Andrew Probert Starting out in " Star Trek " fandom , Andrew " Andy " G . Probert has an artistic career that spans over twenty years , ten of which were spent working on some of science - fiction fans ' favorite Hollywood productions , including two from the " Star Trek " franchise , which were : After having served on the original 1978 television production " Battlestar Galactica " , Probert moved over to the big screen as a major contributor on " " s successor , " Star Trek : The Motion Picture , " Recommended for the position on the project by Ralph McQuarrie , Probert was employed at Robert Abel & Associates ' s subsidiary art department company , Astra Image Corporation , starting on 1 April 1978 as concept designer / production illustrator , providing designs for all of the humanoid spacecraft in the film , moving over to Entertainment Effects Group ( EEG ) in the same capacity , after the former was pulled from the project . When " Star Trek : Phase II " ( the proposed successor of ) was canceled , in order to produce " The Motion Picture " , original " Enterprise " designer , Matt Jefferies , elaborated upon by Art Director Joe Jennings , had already come up with their version of an upgraded " Enterprise " , and a studio model was in the process of being constructed . Brought in by his Art Director Richard Taylor in early 1978 , Probert went on re - designing this version , plus he designed several of the " Enterprise " s interiors , as well as those for the . For the movie he further re - designed the orbital office complex , drydock , and Travel Pod , adding the Work Bee and Vulcan Shuttle . Due to the fact that Probert was retained by EEG to continue working on the movie , unlike many other former ASTRA employees , he ultimately ended up working a year and a half on the project , pleased that most of his efforts was not in vain , " " Well , I think I really lucked out in a way . I ' d say about 70 % of what I came up with was used . I feel fortunate in that . Most of it was slightly altered – some of it beyond what I felt comfortable with – but nonetheless still recognizable with the original concepts . " " ( " Enterprise Incidents " , issue 17 , p . 13 ) Probert ' s next - to - last project in Hollywood proved to be the one for which he is most well known . On 2 December 1986 Probert was hired as the fifth production staffer in the capacity of Senior Illustrator for " Star Trek : The Next Generation " , originally to design interiors sets , most notably the bridge . But a lucky happenstance , when Producer David Gerrold noticed a design sketch Probert made , based on a painting he did for his own amusement years earlier of a conjectural future design of the " Enterprise " , resulted in him also designing the . Probert was , and is a staunch supporter and defender of Gene Roddenberry ' s creation and his vision thereof , and has been on record for his less than enthusiastic view on Rick Berman and his take on the franchise : " Gene Roddenberry was initially in charge of " Star Trek : The Next Generation " , as he well should be , and something happened politically to change that . You know , I had no idea what caused that change . But while Gene was in charge , he and I got along very well . We understood each other . And I liked him because of his creation of Star Trek , and he fully understood exactly where he wanted his show to go . Yet he was fully open to any ideas that we threw at him , and he would talk about that , and he talked about it intelligently . " When Rick Berman took over the show , half way through the first season , every time we showed him a design concept , his constant response was , " no , we can ' t do that , because it reminds me of something that I ' ve seen somewhere " , or " it looks like a shaver " , or " it looks like something I ' ve seen in a furniture store " . The only thing of note that Rick Berman did before Star Trek was a show called " " The Big Blue Marble " " , a kid ' s show . For some reason , Paramount led him into this . I don ' t know . I ' ve heard conflicted stories that Gene thought he was a great producer and wanted to bring him in . Whatever it is , Rick Berman did not , in that time , and , as far as I can see from what is being produced , does not understand science fiction . I ' ve seen a lot of great concepts , by Doug Drexler and a few of the other illustrators that they have been working on , passed over in favor of much more controlled concepts . My experience with Rick Berman is , you know , he does not understand what he ' s doing , he does not understand science fiction . ( . . . ) " I think " Star Trek " died when Gene died . Well , as I said , Gene understood exactly what he wanted for his show , and his main focus was maintaining consistency in the show . And everybody who cared about " Star Trek " eventually left the show . Bill Theiss , the costumer , left , I left , Bob Justman left . So . . . I don ' t know what to say , it was very frustrating working on that . ( . . . ) I think he [ Berman ] cares about it for the money . I think he cares about it because he is confident that , no matter what they produce , if it has the name " " Star Trek " " on it , people will go watch it . They ' ll complain about it , but they will still make money from the viewers . But , you know , this is just my opinion . " Andrew Probert left the franchise upon completion of season one of " The Next Generation " . Although having only worked on the first season of " The Next Generation " , designing most of the ships , sets , and races , Probert ' s design work very much defined the visual style of the series , and which was largely adhered to for the remainder of the series and its two follow - ups , and . In more than one way , he therefore became to that production what Matt Jefferies had been to the original " Star Trek " television series . Paramount Pictures obtained several design patents based on Probert ' s work on both " Star Trek : The Motion Picture " and " Star Trek : The Next Generation " . He is listed as the " inventor " on those designs and is the sole person officially credited with the design for the . Having been passed over to contribute to prior home media formats , conceivably " because " of his critical attitude , Probert was finally interviewed in for the special feature " Next Generation Designer Flashback : Andrew Probert " for the , especially for the newly released . He talks about his memories regarding his work on the first " Star Trek " film and early concepts for the saucer separation on the . He was again interviewed for the " Stardate Revisited , Part 3 : The Continuing Mission " special feature , included on the 2012 TNG Season 1 Blu - ray release . Probert is , besides his design work , also an accomplished painter and work by his hand has adorned the " TNG " settings of the Captain ' s ready room and sickbay as well as the covers of publications like " The Making of the Trek Films " and " Cinefantastique " ( issue 51 ) . In 2013 , Probert and Doug Drexler designed a new Deep Space 9 space station for the covers of the " " novels " Revelation and Dust " and " A Ceremony of Losses " . In November 2014 Probert again returned to the " Star Trek " franchise when he was invited to become a part as consultant of a team of experts – including a host of former " Star Trek " alumni – to oversee a new restoration of the original eleven - foot " Enterprise " studio model , residing at the Smithsonian ' s ( NASM ) , for its 50th anniversary . Having accepted the prestigious assignment , Probert was flown in in May 2015 for the team ' s first work meeting on 13 May . Career outside " Star Trek " . At the age of six , Andrew Probert moved to California , and later joined the United States Navy . After his service he attended the " Art Center College of Design " in Pasadena , California ( which also counts William Ware Theiss and classmate Mark Stetson among their alumni ) . His Hollywood career began , with assistance of mentor Ralph McQuarrie , on the small screen as a designer for Glen Larson ' s " Battlestar : Galactica " ( 1978 ) . After his involvement with " The Motion Picture " , Probert went on to work a number of television and feature - film projects , including " Airwolf " ( 1984 ) and " Back to the Future " ( 1985 ) , for which he designed the signature . A consummate designer , Probert found Hollywood a difficult place to work in , " " As much as I ( still ) love making films , I hated the politics , ass - kissing , and back - stabbing that it took to get most jobs in that town . I never learned to " play the game " . I don ' t lie , I don ' t schmooze , I just like to work . " " , This and the artistic differences , made Probert consciously decide to leave the movie business , having only worked as effects storyboard artist on the television series " War and Remembrance " ( 1988 ) , after " The Next Generation " . Probert went on to work as a Walt Disney Imagineer , a video game artist , and is now involved in producing paintings and recently joined the developers of " Star Trek Online " with their visual look development . In 2008 , he made a short return to Hollywood as set designer / storyboard artist for the science - fiction / horror production " Pesticide " . Probert also designed a number of craft for " Gemini Force One " , a young adult novel series by " Space : 1999 " co - creator Gerry Anderson . Storyboards , revisions or new designs of all space hardware and various hand props . Interior designs and renderings of the " Enterprise " cargo bay and Klingon cruiser ' s bridge , as well as an assortment of additional production art . Art directed and supervised the detailing of various miniatures as well as providing major design contributions to the " Enterprise " exterior . A com - voice at " Epsilon IX " also makes reference to a " Commodore Probert , Starfleet . " Concept sketches and designs of all featured starship s , for the show ' s first season , including the Type 7 shuttlecraft , Ferengi marauder , Romulan warbird and the . Also designed the " Enterprise " - D main bridge , battle bridge , and contributed heavily to the remaining sets . Additional responsibilities included designing various props , other - world environments , matte paintings , and the look of several alien races , notably the Ferengi . Probert made an uncredited cameo appearance as a post - atomic court spectator in the pilot episode . He described his hat as a large tribble in an interview . " Star Trek " credits . Unofficial " Star Trek " credits . Probert , a life - long avid " Original Series " fan , has made several " Star Trek " contributions outside the official studio framework ; His earliest published work , was his artwork , Probert provided for the 1969 run of the fanzine " Inside Star Trek " . Probert actually continued to build upon his fan work , when he interrupted his education at the Art Center College in the early 1970s by providing Roddenberry ' s Lincoln Enterprises with cast portrait artwork of both " Star Trek " and Roddenberry ' s follow - up production " Genesis II " . ( " " , p . 64 ) Probert joined James Cawley ' s fan film production of " Star Trek : New Voyages " ( née " Star Trek : Phase II " ) in 2008 for their episode " Kitumba " , which featured a new Klingon fighter craft variant he had previously designed and in which he guest starred as the afore - mentioned Commodore Probert . Commercial availability . Probert , in conjuncture with selected retailers , is selling commercialized versions of his work through his website " ProbertDesigns . com " , including " Star Trek " related items , such as posters of his paintings for the franchise , Star Trek model kits , and apps , a number of those showcasing unrealized designs he has done for the franchise , as well as later design work he has done on the subject .