Bill George William " Bill " George was a studio model maker , and subsequently a visual effects art director , who has worked on six of the , being his earliest recorded professional motion picture contribution , as well as having contributed to two outings in the spin - off television series . In 1979 , he began his career in earnest , building miniatures for Greg Jein in Los Angeles , " The Motion Picture " being his first , albeit uncredited , professional assignment . He was part of Jein ' s " following " , having made his acquaintance through the movie memorabilia collector ( which Jein was ) convention circuit , as fellow model builder at the time , Lisa Morton , recalled , " " There were are group of us he " [ Jein ] " kind of mentioned it to , and he called us one day and said , " Hey , we are on Star Trek : The Motion Picture , and we need an army to get this thing done on time . Do you want to come to work ? " Needless to say , yes was the answer . " " ( " Sense of Scale " ) George happened to be one of Morton ' s " group " . Brought in by Gregory Jein , Inc . , which in turn was commissioned by Entertainment Effects Group , in order to alleviate the time pressure on that company , Jein ' s " group " , was tasked with the construction of the interior model sections of " V ' ger " . George ' s professional start was somewhat less glamorous , as Morton made it out to be , as he reminisced , " " Being a P " [ roduction ] " A " [ assistant ] " , I was basically a " gofer " , driving around picking up supplies and running errands , but at night I was able to work on building models . All of the work I did was very basic , but being in a working model shop was incredibly exciting . " " Yet , aside from his excitement , he was rewarded in other ways as well , " " Greg ' s shop was away from the main shooting facility . I was not authorised to be on the shooting stage , but one day while making a delivery there I saw the model of the ST : TMP Enterprise for the first time . For me that was really a magic moment . The " Enterprise model " was really breathtaking and huge ( about 9 feet " [ sic . ] " long ) . It had a polished pearlescent paint job that gave it live and depth that I hadn ' t seen anywhere else . Its appearance on film muted the magic of the paint job because the naked eye is much more sensitive to subtlety of the colours . " " ( " Sci - fi & fantasy modeller " , Vol . 26 , p . 76 ) Later on , as a newly hired employee at Industrial Light & Magic ( ILM ) , his very first assignments in that company was as model maker for . However one of his very first jobs on the project was a heart - wrenching one as it concerned the " Enterprise " model that enthralled him so much three years earlier , " " I ' m sad to say that a few years later one of my first jobs at " Industrial Light & Magic " was to spray that " Enterprise " model from stem to stern with a dulling spray to make it possible to shoot the ship using the bluescreen process . " " ( " Sci - fi & fantasy modeller " , Vol . 26 , p . 76 ) On , he again worked at ILM as model maker . By that time he had already made a reputation for himself as a very fast model maker and this was partly the reason that the design process followed a deviant pattern , not seen before or after in the " Star Trek " franchise . Instead of the traditional way of thinking out a design , devising a design , coming up with detailed drawings to be approved of by effects supervisors and building models from blueprints , this time ILM ' s visual artists David Carson and Nilo Rodis - Jamero produced their pre - visualization artwork and handed it over to model makers Steve Gawley , Bill George and their team to be translated into study models , in essence inviting them to use their own imagination to finish up on the design . An appreciative Visual Effects Supervisor Kenneth Ralston recalled the proceedings , " " When Leonard " [ Nimoy ] " and Harve " [ Bennett ] " and Ralph Winter came to meetings we presented them with three dimensional models . It really is a lot better doing it that way because they can physically see how different angles would work . What was unusual about the space dock was that it was redesigned several times in one day . Leonard would make suggestions and Bill George would grab the prototype and run out . Fifteen minutes later he would come back with all the changes made . This went on for hours . We ' d make more changes and he ' d go out , break it and repaint it . Finally in that day we had the finished design right there . Off it went to be made . It saved a lot of time in the long run . " " ( " American Cinematographer " , August / September 1984 , p . 62 ) Nevertheless , George ' s most significant contribution to the movie was his design of the " Excelsior " - class studio model , that was chosen by Director Nimoy over the version of Carson and Rodis - Jamero , " " What ' s funny is I think that ' s what Leonard responded to . When laid out all these things on the table , he pointed to the study model that I had done and said " That one . " And I think it was just because it was so much more familiar . It was quite a surprise when I found out that was the one he wanted . There were a couple of the other study models that I really liked , and I certainly hadn ' t trying to figure out which one he was going to choose . " " , George mused . ( ) George also had a big part in the construction of the Klingon Bird - of - Prey model . A less auspicious model George built was the orbital shuttle model . Additionally , he was also credited with being the " co - inventor " of the design of the phaser on the design patent No . D285467 issued for it in , and subsequently as sole inventor of the communicator on design patent No . D287739 , issued the following year , and both used in the movie . Ironically , the patent design credits for the " Excelsior " - class vessel went to Carson and Rodis - Jamero . Promoted to model shop supervisor George did not work on as he was assigned to " Howard the Duck " ( 1986 ) , that was concurrently in production at ILM at the time of " The Voyage Home " . Again promoted , he subsequently became the visual effects art director for the two following " Star Trek " films , and . According to Michael Okuda , George built the model of the SD - 103 for " The Undiscovered Country " which was later modified and reused as the in the sixth season episode . ( TNG Season 6 DVD - special feature , " Departmental Briefing Year Six – Production " ) Though model making was strictly speaking not his job anymore , George the consummate modeler , could not help himself , " " We designed and constructed a new shuttlecraft model just for this shot , the only new model we got to do this time . It was done very quickly – in a week – and was about sixteen inches long . " " ( " Cinefex " , issue 49 , p . 48 ) Aside from this he worked on the " Enterprise " model , touching it up with battle damage , refurbished , together with colleague John Goodson , the " K ' t ' inga " - class model , for it to become the Kronos One , and modified " his " studio model . Credited as art consultant , , was to date the last " Star Trek " movie he has worked upon . Apart from the features , George was also a member of the team , reuniting him with his former mentor Jein , that built both the two and six - foot model s of the for the pilot episode of the 1987 television series " Star Trek : The Next Generation " , refurbishing it seven years later for " Generations " . Befittingly , he also contributed to the very last episode of that series , , when he contributed his privately build , or rather USS " Olympic " , the original name he had given to the model , for use in the episode . George , a fan had built the model as a hobby project in honor of " Original Series " designer Matt Jefferies , based on one of his earlier design variants of the original . For neither production George was individually credited . Career outside " Star Trek " . In his youth , Bill George had a variety of interests , model making , make - up and stop - motion techniques , each of which he spent a varying amount of time and attention to . Prop , and model making came to his attention when he was offered a glean into the 1968 reference book , " The Making of Star Trek " , when he was still in the 5th grade class at Sycamore Grade school in Gridley , CA , making a " Star Trek " fan out of him as well as urging him on to recreate several " Star Trek " props using the book as reference . Yet , model making only became his primary interest after he had seen the 1977 movie " Star Wars " , enticing him to " kitbash " several models from that movie . With his labors he made several appearances in the science fiction , and model making convention circuits , and it was through one of them he has made the acquaintance with Greg Jein . During these years George also used to forage through the dumpsters outside the Van Nuys , Los Angeles facility of ILM , hoping to find souvenirs . George recalled , not without fondness , " When I would drive up to the science fiction conventions in LA from San Diego , a friend of mine introduced me to the art of dumpster diving . We would drive by the ILM facility ( on Valjean Avenue in Van Nuys ) in the early morning hours to see if anyone was about . Then one of us would get into the dumpster and feed stuff out to the others . Some mornings we wouldn ' t get anything . Sometimes there would be someone around , but some mornings we would " hit the mother lode " . At the time ILM was working on " Battlestar Galactica " , and we found a lot of stuff from that show , as well as lots of stuff from " Star wars " . We found model pieces , storyboards , artwork and film . Believe it or not , I learned a lot about visual effects work from going through the thrash . One thing that was clear by going through their trash was that ILM - ers back then drank a lot of beer ! " ( " Sci - fi & fantasy modeller " , Vol . 26 , p . 77 ) Incidentally , Lisa Morton was one of George ' s band of dumpster divers . George was back at home in college , when he received the call from Jein , " " At the time I was in my second year of college , but after discussing the idea with my parents , we decided that this was a rare opportunity for me , and that I should give it a try and then return to school later . " " ( " Sci - fi & fantasy modeller " , Vol . 26 , p . 77 ) George never did . After " The Motion Picture " , George stayed in the employ of Jein , working with his mentor on the productions " Close Encounters of the Third Kind - Special Edition " ( 1980 ) and " One from the Heart " ( 1982 ) . Though uncredited for both George was , " " ( . . . ) incredibly excited to be working on movies , but later would come to understand that the really amazing part of my early years in LA was in meeting and working with incredibly talented people , from whom I learned a great deal . " " ( " Sci - fi & fantasy modeller " , Vol . 26 , p . 77 ) A pivotal moment in George ' s career was when he , on recommendation of Jein , was employed at the Entertainment Effects Group ( EEG ) of Douglas Trumbull ( the visual effects director for " The Motion Picture " ) , building models for the science fiction cult movie " Blade Runner " ( 1982 ) . Though remaining uncredited as well , here George impressed his employer by very quickly building the background " spinners " models , designed by Syd Mead , extrapolating them accurately from concept artwork , gaining him his reputation that would serve him well several years later for " The Search for Spock " . Yet , one year later this nearly backfired when he was invited by Lorne Petersen ( the ILM staffer of " Star Wars " fame ) to apply for a position at ILM , George having been referred to Petersen by , again , Greg Jein . Proud of what he had done at EEG , George showed Petersen three of the models , but , " " Lorne ' s reaction was to say , " Well , when we say " I " built a model we all know that actually a lot of other people worked on it too . " I didn ' t argue , but it seemed as if he didn ' t believe that I had built them on my own ! " " ( " Sci - fi & fantasy modeller " , Vol . 26 , p . 78 ) Despite the " " faux pas " " Petersen hired George five weeks later , " The Wrath of Khan " the first project George was put to work on . On his interview George also brought along a home made Y - Wing fighter model from " Star Wars : Episode IV – A New Hope " ( 1977 ) , with which he had toured the convention circuit four years earlier . ILM bought his model for use in " Star Wars : Episode VI – Return of the Jedi " ( 1983 ) as the new Y - Wing " hero " model when the original two versions proved unsuitable . This was not unlike his later privately build USS " Pasteur " , which ended up being filmed for the " The Next Generation " series ' finale . George has never left ILM and is as of 2014 still in that company ' s employment , contributing to the majority of its productions . Having started out as a model maker he changed gears in 1986 , after his involvement with " Howard the Duck " , and became visual effects art director , designing visual effects instead of building them , starting with the 1987 movie " Innerspace " . He ultimately rose to the position of visual effects supervisor . While George , an avid " Star Trek " fan and having contributed to most " Star Trek " movie features , never did receive an award nomination or win for " Star Trek " , he has received two Visual Effects Society Award nominations ( " Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban " - 2004 and " Star Tours : The Adventures Continue " - 2011 ) , one Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards nomination ( " Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets " - 2002 ) , one Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards nomination ( " Galaxy Quest " - 1999 ) , two BAFTA Film Award nominations ( " Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets " and " Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban " ) , four Saturn Award nominations ( " Innerspace " - 1987 , " Galaxy Quest " , " Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets " , and " Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban " ) , and finally two Academy Award nominations for " Innerspace " and " Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban " , the former one he won . Once George became part of ILM ' s senior management , the 1999 " Star Trek " - themed spoof movie " Galaxy Quest " his first assignment as visual effects supervisor , he rarely has built models anymore professionaly , but continues to do so as a hobby , having stated that traditional and old - fashioned wood and styrene are still the materials of choice for him . In 2008 , George became instrumental , and very much invested , in establishing " The SCI - FI AIR SHOW " foundation , an organization dedicated to " " ( . . . ) preserve and promote the rich and varied history of Sci - Fi / fantasy vehicles . Through display and education we seek to celebrate the classic design and beauty of these ships and the rich imaginations that created them . When the cameras stopped rolling , many of these proud old ships were lost and forgotten . Please join us in working to keep these rare and beautiful birds soaring ! " " Goal of the foundation was to help owners of full - scale shuttle and fighter mock - ups of the several science fiction properties originals , or copies thereof , to sustain their possessions by raising fundings for their upkeep , by having them display their possessions at several public gatherings , such as conventions . George , aside from contributing to the practical sides of running a foundation , provided much promotional ( in - flight ) CG - imagery for the website .