Designing the First Enterprise Within

The standing sets of Star Trek were built on Stage 9 of Desilu Studios, which would later become Paramount. The permanent rooms were the bridge, briefing room, Captain Kirk’s quarters, engineering, transporter room and sickbay complex. All other sets, like the ship’s chapel, recreation room and gymnasium, were redresses of those rooms.

Besides the bridge, the most recurring set was sickbay. The script of the first episode, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” described it as a “small hospital” with furnishings that are comfortable, “not the usual Spartanish hospital type.”

The doctor’s office has direct access to a ship’s corridor. There is access from his office to an examination room, also to sickbay proper. Access to sickbay can also be made directly from the corridor. Within the sickbay, there are built-in bed positions with a complete diagnostic panel above each. This medical device scans the patient continually, takes readings, and registers same upon the diagnostic panel instrument face. Thus, blood pressure, pulse rate, heartbeat, respirations, and various other readings are continuously recorded and displayed for each patient without the necessity of physical contact between doctor and patient. Adjoining the doctor’s office is a medical lab.

Matt Jefferies designed these sets, as he did most of the interiors that appeared on Star Trek.

Franz Bachelin designed the captain’s quarters for “The Cage”. They notably included a television set. When “The Cage” was rejected by the studio but Gene Roddenberry was asked to produce a second pilot, Jefferies came up with a look for Kirk’s quarters that was in keeping with his overall style.

Apocrypha

In his Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual (1975), Franz Joseph includes floor plans of a stateroom and medical section, which includes such unseen facilities as dental units and therapeutic baths. Since Joseph had access to the show’s blueprints, his floor plans match those of the sets.