Observations in TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise"
A joint project with TrekCore, by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider
Here are some observations about sets, props and visual effects in TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise" without a specific theme, and a comparison of the original TV release (TNG) with the remastered episode (TNG-R).
"Yesterday's Enterprise" HD Screencaps @ TrekCore
| Description TNG | Other caps | Comparison TNG to TNG-R | Description TNG-R | |
| Worf and Guinan's drinks are served in glasses originally created for the second Star Trek film. They feature the then current Federation seal. |  "Star Trek III" |
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A better look at the glass in HD. | |
| A microphone briefly pops into view in this shot. |   |
No microphone is visible in TNG-R. | ||
| The USS Enterprise-C emerges from the temporal rift. |   |
An HD close-up of the Enterprise-C. | ||
| The distortion as seen through the Ten Forward windows. This was filmed in front of a bluescreen. |  |
No changes | ||
| The USS Enterprise-C fully emerges from the rift. In SD, the battle damage is only faintly visible. It was painted on without damaging the hull. |  Studio model |
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We can see details on the hull and the damage pattern much better in HD. | |
 Studio model |
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| The camera slowly moves past the USS Enterprise-C. The miniature was designed by Rick Sternbach and built by Greg Jein and is only loosely based on Andrew Probert's original concept of the predecessor ship as it can be seen on the ship wall in the observation lounge. The design would be slightly modified and appear as other, less prominent ships of the Ambassador class. Actually, Jein created the model for the other ships with a new casting. Whereas that other miniature could be seen on exhibitions, the Enterprise-C still exists today in a private collection in its original form, including the painted on battle damage. Ambassador Class Variants |
 "Coming of Age" |
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In HD, we can even read the small writing "Starship USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C" on the nacelles. | |
 "Data's Day" |
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 "Redemption II" |
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 DS9: "Emissary" |
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| This footage of the USS Enterprise-D was newly filmed using the 4-foot model. |   |
The TNG-R version, in which the lighting has been improved. | ||
To distinguish this alternate USS Enterprise-D from its regular universe counterpart, the bridge was heavily modified. Amongst other changes, two new stations were added to the port and starboard sides of the bridge. The consoles and the railings originate on the Enterprise-D battle bridge. The equipment/circuitry lockers on both sides were also replaced with new LCARS displays. The new lower portions would reappear in the alternate timelines in "Parallels" and "All Good Things". Similar side stations were finally added to the bridge for the filming of "Star Trek: Generations". The alternate senior officers' uniforms have a higher collar than in the regular universe, and a cuff was added to the sleeves. While every member of the crew has a white weapons belt, the crewmen are wearing an additional shoulder strap. |
 "The Vengeance Factor" |
 "Encounter at Farpoint" |
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A look at the redesigned bridge in HD. |
 "Parallels" |
 "Generations" |
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| The USS Enterprise-C is seen on the main viewscreen of the USS Enterprise-D. |   |
The shot in HD. | ||
| The three new port bridge displays can be briefly seen in these two shots. |  |
No changes | ||
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| The comparison shot from earlier in the season illustrates how the set was modified to turn it into the alternate Enterprise-D bridge. The ceiling lights were changed from white to blue, giving the bridge a much darker appearance. The section with the captain's chair was raised to the same level as the aft bridge stations and can now be accessed by four steps. The seats of the first officer and counselor were removed altogether. The previously open section under the tactical console was covered with a transparent material. The aft bridge station LCARS displays were changed and the lower portion with the integrated chairs was covered. Finally, some plastic greebles were added between the seams of the bridge wall padding. The latter additions can be seen a little better later in the episode. |  "Who Watches the Watchers" |
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Another look at the redesigned bridge in HD. | |
| A nice close-up of the USS Enterprise-C highlighting its battle damage. |   |
A look at the ship in HD. | ||
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| The console in front of the Enterprise-C bridge previously appeared in "The Battle" and is a redress of the Enterprise-A helm/navigation console from "Star Trek: The Final Frontier" and "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country". The greebles on the front side are the same as on the generator base in "A Matter of Perspective". |  "Star Trek VI" |
 "A Matter of Perspective" |
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No changes |
| The screenshot from "The Survivors" shows that the ops display was not modified for this episode. The plastic added to the seams of the bridge wall padding can be seen a little better in this shot. |  "The Survivors" |
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No changes | |
| The LCARS display of the new starboard side console features more red than the regular universe LCARS displays. |  |
No changes | ||
| In the alternate timeline, Picard is seen still using a thin orange PADD-like device which, in the regular timeline, was abandoned after season 1. It shows circuit schematic symbols such as bipolar transistors. |  "The Battle" |
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The PADD in HD. | |
| The still of the main viewscreen from "The Hunted" shows that the front part of the bridge was not modified, only the ceiling lights were changed from white to blue. |  "The Hunted" |
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No changes | |
| The two Enterprises seen from afar. The 2-foot model was used to film the footage of the USS Enterprise-D. This same shot would be used again in "Redemption II", with the other ship now being the USS Excalibur. |  "Redemption II" |
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A good look at the two ships in HD. | |
| Though it can barely be seen in this dark scene, this is the alternate universe's version of Picard's ready room. The painting of the USS Enterprise-D was replaced with a tactical star chart. A similar star chart (sans the Klingon logos) will be seen in Captain Maxwell's ready room aboard the USS Phoenix in "The Wounded". |  "The Wounded" |
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A look at the display in HD. | |
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The PADD on the left still displays information about nanotechnology, as it was created for use by Wesley Crusher in "Evolution". The thin orange PADD on the right appeared in several season 1 episodes. |
 "Evolution" |
 "The Big Goodbye" |
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No changes |
| The horizontal lights behind the patients' beds in sickbay are yellow instead of white in the alternate timeline. |  "The Enemy" |
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No changes | |
| After it was only glimpsed in "The Price", the new top of the biobed cover can be seen much better here. In "The Enemy", the top of the cover still featured a gaping hole. |  "The Enemy" |
 "The Price" |
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No changes |
| Tasha Yar is holding an isolinear circuit board in this scene. A similar large piece of transparent circuitry (with six slots) first appeared in "11001001" where the Bynars are seen working on the bridge systems. The board with four slots previously showed up in "Contagion". |  "11001001" |
 "Contagion" |
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No changes |
The bridge of the USS Enterprise-C is an extensive redress of the bridge of the USS Enterprise (refit), as seen in the first four Star Trek films. The set appeared in many TNG episodes in the first three seasons of TNG and was extensively modified for each appearance. The set was last seen as the bridge of a Federation vessel in "Peak Performance" as the USS Hathaway bridge. It was also used for Drafting Room 5 in "Booby Trap". |
 "Peak Performance" |
 "Booby Trap" |
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No changes |
| The dedication plaque of the USS Enterprise-C can be seen in this screenshot. Unfortunately, the set is too dark and the region out of focus to read the text on the plaque. |   |
There is no chance to recognize anything even in HD. | ||
| An analysis scan of the temporal distortion. |   |
We can see more details of the unchanged graphic in HD. | ||
| The material underneath the tactical console, added for this episode, can be seen well in this screenshot. |  |
No changes | ||
| The additional surface detail of the 4-foot model, highlighting the escape pod covers, is very noticeable in this shot. |   |
A good look at the raised details in HD. | ||
| The crew members of the USS Enterprise-C are wearing 23rd century phasers originally created for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and much better seen in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan". |  "Star Trek II" |
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A look at the phaser in HD. | |
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| The observation lounge was also modified for the appearance in this episode. The chairs were removed and the two monitors were covered. The golden starship models are gone as well and a glass console showing the USS Enterprise-D was added. Consoles of this type originally appeared in the lab on Bre'el IV in "Déjà Q". |  "Déjà Q" |
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The ready room as it appears in TNG-R. | |
| The regular, more comfortable Ten Forward furniture was replaced by much more spartan tables and chairs for the alternate universe appearance of the set. There are metal cups and plates instead of the usual dinnerware. The lounge is lit much more brightly in this episode as well, giving it the air of a cafeteria. |  "Déjà Q" |
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No changes | |
The illuminated painting behind the Ten Forward bar was covered by a simple wall panel featuring the text "USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D". These panels were originally created for "Star Trek V". We can see the alterations to the Tasha's uniform particularly well here: the high collar and the black cuffs on the sleeves. |
 "The Price" |
 "Star Trek V" |
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The bar as it appears in TNG-R. |
| A tactical map can be seen behind Geordi. |   |
The HD close-up allows to read the name of one star, "Sigma Nesterowitz". This is a reference to craft service John Nesterowicz. | ||
| The plastic in the grooves between the bridge wall paneling can be seen up close in this shot. It consists of pairs of hexagons. |  |
No changes | ||
| The turbolift was only slightly modified for this episode, by adding additional red stickers to the interior of the set. |  "The Best of Both Worlds I" |
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No changes | |
| The panel on the lower starboard side of the Enterprise-C bridge was previously seen in the Enterprise-D brig in "The Hunted". |  "The Hunted" |
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The portion of the set in HD. | |
The still from "Peak Performance" shows what the bridge of the USS Enterprise-C looked like when it appeared as the bridge of the USS Hathaway in that episode. Note that the control panels in the captain's chair armrests are now installed in a way that they face outward. In "Peak Performance", they could be flipped open for that purpose. |
 "Peak Performance" |
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The bridge as it appears in TNG-R. | |
Another comparison shot with the earlier redress of the same set as the bridge of the USS Hathaway from "Peak Performance". Note the blue/green late 23rd/early 24th century color scheme of the displays, which is distinctly different from the LCARS colors on the Enterprise-D. |
 "Peak Performance" |
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| The comparison screenshot from earlier in the season shows how much higher Picard's chair is on the bridge of the alternate USS Enterprise-D. |  "The Defector" |
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Another good look at the modified bridge in HD. | |
| The footage of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey, like all footage of the ship in this episode, was newly filmed. In this shot, the USS Enterprise-D can be seen firing at the Klingon ship. The phaser beam is deflected by the green shield bubble of the Bird-of-Prey, however. |   |
The shot with reconstructed visual effects in TNG-R. | ||
| The screenshots show what the area around the captain's chair looks like on the USS Enterprise-C and USS Hathaway. |  "Peak Performance" |
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No changes | |
| As already mentioned, the chairs were removed from the observation lounge for the alternate timeline version. In addition, the table was raised so it would have the right height for a standing meeting. |  "The Defector" |
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No changes | |
| The transparent LCARS display of the USS Enterprise-D can be seen a little better in this shot. Glass consoles of this type appeared in many later TNG episodes, like "A Matter of Time" and "True Q". |  "A Matter of Time" |
 "True Q" |
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No changes |
| The spotlight on Picard's eyes evokes the lighting of TOS. Strange New Worlds uses this trick repeatedly in "A Quality of Mercy" to build a visual bridge to TOS. |  TOS: "Charlie X" |
 SNW: "A Quality of Mercy" |
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No changes |
| Captain Picard's Captain's log only consists of numbers, it seems. The same desktop monitor graphic appeared in several earlier episodes, like "Up the Long Ladder" and "The Enemy". The display tellingly features the number "40272", meaning it was created for the second season, and erroneously doesn't feature the word "military log" as was the case in the rest of this episode. |  "Up the Long Ladder" |
 "The Enemy" |
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The HD screen cap confirms that it consists of meaningless numbers. |
| The star map seen in the background on the bridge of the USS Enterprise-C was also seen on the bridge of the USS Enterprise-A in "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier". |  "Star Trek V" |
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A close-up of the star map in HD. | |
| Another shot of the two Enterprises. The 4-foot model was used here for the filming of the USS Enterprise-D. |   |
A good look at the two ships in HD. | ||
| The footage of the Klingon Birds-of-Prey firing at the USS Enterprise-D is new. |   |
The sequence in HD. | ||
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| The footage of the USS Enterprise-D firing a full spread of photon torpedoes was originally created for "The Arsenal of Freedom". In that episode, the Enterprise fires it phasers in addition to the torpedoes. Note the strong contrast to the shots with the new 4-foot model seen earlier in the episode, especially as the panel height is concerned. |  "The Arsenal of Freedom" |
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The shot is identical to the one in "Arsenal of Freedom" in TNG-R too, except for the missing phaser beam. | |
| More newly filmed footage of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey. |   |
The sequence in HD. | ||
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| The underside of the Bird-of-Prey's wings can be seen well in this screenshot. |   |
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| The shield bubble of the Klingon Bird-of-Prey disappears and the ship explodes a few seconds later. |   |
The shot with reconstructed visual effects in TNG-R. | ||
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| The area behind the warp core is rarely visible on the show. It was previously shown in "The Schizoid Man". |  "The Schizoid Man" |
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No changes | |
The "closet" in main engineering was first seen in "The Naked Now". It last appeared in "Peak Performance" and the tubing has not changed since its last appearance, as can be seen. The back wall was modified, however. It now features slots for isolinear optical chips. We can see three small details, two in front of the diagonal upper pipes and one in front of the lower horizontal pipes, that were not present in "Peak Performance". These are remote-controlled fuses that would be ignited a few moments later. |
 "The Naked Now" |
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No changes | |
 "Peak Performance" |
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| "Yesterday's Enterprise" is (in)famous for its copious use of "console rocks", which shoot across the two bridges in the battle scenes. We can see them up close when Riker is killed. |  |
No changes | ||
| The USS Enterprise-C approaches the temporal distortion. |   |
The shot in HD. | ||
| The two remaining Birds-of-Prey approach the USS Enterprise-D. The Bird-of-Prey in the foreground is lit unnaturally brightly in this shot. |   |
The brightness of the BoP was adjusted for TNG-R. | ||
| "Let's make sure that history never forgets the name... Enterprise." The USS Enterprise-C flies back into the temporal distortion. |   |
The shot in HD. | ||
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| Geordi famously wears the wrong version of his uniform in this final shot of the episode. As can be seen by his sleeves, he is still wearing the alternate universe uniform even though the scene is set back in the regular universe. |   |
The blooper in HD. We can also see the high collar very well. | ||
Credits
Thanks to Rusty0918 for the hints about the re-used Enterprise-A console and about the armrests.
