I think the bridge floor plan we've been looking at all these years is just the Patrol and Combat configuration. In a typical episode, the bridge is optimized for fighting and radio calls: https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/lcars/blueprints/uss-enterprise-bridge-sheet-1.jpg But in a realistic galaxy, there would be a lot of solar systems with no life at all, or nothing beyond wildlife. So when you get to one of those isolated places where there is honestly no chance of an alien warship popping up, a good part of the "patrol" bridge is going to waste. It's a pure science mission now. We press the Reset button and bridge perimeter stations run different software: • Communications becomes the "mission control" station for unmanned probes, including drones we launch to skim over a planet surface and see it close up. Our drones have enough AI for one operator to oversee them all. Communications becomes a condensed JPL control room. • Library Computer takes in data from the drones, as well as the ship's sensors. This was already a science station, so not much has to change here. • Navigation is tasked with mapping out the orbits of planets, asteroids, etc. in the solar system. • The Defense and Weapon spots convert to general science. This makes room for two more scientists on the bridge. They can be doing geology, plate tectonics, atmospheric studies, organic chemistry, planetary magnetosphere, or for that matter studying the sun. Q: Why not just have all that stuff going on below decks? A: Because the Captain is the star of the show was ordered to explore solar systems, and he doesn't want to be a mere bus driver. He wants to be in on the actual mission, which is the science. Q: Won't the Klingons show up and harass the Enterprise, like the USS Grissom? A: The Klingons were told where to find the Genesis Planet. They have no idea what remote star system we are surveying, among billions of them, and unless we were followed, they aren't coming. We can safely lower our guard out here.
Even if this was the case, in the 23rd century it should be a matter of flipping a switch to change console configurations. Though this all seems redundant when all science matters can be routed from below decks to the Science station on the bridge and reports made by the Chief Science Officer.
Yeah, that's what I said. And since the show never denied it, it's possible that the starboard bridge stations DID get switched to different mission functions as a matter of course.
Hmmm, are any of these ships with starboard side bridge stations missing the starboard side engineering hull and stripe?
I feel like the bridge ran the ship's functions for the most part with the addition of mission specific tasks. Engineering, weapons, environmental controls. Science and comms were there for general analysis and outside contact. Everything else was done somewhere in allllllll of those decks below (all the science labs and phaser stations and so on). There was no need to change software, staff or having people know a variety of things. Different departments were in play and relayed their findings to the bridge. The bridge was the central control area, not the place where everything actually happened.