Star Trek: Ranking The Main Bridges

Following the use and reuse of Matt Jefferies and Joe Jennings' Star Trek Phase II bridge in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home, the refit Enterprise bridge was coopted by the production of Star Trek: The Next Generation for that show's various bridges of the week, leaving Kirk and company without a proper home.

As the Hilton-in-space look of Star Trek: The Next Generation was apparently all the rage, director William Shatner hired TNG's production designer Herman Zimmerman to give the new Enterprise-A a similar vibe for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. The Enterprise-A bridge was a brand new set, calling back to the simple and elegant design of The Original Series, while adding new flourishes like leather trim and intricate built-in lighting, as well new 23rd century interfaces by Michael Okuda.

The Enterprise-A's bridge in The Final Frontier was heavily inspired by the bridge of the Enterprise-D, including the warmer earth tone carpeting and paint, but that would dramatically change in the next installment, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. It's in that movie where the set really became distinct, ditching the tan colors for brushed metallic surfaces and red leather trim.

The Enterprise-A's bridge in The Undiscovered Country is colder and grimier than it had appeared in an other film, but the lived-in look worked perfectly for The Original Series cast's swan song and remains one of the best bridge designs in the franchise.