Award-winning designer Doug Drexler reflects on his career on Star Trek, The Orville and more

Examining the Mission Control set before a shoot on “For All Mankind,” Drexler is now a designer for the sci-fi series “The Orville.” (Courtesy Doug Drexler)

MAY 27, 2021 - Academy Award winner Doug Drexler is a man who needs little introduction to the Star Trek community. For 30 years, he has contributed to the franchise in numerous ways - as a makeup artist, visual effects artist, illustrator, designer, and consultant. Drexler’s talents have been used on four different Star Trek series and all four of the TNG films, in addition to various collaborations, projects and documentaries. Speaking with Air & Space Magazine, the 68-year-old artist shared some of his thoughts on what inspired him to pursue the arts, and learning to thrive under pressure in the business of visual effects. The interview was conducted last December and is published in the June/July 2021 issue of Air & Space Magazine.

As a child in the mid-1960s, Drexler was lucky enough to regularly attend the New York World’s Fair, and immersed himself in the possibilities of the future. When Star Trek first aired in 1966, it was a moment that Drexler said “affected the whole direction of [his] life”. He went on to say, “It was so obvious that whoever was behind the show was a science fiction fan, which Gene Roddenberry was. So I was really impacted by [...] the ideas and the way they portrayed them.”

Drexler went on to point out the finer details of the Stephen Whitfield book “The Making of Star Trek”, which, even by modern standards, is still considered to be one of the finest examples of television production, decades after it was first published. “It was an epiphany getting to read that book, and relate it to this television show,” Drexler said. “That’s really where I started training [for a career in television production].”

More recently, Drexler joined the visual effects crew for the third season of the Trek-alike series The Orville, which resumed production in December. While the series is very much an homage to Star Trek, there are still artistic differences to overcome. Reflecting on his long career, Drexler laughed, “Every show is like a different circus. [...] Every director is a different ringmaster. [...] You have to be ready for anything.”

With that in mind, Drexler noted that stress is a part of the job, even though “job” may not be the right word. “It’s never felt like a job to me,” he told Air & Space.

To read the full coverage of the interview, which includes Drexler’s thoughts on comic books, his favorite Star Trek series and characters, and memories of his time working on Star Trek, check out the June/July 2021 issue of Air & Space Magazine, or visit AirSpaceMag.com.