The goal for this build was to design a Minifig-scale bridge model that would be accurate to both the stage set (which was asymmetrical) and the filming model (the big one at the Smithsonian). That model is 3.4m long, making it 1:85 scale for a 289m starship. My model, at 1:39 scale, is considerably bigger—the saucer section alone would be 3.1m in diameter! A section of the outer hull and starboard-side consoles is removable to view the interior. These are the areas that would have been typically removed for filming on the stage set, which was built in modular sections on wheels. That way any section could be pulled out for the camera and crew, then replaced for reverse shots, giving the illusion of a fully-enclosed set. (Later sets didn’t have to accommodate such large cameras!) The asymmetry was put in at a late stage, so that the Captain would not have to turn completely around to see who was exiting the turbolift. Unfortunately this wasn’t communicated to the model builders, who kept the turboshaft along the ship’s centreline. I am using Franz Joseph’s solution, turning the bridge interior 36º to port. The turbolift doors are fixed but the hull is removable to access the turbolift car. Finally, I have made the overhead dome transparent, although this area is usually marked as the “stellar sensor array,” matching the planetary sensor array on the saucer bottom. We never see the ceiling of the bridge in the series, as it was open to the soundstage for lighting.

The first two images are Studio renders and the rest are of the built model, which consists of over 1200 pieces.