A Bridge Station Graphics Myth

[ZapBrannigan]

You know the scene in "Day of the Dove" (ep 66 in production order) where the Klingons look at a graphic and say "Layout and specifications of the Enterprise, Commander." For years I was led to believe that the colored diagram had been removed from the bridge Environmental station for that insert, and never put back. So it would be missing from the bridge for the remaining 13 episodes. But now that looks like a myth:

You can see it in Ep 04 "Mudd's Women"

https://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/screencaps/season1/103-mudds-women/mudds-women-br-039.jpg

It's here in ep 61 "Spock's Brain"

https://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/screencaps/season3/306-spocks-brain/spocks-brain-br-039.jpg

The monitor screen insert in Ep 66 "Day of the Dove" doesn't match the coloring of the bridge graphic:

https://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/screencaps/season3/311-day-of-the-dove/day-of-the-dove-341.jpg

And it is still on the bridge in ep 72 "The Mark of Gideon"

https://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/screencaps/season3/317-mark-of-gideon/mark-of-gideon-br-171.jpg

So this thing about Day of the Dove's art director pilfering a cool graphic from the bridge and not putting it back is totally false, right?

And where did Kang's monitor graphic come from? Was it newly made for the episode? The caption about Hull Pressure Compartments does look bridge-appropriate.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

So this thing about Day of the Dove's art director pilfering a cool graphic from the bridge and not putting it back is totally false, right?

Could you provide a source or some context for this?

It’s not that I disbelieve you, I just want to understand more. I’d never heard anything about this whole thing and I love production minutiae!

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Could you provide a source or some context for this?

It’s not that I disbelieve you, I just want to understand more. I’d never heard anything about this whole thing and I love production minutiae!

I got it straight from the Internet rumor mill a long time ago, so no help there. But the story was that that ship layout graphic was taken out of the bridge for "Day of the Dove" and never put back. And now I've finally noticed that such can't be true.

 

[M'Sharak]

And where did Kang's monitor graphic come from? Was it newly made for the episode?

Possibly. Looks like it could have been made from the same template used for the one seen at the Environmental station on the bridge.

Also, from the screencap, looks like it was pasted onto the light box for this one shot in "Day of the Dove" using gaffer's tape.

 

[Tallguy]

Those aren't even the same colors are they?

 

[cardinal biggles]

No, they definitely used different colors for the "Day of the Dove" graphic.

edit 1: The source of the myth is the 1997 book Star Trek Sketchbook: The Original Series, by Herb and Yvonne Solow. From page 113:

The following photograph is not from the lost set,* but is, rather, the hull-pressure indicator screen from the set of the original bridge of the Enterprise. It was removed during shooting of "Day of the Dove" and was taken to an insert stage to be filmed. After its use on the insert stage, the screen was returned to Matt's [Jefferies] office and placed on his desk amongst piles of miscellaneous odds and ends. As sometimes happens during the rush of production, the screen, designed and constructed by Matt, never made its way back to the bridge. The series continued shooting without it.

*The "lost set" is how the Solows refer to Jefferies' foamcore model of the standing sets as they were arranged on Desilu's Stage 9. Jefferies took the model home with him when TOS ended production, hence it being "lost."

edit 2: The Hull Pressure Components graphic is right where it should be for "The Savage Curtain," which was the third-to-last episode to be filmed.

 

[feek61]

I do know a little about the original graphics. For one thing, they are not even the same size, the bridge graphic is much bigger. The graphics were negatives of the positive artwork, they obviously just made a smaller version for DOTD and put different colored gels on it.

 

[Tallguy]

I do know a little about the original graphics.

Oh come on. ANYONE could say that.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Screencaps seem to show that the Engineering and Environmental station graphics were in place from Day One in "The Cage" through the end of the series. But I have another question.

I can't quite place the Coolant Temp Primary Manifolds graphic from "Corbomite." Is it not really on the bridge set? Or am I missing it?

 

[feek61]

You are correct, those graphics were in place the entire series. The Coolant Temp graphic was a one-off only for "The Corbomite Manuever." It was only an insert shot and never on the bridge and never seen again.

 

[Henoch]

Does anyone have a clearer shot of that bridge graphic? From a distance, I see some sort of text in the upper right, and red engine nacelles and blue Hangar Bay, and that's it.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

Does anyone have a clearer shot of that bridge graphic? From a distance, I see some sort of text in the upper right, and red engine nacelles and blue Hangar Bay, and that's it.

That's a tough one. I'm pretty sure I would remember the moment if we ever got a decent glimpse of it in an episode.

 

[feek61]

The panel from the bridge environmental station. There was no text on the upper right.

 

[Henoch]

The panel from the bridge environmental station. There was no text on the upper right.

Thanks for the graphic. Oops, I have the right-left dyslexia problem...upper left.