Emmy-winning artist and designer Doug Drexler reflects on a lifetime shaping the look of Star Trek—and the new documentary that finally tells his story.
If you’re a fan of Star Trek’s sleek starships, intricate consoles, and immersive 1990s world-building, you’ve already seen Doug Drexler’s artistry at work. The Emmy-winning designer, makeup artist, and digital modeler helped define the look of Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise. Though his name often appears deep in the credits, Drexler’s creative fingerprints are everywhere across the franchise.
Now, after decades of shaping Star Trek behind the scenes, Drexler is stepping into the spotlight. His new project, TREK STAR: The Doug Drexler Documentary, is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, offering fans a closer look at the man who helped build the Star Trek universe. We spoke with Doug about his lifelong connection to Trek, his design philosophy, and the documentary that’s finally telling his story.
First Contact: Falling in Love with the Enterprise
Drexler’s Star Trek journey began with the original U.S.S. Enterprise—a ship unlike anything else on 1960s television.
“It was a time when there wasn’t much science fiction, and what did exist was kind of silly,” Doug recalled. “If a show had a spaceship, it was usually a flying saucer or a cigar-shaped rocket with wings—and it always landed. Star Trek broke that mold.”
The Enterprise, he said, captured his imagination immediately.
“It wasn’t a rocket ship. It was something else—something extraordinary. Every designer who came after Matt Jefferies, myself included, has just been restyling his original vision.”
That fascination with technical authenticity became Drexler’s hallmark. His illustrations and schematics filled The Star Trek Encyclopedia, Star Trek Chronology, and The Deep Space Nine Technical Manual, giving fictional technologies a sense of real-world logic.
“It’s in my DNA,” he said. “My dad had a TV repair shop, so I grew up surrounded by circuits and machines. I think that made me want to understand how everything on Star Trek actually worked.”
The Enterprise Reimagined
Even as a lifelong fan of The Original Series, Drexler admits he had mixed feelings about the 2006 CGI remaster.
“There’s a lot of great work there,” he said, “but I have strong opinions about how those shots should have been done. Even if you’re using computer graphics, the cinematography should feel like the 1960s—locked-down cameras, no wild banking or spins. Some shots got that right, but others took me right out of it.”
In an ideal world, Drexler would have filmed new shots using the original 11-foot Enterprise model housed at the Smithsonian.
He also shared thoughts on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ updated Enterprise design.
“They did a beautiful job,” he said, “but it’s not the bridge from the old show. It’s very curvy—mid-century modern. We proved with episodes like Trials and Tribble-ations and In a Mirror, Darkly that you can update those classic designs while keeping their soul.”
Still, he concedes with a smile, “In science fiction, you can make up any damn reason you want to do anything.”
Creatures of Space
If you want to get Doug Drexler fired up, mention ships that land on planets.
“Don’t get me started,” he laughed. “When they asked me to add landing gear to Voyager’s cross-section, I said ‘nooo!’ As a kid, I loved that the Enterprise didn’t land. It made starships feel like creatures of space.”
That phrase—“creatures of space”—originated with Gene Roddenberry and became central to Drexler’s design philosophy. He also favors ships with a “neck,” connecting the saucer and engineering sections—something missing from later, battle-oriented vessels like the Sovereign and Intrepid classes.
“The Sovereign is a great design,” he said, “but it was built for war. The Enterprise-D, on the other hand, was for families and exploration. That’s what Starfleet should be about.”
Drexler’s creative drive comes from the same curiosity that led him behind the camera in the first place.
“I was obsessed with The Making of Star Trek book,” he said. “The behind-the-scenes drama—how the show was actually made—was even more exciting than the stories on screen. That’s what pulled me into production.”
A Return to the Bridge
Drexler’s recent return to Trek came with Star Trek: Picard’s final season, which recreated the Enterprise-D bridge down to the smallest detail.
“That set touched everyone’s hearts,” he said. “It was emotional for the actors, and for those of us who built it. Picard was all about coming full circle—for the story and for us behind the scenes.”
He also helped design several ships for the series, including Beverly Crusher’s SS Eleos XII, the USS Stargazer, the Excelsior II class, and the Constitution III class—the hero ship of Picard’s finale.
“There’s a piece of me in every design I work on,” Drexler said.
Despite joking that he “should be retired,” Doug remains eager to return to Trek—or even to The Orville, where he recently contributed ship designs.
His Turn in the Spotlight
After a lifetime spent crafting the visuals of Star Trek, Drexler’s own story is finally being told. His collaboration with director Jason Smith—sparked by a chance meeting—became TREK STAR: The Doug Drexler Documentary, now in its final days of crowdfunding on Kickstarter.
“After losing my wife, I realized I wanted to tell my story,” Doug said. “Jason took the memoir I was writing and built it into a documentary.”
The Kickstarter campaign features exclusive videos of Doug discussing his designs—like a segment where he revisits the NX-01 Enterprise model he created for Enterprise.
“Unless you’re a writer, producer, or actor, most documentaries gloss over you,” he said. “But the people designing the ships and sets—they are Star Trek. They make the universe real.”
As for the title, Trek Star, Drexler grinned.
“It’s a play on words, sure, but I’m not calling myself a star. The lucky star in my life has been Star Trek. I think fans will relate to that—to being so passionate about something that it shapes your life.”
Fans can back TREK STAR on Kickstarter through November 19 at 7 p.m. EST, with pledge tiers ranging from $1 to $10,000 and rewards that include authentic artifacts from Drexler’s career. If successfully funded, the film is slated for a 2026 release.
For more information, visit DrexlerFilm.com.
Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Star Trek: Section 31, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Prodigy, and more.