Star Trek: 10 More Secrets Of The USS Enterprise D You Need To Know
2. The Bridge Was Really Destroyed In Generations
The bridge of the Enterprise-D was famously modified for its appearance on the big screen in Star Trek Generations: The lighting was reduced in order to emphasize the many backlit graphics, video monitors were installed in the consoles, and new stations were included on either side of the set. According to production designer Herman Zimmerman at the time: "I hope the fans will say, 'Oh that's what I've been seeing on that little TV screen all these years'!"
While the new design was a clear upgrade (controversial lighting choice aside), the bridge didn't last long, receiving heavy damage in the battle with the Duras Sisters before being completely destroyed when the Enterprise-D crashed on Veridian III.
In the final moments of Star Trek Generations, Picard and Riker tour the devastated bridge, complete with charred bulkheads and fallen beams. And once photography was finished on the bridge set, it was destroyed in real life too.
Following the end of production on Star Trek Generations in May 1994, the bridge of the USS Enterprise-D was unceremoniously torn apart to make way for the bridge of the USS Voyager and the upcoming Star Trek: Voyager. The ship's untimely demise was so fast that cast interviews for Generations had to be conducted on the sets for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Some elements of the bridge were saved, including the "horseshoe" tactical console and the command chairs, which were sent to be displayed at the Hollywood Entertainment Museum until it closed in 2007. The remaining elements of the Enterprise-D bridge now reside back at home at Paramount Studios' archive.