It never has been mentioned, to my knowledge, anywhere in Star Trek, but after re-watching the TNG episode “Data’s Day”, I am convinced that the Enterprise-D has a three-dimensional viewscreen on the bridge.
In the last few minutes of the episode, Captain Picard is talking to the Commander of a Romulan ship. When the camera is positioned directly in front of the viewscreen, we see the Romulan Commander straight on, as expected.
A few seconds later, however, the camera cuts to a shot where we see the main viewer at an angle. What we should see on the screen is like what you would see if you displayed the above picture on your monitor, then viewed your monitor from a 45-degree angle; no extra detail and some distortion of the details that are there. Instead, we see this image:
Instead of the flat, distorted picture we should see at that angle, we see detail that doesn’t show up in the straight-on view: the curve of the back of the Commander’s head, the doorway that’s to his right, the way the necktie-looking thingumy on the front of his uniform is above the uniform, not just a flat pattern on his shirt …
Personally, I can’t wait for television to develop this technology. Three-D without having to wear goofy glasses or cross your eyes would be too awesome!
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