Robert Legato Robert " Rob " M . Legato is a director and ( VFX ) coordinator from Ocean Township , New Jersey , who has worked as such on the first five seasons of and the first season of . Hired in early 1987 , Robert Legato started out as VFX coordinator / supervisor for the franchise and has fulfilled that role for the entirety of his tenure at the franchise . After the production of the pilot episode , , it was soon realized that the new show was the most VFX laden television production of its day , much like its illustrious predecessor , was in its . A fourth senior VFX staffer was deemed necessary to alleviate work pressure on the senior VFX staff which up to then consisted of , besides Legato , Gary Hutzel and Ronald B . Moore . To that end Dan Curry was brought in , partly on recommendation by his friend Moore . In order to streamline and increase production efficiency , the four were paired in two teams to work on alternating episodes , Legato being paired with Hutzel . The two - team VFX format went operational halfway through the first season , the 16th episode , , being the first episode Moore and Curry worked upon as a team . ( " " , 3rd ed . , p . 31 ) The format worked so well , that it has remained in use for almost the entire subsequent run of the " Star Trek " television franchise ( though the boundaries between the two teams became a lot more fluid during the later seasons of " Deep Space Nine " , and ) , and Legato and Hutzel remained a team ever since . Promoted to supervisor at the start of second season of " The Next Generation " , and the second one to hold the title after Curry , Legato with Hutzel transferred upon the conclusion of that series ' fifth season , to the new television production " Deep Space Nine " to fulfill the same role . Their place on " The Next Generation " for the next season was filled by a new team that consisted of David Stipes and David Takemura . On the first season of " Deep Space Nine " , he , Hutzel , and reinforced by newcomers Michael Backauskas and Judy Elkins as VFX coordinators , served as the only senior VFX staff , though supported by Dan Curry and one of the few " Star Trek " television series seasons that did not quite utilize the two - team VFX staff format as theirs was formally the only one . Yet , " Deep Space Nine " s VFX staff was also beefed out with Cari Thomas , transferring from the scenic art department , and newcomer Sue Jones as visual associates . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol 23 , # 5 , p . 62 ) It was Thomas , who unofficially doubled as VFX coordinator on several episodes , thereby " de facto " constituting a pseudo second VFX team ( more or less already starting with the fourth episode ) , alternating between Legato and Hutzel . Upon the conclusion of the first season of " Deep Space Nine " , Legato decided it was time to move on and left the franchise late 1993 to join Digital Domain , taking Thomas with him . Glenn Neufeld replaced him on " Deep Space Nine " , while Legato ' s departure allowed Ronald B . Moore to remain on the franchise as VFX supervisor for the third spin - off television series " Voyager " . Aside from his duties as VFX supervisor , Robert Legato was also given the opportunity to flex his muscles as director , and has directed two episodes of " The Next Generation " , third season ' s and fourth season ' s as well as one " Deep Space Nine " episode , first season ' s . In addition , he directed the 1991 " " documentary . His work on the " Star Trek " franchise has earned Legato two won Emmy Award s in the category " Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects " , as well as three additional Emmy Award nominations for the same . Arguably , Robert Legato ' s most memorable achievements , at the very least where " Star Trek " s fan - base was concerned , consistently ranking these among their top favorite " Star Trek " scenes , was the visualization of the Battle of Wolf 359 , both the depiction of the aftermath in " The Next Generation " s , , as well of that of the battle proper in " Deep Space Nine " s pilot episode , . On both occasions , it was Legato who was , by chance , the main responsible supervisor for conceiving and devising the visuals . Legato ' s name can be seen on a panel in the episode and was referenced in several other episodes as Robert Legato ( Vice Admiral ) Though their duties and work were on par with that of colleagues Rob Legato and Dan Curry , neither Gary Hutzel nor Ron B . Moore received official credits for their efforts on the first two seasons of " The Next Generation " . This was partly due to Hollywood union regulations , partly due to studio policies , and partly due to the lack of space and time on the credit roll at the end of a show . However , it was Legato who arranged for his colleagues getting the credits they were due , as a grateful Moore pointed out later , " " But in TV you only have so much time at the end of the show . Getting your name there is not easy . At the beginning of TNG only Rob Legato had a visual effects credit . Rob went to bat for Gary and I . He eventually got us credits in the shows . It was nice of him to do it . There are so many people who worked on the show that didn ' t get credit . People whose contributions were essential to the shows received no on - screen credit . It is not always fair . I believe Rob even offered up to give credit on an episode and give it to someone else but the idea was rejected . " " ( " Flying Starships " , p . 124 ) Career outside " Star Trek " . Before he was hired on " The Next Generation " , Legato had worked at Robert Abel & Associates and subsequently at Image G , and it was Legato who was instrumental in bringing in the latter company as regular supplier for the " Star Trek " franchise , after the pilot episode . ( ) While employed at Digital Domain , " Interview with the Vampire " ( 1994 ) being his first post - " Star Trek " credit , Robert Legato received in 1996 an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects for his work on the drama " Apollo 13 " which he shared with VFX artist Leslie Ekker . Two years later in 1998 he received an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on ' s drama " Titanic " ( 1997 ) , while the blockbuster science fiction movie " Armageddon " ( 1998 ) was the last work he did for Digital Domain . After leaving Digital Domain Robert Legato has since then worked as free - lance VFX supervisor , " What Lies Beneath " ( 2000 ) being his first credit as such . He worked with director on the films " The Aviator " ( 2004 ) and " The Departed " ( 2006 ) , both as VFX coordinator and second unit director . More recent projects include Scorsese ' s horror thriller " Shutter Island " ( 2010 ) on which he worked as VFX supervisor and ' s science fiction films " Avatar " ( 2009 ) and " Battle Angel " ( 2011 ) on both as virtual cinematography system creator and VFX pipeline engineer . In 2012 , Legato won his second Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects for his work on Martin Scorcese ' s adventure " Hugo " ( 2011 ) . This was followed in 2013 by his induction into the American Society of Cinematographers ( ASC ) . Emmy Awards . Legato received the following Emmy Award wins and nominations in the category Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects :