Rick Sternbach and Michael Okuda who worked in TNG's scenic arts department were known to fool around with things on the show.
But they had much more fun than that, they referenced people and friends, and other shows in Bridge dedication plaques and in shuttlecraft names. For instance the bridge dedication plaque on the Excelsior in ST:VI bore the motto, "No matter where you are, there you are," which is from the film "Buckaroo Banzai". But in the TNG episode "Pen Pals" the 'spectral analyser' used in the geology lab is actually the real 'Oscillation overthruster' from that film.
One of the controls never seen on the impulse drive schematic panel in Main Engineering is the "Infinite Improbability Generator", a reference from the "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
But the best thing I've been shown is in their book: The "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Technical Manual. You may need a small magnifying glass for this, but if you have the book look on page 11 at the picture of the Enterprise-D:
In the saucer section, right above the Captain's Yacht, there is a duck. A half inch to the left and a little bit down, there is a mouse. Slightly to the right of the mouse, there is a "Slippery When Wet" sign. In the shuttle bay, there are three big shuttles, two small shuttles, and a Porsche. To the right of the duck, about one inch, there is a DC-3 cargo aircraft, and, in that same rectangle, there is a symbol of a woman and a child ( apparently, the symbol for Canada's "Family" rating for movies). Also, right under the warp pylons, there is a registered trademark symbol. In addition, there is an image of NOMAD on it's side, center of the saucer section, forward.
But they had much more fun than that, they referenced people and friends, and other shows in Bridge dedication plaques and in shuttlecraft names. For instance the bridge dedication plaque on the Excelsior in ST:VI bore the motto, "No matter where you are, there you are," which is from the film "Buckaroo Banzai". But in the TNG episode "Pen Pals" the 'spectral analyser' used in the geology lab is actually the real 'Oscillation overthruster' from that film.
One of the controls never seen on the impulse drive schematic panel in Main Engineering is the "Infinite Improbability Generator", a reference from the "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
But the best thing I've been shown is in their book: The "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Technical Manual. You may need a small magnifying glass for this, but if you have the book look on page 11 at the picture of the Enterprise-D:
In the saucer section, right above the Captain's Yacht, there is a duck. A half inch to the left and a little bit down, there is a mouse. Slightly to the right of the mouse, there is a "Slippery When Wet" sign. In the shuttle bay, there are three big shuttles, two small shuttles, and a Porsche. To the right of the duck, about one inch, there is a DC-3 cargo aircraft, and, in that same rectangle, there is a symbol of a woman and a child ( apparently, the symbol for Canada's "Family" rating for movies). Also, right under the warp pylons, there is a registered trademark symbol. In addition, there is an image of NOMAD on it's side, center of the saucer section, forward.
