Trek Fan To Restore Enterprise D Bridge
1 min readA Star Trek fan is on a mission to restore one of the original sets from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Rescued from Paramount in late 2011, the fan is in the process of restoring the set and plans to make it open to the public when finished.
“Originally created by Gene Roddenberry, the design created by Herman Zimmerman and Michael Okuda for the Paramount TV series, this set was made to be durable, to go on display back in the late 90’s,” said the fan. “By the late 2008, it was forgotten about and was about to be destroyed! After nearly three years of negotiations, and one week before it was about to be permanently ‘decommissioned’ and put into the dumpster, I rescued it.
“I am in the process of completely restoring the set to its original splendor,” he said, “and mak[ing] it open to the public for meetings, movie showings, fundraisers, tours, filming, anything!”
The fan’s project is a “non-profit” mission. “Eventually, I will be doing a Kickstarter Campaign,” he explained, “but only after I have the estimates of restoration plus the support and Star Trek actors plus famous fans of the show.”
The Star Trek Enterprise D Bridge Restoration Facebook page is located here.
How awesome! I wish ’em the best of luck!
who is “he”? i think it’s kind of weird how anonymous this person is being, particularly if he has plans to raise money and eventually make it open to the public.
I think whoever it is wants to anonymous so they don’t get ripped off or something.
It’s NOT the set used in the television show – it’s merely a recreation made specifically for an exhibit – so why the hell would we care about it being restored. It has NO significance.
Yeah, looking through all the photos, it’s pretty clear that this guy has the bridge from either “Star Trek: The Experience” in Vegas, or a traveling exhibition. But it’s not the real bridge from the series and “Star Trek Generations.”
The original bridge set was COMPLETELY destroyed at the end of filming Generations. The Vegas bridge was dismantled and sold piecemeal at auction. This one was just another bridge paramount had built for one of their traveling exhibitions. This would be like James Cawley (Phase II) or John Broughton going to the public saying give us your money to restore the “original” TOS bridge instead of the replicas they are. And it irks me even more that this guy finally made the distinction on his facebook page AFTER he gets all the publicity in news sources which make it seem like it’s the original.
Phase 2 was fan made, if this is studio made as they claim, that’s not really the same thing.
Not one single Star Trek actor was on this TNG set. It was NEVER seen on screen. EVER. Moses himself could have made it – and it would be no better than the fan constructed sets spoken of. I’ve got a TNG uniform – made by Paramount – but not used on screen – only used for an employee of the Vegas Trek Experience… and it cost me all of $45 on EBAY. So in fact, whether you think it’s the same thing or not – the fact is this set the guy is trying to solicit money for has no relation to the television series other than in form only.
Landru.
The quote makes it sound like it’s the original one, when it clearly isn’t.
Plus, he needs to get a life if this is how he spends his time.
The set piece was at the old Hollywood Museum next to Graumans Theater. I remember walking the bridge and remarking how ‘tiny’ the set seemed to be. This was way back in 2001. I remember having a disagreement with the Tour Guide, who was wrong about some trivia aspect. He obviously was not well versed in things Trek.
The guy who purchased the set is very transparent and has made it clear that his set is a reproduction. He’s been using photos of the STTE to promote it, but even then he states that it’s NOT from STTE but one of the traveling sets.
The Blastr news article that this article references is vague about this point, but the owner is not, he clearly states it was made by Paramount as a reproduction for a tour. There’s a difference.
Did you really just say he needs to “get a life?” Really? that’s the kind of statement that only the intellectually stunted use, since they can’t come up with a more effective and original insult. It says far more about you than it does about him that you’d use such a lame and cliched insult and actually expect it to in any way insult him. I’m sure that if he read your comment, he pities you, just as I do.
Why are you so worked up about this?
This is not the one from the Hollywood Museum, as you stated that was was not a scale reproduction, plus it didn’t have the ceiling which this one does. It more closely resembles the one from STTE, which was a full-size, complete set. (This isn’t one from STTE either, though. Just to be clear.)
It’s only recently that this “transparency” you speak of was made. When his page was first created and the news articles first started coming – this was not made transparent.
Given the recent controversies surrounding Farragut Films, Vic Mignogna’s questionable history, Starship Farragut, their lack of honesty and integrity in the way they treat people, and the real reason behind Star Trek Continues, it wouldn’t surprise me if John Broughton would stoop that low and fabricate a ‘less than truthful’ story such as that.
All that aside, I wish the person behind this project the best of luck in restoring this Next Generation set exhibit. He certainly has his work cut out for him.
Come on. Get a life is a pretty common phrase.
Quite a bold statement from somebody who is reading and commenting news concerning some space series that have ended many years ago…
I’ve been used to seeing TOS sets turn up over the years, and not paid much interest.
But Enterprise D bridge. From *my* Trek era. That hurts! How could they do that?
Hahahahahaha! Er…Yes, I would rather be some loser who wastes thousands of dollar building the set of a fictional starship….
Yes. That is soooooooooooo comparable. A loser who spends thousands of dollars to built a set from a fictional space ship or a guy who comments on a website. Same thing. Dork.
Pretty disingenuous all the way around. The facebook page reads “…to
completely restore one of the D Bridge
Sets that Paramount created for STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION,” which is utterly
false. The text goes on to admit it was built after the show, but
that’s not what the preceding sentence implies. Bait and switch?
Furthermore, this
article is WAY inaccurate. Herman Zimmerman and Michael Okuda created
the design? Who are we forgetting here? Oh, ANDY PROBERT, who actually designed the look of the set.
John Broughton’s a guy I’ve known for seven or eight years – his personal integrity is beyond reproach. Nice try, Christopher.
I wonder how this fan expects to successfully restore he TNG bridge if he doesn’t even know who designed it in the first place.
According to my knowledge and “The Art of Star Trek” the designer of Picard’s command bridge (and Enterprise) is Andrew Probert. Page # 75 of this book shows the final design of the command bridge as we’ve come to know it – drawn by Mr. Probert.
i want all the shows back on tv coz this stuff they r trying ta pass as entertainment sucks cow duky lolol….
Why you spreading rumors about Farragut Films and everyone else? There is not story, your just a big phony!!!
I WOULD LOVE TO GO SEE THIS ONCE IT IS ASSEMBLED. I JUST LIKE THE IDEA, BUT I DON’T LIKE THE PUSSY-FOOT WAY PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO RUN IT DOWN. YOU OLD BURN-OUTS JUST GO DIE SOMEPLACE AND LET US ENJOY STAR TREK AND STAR TREK RELATED THEMES.
Pissy burnouts like you should go hang outside prisons and jails, in case someone breaks free, so they can beat and kick the stoole out of you!
Of course we know it’s not the same as TNG’s, so what, it’s the idea. It’s all in good fun! NOW, go stand in the corner and piss on yourself.
How much did you spend for the computer, your internet service, your food you shove into your fat face to keep your bloated ass running to be able to troll out in TrekToday, to spend that precious time you seem to care so much about. Go spew some more children down the drain and let us Trekkers enjoy our hobbies. And Yes, I hate you and your mother too! If I could go back in time, I go back and kick your grandmother in the crotch and send her back to Germany!
There are those who would dispute such a claim.
In your opinion.
If there were a list of the greatest malcontents and deviants of the early twenty-first century, Dennis Bailey would definitely be in the top five. Right up there with Vic Mignogna and the rest of the Farragut Films staff.
All that aside, if the man wants to build or restore a bridge set from TNG and do something constructive with it, that’s his choice.
Honestly some Star Trek fans can’t be pleased over the most minor of details.