The Galaxy-class U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D was active from 2363 to 2371 and was captained by Jean-Luc Picard. It was one of the most storied starships in Federation history, serving as the Federation flagship, making contact with over 30 previously-uncontacted civilizations, and participating in the Klingon Civil War. It was the fifth Federation starship to bear the name Enterprise.
The bridge of the Enterprise-D was a fusion of technology and grace. Each station was capable of emulating every other station with “soft” controls that could be customized at any place in the bridge. The conn and ops stations were at the fore of the bridge. The command chair in the center was flanked by two other support position seats, usually used by the first officer and ship's counselor. The tactical station was located at the top of the wooden “horseshoe” structure, and science, engineering, environment, and other support stations were located on the back wall, which featured slide-out seats if needed.
The transporter room played a vital role in the Enterprise-D’s operations, serving as the primary facility for beaming crew members and away teams to planetary surfaces and other spacecraft. The circular transporter chamber contained the imaging coils, the phase transition systems, and the confinement beam units used to dematerialize or rematerialize people and cargo being transported.
Ten Forward served as the Enterprise-D’s primary social and recreational hub, offering a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere for the crew. The room was situated on Deck 10, at the very front of the ship, providing a stunning panoramic view of space through its large windows. These windows were one of its most distinctive features, allowing visitors to enjoy the mesmerizing sights of distant stars and galaxies. The space was designed to promote a sense of community and relaxation in the midst of the crew's demanding mission to explore the galaxy.
This vast chamber housed the Enterprise-D’s warp core, the heart of the starship's propulsion system, surrounded by an intricate web of machinery, power conduits, and control stations. The warp core itself was an impressive, brightly lit cylindrical structure, emitting a mesmerizing blue glow. The Chief Engineer, along with their skilled engineering team, operated, and maintained this critical area. Main Engineering was responsible for managing the matter/antimatter reaction, regulating the ship's energy systems, making warp speed travel possible, and managing various ship functions.
As portrayed in Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV, 1987 - 1994)
The U.S.S. Enterprise-D was designed for Star Trek: The Next Generation by illustrator Andrew Probert. Two models of this ship were built by the model shop at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), under the supervision of Ease Owyeung. ILM filmed the basic “stock footage” shots of the ship that were utilized during the run of the show. Those models, 6’ in length, and the other 22”, were photographed at VFX company Image G during early seasons, and were subsequently replaced by a 4’ model built by Greg Jein. The smaller model allowed the show to produce a greater volume of new ship shots for late-season episodes.
As portrayed in Star Trek: The Next Generation - “All Good Things…” (TV, 1994)
Many changes were made to the bridge set through the show’s seven-year run. These included new panels covered in gray fabric for the side walls of the bridge; new designs for all three of the command chairs; a new carpet pattern using deeper colors; and modified conn and ops consoles, now placed parallel to the viewscreen instead of at an angle. Due to changes in the light fixtures used to illuminate them, most of the LCARS graphics in the bridge now appeared a different color as well. This is how the bridge appeared in the series finale, “All Good Things.”
As portrayed in Star Trek: The Next Generation - “Sub Rosa” (TV, 1994)
Originally, this set was constructed for Star Trek: The Motion Picture on the Paramount Stage 9 soundstage and was again featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. Following its role in the latter film, the very same set piece was repurposed for the Enterprise-D transporter room in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The design of the Enterprise-D transporter room was a collaborative effort between illustrator Andrew Probert and production designer Herman Zimmerman. Their intent was to intentionally mirror the layout of the transporter room from Star Trek: The Original Series, a move made to satisfy ardent fans of the classic show.
As portrayed in Star Trek: The Next Generation - “Preemptive Strike” (TV, 1994)
The Ten Forward set was the creation of production designer Herman Zimmerman and was constructed during the break between the first and second seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Zimmerman regarded Ten Forward as the last significant Galaxy-class set designed for the series. However, it's worth noting that Andrew Probert, the designer of the U.S.S. Enterprise, originally conceived of the windows on the saucer rim to be seating areas for crew members to contemplate the cosmos. The windows on the front lip of the saucer didn't match the window configuration of the Ten Forward lounge until the fourth season, when the new 4-foot miniature was introduced.
As portrayed in Star Trek: The Next Generation - “Thine Own Self” (TV, 1994)
The Main Engineering set originated as a modification of the one used in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, located on Paramount's Stage 9. It had its initial construction phase in 1977 when it was intended for the second television series, Star Trek: Phase II. The original set design for Phase II was created by Mike Minor and later updated by Harold Michelson for The Motion Picture.
The fundamental structural components of the second floor were retained when adapting it for The Next Generation, but the rest of the set was completely reconstructed. The redesign resulted in an open floor plan with multiple corridors allowing access to the room. The distinctive "pool table" was first introduced in the episode "Where No One Has Gone Before," but the prop’s origins can be traced back to the Starfleet Command scenes in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. In the early scenes, the primary corridor passing through the set remained partially open. However, towards the episode's conclusion, the same door frame was enclosed by a console and permanently blocked off starting from the second season onward. The entire area saw frequent transformations to represent a spacious corridor junction, facilitating extended walking scenes as needed.