 The most laborious effects sequences took place inside Spacedock ; months were spent completing the station 's interior shots . The effects crew tested different looks to make sure the dock interior seemed appropriately vast . " We found the interior demanded some degree of atmospheric haze , even though there probably wouldn 't be any in space , " Farrar said . To create a slightly degraded look , the crew used blue color gels for lights and shot through smoke for fill shots . They switched to diffusion filters for light passes , as using smoke for longer shots would have required time @-@ consuming smoke level monitoring . Due to difference in the scales of the dock and ship models , it was impossible to film the Excelsior and Enterprise inside the set . Opening the dock 's space doors was problematic because the lights illuminating the inside of the dock from the exterior had to be hidden from the camera to prevent lens flares . Massive fans were used to keep equipment cool and prevent the lights from melting or warping the dock 's interior artwork . The realism of the dock scenes was heightened by live action footage of a cafeteria , with windows overlooking the dock interior . The cafeteria was a set built at ILM and filled with 40 extras in front of a bluescreen so that the dock and Enterprise could be composited in later ; matte paintings extended the ceiling of the set . 
