The black acrylic accent band on these wall flats was theoretically a large computer display surface. One could touch the panel at any point in the corridor and access the computer to ask for directions. (If, of course, the panel had been rigged to do so.) The woodgrain hand rail was added at Gene Roddenberry's request. Gene wanted to show that the crew of his futuristic starship valued the beauty of natural materials from their home planet.