Continuing on with the bridge as it appeared in Season One. I know this one doesn't differ too much from my previous Season Two/Three build, but the completionist in me demands I make a post about this one as well
I should note that this is supposed to represent an
early Season One look, about the time of the episode "The Galileo Seven". Later as the season went on, things like the overhead displays and the captain's chair control panels were changed to be more in line with how they ended up looking in the later seasons. I have stuck with the earlier details to further differentiate this version from my later seasons version.
Now, to point out some differences between the bridge as it appeared in Season One versus its other appearances.
1) The bridge retained it's more vibrant color scheme from WNMHGB, but the set designers went a step further to inject even more color onto the set in Season One. Colored lights were added in the ceiling bulkheads above each perimeter station, as well as "vents" with colored lights behind them below each console. The blue-black console surfaces from the pilots were all painted a glossy black for the rest of the series.
2) The hard-surfaced floors were abandoned after the pilots in favor of carpeting. A dark grey carpet was used on the level with the perimeter stations whereas a beige carpeting was used in the command pit and on the conn itself. This carpeting remained the same in Seasons 2/3.
3) The macao orange trim color is retained from the WNMHGB version of the bridge, and would remain through the rest of the series.
5) The large overhead displays change from their WNMHGB appearance to once again display photos of astronomical bodies and other spatial phenomena, however their housing was painted from black to a muted blue and each display was outlined by a brighter blue. These displays were swapped with each other usually from episode to episode, and their quality improved as the season went on. In early season one, these displays appeared more "washed out" than in later in the season when their black levels were adjusted. This was probably due to the set dressers refining their method of projecting these images onto the displays, however this was accomplished. (Just to maintain another difference between this set and my Season 2/3 set, I have retained this more "washed out" look)
6) The smaller display screens at eye-level of each perimeter station remain unchanged throughout the remainder of the series, however in Season One, a few of these displays were turned off during scene, seemingly at random.
7) The Burke chairs were upgraded to include slip-on leather backs and three triangular-shaped objects planted on to the rear of the chair. The chairs were also painted a light blue color, and this look would be the standard going forward.
8) The gooseneck viewers from the pilots are completely gone in Season One. In their place at every bridge station except ESSM and DSSM are blue desktop intercom units.
10) The bulkheads flanking the viewscreen received some new display panels, consisting of a board with dome lights within colored rectangles and a small row of rocker switches. The red alert indicators were moved slightly from the center of the bulkheads towards their outer edges.
11) The bridge railing is virtually unchaged from it's WNMHGB appearance.
The captain's chair received another upgrade before the regular season started. On the right-hand side, a data-card slot was added, as well as a flat intercom panel. On the left-hand side, prismatic buttons replaced the "aircraft-style" rectangular buttons. A row of multi-colored rocker switches was added here as well. The gooseneck viewer was removed, as was the "3C 42" placard. The captain's chair would change slightly in the episode "Court Martial" where the right-hand control panel's buttons were changed all from green to a more multi-colored layout. The captain's chair would remain virtually the same until the last episode of the series.
The rounded rectangular viewscreen from "The Cage" and "WNMHGB" was replaced completely with one without rounded corners. This was probably done to make it easier for the special effects editor to mask out the viewscreens optically. A row of indicator lights were added below the viewscreen, as were two banks of blinking lights flanking either side of the screen.
The helm's trim color pattern was refined a bit from it's WNMHGB appearance, and the blue-black was painted a true black. The control panels now sported prismatic style jeweled buttons instead of the "aircraft style" buttons. Rocker switches were added to each station and on the astrogator housing, probably to give the actors actual switches they could press. A flat intercom unit was added to the astrogator housing as well as the ship's chronometer and the three-pronged heading dial. The red-alert indicator's shape was changed to a more tapered wedge. These additional details really helped round out the look of the helm, which seemed very unfinished in the earlier appearances. The astrogator "coordinate-grid" graphic, which was light-grey in the pilots and in later seasons, appeared black in the negative space beyond the circular grid in some shots of Season One. I've reflected this in these renders.
This is the Communications station, which shared a layout similar to most other bridge perimeter stations. Although the gooseneck viewers were removed, almost every perimeter station got the standard upgrade of a flat intercom unit, a row of rocker switches, and a holder and slot for data-cards. Like other control panels, prismatic jeweled buttons replaced the rectangular aircraft-style buttons.
The Science Station also got the standard upgrade, with the addition of a row of flip-swtiches on the library computer. The cloth mesh that appears on the intercom units was added to the recessed area of the library computer as well. Notice that the "adding-machine" buttons below the scope were removed, leaving a plain black panel in its place.
A close-up of the Engineering station's left-hand control panels, shows the new prismatic buttons. Unreal's translucency rendering isn't the greatest, so these don't appear to be translucent like they do in the series, unfortunately. I settled on what I though looked best given the limitations I am working with. Again, a big thanks to
@feek61, who was a great help at speeding up my process of making all the unique control panels around the bridge. He provided me with infographics for these panels, which I used as reference. You can view those infographics
on his site!
The stations for Engineering, Environmental, and Engineering Sub-Systems Monitor (ESSM, for short). The ESSM console's rectangular panels received the standard upgrade to the primsatic buttons and the left-hand panel received a row of rocker switches.
The stations for Navigation, Defense, and Defense Sub-Systems. There stations were first seen in Season One, although their appearances were rare. The DSSM station never got control panels of any kind.
The turbolift alcove is mostly the same from WNMHGB, except the door jamb was painted grey to match the rest of the surrounding bulkheads. The ship schematic display was brighter than it's earlier appearances. The panel at the foot of the door was removed.
I feel some new screens of my Season 2/3 bridge are in order! I've upgraded a few materials and the burke chairs, so it may seem fitting to produce some new renders following the camera angles I've used in these last three screenshot posts. Thoughts? Or have you had enough TOS bridge screens for now?
