The Daystrom Conference Room and adjacent Starfleet interiors were represented with a soundstage set. The area of the set alloted for the conference room was rigged, by the film's special effects team, with multiple impacts seemingly targeting Starfleet personnel. Director J.J. Abrams intended to do as much of the sequence in live-action as possible. "It was total mayhem," remarked Special Effects Supervisor Burt Dalton. "We had to blast through the glass and then blow out chunks of the set aiming at specific people [....] We spent weeks rigging tables, lights and walls." To shatter windows behind Kirk, the special effects group staged a clean plate of the exploding window, then took the glass away and set air mortars up to shoot fragments of silicone glass past a stunt double of Kirk actor Chris Pine. Dalton additionally rigged close-up pyrotechnic hits near cast members. "We pumped pressurized propane gas into black balloons and taped those a foot or two from each actor," he recalled. "When we hit the balloons with igniter squibs, the propane was under so much pressure it made a flash that dispersed very quickly. They were extremely safe, and very visual." The sequence was augmented with various CGI elements generated by Pixomondo Berlin Effects Supervisor Pieter Mentz, who inserted digital destruction into the footage. (Cinefex, No. 134, p. 82)
Whereas creation of nighttime views showing the high-rise building amid a three-dimensional cityscape was overseen by Pixomondo London Visual Effects Division Supervisor Simon Carr, exteriors of Kirk trying to shoot down Khan's gunship from a high window were created by Pixomondo Berlin. As such, environment enhancements were among the digital aspects that Pieter Mentz added to the sequence. The group of shots that Pixomondo Berlin created involved environment extensions of floors above and below the conference room, modeled with interior details including furniture and topped with the landing pad, one floor above. The design of the building correlated with the conference room set designs. (Cinefex, No. 134, pp. 82 & 76)
