OK so is that forward sunken station an auxiliary systems console or something else?
It's an aftermarket helm console. The general idea of this bridge is that the ship was refit shortly after the Dominion War to bring it up to standards, but mostly it was software upgrades and the overall structure was mostly the same. The helm was an addition so that tactical and ops could both be in the center section. We tried a couple of different console styles and I thought that the Budapest both fit the space best and looked like someone at the shipyard saw the order for a helm and grabbed on from a modern ship.
One thing you might consider with the side consoles is testing the curved ones you used for the Swiftsure instead. That would fit how the Enterprise-E had angled consoles at those positions, which more closely fit the change in the floor.
Not only does Worf get a seat, he gets a display that doesn't require him to look down all day and hurt his neck.
Very pleased with how using a non-matte texture for the floor is turning out, and also the lighting. We were worried that removing most of the overhead lighting in favor of just the central might be too dark, but instead it's really brought out the LCARs and secondary sources.
Over the years I've increasingly grown sympathetic to the idea that the Excelsior is closer to the six to seven hundred meter range rather than the 467 listed in sources like the encyclopedia and tech manuals.