Re: Is The NuTrek Universe A Changed Timeline From The Star Trek Unive
First, many compliments to J.Allen for some funny posts, and great pictures.
Second, when it comes to bridge design we must keep things in their historical perspective. When TOS was created, most complex machines (airplanes, automobiles, etc.) had direct mechanical linkages between the controls and the device being controlled. Thus every command had to have it's own control device, because it did one thing, and one thing only. The concept of "fly by wire", where there is no direct linkage from the control to the device was still in it's infancy.
So the TOS bridge was created in that historical context.
In the decades that followed, direct mechanical linkages were eliminated, and interfaces were simplified, and made more aesthetically pleasing. Thus while the designs of the nuTrek bridge had to "call back" to the original design of TOS, there was no reason to slavishly adhere to a concept that was based on antiquated design principles.
In addition, it is true that officers were required in the days of direct mechanical linkage to memorize a thousand buttons, and even now controlling a massive air craft carrier takes lots of specialized training, but airplane and other complex machinery designers are eager to make the interfaces as simple as possible, as it reduces controller error and makes their products more attractive to organizations like the military that have to train new operators on a regular basis.
