Posted in: Movies, Star Trek, TV | Tagged: battlestar galactica, star trek, The Orville

Star Trek Designer on Criticisms, "Legacy" & "United" Return Interest

Star Trek designer Doug Drexler spoke with us about criticism of current Trek VFX, why he'd return for Legacy & United, Dick Tracy, and more.

Designer Doug Drexler has done it all in the realm of VFX, from makeup and visual effects from model miniatures to CG on some of the biggest sci-fi franchises, from Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and The Orville. His work on the latter two sci-fi shows was also driven by Trek alum and fans. Regarding Battlestar Galactica, writer Ronald D. Moore, who was the primary creative force during the franchise's syndicated years on The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, forever reshaped the Glen A. Larson series and built an empire for the SYFY series. In the case of The Orville, Seth MacFarlane built his sci-fi empire from his fandom playing Star Trek with his friends and making an appearance on UPN's Enterprise before he became the comedy force he is today. While promoting his documentary Trek Star: The Doug Drexler Documentary that he's collaborating with Jason E. Smith on Kickstarter, Drexler spoke with Bleeding Cool about how he feels Paramount+ Trek shows current reliance on newer technology has left some of the final product a little unpolished, how meticulous the process was when he worked VFX on Battlestar by comparison, if he's seen Moore's For All Mankind, what conditions he would return to the Star Trek franchise, why without his Oscar-winning work on Dick Tracy (1990), he would never landed Trek, and his future.

Star Trek Designer Doug Drexler on Current Trek Technology Gripe, Why He Will Only Return to Trek for Terry Matalas or Michael Sussman, and Dick Tracy

I've seen what Paramount incorporated with Star Trek, utilizing an Augmented Reality wall, which takes technology to the next level of immersion, placing you directly in a scene, rather than relying exclusively on physical sets. If you had a seat at the Paramount+ table with what they are doing in Star Trek, would you have gone that route, or would you have stuck more to the physical sets?

There's a lot of negative to it, but for instance, if we had had that when we were doing like say, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, which was all green screen and we had to use those (AR) screens, now we're really crunched because you've got to have all of that ready on the day they shoot. There's no changing it for inspiration. When we did backgrounds for, say, Battlestar (the main series) or Blood & Chrome…they shot the thing. We told the director, "Shoot it any way you want. Here are some rough ideas of what it's going to be like, but don't go by them. You do what you want, we'll adjust to you." We would have a couple of months to do all the rotoscoping and basically line up the perfect shot, and you've tried it three ways. When you're doing it on stage with that screen, you're not trying it three ways, so I see problems with that. I've seen shows where the background elements didn't look finished. It's tough enough to get it done, even on Battlestar Galactica; there were a couple of shows that we finished the last visual effects shot the day they uploaded it to the satellite link.

It really was the 11th hour.

THE 11th hour, but you see, the reason why is on Battlestar Galactica and on Star Trek, it was the script. On Battlestar Galactica, they would get it into editorial, and an editor says, "Hey, look what happens when I move act three where act two was, when I reverse two and three." Oh my God! It has a whole different energy. On Galactica, you could do that. So that would change the intent of a lot of visual effect shots, so it would impact you.

While we're on the subject of the way things are getting shot, did you have any quick thoughts on Moore's current series, For All Mankind, and the way the narratives are shot on there?

I haven't really watched much. I've never seen For All Mankind, nor have I watched any of the new Star Trek TV shows, which are boring. I don't know what was special. I haven't been motivated, that's all I can say.

Have you thought about returning to your horror roots, perhaps a throwback into your days on the makeup chair working on the classics like Amityville 3-D (1983), The Hunger (1983), C.H.U.D. (1984), or even your earlier sci-fi work on Starman (1984), just to see what you can do now? Is there something you ever think about going back to?

I don't feel like being a makeup artist again. I would be involved in design. I don't want to do visual effects again; I've given enough blood. I still love the art department. What I would like to do is there are four shows (I'd do), and I consider myself semi-retired, but that doesn't mean I don't work. That means that I only do what I want, and I'm not actively pounding the pavement looking for jobs.

The shows I would go back for are one, if they ever did Star Trek: Legacy (from Terry Matalas). That would be it, forget it. I'm there! The other thing is if Mike Sussman ever did Star Trek: United. I know he'd call me or go season five (on Enterprise). I will come back for that. Last, but not least, is Ted, because we've done two seasons, season two hasn't aired yet, but let me tell you, season two is really funny. There were times when I was reading the scripts that I had to cover my face. That wasn't so much true in the first season, because I had a lot on my mind then, but season two was hilarious, and there are some episodes that I consider very ambitious for that show. Well, you have a main character who is CG in every shot.

My final question is, and this might require you to dig in deep, but was there ever a scene, effect, or anything that you've ever done that you didn't know if you could truly ever pull off, but then when you actually did pull it off, it just became your signature moment for you?

Dick Tracy (1990), man. That movie is still at the pinnacle of makeup films. It's up there with The Wizard of Oz (1939), maybe not as enjoyable, but considering everything that we did, all those faces on some of the biggest-name actors in town. John (Caglione Jr) and I had been makeup artists for 10 or more years, but we were still, Dick Smith himself said, "When we first read about it, and Jon Landau, not Landos, called us, who knew us. Dick Smith at Makeup Godfathers says, "Oh, chaps, you'll never get that. They'll go to Rick Baker, Rob Bottin, or Greg Cannom."

When we went and met Warren [Beatty] and he gave us the job, Dick was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe it. We shouldn't have gotten that job, and he said, "Well, you may have gotten the job, but you'll ever lift a brush on stage, because Howard Smith, the head of Union on the west coast, is a monster. He will chew you up and spit you out, and they will never let you. Well, Dick didn't figure on Warren Beatty, who had incredible power in Hollywood, and the union wanted Dick Tracy. Warren was like, "Well, I'm thinking about it," and then finally he says, "Yeah, you what, I think I want to go union, but I need these two guys." Next thing you know, Howard Smith is delivering, like on a silver platter, our applications to join the union. If it wasn't for Dick Tracy, I would never have gotten on Star Trek, I can tell you that.

I recall watching that movie a long time ago. I thought this felt like the pinnacle in terms of the way makeup can be used in a comic film, because there really isn't a way I could see anyone replicating and capturing that comic look. There are many things that people are remaking, but Dick Tracy has stood the test of time.

In look, I totally agree. I always felt that Warren didn't understand (creator) Chester Gould, who did the original series for like 50-something years. That Gould told strange stories in the same way that Steve Ditko draws a spooky drawing. Some of the weirdest stories I've ever read in my life were in Dick Tracy, and Warren basically did The Untouchables, which, okay, but I miss those very strange stories. It would make an incredible series. He had so many oddball ideas. They even went to the moon, but yeah, Tracy was for us. It changed my whole life. The other thing is if you look at the matte painting. Dick Tracy is one of the last movies to use lots of hand-painted mattes.

Doug, I want to thank you for your time. Such a great life you have. There's so much more I wish I could comb over. There are so many Star Trek memories, I mean, (TNG season five's) "Inner Light" is actually one of my favorite episodes, as well as (season four's) "Family". Some of the least sci-fi type stories are, because of the way they're so character-driven and heartwarming. It's one of the best, well-written episodes ever. The same for why The Orville is so strong. It's because the writing on it is so strong, and it feels like a best-of Trek compilation. It does strike to the spirit of what Trek is. Every bit of what you've built as part of that franchise, you deserve so much credit and all the awards you've won. I think you should have won more.

I'll drink to that! I know a lot about 1960s comics that led me to the New York World's Fair, which led to Star Trek, which led me to Hollywood. I got Stan Lee stories, and the '64-'65 New York World's Fair is something you guys should look at too. That was ground zero for the design aesthetic of a lot of science fiction today.

For more on Drexler, you can check out the Kickstarter page for the documentary and information on how to contribute.

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