Battle bridge, 2364
Battle bridge, 2367
The battle bridge is an auxiliary control center located on Federation starships.
The Excelsior-class USS Enterprise-B had a battle bridge located on deck 19. (Star Trek Generations)
The battle bridge on Galaxy-class starships is primarily designed for the control of the stardrive section in saucer separation scenarios. Located on deck 8 of the secondary hull, the battle bridge duplicates the strategic functions of the main bridge, with command, conn, ops, and tactical stations oriented toward a main viewscreen; however it lacks science and engineering stations. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds")
Ready room
The main bridge and battle bridge are connected by a dedicated emergency turbolift which can also be accessed from other decks. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "Heart of Glory") The battle bridge can also be entered by standard turbolift or through a corridor on deck 8. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "The Best of Both Worlds") A small captain's ready room is located on the port side of the bridge, although it is much smaller than the one off the main bridge and lacks a window. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") The battle bridge could potentially be used to control the entire docked ship in the event of damage to the main bridge, but the practice on the Enterprise-D was to coordinate recovery from Main Engineering. (TNG: "Brothers")
To keep in tune with changing technologies, the battle bridge is modular like the main bridge. The USS Enterprise-D had at least two different battle bridges installed during its lifetime. The version launched with the ship had the captain's chair in the center, with conn and ops to the front of the captain and tactical behind. Two duty stations were located at the back of the bridge, on the port and starboard rear walls. The tactical and rear stations were separated by turbolifts; the standard turbolift on the port side, and the emergency turbolift on the starboard. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "The Arsenal of Freedom") By the time of the second Borg incursion in 2367, the battle bridge had undergone a refit. The tactical position behind the captain had been moved to the port station, replaced by expanded information displays. The turbolift alcoves at the back of the bridge were also gone, possibly moved elsewhere. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II")
Enterprise-D primary school science fair winner Patterson Supra hoped to see the battle bridge as part of the tour conducted by Captain Jean-Luc Picard in 2368, but was disappointed to learn that the most exciting areas on the tour were hydroponics and astrophysics. After Patterson and two other children showed exceptional bravery during a crisis after the Enterprise-D hit several quantum filaments, Picard decided to take the group on a revised tour, starting with the battle bridge. (TNG: "Disaster")
Appendices
Background information
The battle bridge was only actually seen in three episodes: "Encounter at Farpoint", "The Arsenal of Freedom" and "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II", each time with modifications, although the set was redressed for use as the bridge of other ships and miscellaneous rooms multiple times. The set was built as the refit Enterprise bridge for Star Trek: Phase II, which later became Star Trek: The Motion Picture. This set was the Enterprise bridge in the three following motion pictures, until, like most of the motion picture sets, it was remodeled into the Enterprise-D sets for Star Trek: The Next Generation in order to cut costs. By the second season of TNG, the set was modified to such a point that only the original structure remained, explaining the battle bridge's updated look in "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II" and necessitating a new bridge for the USS Enterprise-A in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. (citation needed • edit) In star trek Voyager, there was an example of battle bridge.
The set plan was created by production designer Herman Zimmerman and set designer Richard McKenzie and is dated 26 March 1987. The set was built on Paramount Stage 9. (TNG Season 1 DVD, special feature "The Beginning")