Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1542693
Concept Designer Lee Fitzgerald, we based her fluted nacelle covers on the mythical wings of our goddess Athena. But on the bridge, we also wanted to feel her immutable pulse—our prolific motion graphics Art Director Tim Peel designed many animations for the back wall of the bridge. Alex and Noga both knew that this would play heavily in frame so chose the rhythm of animation that best suited Athena, a slow but steady cardiograph of her beating heart, the warp core… Shuttles, turbolifts, endless corridors—so much of Star Trek has always been about the journey. For a future where people can instantly teleport, it's curious at first that so much is written for these transient moments. And for Starfleet Academy, we really tried to redefine those experiences—our turbolifts now have seating for our large ensemble cast, our shuttles resemble drop-ships for our teams of cadets, and the corridors of Athena follow an endless curve that mimics the curvature of the hull and alludes to all that is unseen. Designing the dorms was an exercise in small- space functionality, a Swiss Army knife of a set with unobstructed sight-lines from every bunk, architectural components that can be substituted out and sensual lighting for our hopeful cadets. These spaces are all points of forced intimacy, where on a massive Federation vessel in the furthest reaches of the galaxy, our characters can all interact and reveal themselves. "A bit of flesh and blood in a universe without end." –Kirk In fact, so much of sci-fi is about portraying scale in the confines of a soundstage. In the days of the original Star Trek, this was with the use of glass matte paintings and miniatures. When VFX crept into use in the nineties, there became an obvious disconnect between what could be achieved in camera and these stand- APPROVED APPROVED E. EXTERIOR USS ATHENA. CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION BY LEE FITZGERALD. F. USS ATHENA TURBOLIFT. PRODUCTION STILL. G. USS ATHENA STUDENT QUARTERS. ILLUSTRATION BY ROY ZANDBOER. CREATED IN BLENDER AND OCTANE. H. USS ATHENA CORRIDOR. ILLUSTRATION BY ROY ZANDBOER. I. USS ATHENA CORRIDOR. PRODUCTION STILL. E F G H I