TOS in the 29th century...

[Warped9]

I’ve decided to tweak my access ports: I will keep two turbolift ports, but I'll keep only one access port (the port side) leading out to Deck 1. The starboard door will lead to equipment storage housing supplies as well as emergency items including life support suits and weaponry (in the event hostiles do get aboard). All exit ports on the Bridge are coloured red while the storage compartment will be yellow. I’m also thinking about some sort of intruder defence system, having gotten the idea from TAS.

 

[Warped9]

There are still some things to go, namely the Captain's chair. the Helm/Nav station, the railings and steps, lighting panels and a few other details (actually one lighting panel has already been added, a circular that rings the domed ceiling). But from this you can clearly see the overall plan. In terms of size the main part of the Bridge is only slightly larger than that on TOS.

The tactical alcove has been widened to allow for a holographic display table. In tandem with the consoles on each side of the alcove all manner of displays are available for study and planning of operations. Note the tactical alcove does not replace the main briefing room which is also to be on Deck 1. The tactical area is for immediate access of information and planning when there isn't suficient time or it is inconvenient to adjourn to the main briefing room.

The Captain's chair will be in the same place as it was in TOS, just aft of the centre of the Bridge. Because of the arrangement of the stations around the perimeter of the Bridge the CO can see everything around him/her with ease. The helm/nav station will be set in front of the CO but the station will be of asymetrical design so that the helm/nav officer does not sit directly in front of the CO, but rather off to one side (the left) and out of the CO's direct line of sight forward.

 

[Warped9]

Sneak peek...

 

[BigJake]

Pretty sweet.

 

[Warped9]

Thinking about Deck 1. This could also be commonly referred to as the Command Deck given the Bridge being the central aspect of this level. While it is certainly not my intention to detail the entirety of this deck I have been giving it some practical thought.

1) Firstly, there are two turbolift ports to the Bridge, and in extent that means there are two central turbolift shafts running down through the saucer and aftward to extend down into the secondary hull. Now we have two turbolift ports that directly access the Bridge. Does it make sense to have yet a third turbolift port simply to access Deck 1 and not the Bridge? I'm not particularly fond of this arrangement since I think it creates unnecessary complexity.

2) It would be simpler to have one of the Bridge lift ports also have access to Deck 1 proper simply by rotating the car to face the access port onto Deck 1 corridor? With this arrangement anyone wanting to access Deck 1 rather than the Bridge would actually just ask for Deck 1. If you want the Bridge then you ask specifically for the Bridge. This would avoid personnel exiting onto the Bridge simply to get to some other part of Deck 1. This option is workable given the turbolift cars can rotate by necessity to be able to access ports facing different directions throughout the ship.

3) Another option would be to simply exit on Deck 2 and then walk up one companionway. This, of course, is the simplest solution.

I'm leaning towards options 2 or 3. Any thoughts?


I said I wasn't interested in detailing the entire deck, but I might consider adding a few things. The Main Briefing room is meant to be on Deck 1 and now I'm considering its location. It could be aft of the Bridge and possibly accessible directly from the Tactical alcove. It could also be on one side or the other of the Bridge next to the outer hull. In this location it could have a pair of viewports looking out somewhat similar to the briefing room seen in TNG. Note that I actually have a set of such viewports on the exterior of the model so it isn't a chore to design the briefing room that way.

I was thinking perhaps of having the Main Briefing room on one side and the Officer's Mess directly opposite. I would note that the OM could actually be open to use by any personnel on duty shift on Decks 1 and 2. In extent there would also be sufficient toilet facilities on Deck 1. An alternative would be to have Main Briefing located at the forward part of Deck 1 where one can see three large vieports on the exterior of the model. If cot then the forward area could be something of a Ten Forward type facility. Or maybe someone has another suggestion?

Just aft of those pair of viewports on either side of Deck 1 is a single viewport. One side could be the Captain's Office while the opposite side could be the Executive Office available for ranking personnel to work and/or hold private or specific meetings.

The three viewports located on the aft end of Deck 1 is where the VIP Lounge is located. This is where anyone visiting the ship, particularly dignitaries, can be met by the command staff. Generally speaking only authorized personnel would have access to the Bridge (and other designated sections of the ship) with only occasional exceptions. If a more formal conference is required then use is made of the Main Briefing room.

 

[Warped9]

Part of my approach is to have something with an element of recognition yet evolve it in a way they couldn't afford to do originally. In terms of colour I liked the look of the Pike era Bridge yet I can see that it could use a bit of added colour without being as colourful as we saw dith the Kirk era.

 

[Mytran]

For "main Deck 1 access" why not options 2 and 3? Also, are those forward doors on the Bridge also connected to Deck 1 facilities?

 

[Warped9]

Option 3 is a given no matter what else is done. But Option 2 works best I think with the idea that both turbolift ports can rotate to allow access to Deck 1 or the Bridge.

The forward port side access door goes directly out onto Deck 1. The starboard side access door could also lead onto Deck 1, but I was thinking of it being an compartment housing emergency equipment, supplies as well as emergency environmental gear as well as weaponry (in the event hostiles manage to get aboard).

 

[Warped9]

I am currently pondering three things I have to design.

1. The new command chair. Again I want to evoke something of the TOS original yet also evolve it forward. I actually have the basics of an idea for this one and I don't think it will be as blocky as the original.

2. The helm/nav console. Again I have a basic idea that needs to be fleshed out. Like the command chair, though, it won't be as blocky as the original.

3. Standard operations' chair. I don't really have a concept on this one yet.


This is a clearer look at the chair I designed for the shuttlecraft. It's based off an actual aircraft seat design.

 

[Warped9]

Got the railings and steps in. I’m thinking I have to play with the lighting to try creating a bit more atmosphere. One of the ideas is to add lighting panels over the stations around the rim only less bright than the main lighting. TOS did this as well but they used coloured lights rather than white. I will also segment the main lighting panel on the overhead domed ceiling to try making the light a bit less even all around.

It’s a challenge to play with colours until you actually render the model because colours in SketchUp don’t look the same as they do when rendered. They tend to look darker in SketchUp. Also the raw model doesn’t show you what textures and reflective surfaces will really look like. Presently the Bridge model doesn’t have any materials added to it (other than the lighting) so things can look a bit flat. When completed the various surfaces will reflect light in different ways to create a sense of texture and materiel.

The other thing, of course, is the absence of all the extra lighting from the displays and the control panels that would bring the room "alive" (so to speak) and add even more visual tecture.

 

[Warped9]

You can see the incremental progress here. I've enlarged Tactical a bit to allow for a door at the back wall. That door leads to the emergency supplies storage I mentioned earlier upthread. Since this is a storage area not often used you eliminate any possibility of personnel coming through there to get to the Bridge proper when Tactical might be in use.

Now the doors at the front of the Bridge on either side of the main viewscreen are both access ports to Deck 1. They're coloured differently--blue for port and yellow for starboard--as a guide to where you're exiting. Both turbolift doors remain red. Note these colours are muted to some degree from how they would have appeared on TOS. Behind the main viewscreen (at least for now) and between the forward access ports will be a companionway that leads down to Deck 2.

You can see the tactical display table in place. This unit can display vatious 2D maps in a more conventional manner, but drawing from external scans and/or ship's library banks it can also progect 3D images of all manner of locales: planets and star systems and spatial phenomenon, planetary terrains, buildings, cities or town or villages, spacecraft interiors, etc. variations of this unit can also be found throughout the ship in briefing rooms, rec lounges, science labs and engineering shops. Note that during a battle situation Tactical could be manned as tactical personnel could be constantly monitoring and assessing the siuation and relaying pertinent information and recommendations to the Executive Officer and/or Science Officer who can inform the CO.




Here you see the Bridge set in position within the interior hull of Deck 1. This will help me plan what else I might decide to place here.

 

[Starship]

Brilliant work all around my friend!

 

[Warped9]

So here we see the beginnings of Main Briefing. I decided to put the three large windows up front to good use. TNG did something similar only their briefing room was oriented in a different direction. As I proceed, while the room will be shaped differently than TOS, I will try to bring some familiar elements to it.

In this image you can also see the outline of the walls surrounding the Bridge area. You can see the forward access doors. You can also see that the turbolifts can rotate 180 degrees to access Deck 1 directly rather than the Bridge. Aft of Tactical you can see the supplies storage which I'm not going to bother to detail. I'm also reconsidering where I might put the companionway. I also have to consider access to the service area above Deck 1 that allows access to the extensive space and planetary sensor arrays (the shallow dome and lozenge shaped structures seen at the very top of the ship's exterior).

 

[Warped9]

The bridge isn't finished yet, but I'm taking a bit of a break to work out the Main Briefing room.

 

[Warped9]

So here is how this is developing. I'm also thinking of adding a wall display equivalent to something like a 70-90 in. flatscreen. Oh, and designing chairs is a pain.

 

[beamMe]

3) Another option would be to simply exit on Deck 2 and then walk up one companionway. This, of course, is the simplest solution.

I'm leaning towards options 2 or 3. Any thoughts?

I'd go with No. 3.
It's what they didn't on the new Enterprise for the last two movies, and your bridge is located in a similar spot.

 

[aalenfae]

Briefing room is looking cool!
Why not have the table hovering? It's the 29th century, after all! ;D

 

[Warped9]

I went with Option 2. The turbolifts can let you out on the Bridge or Deck 1 depending on what you request because they can rotate to access one port or the other.

I also don't consider anything done in JJtrek to have any credibility whatsoever.


Here is a clearer look at the briefing room table and chairs. The chairs are rather simplistic since it’s a challenge to design and make detailed chairs. But they should suffice for conceptual purposes.

The table evokes the original even though it has softer rounded edges and is made of a different material. The base is also very different. I decided to go with an affixed computer terminal, but as you can see it’s much more streamlined and updated from the original TOS design. It could have some mechanical tactile controls to it as well as the interactive touch screen much like contemporary tablets. From this device (besides just conversing with the ship’s A.I.) one could access the ship’s computer library as well as control the table’s holographic projector and the large wall mounted display (still to be made).

 

[beamMe]

I also don't consider anything done in JJtrek to have any credibility whatsoever.

That is too bad. Especially when you clearly went for the same idea of placing of the bridge not at the very top of the saucer but embedding it into the superstructure.

 

[BigJake]

I also don't consider anything done in JJtrek to have any credibility whatsoever.

That is too bad.

Meh.