21st century TV show budget.

My thought looking at that sketch was "Why would I want someone sitting directly in front of me, blocking my view, while I'm working the panels." I sure hope that's not a navigation station.

Stated more broadly, that design strikes me as incredibly impressive, but not terribly functional.

Agreed. Though... if all navigation and helm functions are available from their stations, then the view screen is really superfluous. You're not going to flying the ship using the viewscreen, you're going to use your console. So as long as the visitor isn't sitting in your lap then you should be fine.

I'll have to render a shot from those positions to see what the view would actually look like.

 

[Tallguy]

IIRC, one of the reasons this sort of design got nixed was because it was too many things happening in the same place. They wanted the crew to have to walk to places for dramatic effect.