Like the Bridge, the Transporter Room in Star Trek: The Next Generation was always evolving. It started, in part, with the The Original Series’ transporter room:
As I recall, the bottom disks had been either been salvaged or kept in storage and incorporated in the design of TNG’s transporters, flipped upside down so they were now at the top. The bottom had a glossy lightable circle with a smaller blue circle. The alcove panels were also meant to echo the frosted glass TOS transporter and they always looked a lil cloudy. As seen in Encounter at Farpoint:
Problem was, no one knew where to stand on the pad when the cameras were rolling! So after keeping the clean configuration for the entire first season, the first redesign came in season 2:
Now we have basic lines delineating each individual pad. it’s not bad but it’s still missing something. It will remain that way throughout the 2nd and 3rd seasons as well as Star Trek V (we’ll get back to that).
The next major redesign came during the 4th season episode Remember Me:
Now people are sure to know where to stand! Each individual pad space has been shrunk, including the central blue one, while also making it pop more visually. When in doubt, add lines (The interior design of the runabout would also follow that rule). This configuration would stay on for the remainder of the 4th and 5th season (and Star Trek VI, we’ll get back to that too). until one more change would be brought for the season 6 premiere:
Speaking of making things pop, the backlit wall panels have been replaced.Gone is the frosted glass aspect, now the lines are cleaner. However, a small accident during Star Trek Generations’ production would damage those same panels, and a replacement was needed.
Nearly identical, but lit differently. And only there for about 7 seconds on screen. The TNG transporter room doesn’t stop there. The top and bottom elements would be recycled for Voyager’s otherwise brand new transporter rooms:
Voyager’s transporters would remain unchanged for the entire 7 year run. the top roundels that started in the 1960s would last until Voyager end in 2001.
Finally, the TNG transporter room sets also saw some use for the last two original series films. For Star Trek V:
Filmed during TNG’s second season, includes a barely seen transporter control blast shield and some blue neon strips in the transporter bay. The isolinear stack that’s usually off to the side has also been removed.
Star Trek VI would dispense with the blue neon strips:
Filmed between TNG’s 4th and 5th season, The transporter room is again a re-use of the TNG set. The blast shielded transporter controls are trotted back out, signage on the door is changed and, because it’s Nick Meyer, a fire extinguisher next to the door. The lighting elements to the right and left of the pad have also been swapped.
