Changes: Captain's chair

Revision as of 15:12, 5 August 2010

You might also be looking for the interactive video game Star Trek: Captain's Chair.

The command chair, also referred to as captain's chair, is the most important position on board a starship bridge.

This seat, as its alternate name implies, is occupied by the captain of the vessel, or the officer who commands the vessel in the captain's absence. The ship's duty officer sits on the command chair at all times and monitors all operations on the bridge. The chair is usually equipped with companels and other related equipment. In addition, some versions can swivel so the commanding officer can easily turn to face any relevant station.

The right arm of the command chair on the bridge of the Template:ShipClass Enterprise included a control panel that could flip up at the touch of a control. Additionally, both arms of the chair included at least one companel. While serving aboard Enterprise in May 2151, T'Pol used a companel on the chair's right arm to contact an away team on board an Axanar starship, and also contacted the Armory by using a companel on the chair's left arm. T'Pol later deployed the docking arm by remotely extending it from the chair's right arm. (ENT: "Fight or Flight")

In 2152, while passing a trinary star system that was emitting a dangerous form of radiation, the entire crew of Enterprise – with the exception of Vulcan Subcommander T'Pol – became affected and began to obsess over trivial matters. Charles "Trip" Tucker, the starship's chief engineer, became obsessed with the command chair which, according to Captain Jonathan Archer, was not comfortable enough. Commander Tucker eventually fixed the problem by lowering the chair one centimeter. (ENT: "Singularity")

In 2154, Captain Erika Hernandez showed Captain Archer the bridge of her ship, the second NX class starship, Columbia. Archer suggested the installation of a lumbar support in Columbia's command chair, as Hernandez would probably be spending a lot of time in the chair. (ENT: "Home") When Enterprise was refitted following the Xindi mission, one of the additions was a completely redesigned captain's chair, which Commander Tucker joked "came with everything but its own protein resequencer". (ENT: "Borderland")

During the early 2270s, Template:ShipClass starships went through a refit. The command chair of Captain James T. Kirk was upgraded with not only a full back support, but a safety restraint mechanism that allowed the arm rests to hold down the occupant during turbulence and red alert. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

In 2364, Captain Jean-Luc Picard showed young Wesley Crusher the command chair aboard the USS Enterprise-D. A panel on the right arm of the chair had been designed for log entries, library computer access and retrieval, viewscreen control and intercoms. The left arm of the chair was equipped with a panel that could be flipped open to reveal backup conn and ops panels, plus armament and shield controls. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint")

By 2365, the command chair on the Enterprise-D had been upgraded to a newer version with padded armrests and the removal of the hidden control panels. This chair remained on the bridge until the ship's destruction in 2371. (TNG: "The Child"; Star Trek Generations)

Gallery of command chairs

Background information

The script of "Encounter at Farpoint" does not specify that the controls on the left arm of the chair are hidden beneath a panel, although Picard opens a panel on the chair's left arm in the final version of the episode.

In the past-time frame of TNG: "All Good Things...", the command chair on the bridge is not the same chair that was used in the first season, but rather, the upgraded chair that was introduced in the second season.

File:DeletedSceneNemesis Picard seatbelts.png

A deleted scene showing seatbelts on the command chair of the Enterprise-E

In a deleted scene from Star Trek Nemesis, the Enterprise-E's command chair is refitted with seatbelts. This chair design later served as the command chair for the Enterprise (NX-01) in Season 4 of Star Trek: Enterprise.

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 This seat, as its alternate name implies, is occupied by the captain of the vessel, or the [[officer]] who commands the vessel in the captain's absence. The ship's [[duty officer]] sits on the command chair at all times and monitors all operations on the bridge.  The chair is usually equipped with [[companel]]s and other related equipment.  In addition, some versions can swivel so the commanding officer can easily turn to face any relevant station.
-The right arm of the command chair on the bridge of the [[NX class]] [[Enterprise (NX-01)|''Enterprise'']] included a control panel that could flip up at the touch of a control. Additionally, both arms of the chair included at least one companel. While serving aboard ''Enterprise'' in [[May]] [[2151]], [[T'Pol]] used a companel on the chair's right arm to contact an away team on board an [[Axanar]] starship, and also contacted the [[Armory]] by using a companel on the chair's left arm. T'Pol later deployed the [[docking arm]] by remotely extending it from the chair's right arm. ({{ENT|Fight or Flight}})
+The right arm of the command chair on the bridge of the {{ShipClass|NX}} [[Enterprise (NX-01)|''Enterprise'']] included a control panel that could flip up at the touch of a control. Additionally, both arms of the chair included at least one companel. While serving aboard ''Enterprise'' in [[May]] [[2151]], [[T'Pol]] used a companel on the chair's right arm to contact an away team on board an [[Axanar]] starship, and also contacted the [[Armory]] by using a companel on the chair's left arm. T'Pol later deployed the [[docking arm]] by remotely extending it from the chair's right arm. ({{ENT|Fight or Flight}})
 In [[2152]], while passing a [[Trinary star system|trinary]] [[star system]] that was emitting a dangerous form of [[radiation]], the entire [[crew]] of ''Enterprise'' – with the exception of [[Vulcan]] [[Subcommander]] [[T'Pol]] – became affected and began to obsess over trivial matters. [[Charles Tucker III|Charles "Trip" Tucker]], the starship's [[chief engineer]], became obsessed with the command chair which, according to Captain [[Jonathan Archer]], was not comfortable enough. [[Commander]] Tucker eventually fixed the problem by lowering the chair one [[centimeter]]. ({{ENT|Singularity}})
-In [[2154]], Captain [[Erika Hernandez]] showed Captain Archer the bridge of her ship, the second NX class starship, [[Columbia (NX-02)|''Columbia'']]. Archer suggested the installation of a lumbar support in ''Columbia''{{'}}s command chair, as Hernandez would probably be spending a lot of time in the chair. ({{ENT|Home}}) When ''Enterprise'' was refitted following the [[Xindi incident|Xindi mission]], one of the additions was a completely redesigned captain's chair, which Commander Tucker joked "came with everything but its own [[protein resequencer]]". ({{ENT|Borderland}})
+In [[2154]], Captain [[Erika Hernandez]] showed Captain Archer the bridge of her ship, the second NX class starship, [[Columbia (NX-02)|''Columbia'']]. Archer suggested the installation of a lumbar support in ''Columbia''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s command chair, as Hernandez would probably be spending a lot of time in the chair. ({{ENT|Home}}) When ''Enterprise'' was refitted following the [[Xindi incident|Xindi mission]], one of the additions was a completely redesigned captain's chair, which Commander Tucker joked "came with everything but its own [[protein resequencer]]". ({{ENT|Borderland}})
 During the early [[2270s]], {{ShipClass|Constitution}} starships went through a refit. The command chair of Captain [[James T. Kirk]] was upgraded with not only a full back support, but a safety restraint mechanism that allowed the arm rests to hold down the occupant during turbulence and [[red alert]]. ({{film|1}})
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 == Gallery of command chairs ==
 <gallery>
-File:NX Enterprise Command Chair.jpg|Aboard the [[NX class]] [[Enterprise (NX-01)|''Enterprise'']]
+File:NX Enterprise Command Chair.jpg|Aboard the {{ShipClass|NX}} [[Enterprise (NX-01)|''Enterprise'']]
 File:Captains chair, USS Enterprise (alternate reality).jpg|Aboard the {{ShipClass|Constitution|alternate reality}} {{USS|Enterprise|alternate reality}} in an [[alternate reality]]
 File:Command chair, USS Exeter.jpg|Aboard the {{ShipClass|Constitution}} {{USS|Exeter|NCC-1672}}