Battle bridge The battle bridge is a secondary bridge located on Federation starship s . Configurations . The had a battle bridge located on deck 19 . ( ) The battle bridge on starships was primarily designed for the control of the stardrive section in saucer separation scenarios . Located on deck 8 of the secondary hull , the battle bridge duplicated the strategic functions of the main bridge , with command , conn , ops , and tactical stations oriented toward a main viewscreen ; however , it lacked science and engineering station s . ( ) The main bridge and battle bridge were connected by a dedicated emergency turbolift which could also be accessed from other decks . ( ) The battle bridge could also be entered by standard turbolift or through a corridor on deck 8 . ( ) A small captain ' s ready room was located on the port side of the bridge , although it was much smaller than the one off the main bridge , and lacked a window . ( ) The battle bridge could potentially be used to control the entire docked ship in the event of damage to the main bridge , but the practice on the " Galaxy " - class was to coordinate recovery from main engineering . ( ) To keep in tune with changing technologies , the battle bridge was modular , like the main bridge . The " Enterprise " - D had at least two different battle bridges installed during its lifetime . The version launched with the ship had the captain ' s chair in the center , with conn and ops to the front of the captain , and tactical behind . Two duty stations were located at the back of the bridge , on the port and starboard rear walls . The tactical and rear stations were separated by turbolifts : the standard turbolift on the port side , and the emergency turbolift on the starboard side . ( ) By the time of the Battle of Wolf 359 in 2367 , the battle bridge had undergone a refit . The tactical position behind the captain had been moved to the port station , replaced by expanded information displays . The turbolift alcoves at the back of the bridge were also gone . ( ) " Enterprise " - D primary school science fair winner Paterson Supra hoped to see the battle bridge as part of a tour conducted by Captain Jean - Luc Picard in 2368 , but was disappointed to learn that the most exciting areas on the tour were hydroponics and astrophysics . After Paterson and two other children – Marissa Flores and Jay Gordon Graas – showed exceptional bravery during a crisis after the " Enterprise " - D hit several quantum filament s , Picard decided to take the group on a revised tour , starting with the battle bridge . ( ) Appendices . Background information . The addition of the battle bridge to the " Galaxy " - class layout was at the urging of concept artist Andrew Probert , while he was planning the saucer separation of the class . ( " " 3rd ed . , p . 9 ) " " Originally , the producers did not want a battle bridge ; that was essentially my concept , " " explained Probert . ( " " , p . 4 ) One concept sketch of the battle bridge was dated . ( " " 3rd ed . , p . 9 ) A set plan for the area , dated 26 March of the same year , was created by Production Designer Herman Zimmerman and Set Designer Richard McKenzie . The set was built on Paramount Stage 9 . ( " TNG Season 1 DVD , special feature " The Beginning " " ) Each time the battle bridge appeared , it did so with modifications . Despite the room appearing in only three episodes , the set was redressed for use as the bridge of other ships and miscellaneous rooms , multiple times . The set was built as the refit " Enterprise " bridge for " " , which later became . ( text commentary , " " DVD special features ) It was revealed in the sketch from 23 March that the battle bridge set was an inexpensive redress of the film " Enterprise " s bridge . Indeed , this set was the " Enterprise " bridge in the four subsequent as well , until – like most of the motion picture sets – it was remodeled into the " Enterprise " - D sets for in order to cut costs . By the end of the third season of " The Next Generation " , the battle bridge set had also been redressed as the bridge of the in , the bridge of the in , Starbase 173 ' s courtroom in , and the cybernetics lab aboard the " Enterprise " - D in . ( " Yesterday ' s Enterprise " & " The Offspring " audio commentaries , TNG Season 3 Blu - ray special features ) Restored by Herman Zimmerman as the bridge , the original set had , after the bridge scenes were shot for , been temporarily stored on the outside studio parking lot , in order to make room for other , new sets for the movie – more specifically , a massive , one - time - use - only shuttlebay set . A freak weather event completely wrecked the set beyond salvation , save for some parts such as the two turbolift s and the bridge platforms . This had necessitated the build of an almost entirely new " Enterprise " - A bridge set for . However , once rebuilt , the set had to do double duty as the bridge as well . It was one of the most overriding reasons why Zimmerman was also brought in on the movie , as he had been responsible for the bridge redesign for the previous movie in the first place . In the process , it also explains why the " Enterprise " - D received a new , updated battle bridge in " The Best of Both Worlds , Part II " . ( text commentary , " " DVD special features ; " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 22 , No . 5 , p . 35 ) Apocryphal . According to the comic " " , the alternate reality was equipped with a battle bridge .