Changes: Master systems display

Revision as of 15:38, 5 April 2014

MSD video monitor — A video feed on the USS *Enterprise*-D's MSD

On Federation starships and space stations, the master systems display (abbreviated MSD), also known as the master situation monitor, or master situational display, was a large, wall-mounted computer display, sometimes in engineering or the bridge. The display usually featured a large cutaway diagram of the vessel, and was used to provide a detailed overview of the ship's operational status.

The USS Enterprise-D had its master systems display in engineering, along with a master systems display table, while the starships USS Voyager, USS Defiant, USS Hathaway, USS Equinox, USS Enterprise-B, and USS Enterprise-E all featured their displays on the bridge. (Star Trek Generations; Star Trek: The Next Generation, TNG: "Peak Performance"; DS9: "The Search, Part I", etc.; Star Trek: Voyager, VOY: "Equinox", "Equinox, Part II")

Appendices

Background information

Galaxy engineering1 — **Master systems display** in the foreground and **Master situation monitor** in the back as originally intended

Originally, Scenic Art Supervisor Michael Okuda intended the "Master systems display" and the "Master situation monitor" to be two different objects altogether. According to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual (pp. 47-48) and the Star Trek Encyclopedia (3rd ed., pp. 291-292), the "Master systems display" was the information console (affectionately dubbed the "pool table") seen in main engineering on board the USS Enterprise-D, USS Enterprise-E, and in the back of the bridge on the Enterprise NX-01. The "Master situation monitor" was meant to refer to the wall mounted back-lit (cut-away) graphics of the ships in question. Neither of the two designations were initially seen on-screen in their entirety, though there were "Master situation" bridge work stations on both the USS Excelsior and USS Enterprise-A in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (and, in Excelsior's case, in "Flashback" as well).

None of the wall-mounted graphics ever had a caption "Master systems display" until Scenic Artist Doug Drexler updated the cut-away graphic for the Defiant-class. Drexler gave it the caption "master systems display", which is legible in "Shattered Mirror" and "One Little Ship". This was the only such graphic ever to actually carry the exact designation, as every other MSD, featured in the live-action franchise, was usually labeled with the ship's name, registry, ship class, random numbering or any combination thereof.

The first MSD was created for the sets of the Enterprise-D. According to the Encyclopedia (3rd ed., p. 291), it included a number of in-jokes, including "the official USS Enterprise duck, the ship's mouse, a Porsche, a DC-3 airplane, the Nomad space probe, and the hamster on a treadmill that was alleged to be the true source of power for the ship's warp engines."

The MSD terminology, regardless of its original intent, was specifically introduced in The Next Generation, though operations graphics displaying similar properties, had been featured in prior Star Trek incarnations, including Star Trek: The Original Series, though up until that point in time they were not endowed with a designation. The earliest and best known such graphic was the large rudimentary graphic situated on the bulkhead right next to the turbolift doors on the bridge (on the left when entering the lift from the bridge) of the original Constitution-class USS Enterprise. A detailed operation schematics graphic, still unnamed, of the Constitution-class USS Defiant was later seen in "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II".

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[File:MSD video monitor.jpg|thumb|A video feed on the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D's}} MSD]]
-On [[Federation]] [[starship]]s and [[space station]]s, the '''master systems display''' (abbreviated '''MSD'''), also known as the '''master situation monitor''', or '''master situational display,''' was a large, wall-mounted computer display, sometimes in [[engineering]] or the [[bridge]]. The display usually featured a large cutaway diagram of the vessel, and was used to provide a detailed overview of the ship's status.
+On [[Federation]] [[starship]]s and [[space station]]s, the '''master systems display''' (abbreviated '''MSD'''), also known as the '''master situation monitor''', or '''master situational display,''' was a large, wall-mounted computer display, sometimes in [[engineering]] or the [[bridge]]. The display usually featured a large cutaway diagram of the vessel, and was used to provide a detailed overview of the ship's operational status.
 The {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}} had its master systems display in engineering, along with a [[master systems display table]], while the starships {{USS|Voyager}}, {{USS|Defiant|2370}}, {{USS|Hathaway}}, {{USS|Equinox}}, {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-B|-B}}, and {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-E|-E}} all featured their displays on the bridge. ({{film|7}}; ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', {{TNG|Peak Performance}}; {{DS9|The Search, Part I}}, etc.; ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', {{VOY|Equinox|Equinox, Part II}})
@@ Line 33: / Line 33: @@
 | class="even" | <center>Firefight in front of ''Defiant''{{'}}s '''MSD'''</center>
 |}
-Originally, Scenic Art Supervisor [[Michael Okuda]] intended the "Master systems display" and the "Master situation monitor" to be two different objects. According to the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual]]'' (pp. 47-48) and the ''[[Star Trek Encyclopedia]]'' (3rd ed., pp. 291-292), the "[[Master systems display table|Master systems display]]" was the information console (affectionately dubbed the "pool table") seen in main [[engineering]] on board the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}}, {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-E|-E}}, and in the back of the bridge on the {{NX|01}}. The "Master situation monitor" was meant to refer to the wall mounted back-lit (cut-away) graphics of the ships in question. Neither of the two designations were initially seen on-screen in their entirety, though there were "Master situation" bridge work stations on both the {{USS|Excelsior}} and {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-A|-A}} in {{film|6}} (and, in ''Excelsior''{{'}}s case, in {{e|Flashback}} as well). None of the wall-mounted graphics had a caption "Master systems display" until Scenic Artist [[Doug Drexler]] updated the cut-away graphic for the {{Class|Defiant}}. Drexler gave it the caption "master systems display", which is legible in {{e|Shattered Mirror}} and {{e|One Little Ship}}. These were the only such graphics actually carrying the designation, as other MSDs were usually labeled with the ship's name, [[registry]], ship class, random numbering or any combination thereof.
+Originally, Scenic Art Supervisor [[Michael Okuda]] intended the "Master systems display" and the "Master situation monitor" to be two different objects altogether. According to the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual]]'' (pp. 47-48) and the ''[[Star Trek Encyclopedia]]'' (3rd ed., pp. 291-292), the "[[Master systems display table|Master systems display]]" was the information console (affectionately dubbed the "pool table") seen in main [[engineering]] on board the {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-D|-D}}, {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-E|-E}}, and in the back of the bridge on the {{NX|01}}. The "Master situation monitor" was meant to refer to the wall mounted back-lit (cut-away) graphics of the ships in question. Neither of the two designations were initially seen on-screen in their entirety, though there were "Master situation" bridge work stations on both the {{USS|Excelsior}} and {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701-A|-A}} in {{film|6}} (and, in ''Excelsior''{{'}}s case, in {{e|Flashback}} as well).
+None of the wall-mounted graphics ever had a caption "Master systems display" until Scenic Artist [[Doug Drexler]] updated the cut-away graphic for the {{Class|Defiant}}. Drexler gave it the caption "master systems display", which is legible in {{e|Shattered Mirror}} and {{e|One Little Ship}}. This was the only such graphic ever to actually carry the exact designation, as every other MSD, featured in the live-action franchise, was usually labeled with the ship's name, [[registry]], ship class, random numbering or any combination thereof.
 {| class="wiki-sidebar"
 |-
@@ Line 44: / Line 46: @@
 The first MSD was created for the sets of the ''Enterprise''-D. According to the ''Encyclopedia'' (3rd ed., p. 291), it included a number of in-jokes, including "the official USS ''Enterprise'' duck, the ship's mouse, a Porsche, a DC-3 airplane, the ''[[Nomad]]'' space probe, and the hamster on a treadmill that was alleged to be the true source of power for the ship's warp engines."
-The MSD terminology, no matter its original intent, was specifically introduced in ''The Next Generation'', though operations graphics displaying similar properties, had been featured in prior ''Star Trek'' incarnations, including ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', though up until that point in time they were not endowed with a designation. The earliest and best known such graphic was the large rudimentary graphic situated on the bulkhead right next to the [[turbolift]] doors on the bridge (on the left when entering the lift from the bridge) of the original {{Class|Constitution}} {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}}. A detailed operation schematics graphic, still unnamed, of the ''Constitution''-class {{USS|Defiant|NCC-1764}} was later seen in {{e|In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II}}.
+The MSD terminology, regardless of its original intent, was specifically introduced in ''The Next Generation'', though operations graphics displaying similar properties, had been featured in prior ''Star Trek'' incarnations, including ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', though up until that point in time they were not endowed with a designation. The earliest and best known such graphic was the large rudimentary graphic situated on the bulkhead right next to the [[turbolift]] doors on the bridge (on the left when entering the lift from the bridge) of the original {{Class|Constitution}} {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701}}. A detailed operation schematics graphic, still unnamed, of the ''Constitution''-class {{USS|Defiant|NCC-1764}} was later seen in {{e|In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II}}.
 === External links ===


Master situation bridge station	Firefight in front of Defiant's MSD


The earliest operations graphic	A Constitution-class operations schematic