Following a major refit, on stardate 48632.4 the Enterprise-D was sent to investigate a distress call from the Amargosa observatory.  There it uncovered a plot by an El-Aurian scientist, Dr. Tolian Soran, to use trilithium weapons to destroy specific stars, resulting in the destruction of all life within their planetary systems, in order to gravimetrically alter the course of a temporal energy ribbon known as the “Nexus”.

During the pursuit of Soran, the Enterprise was drawn into a battle in the Veridian system with a Klingon Bird-of-Prey commanded by the Duras sisters Lursa and B’etor, of whom Soran was providing information to build trilithium weapons in exchange for help in his endeavor.  Although the Klingon vessel was destroyed, a warp-core breach sustained during the attack ultimately led to the destruction of the Enterprise’s stardrive section and the crashing of its saucer section on Veridian III.

U.S.S. Enterprise-D Bridge | Deck 1 (2371)

Following a major refit sometime after stardate 47988, the main bridge of the Enterprise-D was heavily upgraded. Among many smaller changes, the circuitry access panels at the port and starboard sides of the room were replaced by six additional consoles (three on each side) to expand the bridge’s operational functionality at the expense of some of its previous grace. The command chairs at the center of the bridge were also placed on a raised central platform to give the captain a more commanding view of the room.

Ship Model (Physical)

As portrayed in Star Trek Generations (Film, 1994)

The six-foot model originally created in 1987 for “Encounter at Farpoint” was updated by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) for usage on the film, with a more detailed hull texture deemed necessary for closeups on the big screen. Some other details included new window cutouts, redesigned escape pod hatches, and navigation lights added at the rear end of the nacelles

Bridge Set (Physical)

As portrayed in Star Trek Generations (Film, 1994)

Production designer Herman Zimmerman felt constrained by what he could achieve visually with the Enterprise-D bridge while working within the confines of a television budget. The move to the big screen gave him the chance to finally make his preferred modifications to the set, with additional bridge stations for extras to appear at, more complex textures that looked better on film, and more dramatic lighting.