Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542693
this window outside to be as breathtaking as the spatial volume itself. It would need to push light into every corner of our interiors, banishing the shadows of the Discovery era. Every sci-fi show has its own vocabulary and Star Trek has always pioneered a glossy, optimistic vision of a technologically enabled society. More than ever, this became the underlying philosophy. Previous attempts at the 32nd century took the show into glowy, amorphous, curvilinear territory, however, those sets were both expensive to build and hard to shape with light. From the outset, I had a strong idea of what this language might be— it would be composed of both circles and straight lines with a geometric confidence and a chunky muscularity to its form. It would also be unexpected in its use of materials: chrome accents, mirrored ceilings and bounced architectural lighting would replace the neon-edged sets of before. And there was one valuable addition, by way of Alex Kurtzman—wood. I'd asked him what material most reminded him of his collegiate days—lots of wood! And of California—wood again, in particular the craftsman-style of building with its sumptuously fitted wood-veneered interiors. Back in my architectural days, I'd had a long- lived preoccupation with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and together we wondered what the Prairie Style might have evolved into by the 32nd century. My partner at the time was living in Chicago and on my next visit, I toured the Roby House and was swept away by its modern flowing space, framed vignettes and overlapping geometry. The showrunners felt it resonated with the character of our captain, Nahla Ake, a member of the long-living Lanthanide species, who had coexisted with humans unnoticed for C. USS ATHENA ATRIUM. ILLUSTRATION CREATED IN RHINO AND BLENDER BY ALYSSIA MA. SECOND-FLOOR VIEW LOOKING ONTO CHERRY TREES AND REFLECTING POOLS . D. USS ATHENA ATRIUM. A 2-STORY VIDEO-WALL ACTS AS A GIANT ANIMATED BACKDROP IN THE ATRIUM. SET PHOTO. E. USS ATHENA ATRIUM. VIEW OF THE ATRIUM FROM THE MESS HALL LOOKING TOWARD THE STAIRS AND VIDEO-WALL. SET PHOTO. F. NAHLA'S OFFICE. ILLUSTRATION BY NELSO CHENG CREATED IN RHINO AND V-RAY. THE VIEW FROM THE FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT-INSPIRED CHANCELLOR'S OFFICE IS A REAR-PROJECTION SCREEN WITH MULTIPLE DIGITAL ASSETS. G. NAHLA'S OFFICE. THE CHANCELLOR'S OFFICE INCLUDES A WORKING GAS FIREPLACE, TERRARIUM AND LIGHT-WELL AT CENTER. PRODUCTION STILL. C G H E D F G