Late 23rd Century Control Panel UI

[DSG2k]

Soooo . . . I've basically been utterly p0rning out on control panels for a little while, with about 800 of my 2500 images being Star Trek control panels, heavily leaning on the 3-D bridge models at Roddenberry.x.io.

These are an amazing resource, even if they slip Futura onto TOS control panels and displays where Gorton and another typeface were actually used. It's made me realize that I really dig the original TMP consoles in a way I never did before.

That said, for Star Trek IV's introduction of the Enterprise-A, the console structure was retained but the actual control panels were replaced with O.G. Mk. I Okudagrams. For nomenclature's sake, I refer to this as the 2280 standard versus the TMP 2270 standard:

The 2280 standard is the blue/white oval button type, and it features green monochrome dynamic display areas. There are various other unique aspects to this style, such as the buttons that occur on the borders separating different areas . . . I tend to assume those are mode switch buttons, but that's mere supposition.

For Star Trek V, the bridge was re-done completely, and now featured large black panels reminiscent of the original Excelsior bridge from Star Trek III, but with a much different interface style I refer to as the 2290 standard (though obviously appearing at least slightly earlier):

Most of the white coloration is gone in favor of a strong blue-green palette. Almost gone completely are oval-shaped buttons, with somewhat boring rounded squares (squircles ... literally the real word for that) supplanting them.

I'd assumed that the blue/white oval style went away fairly quickly, but was surprised to realize that the Stargazer, NCC-2893, which featured the movie helm console, was complete with some remaining blue/white oval controls.

Even on a dimly lit rounded prism bridge console that Data used to pull up the final log on some godawful UI, the control panel itself was a reuse of the ST4 style.

As far as I recall, the earliest appearance of the 2290 standard is actually 2278 with the Bozeman, but I prefer to think that's a little too early. That said, I'm still working on a little survey of the timeline of late-TMP era control panels showing up in Trek, e.g. the Hathaway, Bozeman, et cetera. It's also interesting to me that the Enterprise-C featured a weird return of the ovals, apparently silkscreened on its lower console surface, even after ST5 had changed the game. I'm not sure why that is.

All that said, it seems that the original Okudagrams and the late-TMP-era version must have existed for awhile side-by-side. Certainly there wasn't a lot of change of Starfleet UI for decades, and while most ships seemed to get the 2290 standard it appears that it wasn't swapped out on some ships that apparently never got much in the way of upgrades, like the Stargazer.

(Personally, I actually prefer the ovoid 2280 standard, but I find that both rather nerfed the information available to the user compared to what came before. The TMP control panels gave information by color and button shape, whereas the later touchscreen stuff with its limited palette was basically monochromatic by comparison.)

Thoughts?

 

[Blip]

It's worth noting that STIV also featured some transitional background graphics on the Saratoga bridge consoles, both in terms of style and color, and likewise Spacedock control too had some briefly appear.

If you check out @Redgeneral 's archive site there are some photos in there, as I recall - though admittedly you have to zoom in, squint, and then compare to the existing TWOK era consoles to tell the difference!

EDIT: ah, actually no I think only some surviving examples of the Spacedock graphics are in there. Trekcore will have caps of the Saratoga interior, with existing graphics interspersed with new transitional ones and some initial "touch sensitive" interfaces.

 

[Blip]

(at a guess, some of the older controls getting switched out for touch interfaces on the Saratoga was because of wear and tear... The new panels do appear to generally strive to be similar to what was there before)

 

[DSG2k]

Yep, reference to the Saratoga's Okuda bits got dropped in the edit. It's part of why I didn't feel bad labeling the ST4 bridge style as the 2280 standard, since it (or elements of it) apparently predated ST4 to some extent.

The reason I dropped it in the edit is that I didn't want to go into yet another digression (I already had so many). See, even the Saratoga's Okudagrams are better than the Enterprise-A's Okudagrams . . . they're in color, to match the rest of the 2270 style bridge.

 

[blssdwlf]

It seems like there were lots of experimentation going on in Star Fleet during that time as the Enterprise-A in "The Undiscovered Country" mixed back in physical switches and sliders along with the touchscreen displays. Perhaps for a while the all-glass-instrumentation proved unreliable resulting in older controls for a while until the kinks were worked out?

 

[Blip]

Yep, reference to the Saratoga's Okuda bits got dropped in the edit. It's part of why I didn't feel bad labeling the ST4 bridge style as the 2280 standard, since it (or elements of it) apparently predated ST4 to some extent.

The reason I dropped it in the edit is that I didn't want to go into yet another digression (I already had so many). See, even the Saratoga's Okudagrams are better than the Enterprise-A's Okudagrams . . . they're in color, to match the rest of the 2270 style bridge.

TBH I also feel that this look works far, far better as a direct descendent of what we got in TOS, than the often dated looking interfaces of TMP-TSFS. My own headcanon all but does away with those

It seems like there were lots of experimentation going on in Star Fleet during that time as the Enterprise-A in "The Undiscovered Country" mixed back in physical switches and sliders along with the touchscreen displays. Perhaps for a while the all-glass-instrumentation proved unreliable resulting in older controls for a while until the kinks were worked out?

I agree that there was probably quite a bit of transitional / incremental change in the fleet from the mid 2280s to mid 2290s, with vessels implementing changes to varying degrees based on their refit cycles. After that a definitive style was then deployed fleetwide with all the bugs ironed out, and used for the next 20-30yrs.

I also suspect that the s1 TNG style of most LCARS had already been in play for roughly a decade or so prior to EAF, with a Okudagram-LCARS transitional interface in use before that, circa 2340-2350. If the Ent-C didn't evidence any sign of it, well that's because she was due for her first major refit until she was sadly obliterated.

 

[DSG2k]

It seems like there were lots of experimentation going on in Star Fleet during that time as the Enterprise-A in "The Undiscovered Country" mixed back in physical switches and sliders along with the touchscreen displays. Perhaps for a while the all-glass-instrumentation proved unreliable resulting in older controls for a while until the kinks were worked out?

Just like now, there is a push to make everything a touch screen even as there is pushback against it. Touchscreens look great and are simple to manufacture but the loss of tactile interface -- physical buttons and dedicated controls -- doesn't work as well for us. We lose a source of sensory feedback that enables eye-free operation of controls and 'muscle memory'.

I tend to imagine that LCARS panels allowed for at least some tactile overlay insofar as texture . . . perhaps the early versions here did not, thus inspiring a return of buttons before the problem got worked out? Of course, I would prefer not to think that all of these modern issues were having to be addressed all over again in the future, not to mention the notion that all the kinks were not necessarily worked out before deployment.

(Not to mention, I've also noted previously that updating the TOS control panels with gee-whiz-ism for modern audiences is as simple as making them as reconfigurable as LCARS by having the buttons basically be live 3-D prints of controls . . . that is to say, you hit a button to switch modes and unnecessary buttons appear to molecularly disassemble into the console and new buttons show up, not by matter-energy replication but just nanotech.

Boom, those TOS plastic switches and jelly bean physical buttons now look like space magic even when just sitting there.)

The TMP bridges (the 2270 standard) did feature some buttons and switches alongside what seemed to be touchscreen controls . . . that's part of the reason why I like that look.

 

[Blip]

I too prefer a mix of physical and touch controls for that era - though the graphics in TMP largely do not make much logical sense (nor appeal aesthetically) to me.

 

[DSG2k]

TBH I also feel that this look works far, far better as a direct descendent of what we got in TOS, than the often dated looking interfaces of TMP-TSFS. My own headcanon all but does away with those

The bottom half of that is the TMP interface . . . and the more I've gazed at it (as part of my background-cycling program and screensaver), the more I've appreciated it. If anything, it looks more advanced and realistic to me than Okudagrams.

Note, for instance, how different buttons and controls have different shapes and colors compared to having a vast field of blue-green squircles. I don't think that's sloppy or accidental . . . there's potential information there.

Take a look, for instance, at a marvelous article at interactionmagic.com where the author gives a great primer on user interfaces and avoidable pitfalls, including this gem of an image:

Touchscreens can technically provide variations in size, shape, color, and position, but they'll all have to have eyes laid on them to confirm where you are and what you're pressing unless you get a little bit of texture shift on a special sci-fi touchscreen. Ideally, as with typing, you shouldn't have to lay eyes on the controls for most needs.

If texture isn't a thing, then -- if all you get is a field of blue-green squircles of identical size -- you've abandoned everything but position.

I submit that the TMP interfaces are vastly superior. Indeed, even just having separated smaller panels instead of one big glass board gives you touch-based positional information.

I also suspect that the s1 TNG style of most LCARS had already been in play for roughly a decade or so prior to EAF, with a Okudagram-LCARS transitional interface in use before that, circa 2340-2350. If the Ent-C didn't evidence any sign of it, well that's because she was due for her first major refit until she was sadly obliterated.

The update situation is inconsistent. The Hathaway was a decommissioned ship (decommission date unknown as far as I'm aware) yet had a rounded prism console that featured LCARS on the right half and a 2290-standard tactical display on the left when displaying the Kumeh Maneuver. Meanwhile, the Stargazer (despite having a higher NCC and having been in active service nine years before TNG1) didn't seem to have updated controls at all.

Perhaps the issue with the 2280 Standard was that, for whatever reason, it couldn't be updated without console hardware swap? But, that would leave the various ships with 2290-standard blue-green squircles in the TNG era a mystery.

 

[B.J.]

I tend to imagine that LCARS panels allowed for at least some tactile overlay insofar as texture

We pretty much did get confirmation of that in VOY Year of Hell where Tuvok goes blind.

 

[blssdwlf]

The update situation is inconsistent. The Hathaway was a decommissioned ship (decommission date unknown as far as I'm aware) yet had a rounded prism console that featured LCARS on the right half and a 2290-standard tactical display on the left when displaying the Kumeh Maneuver. Meanwhile, the Stargazer (despite having a higher NCC and having been in active service nine years before TNG1) didn't seem to have updated controls at all.

IIRC, Riker's crew had 48 hours to get Hathaway ready for the wargame so it is possible that they could have brought over some modern LCARS to integrate with the older systems. Also Hathaway could've had some newer items added before decommissioning and stripping of parts...

 

[DSG2k]

It was also marked as the tactical console, so I guess it's possible some sort of "Wargame OS" was hacked in at some point . . . though presumably not before the 48 hours, since there were three dusty blankets covering three bridge items . . . the XO chair, the Communications rounded prism console, and that one.