Corridor Corridors located within starship s and space station s typically served as pathways or passageways to various stations or quarters , and as lengthy hallways through which one accessed various rooms . Starfleet . In order to maximize the use of space aboard Starfleet vessels , the corridor system was designed to provide more than simply access from room to room . Several safety and survival features were built into the walls and ceilings , as were running lights to indicate whenever the starship was operating under alert status . Corridors on board Starfleet vessels were usually of two types : radial ( those which ran outward , pointing toward the outer hull ) and concentric ( those which lay in rings , interconnecting the radial corridors ) . The angled surfaces of each concealed different support structures . Radial corridors were angled on either side . Their walls concealed a variety of supply lines and conduction systems , data networks , and power trunks . These systems were accessible by the removal of the snap - locked panels which cover them , and all were marked . The ship ' s concentric corridors housed personnel support systems . In each corridor segment , an emergency survival compartment existed which provides atmosphere , food and communication s for one crew member ; this provision was to be used should sudden decompression of the ship interior occur due to hull damage or life support failure . On board starships in service since the twenty - fourth century , force field s could be erected in corridors to confine intruders . " Constitution " - class . Corridors on board starships of the had been exceptionally wide on vessels on the original configuration . With the refit of the class came an extensive redesign of the corridors . The corridors were now color - coded for identification of deck level . The panels of those on Deck 5 , which housed the crew quarters of most of the ship ' s officer s , were covered by a layer of red padding to help protect against injury during any unlikely sudden ship movement . Most corridors on board were colored silver . Those within the engineering hull appeared blue due to different lighting arrangements within that section of the ship . ( ) " In the alternate reality , corridors were white with circular walls and black floors . Hallways that connected the more livable parts of the ship with engineering and the shuttlebay used those rooms ' pipes and boilers as impromptu walls and ceilings . The ship ' s size also afforded space for a lobby . " ( ; ; ) " Galaxy " - class . Starships of the featured wide and comfortable corridors similar in arrangement to starships of the " Constitution " - class : concentric corridors echoed the shape of the primary hull and were interconnected with radial corridors . The latter were similar in design to those on board " Constitution " - class starships ; the concentric corridors of the " Galaxy " - class , however , were more wide and allowed crew and guests direct computer access through panels mounted against either wall of the corridors . This allowed users to be directed to their destination of choice . ( ) In 2364 , on board the " Galaxy " - class starship Dr . Beverly Crusher looked for , but failed to find , Lieutenant jg Geordi La Forge in a corridor when he fled sickbay while being treated for a mysterious illness . ( ) " Intrepid " - class . Corridors on board starships of the were all identical in concentric design . Provisions were concealed behind panels , but the ship ' s corridors lacked any form of padding to protect crew against injury . In 2371 , on board the " Intrepid " - class starship , Lieutenants Commander Tuvok and Chakotay took advantage of their relative seclusion in one of the ship ' s corridors to discuss , and air their disagreements regarding , a conflict between B ' Elanna Torres and Lieutenant Joe Carey . ( ) The lower maintenance decks such as Deck 15 , not used as often as much of the rest of the ship , were noticeably less well - lit , and thinner , allowing less room for people to pass . ( ) Other . A gallery of other Starfleet corridor designs : Cardassian . Corridors on board starships and space station s of the Cardassian Union reflected the Cardassian preference of balance , angles , and hard metallic surfaces and dark colors . Cardassians believed in honesty in design and wished to see the columns and beams that made up a structure rather than disguising them with cosmetic treatment . Corridors on board the former Cardassian space station Deep Space 9 reflected this design philosophy in being darker and harsher than those on board starships and space stations of the Federation Starfleet . In 2369 , Tosk tampered with an access panel in one of Deep Space 9 ' s corridors in an attempt to gain access to the station ' s weapons locker . ( ) In 2373 , Nog and Jake Sisko confronted Kai Winn Adami within one of Deep Space 9 ' s corridors over her suspected role in acquiring a Willie Mays rookie year baseball card from an auction . ( ) Romulan . Interiors on board starships of the Romulan Star Empire were spartan and functional . Thus , corridors on board Romulan vessels were wide , allowing quick and unrestricted access throughout the ship . Computer panels were provided throughout ship corridors , mounted against both sides of the wall , allowing easy access to ship systems . ( ) Background information . Throughout various episodes of the " Star Trek " franchise , starship and space station corridors occasionally served as the sites of plot developments and action scenes enhancing the narratives . " Constitution " - class . The corridors of the as seen in were retouched from the corridors with a more metallic finish , which were in turn repainted from the original " Enterprise " ' s metallic appearance , which the sets were originally built for as part of pre - production of " " in the late seventies . These versatile sets represented dozens of starship interiors before being taken down in 1994 after , over 15 years after their screen debut in . " Galaxy " - class . The interior sets for the " The Next Generation Enterprise " were built over those that had been constructed for " The Motion Picture " . However , in order to reflect the advancements that had been made by the twenty - fourth century , according to Herman Zimmerman , who served as production designer on the show ' s first season , " " Gene [ Roddenberry ] wanted softer colors , he wanted carpets on the floors , he wanted space to swing your arms . [ . . . ] It was a much more comfortable , user - friendly ship than we had seen before [ . . . ] " " The corridors were only cosmetically upgraded compared to those that had served " The Motion Picture " . " " One of the really brilliant things about Hal Michaelson ' s design of the corridors , " " recalls Zimmerman , " " was the aluminum panels , which could be popped off , and behind which you find just about anything . You could find vital equipment , you could find stores , you could find a lifeboat , whatever the particular episode needed just by saying , ' We ' ve never seen this part of the corridor before , and this is what its function is ' . " " All the while , the design team had to avoid being compared to a hotel . According to Zimmerman , the " Enterprise " - D had been called the " Hyatt Regency in space " . The design team chose to avoid squareness to doors and windows . " " They ' re all rounded , some more than others , " " says Zimmerman . " " Everything is made of metal , of course , but its hard edge has been softened by the lines of the openings and the beam structure that we live inside , that contains us within the skin of the vessel . " " " Intrepid " - class . The corridor sets for the " Intrepid " - class starship " Voyager " were designed and constructed under the supervision of Production Designer Richard James . According to Wendy Drapanas , scenic artist on , the corridor sets which had served were extended , " " so we have a longer ' walking , talking ' corridor area for filming as opposed to the " Enterprise " . We don ' t have to fake it as much on " Voyager " as we did the corridor shots on the " Enterprise " . This gives the ship a longer look . Richard James also gave it more of the gray look , which brings it down in size a bit and gives it that cruiser / destroyer look . " " " Sovereign " - class . The corridors on board the were designed under Herman Zimmerman ' s supervision by John Eaves . " " The shape is basically a horseshoe , " " says Eaves , " " [ . . . ] a wide U with a dropped notch in its center . Down that notch , I can a section of overhead lights ; then it returns back up and makes a little alcove on the top . We also had side panels with narrow , long displays that could be used for monitors or whatever else was needed , and handrails on the inner curves . Herman [ Zimmerman ] wanted the panels to be removable , so that when the Borg assimilate the ship , the old panels could be replaced with ' Borg panels ' . Atop those ' Borg panels ' were ' Borg alcoves , ' designed by Bill Hawkins . The alcoves were used to house inactive Borg , so that the corridors and decks were lined with Borg drone s . " " In addition , the very versatile corridors were used for hatches for lifeboats . " " We made a section of corridor with all these hatches that folded up ; they were vacuum - formed pieces . John Dwyer and Bill Dolan were the set dressers on the film , and John D . came up with this vacuum - formed piece he ' d found that was - believe it or not - the hood off an old Camaro . And it made a " perfect " hatch . " " " " We also wound up designing a lot of ' ends , ' which are pieces that you can put at the back of a particular set , to create different areas of the ship . We could take a corridor and put a Jefferies tube end piece on it , or a hatchway . And we had a lot of corridor - two full quarter - circles of it , with a couple of T - intersections and walkways . You could walk for a good five minutes from the engine room set through Jefferies tubes without ever walking out of the set " as those on the " Enterprise " . Perhaps most notable are the automatic doors on Deep Space 9 – large , round , and cog - wheeled , the doors roll nosily out of the way and then roll ominously shut . One gets the feeling that , while the smooth , almost soundless doors on board the Enterprise would not , and almost certainly could not , close on you , it seems likely that Cardassian safety features were not so rigorous , and that being caught in the way of one of these portals would really hurt . " "