See The Redesigned Enterprise Bridge From Star Trek’s Lost 70s Series That Never Aired
A new image was posted on Twitter, which shows what the redesigned bridge from Star Trek would have looked like in the 1970s.
Following the success of the Gene Roddenberry-created series Star Trek: The Original Series, which as we know would go on to spawn a sprawling franchise, a new project titled Star Trek: Phase II was in development in the 1970s. Unfortunately, the series would never come full circle with Paramount ultimately deciding to branch out into what would become the first Star Trek film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture. While it’s been decades since the sequel series was canceled, thanks to Twitter user @portalrealm, in a post that you can see below, we finally have a look at what the Phase II bridge would’ve looked like.
In the unearthed Star Trek photo, we can see the control station at the center of the bridge, with two members of the Enterprise’s crew seated behind it. In front, the cast and crew are receiving directions, presumably before filming a scene. In front of the control center is a blue screen where, during post-production, the stars, planets, foes, and friends that those aboard the Enterprise would come face-to-face with would be dropped.
The image is a real behind-the-scenes treat as it pulls the curtain back on what went into creating a production like Star Trek in the 1970s. Before computers were heavily relied on for animation, folks like Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas were able to captivate audiences with their impressive effects and set designs. Of course, as the years have progressed, the ability to better bring imagination to life has grown exponentially as can be seen just one decade later in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and more recently in the Chris Pine-led Star Trek films, and the currently-running Star Trek: Picard.
As for what would’ve been Star Trek: Phase II, the series was initially announced in June 1977, with most of the cast members from The Original Series, including William Shatner, signed on to return to the Enterprise. The show would also see the addition of three new characters: science officer Lt. Xon, navigator Lt. Ilia, and the ship’s executive officer Willard Decker. While those characters would never see the light of day in Phase II, they would be used to further the formation of The Next Generation one decade later.
Of all the actors set to return for what would’ve been a continuation of Star Trek: The Original Series, there was one major name who refused to join. Leonard Nimoy wasn’t interested in a sequel series and didn’t have much of a desire to work alongside Roddenberry or Paramount, leading him to abandon the beloved character of Mr. Spock during the planning stages for Phase II. Of course, Nimoy’s absence would ultimately not matter as the series never moved forward.
Although Star Trek: Phase II never took off, The Original Series would go on to spawn a slew of content from more shows to films, comics to novels, and even video games. Currently, there are five Star Trek series running including the live-action Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, and the animated projects, Prodigy and Lower Decks. Luckily for fans who felt cheated out of seeing what Phase II could have been, the photo above transports us 50 years into the past.
