Is the bridge at a funny angle?
- Thread starter Mike Doyle
- Start date
That's what they want you to think...shhh...
I wonder why the changes in the footplates to the handrails was made?
In Season One the footplates were either hidden beneath the carpet, or else the uprights were joined to the floor directly:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x24hd/thissideofparadisehd447.jpg
In Season Two the uprights were joined to plates which hugged the corners of the wedges:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x07hd/catspawhd0734.jpg
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x03hd/thechangelinghd0153.jpg
By Season Three the footplates (or at least some of them) seemed to sit flat on top of the wedges themselves, leading to situations where they didn't always line up with the edges of the wedges:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x16hd/themarkofgideonhd0061.jpg
In Season One the footplates were either hidden beneath the carpet, or else the uprights were joined to the floor directly:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x24hd/thissideofparadisehd447.jpg
In Season Two the uprights were joined to plates which hugged the corners of the wedges:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x07hd/catspawhd0734.jpg
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x03hd/thechangelinghd0153.jpg
By Season Three the footplates (or at least some of them) seemed to sit flat on top of the wedges themselves, leading to situations where they didn't always line up with the edges of the wedges:
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x16hd/themarkofgideonhd0061.jpg
Likely this all comes under improvements to sets in terms of ease of configuration.
The bridge railing changes are minor compared to how the Jupiter 2 interior was altered for Year 3. The upper deck ceiling beams started at the floor, and originally they arc'ed up to meet at a ring in the center of the ceiling. When the set had to be rebuilt on a different sound stage for S3, the new beams started at the floor and went only high enough to get out of frame for most shots. There, they just ended. That made it a lot easier to light the set.
Are you talking about the wide base that runs around the inner edge of the upper deck? That certainly appears to be there in The Naked Time.
You can see the light reflecting off of it here.
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x04hd/thenakedtimehd0764.jpg
And it is visible in the closing shot as well.
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x04hd/thenakedtimehd1217.jpg
edit to add: and in This Side of Paradise as well
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x24hd/thissideofparadisehd393.jpg
Me either. I find it interesting because I've noticed that sometimes fans view the sets as static. It's nice to find evidence that they evolved over the run of the show.
Last edited:
Thanks, I happily stand corrected
I suppose that initial pic I posted just had some very well colour matched shadows!
I still wonder what's going on here though. Are these shadows or the edges of the actual wedges that are shown?
Sorry, I sometimes get a bit fixated on a subject...Thanks, I happily stand corrected
What I'm seeing. Can't tell if that is shadow or steps or whatever beyond the base though.
I rewatched the episode and they appear to be the wedges and not shadows and the rails are not sitting on the edge of the wedges.
If you look at the contour of the closest wedge and the wedges on the other side they wouldn't form a circle. My guess is that the rails were rotated a bit to try and get the railing to appear to be in a circular pattern.
If you look at the contour of the closest wedge and the wedges on the other side they wouldn't form a circle. My guess is that the rails were rotated a bit to try and get the railing to appear to be in a circular pattern.
Thanks, I happily stand corrected
I suppose that initial pic I posted just had some very well colour matched shadows!
I still wonder what's going on here though. Are these shadows or the edges of the actual wedges that are shown?
Hmm, that only works if that bit of rail is built different than the other rails (not saying it isn't.) The rail supports that we see attached to bridge wedges have inner sides/edges that extend below the upper deck level.
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x00hd/thecagehd0281.jpg
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x03hd/wherenomanhasgonebeforehd052.jpg
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/1x02hd/charliexhd519.jpg
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x03hd/thechangelinghd0666.jpg
If it was wingnuts, it was probably to ease and speed up set movement. A lot easier to manipulate those then get out the olde craftsman wrench set.
As far as I can tell, from the various helpfully provided diagrams and photos, the answer to the OP is 'both yes and no'.
This rail looks to be a solid, continuous rail with no cuts for the wedges so it maybe a 4 post rail that has a flat bottom to rest on top of fake wedge pieces. We can see it again here in S3 on the left side.
It's hard to say for sure but it looks like the floor plate for the handrail is actually sitting ahead of the wedge itself here:
Perhaps same for the floor plates on the left?
This shot seems to indicate the entire bridge was built.
-We can see Uhura's station.
-We can see Spock's station.
-We see an Assistant Navigatior's station which closely resembles the Engineering or Environmental Engineering stations, but lacks the viewer those had.
-We can see the Weapons station, which distinct from the others consistently has only one large screen, but of the smaller size used on Spock and Uhura's stations that have two screens.
-We see the "half size" station with no controls which is different from the other "half size" station which has controls. That station is depicted as having controls in "Trials and Tribble-ations," but it does not have then in this shot.
So, unless the either could remove the viewers without repainting (which would take time) for the Assistant Navigator, or they could put the smaller single screen into the Weapons Station, they must have had all the pieces, at least by that point.
https://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x05hd/isthereintruthnobeautyhd0609.jpg
What I find curious is the low "ceiling" in this shot. It looks the Weapons station's walls are not there, and a ceiling pieces was put in to block the upper part of the shot. Was something on camera, like part of the scaffolding, they did not want us to see?
Also, interestingly, this shot which seems to be from a unique angle, even though it is not really showing more of the bridge, except for maybe part of one station, is close what an actual aft-facing view of the bridge would look like if it WERE offset!
That is a reasonable guess.
It almost looks like there is a slight change in height because the carpet seems to rise up a bit to obscure the rail support base just inside her left insole.
Yeah, I think it does look like the carpet is being used to obscure the base or hide that there isn't a wedge in the middle? It seems like the carpet between the front rails is spanning empty space (nothing below it).
Also, it looks to me that the rail on the left seems to have a different shade of red than the other rails with the notches...
Also, it looks to me that the rail on the left seems to have a different shade of red than the other rails with the notches...
It's hard to say for sure but it looks like the floor plate for the handrail is actually sitting ahead of the wedge itself here:
Perhaps same for the floor plates on the left?
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