Hey, I never noticed that before....

[Redshirt214]

Definitely should have had more than one rung. Perhaps something like this from the side:

=====|
|=====

A lower bar for command well-dwellers to lean on, an upper bar for the crew on the level above.

As I recall, Jeffries really would have preferred a flat floor to the bridge, perhaps for this reason. Personally I think the railings are a nice bit of nautical visual continuity... another both in and out of universe reason for the pit is that it puts the navigation controls lower than the Captain so he has a view of what’s happening on the screen instead of the back of the navigators heads (which is both a practical thing and so that the camera we the viewers see the show through can do the same). Really that’s more an argument for putting everyone in a pit, though, such that the commander can see every station plus the screen clearly. Or having the chair on a pedestal. Which conjures images of someone trying to grab the Captain, only to have them causally boot them in the head with their 60’s healed boots! I suspect that’d be a different kind of space OSHA violation!

I feel like, if starships actually existed, every railing would probably be wrapped in rope, since there is zero way that tradition will end aboard ship even in the 23rd century!

 

[Redshirt214]

Throwing stars????

I believe they are thinking of the Kama, which is a sickle, basically. A lot of pole arms seem to have been derived from farm implements, like the English Bill... but they definitely evolved into more “logical” optimized versions for use as weapons. Spock is logical, Sporks not so much!

The Lipras is a dueling weapon and semi-ceremonial, so I figure it is also somewhat specialized for this role. The duels are to the death, certainly, but then so were judicial duels in the Middle Ages and they still warranted rather different weapons than the battlefield. Maybe the weight on the lipras was originally smaller, and was later increased in size and weight to slow down the duel, since Vulcans are scary strong? A pole arms with a big axe like head on one end, and a small mace type head on the other could be a really nasty combination!

 

[Redshirt214]

You are spot on! That technician in the blue coveralls has a Variac in his hand. It’s used by present day electricians to apply/control the amount of AC voltage applied. You can even see the black power cord that feeds power to the Scotty box. He turns the control dial after Scotty drops the box into place.

Weren’t there SAG union rules back then that required the grips to do stuff like this vs the actors? I heard this is why Gomez is never actually running his trains, the transformer isn’t hooked up ever... so that crewman could actually be a not just an extra but someone actually from the production side of things...

 

[ZapBrannigan]

In the Star Trek reboot(2009), while Kirk was being carried by McCoy out of the lift, they passed by… two Dyson Airblades.
I guess hand dryers are still in use in the 23rd century…

They look like the claws of Satan's Robot (ST: VOY):

Satan's Robot

If I could access holodeck controls, the first thing I'd do is delete this guy!""Delete–this–guy!"Tom Paris and Satan's Robot Satan's Robot was a fictional character in the holographic sci-fi serials The Adventures of Captain Proton, written by Tom Paris. Characters and events in the holonovel...

memory-alpha.fandom.com

I wonder if that's a coincidence.

 

[UssGlenn]

Really that’s more an argument for putting everyone in a pit, though, such that the commander can see every station plus the screen clearly. Or having the chair on a pedestal.

That's the Klingon setup, like Kruge's bridge in STIII.

 

[ATimson]

Really that’s more an argument for putting everyone in a pit, though, such that the commander can see every station plus the screen clearly. Or having the chair on a pedestal. Which conjures images of someone trying to grab the Captain, only to have them causally boot them in the head with their 60’s healed boots! I suspect that’d be a different kind of space OSHA violation!

In addition to OSHA, the ADA would like to have a word with Starfleet's bridge designers.

The flat bridge on Discovery looks wrong, because it's not what we're used to, but it's a lot more accessible than most of its predecessors!

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Beyond a purely cinematic aspect in the real world, I've often wondered what the "in universe" reason was for the "pit". True, it looks cool and a StarFleet bridge just seems "off" without it, but what's the function "in story"?

My theory:

IRL, obviously the split-level bridge looked more complicated and interesting. It feels like something real and technical is going on because it's a spaceship, and there's a "hardware situation" that the crew has to cope with, stepping up and down to get across the room.

In-universe, I have only one idea: the "pit" itself (or the well, as ship people would call it), is not the point. The well is just where something isn't. The perimeter stations and the central "command module" are raised up because their platforms contain electronics that feed right into the work stations.

As to why the empty part, the well, is not floored over to put everything on one level, in-universe that can only be an economy measure, to give the ship fewer unnecessary parts and pieces. And that too gives it a subconscious whiff of realism.

It's a thin explanation, but the alternative is Season 2 of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. The Searcher's bridge, with its flat, simple floor, never looked as exciting as Kirk's bridge, and it wasn't close. But Battlestar Galactica spent a ton of money on their complicated as hell bridge set, and that looked fantastic, with levels, depths, textures, and stuff going on all over the place.

 

[Warped9]

As I recall the initial concept for the Bridge was for it to be flat and one level. But apparently Roddenberry wanted something more visually interesting even though it inevitably complicated filming given the bulky cameras of the day. The same thinking applied to the turbolift—it was originally supposed to be directly aft behind the captain but, again, someone felt an offset turbolift would be more visually interesting and potentially more dynamic when filming.

Another change of note: in “The Cage” Pike’s command chair is level with the helm/nav console seating, but in WNMHGB the command chair has been elevated to allow the Captain a clearer view forward and around the Bridge. It also gave the Captain a more commanding presence and made him more central visually.

 

[Phaser Two]

In addition to OSHA, the ADA would like to have a word with Starfleet's bridge designers.

The flat bridge on Discovery looks wrong, because it's not what we're used to, but it's a lot more accessible than most of its predecessors!

I've always assumed that the ADA wouldn't apply to Starfleet vessels; it doesn't apply to military facilities meant for the use of able-bodied active duty personnel in our time.

 

[Redshirt214]

I think it’s really a difference in how we view things being in the future, and how we want to depict it. On the one hand, I want a future where things are more accessible to everyone, including people with mobility issues. On the other hand, I want a better future where medical technology, science and care has advanced to the point where there such issues no longer effect so many individuals.

The best way to handle that would I think actually be to have a medical cyborg on the show, with an exoskeleton worn outside the uniform. It could function as real life representation, while still being futuristic. And an able bodied actor could portray them, allowing the character to be as physical as possible.

I do think the kind of gentle slope ramp approach is the best way to get the multilevel bridge look without having it be a ADA/OSHA death trap. Something like the D’s bridge but with better hand rails would be good.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

The best way to handle that would I think actually be to have a medical cyborg on the show, with an exoskeleton worn outside the uniform. It could function as real life representation, while still being futuristic. And an able bodied actor could portray them, allowing the character to be as physical as possible.

Sam Rutherford

Samanthan "Sam" Rutherford was a male Human Starfleet officer who lived during the late 24th century. He wore a cybernetic implant that covered the left side of his skull, and allowed him to organize his memories, alter his behavior, and enhance his vision. (LD: "Second Contact", "No Small...

memory-alpha.fandom.com

 

[Methuselah Flint]

Kirk is dozing at the beginning of Metamorphosis, before Spock's voice awakens him.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Assignment Earth :

From the briefing room, Kirk addresses the ship crew. One shot in a corridor shows Frank Vinci and Eddie Paskey wearing Command tunics listening to Kirk. A following shot shows Eddie wearing an Engineer coverall just behind Scotty in the Engineering Room.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Assignment Earth :

From the briefing room, Kirk addresses the ship crew. One shot in a corridor shows Frank Vinci and Eddie Paskey wearing Command tunics listening to Kirk. A following shot shows Eddie wearing an Engineer coverall just behind Scotty in the Engineering Room.

Twins again.

 

[Mytran]

Twins again.

Nah, that's the coincidentally similar looking but totally unrelated crewman Randall Connors
He first appeared in these two episodes:

 

[BK613]

Hmm, maybe Angela Teller nee (almost Tomlinson) nee Martine isn't the only one that gets married a lot....
So very progressive, Leslie nee Connors nee Rand...

 

[Methuselah Flint]

Purely subjective, but something I thought of when re-watching I, Mudd is how it could easily slot into season three if you didn't know it was season two:

The bridge's bright lighting is very season three.

The underground complex is very like that of Spock's Brain. The basic corridors such as that of the lab, remind me of the asylum in Whom Gods Destroy.

The console Norman controls reminds me of the one from Whom Gods Destroy/Lights of Zetar.

Despite it's comedic moments, the 'feel' for me is very season three, especially in its lighting.

Also, we all love Mirror, Mirror, but on my re-watch of that and The Changeling, our heroes move from set to set without much action actually happening. Great though these bottle shows are.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

The console Norman controls reminds me of the one from Whom Gods Destroy/Lights of Zetar.

That console was used five times:

• The Return of the Archons: Marplon's absorption control panel.

• I, Mudd: Norman's relay station.

• The Enterprise Incident: docking station for the cloaking device.

• Whom Gods Destroy: control panel on Elba II.

• The Lights of Zetar: control panel on Memory Alpha.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Meet Leslie, who's been most everywhere
From Vega Colony to far Altair
But Conner's only seen the sights
A guy can see from orbit's height -
What a crazy pair!

But they're crewmen
Identical crewman all the way
One pair of matching bookends
Different as night and day

Where Leslie is a Security vet
Works at Navigator and pilot
But Conners runs a med console
Mudd's Women makes him loose control
What a wild duet!

Still, they're crewmen
Identical crewmen and you'll find
They laugh alike, they walk alike
At times they even talk alike -

You can lose your mind
When crewmen are two of a kind

 

[Ssosmcin]

Kirk is dozing at the beginning of Metamorphosis, before Spock's voice awakens him.

I always thought that was a great touch.