I’ve watched Star Trek for four decades, but I’ve never noticed until today that the bridge of the pre-refit Enterprise from the original series is not centrally aligned with the bow of the ship. This is to say that the characters, when they look forward toward the viewscreen, are actually angled 36 degrees to port. In this video, YouTuber We Travel by Night explains why this is necessary, both for the design of the ship and for effective storytelling.
The turbolift at the rear of the bridge is off to the right side, just off the left shoulder of the person sitting in the captain’s chair. To fit this set design into the exterior images of the ship and the exterior bulge created by the turbolift shaft, it’s necessary to angle the bridge.
But more importantly, the set design reflects a classical stage. The captain’s chair, which is the center of attention, is at the center of the stage. Kirk’s interaction with Spock at the science station directs attention to stage-right. To introduce new characters to a scene via the turbolift, the set designers prudently set its doors at up-stage. To place it anywhere else would cause narrative confusion.
These are subtle placements that demonstrate the mastery of storytelling that the directors of the original series possessed.
-via Boing Boing