U.S.S. Grissom NCC-638 (2285)
The U.S.S. Grissom NCC-638 was an Oberth-class starship, commanded by Captain J.T. Esteban in 2285. While conducting scientific studies of the Genesis Planet in 2285, It was destroyed by a Klingon Bird-of-Prey under the command of Kruge, who sought to exploit the Genesis technology as a weapon.
U.S.S. Grissom NCC-638 Bridge | Deck 1 (2285)
Located on Deck 1 atop the primary hull, the Grissom’s main bridge supervised all primary mission operations and coordinated all departmental activities. The bridge in 2285 was of similar design and layout to other Starfleet vessel bridges of the era, although it was smaller than that of larger ships like the Constitution-class and Miranda-class vessels. Located in the front of the bridge was the main view screen and the unified helm/navigation console. The captain’s chair was directly aft of the aforementioned stations. Along the perimeter of the bridge were the primary stations for science, communications, and engineering, with secondary stations trailing along the wall towards the rear of the bridge.
Production Notes:
Ship Model (Physical)
As portrayed in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Film, 1984)
The Oberth-class U.S.S. Grissom was one of several new spaceship models first seen in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. It was designed by David Carson and Nilo Rodis, and built by model makers Steve Gawley and Bill George at Industrial Light & Magic. The model went on to be used in later Star Trek productions, notably as the S.S. Tsiolkovsky and the U.S.S. Pegasus in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Bridge Set (Physical)
As portrayed in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (Film, 1984)
After filming of the U.S.S. Enterprise bridge scenes in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock was complete, the bridge set was heavily redressed for its appearance as the U.S.S. Grissom’s bridge. In addition to the set being painted a brighter off-white color and the chairs’ upholstery dyed pink, the rails surrounding the command pit were removed. The captain’s chair and helm/navigation consoles were raised. They were also rotated nearly 180 degrees and moved closer to the perimeter stations, thereby creating the illusion of a smaller bridge with a different arrangement of the perimeter stations. Those few changes and extremely limited filming angles gave this bridge the illusion that it was a smaller, different bridge than that of the Enterprise. For the Roddenberry Archive’s depiction of this bridge, we gave it an elliptical floor plan to match the set's appearance in the film, but to maintain the position of the captain's chair and the helm/nav console on the bridge's centerline.