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Changes to the TNG Sets Between Seasons 1 and 2

by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider

Bridge Ready Room Observation Lounge Sickbay Transporter Room Main Engineering Corridors Ten Forward

It is quite common in TV series of any genre that the sets receive an overhaul, are extended or slightly redesigned between two seasons. The most obvious redesign of the TNG sets and hence of the interior of the Enterprise-D occurred between the seasons 1 and 2. The Ten Forward set was newly created, and several other sets were at least slightly redesigned.

Bridge

Several parts of the bridge were modified between season 1 and season 2.

The captain's chair and both Riker's and Troi's chairs were changed between seasons 1 and 2.	"Conspiracy" "The Child"
	"Datalore" "The Child"
The two additional seats next to Riker's and Troi's seats were modified. They are made from a much thinner, semi-transparent material now and do not feature padded seats.	"When the Bough Breaks" "Time Squared"
Some lines were added to the tactical console directly behind Picard.	"The Neutral Zone" "The Child"
The border in front of the light strip is much more rounded now in both corners of the recessed bridge aft consoles.	"Datalore" "The Child"
The wall to the left of the five aft bridge stations now is part of the consoles and was outfitted with isolinear chip slots (green and blue stripes).	"Lonely Among Us" "The Child"
Similarly, the wall on the right now is part of the newly created engineering station.	"Home Soil" "The Emissary"
The other aft consoles were rearranged and renamed as well. In season 1, they were Science I, Science II, Propulsion, Emergency Manual Override and Environment (left to right). In season 2 they were turned into Science I, Science II, Mission Ops, Environment and Engineering.	"Encounter at Farpoint" "Where Silence Has Lease"
The three-part dark brown wall panels on both sides of the bridge were replaced by beige ones between seasons.	"The Battle" "Where Silence Has Lease"
	"Symbiosis" "Where Silence Has Lease"
Like the three central bridge chairs, the ops and conn chairs and consoles were changed between the seasons. They are much less slanted now and the frame holding the seats is different as well. Banks of isolinear chips similar to the ones created for the bridge aft stations were inserted into the bases of the two consoles. The consoles were also slightly rearranged on the whole and are now parallel to the main viewscreen.	"Skin of Evil" "Where Silence Has Lease"
	"Encounter at Farpoint" "A Matter of Honor"
	"Encounter at Farpoint" "Where Silence Has Lease"
An inner, ribbed frame was added to the main viewscreen.	"Datalore" "Where Silence Has Lease"

Ready Room

Some small changes were made to the ready room between seasons.

The couch from season 1 was removed and a more comfortable piece of furniture was placed there instead.	"The Naked Now" "The Dauphin"
It can be seen that there are now seams between the sections of the light fixtures.	"Hide and Q" "The Outrageous Okona"
For "Contagion", a replicator was added to the set. The replicator was not yet present in season 1.	"The Neutral Zone" "Contagion"
The corals in Livingston's tank were rearranged between seasons, but the corals were regularly changed, also during the course of a season.	"Conspiracy" "Time Squared"
Finally, the shape of one end of Picard's ready room table was modified slightly. The side of the table facing the fish tank originally was much more pointed and featured an enlarged wooden section. In season 2, this end of the table is much more rounded and the wooden rim of the table is the same width at each side of it.	"Encounter at Farpoint" "Where Silence Has Lease"

Observation Lounge

In season 1, the observation lounge was a redress of sickbay. Whenever the set was turned into the lounge, the gray fabric covering the windows was removed and the wooden wall with the Enterprise models was erected roughly in the middle of sickbay. The circular roof structure above the central biobed was intersected roughly in half by the wooden wall with the ship models. In addition, the biobeds were removed and replaced by the large conference table and the eight chairs. Also, paintings were hung on the short port and starboard walls.

For season 2, a new observation lounge set was constructed, only the slanted wall with the windows and the starship models remained the same.	"Skin of Evil" "Up the Long Ladder"
The room grew in size, as the new wooden wall with the starships is now further away from the windows. As can be seen, the door in the short port wall was always in a recess, while the starboard wall did not have such a recess. Beginning in season 2, both sides of the room featured such a recess, the borders of which are rounded and no longer angular now. As can be seen in the screenshots, the doors have rounded door frames now as well. They were also moved a little closer to the wooden wall now, leaving space for a plant between the door and the border in the wall. One important addition to the set were the two larger monitors on the short walls, close to the windows. In season 1, paintings usually hung at those spots. Paintings can now be found between the doors and the wooden wall.	"Haven" "Q Who"
	"Conspiracy" "Up the Long Ladder"
The roof was changed completely as well. The circular ceiling structure found in sickbay is no longer present either. The carpet is new as well, in season 1 it was blue, now it is brown.	"Lonely Among Us" "Pen Pals"
The new wooden wall now has a row of lights on top, illuminating the starship models. The models were spread further apart as well, they are no longer as close to each other as in season 1.	"Coming of Age" "Pen Pals"
	"Coming of Age" "The Measure of a Man"

Sickbay

When a new set for the observation lounge was built between seasons 1 and 2, sickbay no longer needed to be redressed as the lounge.

As the observation lounge windows, which were covered with a gray fabric when the set had to double as sickbay, were used for the new observation lounge set, sickbay needed a new wall behind the biobeds. While the positions of the four biobeds in season 1 were not fixed in the first season, each bed got a fixed position in one of four newly created alcoves in the new set. Those alcoves were further lit through slits in the top half of the back wall, making the set overall much brighter.	"Too Short a Season" "The Icarus Factor"
Additional lights were also added to the top of the columns next to the doors.	"The Battle" "Up the Long Ladder"
Like the observation lounge doors, the sickbay doors got rounded door frames for season 2.	"The Naked Now" "Shades of Gray"
The three light sources above the small sickbay table next to the door were replaced by a much larger rectangular light source (or backlit panel).	"Haven" "Loud as a Whisper"
The wall with the large sickbay monitor was moved forward a little. The recess that holds the slightly slanted LCARS display seems unchanged. The medical LCARS display was modified between the seasons, however.	"Symbiosis" "Shades of Gray"
	"Symbiosis" "Time Squared"
The round sickbay ceiling structure was not changed between seasons, only the transparent brown curved walls that were sometimes erected around the central biobed in early season 1 episodes were never used again.	"Datalore" "time Squared"
The sickbay office remained mostly the same, only two medical caducei were put on the two office windows between the seasons.	"We'll Always Have Paris" "The Child"
	"The Naked Now" "The Icarus Factor"

Transporter Room

The changes to the transporter room between season 1 and season 2 were relatively minor.

Most noticeable are the new black lines on the transporter platform separating the six outer areas from the circular inner one.	"Haven" "Where Silence Has Lease"
In addition to that, the door frame to the transporter room no longer has angular corners but rounded corners now.	"Lonely Among Us" "Where Silence Has Lease"

Main Engineering

Modifications were made to several portions of the main engineering set between season 1 and season 2.

Some modifications were made to the engineer's office. The large console attached to the rounded transparent wall was replaced by a much smaller one. The desktop area in front of the wall is no longer white but black and features several LCARS displays.	"Lonely Among Us" "Contagion"
	"Lonely Among Us" "The Measure of a Man"
The small monitor in the corner was replaced by a larger, wider one. This made it necessary to move the rectangular LCARS display to the right, it is now attached to the back wall of the small corridor leading to the office. The whole corner with the monitor was painted black as well, like the rest of the wall with several LCARS displays.	"The Naked Now" "Peak Performance"
The displays on that back wall seem to be mostly the same, though.	"Where No One Has Gone Before" "Contagion"
A look at the office from the MSD reveals that not much has changed, apart from the previously mentioned large console directly in front of the transparent wall. Some lines on the central pool table console were changed as well.	"Symbiosis" "Q Who"
Only the arrangement of the tubes in the small engineering wall closet was changed a little. Apart from that, this part of the set has remained unchanged.	"The Naked Now" "Peak Performance"
The region to the left of the warp core, including the access ladder, has remained the same.	"Where No One Has Gone Before" "The Dauphin"
The warp core is mostly still the same, only some black lines were added and a triangular warning sign has been removed.	"Where No One Has Gone Before" "Contagion"
	"Where No One Has Gone Before" "The Dauphin"
The region to the right of the warp core also remained mostly unchanged, a transparent protective "cabin" was added around the engineering lift, however.	"Encounter at Farpoint" "Contagion"
	"Coming of Age" "The Schizoid Man"
The small display monitor in the small alcove on the opposite side of the engineer's office was replaced by a larger black monitor, similar to the one in the office.	"Symbiosis" "Contagion"
As can be seen, the monitors in the alcove opposite the engineer's office are mostly unchanged. The original curved wall separating it from the large area featuring the MSD and pool table was already removed after "The Naked Now".	"11001001" "The Icarus Factor"
	"The Naked Now" "The Measure of a Man"
	"The Naked Now" "The Icarus Factor"
There were a few modifications to the aft section of main engineering, featuring the large MSD. As can be seen, the light fixtures to the left and right of the MSD were changed between seasons. Whereas the lights were concave in the first season, they are convex in season 2.	"11001001" "Where Silence Has Lease"
	"The Last Outpost" "Q Who"
Finally, the LCARS displays on the removable wall plugs, hiding the corridor, were changed in color.	"Heart of Glory" "Peak Performance"

Corridors

The large corridor set (connected to sickbay, main engineering and the transporter room) remained mostly unchanged between seasons 1 and 2. The short corridor set (adjacent to the senior crew quarters and the new Ten Forward), on the other hand, was overhauled between seasons.

The walls in the alcoves with the doors and windows to the crew quarters were covered with a new, less colorful fabric. Floor light sources were added in the corners of these alcoves. The blue carpet on the floor was changed as well, it is much more straight now.	"Conspiracy" "The Icarus Factor"
The starboard wall was moved a little further away from the central corridor. The short corridor here was extended so it could be connected to the port door to Ten Forward. It now includes a gray door that is never seen in use.	"11001001" "Manunt"
Both seasons feature a view through the crew quarters window.	"Justice" "The Child"
The other end of the central corridor was changed a little more drastically. This end is only seen in one season 1 episode, "Hide and Q". As can be seen, it still features a functional orange turbolift door. The wall with the door was previously directly attached to the Ten Forward wall at an angle, it now is part of the back wall of another short corridor leading to the starboard Ten Forward door. The doors and windows on the back wall of Ten Forward are completely non-functional now, of course.	"Hide and Q" "The Dauphin"
This shot finally reveals a glimpse of the new starboard Ten Forward door since season 2, seen from the orange turbolift door.	"Q Who"

Ten Forward

The Ten Forward set was newly constructed for season 2. It was designed to occupy the lower portion of the saucer edge on deck 10, with an according upward curvature of the exterior walls. Vice versa, the hull curvature and the window arrangement at the saucer edge of the new 4ft model of the Enterprise was adapted to reflect the Ten Forward set.

Ten Forward set under construction
(from TNG S2 DVD features)

Floorplan of Ten Forward and the short corridor set

A good look at the forward facing windows.	"Q Who"
In this shot, it can be seen how the Ten Forward set was enlarged with mirrors to the left and right of the large forward windows.	"Q Who"
The Ten Forward bar and its ceiling.	"Q Who"
This shot shows the rear wall of the set and gives an impression of its true size.	"The Measure of a Man"

Credits

The stage layout comes from Star Trek Stages History. Thanks to J. L. Garner for the hint about the isolinear chip ports in the ops and conn consoles.

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