Following a troubled shakedown cruise in 2286, the newly christened Enterprise-A was sent to Spacedock for upgrade and repair by an engineering team led by Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott. It was pulled from its repair layover prematurely, however, at the request of Starfleet Command, in which Captain James T. Kirk and crew were instructed to proceed to Nimbus III to negotiate a hostage situation. Upon arrival, the Enterprise was hijacked by a band of revolutionaries led by Sybok, Captain Spock’s half-brother, and forced on a course through the Great Barrier at the center of the galaxy on an ill-fated attempt to find Sha Kah Ree, a location in pagan Vulcan mythology from which all of creation was said to have originated. The ship was decommissioned in 2293 following its involvement in the Khitomer Conference.

U.S.S. Enterprise-A Bridge | Deck 1 (2287)

During its post-shakedown cruise servicing in 2286-2287, the Enterprise-A’s bridge module was replaced by an updated design that closely harkened back to the design of the bridge of the original Starship Enterprise. With the captain’s chair and helm console still in a recessed command pit, the perimeter stations returned to a more sleek, uniform design, retaining the smooth touch-panels introduced just previously. Bridge stations were also reorganized and renamed, now featuring science, communications, engineering, environment, propulsions systems, tactical, master situation, mission ops, and auxiliary systems. This bridge was bright and warm, and returned to using carpeted flooring, something not seen on an Enterprise bridge since the 2260s.

Ship Model (Physical)

As portrayed in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (Film, 1989)

The U.S.S. Enterprise-A was introduced in the previous film, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and was the same filming miniature used previously, but with new registry decals applied by the Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) Model Shop.

Bridge Set (Physical)

As portrayed in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (Film, 1989)

Director William Shatner, impressed by production designer Herman Zimmerman’s work on Star Trek: The Next Generation, brought Zimmerman in to perform the same duties for The Final Frontier. After an unexpected heavy rainstorm caused serious damage to the existing bridge set, a brand new bridge was designed and built, retaining a similar layout and some surviving elements from the last design. Under Zimmerman’s direction, this new set had a warmer, more inviting appearance, with carpeting and wood elements.