The reuse of sets in TFF and TUC really used to bother me. But I started thinking.. the notion that the directors of TFF and TUC should have used the limited funds they had for production to refurbish the sets to their “TOS Movie” look is kind of unfair. These were originally movie assets (ok technically they were originally Phase II). TNG basically got carte blanche to ransack and gut all the sets for their show for “free” with no obligation to restore them back to their previous condition. But if you take TNG out of the equation, they did have a pretty good look. Why should the film directors waste precious money fixing up their own steps. So the way I reconcile it is when I watch TFF and TUC, I just pretend that TNG doesn’t exist. And once I do that, the sets look fine the way they are.
It makes me better understand the decisions what to and not to refurbish in those films. The TNG look for corridors work fine with the aesthetic for TFF. For TUC, Meyer’s more nautical “Run Silent, Run Deep” vision necessities a more cramped, utilitarian look. The similarities with TNG were probably not a leading concern to the producers and they should not have been.