On-screen evidence can sometimes be tricky. Take the orientation of the bridge on the original-series Enterprise. The turbolift runs up the “neck” that connects the primary and secondary hulls, so the doors on the lift must be at the back of the bridge, relative to the centreline of the ship. That would locate them directly behind the command chair. 

But that’s not what we see on screen. Instead, the doors are behind but over to the left of the command chair. This decision was made for camera angles and dramatic shots, but how do we square it with the “real world” of the Enterprise? There are two explanations. 

Theory one: Joseph’s offset

Franz Joseph’s Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual, first printed in 1975 and beloved of a generation of trekkers, offers an elegant and mathematically sound solution: the bridge is rotated 36 degrees to port from the centreline. This accounts for the location of the lift relative to the command chair.

But that means the crew is not facing forward as the ship speeds towards Earth Outpost Four, or wherever. I had no problem with that when I got my first copy of the manual; I was just thrilled to have the diagram of the bridge and the rotation seemed a fine explanation. After all, the viewscreen is not a window that has to point forward. Also, the crew would not feel odd travelling at a 36-degree offset to their perceived direction as the ship must have technology that compensates for speed and direction changes. Otherwise, the jump to warp speed would liquify the crew. (This technology is the inertial dampeners but I believe that term was not used on-screen until The Next Generation.)    

Theory two: the lift-car storage area

Some fans could not accept this explanation, so there is an alternative: a turbolift car arriving at the top of the shaft would jog to the left a little before the doors opened. We know the cars travel horizontally as well as vertically, and this little bit of lateral travel eliminates the need for the offset. 

The theory also suggests there are multiple cars in the lift system, and there is a small “parking area” along the outer edge of the saucer, with cars waiting for passengers. 

This explains how, in The Alternative Factor, Lazarus can exit the bridge and then a security guard can step into a different car a few seconds later. 

Theory two is correct. Here’s the evidence

The Cage opens with proof that the lift cars take a quick sidestep just before the doors open on the bridge. This scene shows that the lift tube is located behind the command chair, while the doors are a number of degrees over. The cars must traverse that short distance. 

I am afraid that Franz Joseph, brilliant though he was, got this detail wrong. 

And there is one more piece of evidence. When the Enterprise encounters sudden resistance, the crew is thrown directly forward — as if the bridge is oriented along the ship’s centreline. For example, in The Immunity Syndrome the crew lurches towards the viewscreen as the ship first enters the body. Scotty staggers in from the right going in a different direction and then everyone starts flying all over the place (especially that poor guy tipping over the railing near the end) but it’s fair to say that the intent of the scene is that the bridge is oriented in line with the ship’s forward motion.

The remastered version of this episode does a good job of explaining this by showing the Enterprise being buffeted in different directions as soon as it penetrates the boundary, but I am an original effects guy.

This forward motion is more clearly visible in The Wrath of Khan, but as some people pointed out (notably Mark Farinas, @trekcomic on Twitter X) that bridge could have been reconfigured during the refit. (It’s fun to note that all the crew lurch forward except for Kirk. It looks like Shatner wanted his character to appear especially unmovable in this moment.) 

The Cage and The Immunity Syndrome present the best evidence that the bridge is not rotated off the centreline. And that confirms Kirk is looking directly towards where his ship will go during his “Out there. Thataway” gesture at the end of The Motion Picture.