Paramount Stage 8

Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

The current Paramount Pictures logo

Paramount Stage 8 is located on the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood, California.

Stage 8 was used in most Star Trek productions including the first seven feature films, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager.

It was used through the four year run of Star Trek: Enterprise, and most recently for the 2009 film Star Trek.

1978

File:Voyager6.jpg

Interior V'ger

According to blueprints published in the book Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series ^{(citation needed • edit)} by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, sets intended for use in Phase II were to have been built on Stage 8.

Although sets were built and screen tests carried out, when that series gave way to production of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, they were revamped, and the stage provided additional several key locations. [1]^(X)

The office of Admiral Nogura, the interior sets of V'ger (which included the full-size mock up of the Voyager 6 probe), and the refit Enterprise rec deck were all built within Stage 8. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, pp. 93, 95)

The rec deck set was so large that it occupied the entire stage and had to be struck to make room for other sets. (The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, pp. 93, 95)

Paramount Stage 9 housed most of the remaining Enterprise interiors used in the first six feature films.

1988-1994

Main bridge from Star Trek: The Next Generation

Floor plan

Beginning with the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stage 8 housed several key sets that stood for the duration of that series and the next, and that also served in the production of several feature films.

In season one, Stage 6 contained the USS Enterprise-D's main bridge, captain's ready room, and living quarters sets.

The television series The Colbys was shot on Stage 8, adjacent to the remaining TNG sets on Stage 9. When that series was cancelled in 1988 the larger Stage 8 became available, and Michael Schoenbrun, vice president of production for Paramount Television, budgeted for the sets to be moved there. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 3rd edition, page 9, Star Trek: The Next Generation 365, 01|071)

The bridge set was dismantled and moved by the grip department, but they apparently did not understand the set well enough to reassemble it. After the move, they discovered about eighteen extra inches of set on one side. They removed an equal amount of set from the opposite side to compensate. (Star Trek: The Next Generation 365, 01|071)

The relocated sets were joined by a newly-built observation lounge (in season 1, sickbay doubled as the observation lounge) as well as the new Ten Forward set. ([2]^(X) ; Memories of the Future, Volume 1, p.14, Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 3rd edition, page 9) Despite the additional room provided by the new stage, however, the observation lounge set could not be attached to the bridge and was positioned a few feet away from the bridge's starboard side.

Ten Forward was constructed across the corridor from the existing living quarters sets, which featured wild walls that could be moved to create different spaces to represent different quarters. Ten Forward was the last set to be supervised by Herman Zimmerman before he left the series. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 3rd edition, page 66, Star Trek: The Next Generation 365, 02|074)

On 7 December 1990, Stage 8 was used for second unit and insert shots for the episodes "Data's Day" and "Devil's Due". The sets included the shuttle interior, the holodeck, the Atheneum, and the computer display scenes in the replicating center.

The observation lounge set was redressed in 1991 for use in the film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as the USS Enterprise-A's mess hall. The Ten Forward lounge was also redressed for use as the UFP President's office. Both were later restored for the rest of TNG, the observation lounge with minor changes.

A scene shot for the movie included actually blowing the observation lounge set up. It has been rumored that the set was so severely damaged that it could not be rebuilt exactly as it had been in TNG and so a new wall was built to replace the original design. ^{(citation needed • edit)}

The next major redress of the sets in Stage 8 came in 1994 for the following motion picture, Star Trek Generations. The redress included minor changes made to the main bridge for its transition to the big screen. It received a new copper ceiling, darker brown walls with silver metallic accents, and additional work stations. The ready room was also given a larger window and aquarium for Livingston. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 3rd edition, page 312) The Enterprise bridge was demolished in May 1994. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 3rd edition, page 321)

1994-2001

After its use in Generations, the Enterprise bridge set was struck and a new set was constructed in its place.

Main bridge from Star Trek: Voyager

Roughly the same size as the original set, the bridge for the USS Voyager featured two additional sets, the ship's briefing room and captain's ready room, [3] attached to and flanking its port and starboard sides.

Both sets, however, featured elements left over from the old Ten Forward set (A Vision of the Future - Star Trek: Voyager, centerfold), which itself was heavily modified to become the Voyager mess hall. (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 4, page 69)

The living quarters and corridor outside of the mess hall remained mostly unchanged, the most significant modification being made to the shape and design of the windows so that they would match the exterior model.

The quarters doubled as Chakotay's and Tuvok's respective offices, as well as Harry Kim's ready room aboard the USS Rhode Island in "Endgame". (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 4, page 69)

Stage 8 also contained craft services, an equipment repair room, a prop storage room, and an area for makeup and hairstyling. (A Vision of the Future - Star Trek: Voyager, page 85)

Stage 9 housed the remaining Voyager interiors used in VOY.

In 1998, Voyager's observation lounge and ready room interiors underwent temporary modification for the ninth Star Trek feature, Star Trek: Insurrection. The sets became Commander Riker's quarters and Counselor Troi's office, respectively. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, 3rd edition, page 341)

Last day of shooting in the mess hall set was 26 March 2001, for the crew quarters (dressed as the Rhode Island ready room) on 28 March 2001. On 29 March 2001, the sets were demolished, including the corridor and turbolift between them. They were completely removed by 3 April 2001. A section of the USS Rhode Island bridge was built starting 30 March 2001 next to the remains of the mess hall.

2001-2005

Sickbay from Star Trek: Enterprise

In 2001, following the end of Voyager's final season, Stage 8 underwent its most significant reconstruction in recent years. All of the sets used in Voyager were struck and replaced for the next series, Enterprise. The sets began construction as early as 9 April 2001, before the Voyager bridge had been demolished. (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 4, page 71)

Rather than housing the main bridge, however, Stage 8 was occupied by Enterprise's sickbay, crew quarters, mess hall, and captain's dining room, as well as a complex of corridor sets constructed in two concentric rings representing the structure of Enterprise NX-01's saucer section. All of these sets were connected as they were supposed to be on the "real" starship allowing for longer, continuous scenes to be shot within the stage. Paramount Stage 18 housed the remaining NX-01 interior sets used in Enterprise.

Additional room in Stage 8 was used for temporary swing sets needed for various episodes, such as:

• Turbolift interior (ENT: "Terra Nova")
• Atrium, doorway, and corridor at the monastery at P'Jem (ENT: "The Andorian Incident")
• T'Pol's quarters (ENT: "Breaking the Ice")
• Curio shop and Akaali city streets (ENT: "Civilization")
• Admiral Maxwell Forrest's office, Jonathan Archer's quarters, the bridge of the ECS Fortunate, and the Nausicaan ship bridge (ENT: "Fortunate Son")
• Shuttlepod interior and the balconies of Jonathan Archer's and Keyla's apartments on Risa (ENT: "Two Days and Two Nights")
• Vulcan auxiliary control room (ENT: "Impulse")

Paramount Stage 8 housed the control room of the computers that ran the display screens in sickbay. It was also the place where a tiny office for the assistant directors and a small storage room of the sound department was located. ("The Andorian Incident", text commentary, ENT Season 1 DVD special feature)

Following the end of Enterprise's fourth season, the NX-01 interiors were struck and, for the first time in more than a decade, non-Star Trek productions began filming within Stage 8.

2007-2008

In May 2007, The Trek Movie Report website reported that J.J. Abrams' 2009 film, Star Trek, would – in part – be filmed on Paramount's Stage 8.

Set construction reportedly began in July 2007, utilizing other "historic" Star Trek sound stages including Stages 9, 11, 14, 15, and 18. [4] The film wrapped production on 27 March 2008. [5]

Productions

• Star Trek: Phase II
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• Star Trek Generations
• Star Trek: Voyager
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges"
• Star Trek: Enterprise
• Star Trek (2009)

Sources

• Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Star Trek Phase II: The Lost Series
• Stephen Edward Poe, A Vision of the Future - Star Trek: Voyager

External links

• Paramount Pictures – official website
• StarTrek.com, the official Star Trek website
• Coordinates