star trek the art of the film

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Star Trek: The Art of the Film

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Lewis Wallace

Star Trek Art Book Maps Evolution of J.J. Abrams' Reboot

How do you update the U.S.S. Enterprise ? Very, very carefully.

Star Trek: The Art of the Film , an information-packed art book that hits shelves Nov. 17, makes it clear that J.J. Abrams and his team dug deep to craft a truly compelling retro-futuristic spaceship for their blockbuster movie.

The hard work paid off: The filmmakers ended up with a worthy vessel for young Kirk, Spock and the rest of the original series' familiar characters.

"We wanted the Enterprise to look as gorgeous and finely detailed as a luxury car or a private plane," production designer Scott Chambliss tells author Mark Cotta Vaz in the lushly illustrated 160-page book.

"We obsessed on the seam lines, creating impressions of aerodynamics in space, making this a really sexy looking ship," Chambliss said. "We wanted to convey functionality, but the Enterprise also makes a storytelling impression. Its look is sleek, seductive, powerful and even hopeful."

A similar level of detail-oriented obsession went into crafting Star Trek 's other spaceships, as well as its aliens, weapons, exotic planets and other visually compelling components.

Ultimately, Abrams and crew crafted a sleek and spectacular film that paid homage to classic Trek while launching the franchise firmly into the future. Star Trek: The Art of the Film offers an in-depth look at the successful decision-making process — part cutting-edge cinema, part heart-felt homage, all Hollywood magic — that brought the movie to the screen.

See more Star Trek concept art, and enter to win a copy of Star Trek: The Art of the Film , below.

Hand-drawn notes reveal the evolution of Abrams’ updated Enterprise .

Klingon and Federation vessels face off in a Starfleet training test known as Kobayashi Maru. Images courtesy Titan Books

Looking at models and marked-up drawings (pictured above) used by Abrams and crew, it's easy to see how the team tweaked the design of the Enterprise , coming up with a spaceship that is instantly recognizable and yet updated for modern sci-fi fans.

Romulans' facial tattoos, Starfleet uniforms and Star Trek 's alien creatures got a similarly loving treatment.

When Abrams requested a monstrous, red-skinned behemoth with a "disgusting mouth," creature creator Neville Page took inspiration from a medical condition known as "rectal prolapse" and came up with his version of the Hengrauggi . The beast, aka Big Red, menaced Kirk (played by Chris Pine ) on Delta Vega.

Makena Kelly

Nena Farrell

Christopher Null

"The inside of the mouth was a whole new level of obscene," said Page, just one of the many artists, designers and actors interviewed for Star Trek: The Art of the Film .

With sections on the various planets, spaceships and aliens seen in the movie — and a foreword by Abrams himself — the $30 book serves up back-story and movie-making tricks that prove fascinating.

It even includes details on the creation of some scenes, like a giant set piece on the Klingon prison planet of Rura Penthe, that never made it into the theatrical version of Star Trek .

For a chance to win a copy of Star Trek: The Art of the Film , leave a comment below relating the most memorable aspect of Abrams' Star Trek movie. Wired.com will pick five winners at random to receive copies of the book, courtesy of Titan Books. Entries must be received by 12:01 a.m. PST Nov. 12.

Star Trek: The Art of the Film , © 2009 Paramount Pictures. ® and © 2009 CBS Studios. Star Trek and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios. All rights reserved. Titan authorized user.

Follow us on Twitter: @lewiswallace and @theunderwire .

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Star Trek: The Art of the Film

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Director J.J. Abrams' new vision of the greatest space adventure of all time, Star Trek features a young, new crew venturing boldly where no man has gone before, as it tells the story of how the brash Starfleet cadet James T. Kirk first meets a Vulcan named Spock, and earns the Captain's chair of the Starship Enterprise. The film quickly became a critical and commercial smash hit worldwide, as audiences -- confirmed Trekkers and newcomers alike -- thrilled to a state-of-the-art action epic which both respected the legacy of Gene Roddenberry's archetypal modern myth and forged ahead into an exciting future of its own.

Star Trek: The Art of the Film is a lavishly illustrated celebration of that new vision, tracing the evolution of the movie's look through a stunning array of previously unseen pre-production paintings, concept sketches, costume and set designs, unit photography and final frames.

Written by New York Times-bestselling author Mark Cotta Vaz in close co-operation with the film's production team, and including a Foreword by J.J. Abrams, this is the essential companion to the film.

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Star Trek - The Art of the Film

• View history

Summary [ ]

Contents [ ].

• Foreword by J.J. Abrams
• Rura Penthe
• Future Iowa
• Starfleet Academy
• Kobayashi Maru
• Reimagining the USS Enterprise
• The Destruction of Vulcan
• Marooned on Delta Vega
• Spock Prime
• Jellyfish Ship
• Enterprise vs Narada
• Inside the Narada
• Poster Design
• The Mystery Box
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

• The Inventory

An Inside Look at the Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek ’s first foray to the box office is a strange beast —a gorgeous, haunting exploration of the franchise’s love of the cosmos wrapped up in an overwrought, over-long plot. So it’s perhaps a good thing that a new making-of book puts the spotlight on what works about Star Trek: The Motion Picture : the art behind its incredible space vistas.

Related Content

Related products.

Out this week from Titan Books, Star Trek: The Motion Picture—Inside the Art and Visual Effects by Jeff Bond and Gene Kozicki examines the process of bringing Star Trek to life again, this time at a brand new scope and scale as the cult classic TV show made its cinematic comeback after cancellation . Featuring concept art and matte paintings from Robert Abel, Syd Mead, Ralph McQuarrie, Andrew Probert, Ken Adams, and more, the book examines the creation of The Motion Picture ’s haunting, huge, and mindbending special effects, from scale models to its trippy representation of where no man has gone before (so it’s a good job they sent a Vulcan in a spacesuit ).

As well as including these artist s’ iconic work, Inside the Art and Visual Effects includes brand new interviews with the surviving creatives behind The Motion Picture about what it was like to bring Star Trek to the big screen. “In addition to Gene Kozicki’s vast collection of research including photographs and artwork, his connections with visual effects professionals allowed us to conduct interviews with most of the surviving, key visual effects, concept and design artists who worked on the film,” Bond explained in a statement provided to io9 over email. “We were particularly lucky to get interview time with artist Syd Mead, who designed the alien V’ger entity for the film, and is one of the greatest conceptual artists ever to work in film—Mead died of cancer a few months after we interviewed him, and long before the book was published.”

But as well as celebrating that artwork—some of which you can see below, making its debut here on io9—Kozicki hopes that exploring the creative process behind The Motion Picture will help fans realize just what a monumental process it was to bring its stunning realization of Star Trek ’s universe to the big screen. “When talking about Star Trek: The Motion Picture , I think it’s vital to place it in the proper context. Though the film was released some two and a half years after Star Wars , the decision to make The Motion Picture a big glossy feature with sophisticated (read: Star Wars -like visuals) was made only two and a half months after Star Wars was released,” Kozicki added over email. “At that point in time very few people on the face of the Earth could tell Paramount what they were in for.”

“ Star Wars was almost not completed. George Lucas wound up in the hospital. No one knew how to budget, plan, and execute a film of the type Paramount was hoping Star Trek would be,” Kozicki continued. “Th ey had to go into it blind and hope that they were making the right decisions at the time. In a sense, every one of those early films from the ‘ golden age’ of visual effects i s a prototype. And with prototypes, some things work and some things don’t. You have to learn from the failures as well as the successes.”

Kozicki also hopes it means fans get to see these earliest visions for The Motion Picture get the justice they deserve. “For a number of years after the release of the film, the Abel group’s participation in the film was surrounded by criticism. On one level it was somewhat justified, in the sense that they were fired, very publicly, from the film,” he explained. “But a deeper analysis of the work they did before the firing reveals that they made enormous contributions to the film. Even though they may not have executed much of the film’s visual effects, they played a large role in their design—both in the storyboarding of the film as well as the design of the ships and sets. The fact that many of those designs went on to be featured in later films is the real legacy of the Robert Abel group. We wanted, in a sense, to redeem that image and provide some context to the work done 40 years ago.”

Star Trek: The Motion Picture—Inside the Art and Visual Effects is out September 1.

For more, make sure you’re following us on our Instagram @ io9dotcom .

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Behind the hunt for unseen imagery while making ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Inside the Art & Visual Effects’

What it took to get the book written, including wading through a hard drive of 27,000 images.

Gene Kozicki and Jeff Bond had talked for several years about producing a making-of book about Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Kozicki is a VFX industry veteran who also collects and holds swathes of cinema history, especially on visual effects. Bond is an established author, with experience writing a number of making-of film books.

They had pitched the Trek book idea on and off a couple of times—partly on the back of Kozicki’s inside access to a wealth of unpublished materials on the 1979 film—with no luck.

However, when Bond began writing a few other making-of books with Titan Books, including one of the more recent Star Trek films, the idea was re-born. Rights-holders CBS Studios and Paramount Pictures signed off on the book—which would eventually become Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Inside the Art & Visual Effects —and the next step was to start gathering materials from what was available.

And those available materials turned out to be…incredible.

“CBS basically said, ‘Anything that we have that you want to use, you can,’” related Kozicki in a Zoom chat with befores & afters . While a lot of this turned out to be relatively common PR material for the film, CBS also helped enable inspection of the archives at Paramount, and this is where things really got rolling.

Warp (hard) drives

“CBS called me up and said that Paramount was going to send over a drive,” recounts Kozicki. “We hooked up the drive they sent over and it was taking forever to load. We opened up one of the thumbnails and the images were huge! They had been scanned in as 4K TIFs. And there were 27,192 files.”

Yep, 27,192 files.

In order to peruse so many files, Kozicki had to wait until they had all been thumbnailed before he could review them again. “It turned out that what Paramount had was almost every roll of film that was shot by the first unit on-set photographer, as well as all the stuff that was shot by the publicity people, known as the key art.”

This material included many different types of imagery related to the film, including storyboards and photos of concept art; another type was early test shots of the Enterprise model. “These actually became the basis of bubblegum cards,” says Kozicki. “The Enterprise on the cards is an overexposed camera test.”

The search for (the head of) Spock

More material would also be uncovered, particularly from people Kozicki affectionately describes as ‘pack rats’, those who had worked on the film or at companies associated with the film and had stored (deliberately and not-so-deliberately) the materials away for years.

One of those pack rats was Virgil Morano, a staff photographer at Star Trek: The Motion Picture visual effects supervisor Doug Trumbull’s company (which famously, with the aid of Apogee, took over much of the effects of the film from Robert Abel and Associates). Morano had previously been working at Robert Abels on the film, too.

“Virgil shot a lot of camera tests and a lot of lighting tests, as well as beauty stills of the Enterprise and Vulcan shuttle” says Kozicki. “He’s also credited by more than a few people as the guy who came up with the idea to have the mechanical car inspection mirrors on a stand in front of the Enterprise to shine a light into this cluster of mirrors and then have them bounce up into different corners of the Enterprise.”

“I remember going over to Virgil’s house one day and we were going through all of this stuff,” continues Kozicki. “He had original [production illustrator] Robert McCall concept art from the film. And he even had this Spock head from the miniature puppet of Spock in a space suit. I said to him, ‘Holy crap, where’d you get that?’ And he said it was left over in the model shop after the show was done and that he stuck it on the end of a pencil and kept it in his pencil holder on his desk for many years!”

Finding unseen imagery

One thing Kozicki was extremely keen to feature in ‘Inside the Art & Visual Effects’ was concept art by production illustrators Robert McCall and Syd Mead. Although the originals could not be found, they had been photographed and so could be used in the book in a suitable resolution. Then there were some designs of V’Ger that Kozicki knew Richard Taylor from Robert Abels had been behind.

“Richard had copies of this, but it was at such a low resolution that I didn’t think it was going to work. However, it turned out the originals had been sold by the auction house Profiles in History, and they still had the catalog listing for that auction on file as Photoshop pages. They pulled it up and it was just enough good enough resolution that we could run with it.”

Late in the process of acquiring material for the book, Kozicki discovered that another former crew member held previously unpublished materials in his basement. It turned out to include slides of an early version of the Klingon ship that had been well documented.

“I referred to it as the missing link version of the Klingon ship,” notes Kozicki. “What they’d done back then is take photos of the models at different stages of their builds and designs and these often made it onto like the model kit boxes or other places. So I recognized the images but didn’t know where they had been from.”

“That was a real find,” marvels Kozicki. “It’s amazing really because I said to this guy, ‘I thought you would have thrown it all out by now,’ and he goes, ‘Oh, well, it’s just been in the basement, but now my wife wants me to get rid of it all.”

EXTRA: The bonus tale behind a TMP matte painting

When Lola VFX visual effects supervisor Trent Claus heard I was writing a story about ‘Inside the Art and Visual Effects’ book, he contacted me to share the story of an original Star Trek: The Motion Picture matte painting he now owns. The painting by Matthew Yuricich, which is discussed and shown in the book as a final shot, is a painting of the Enterprise, painted to show the crew’s arrival on V’Ger, and sees them disembarking down the hull (the crew was filmed live-action and composited into the matte painting).

“As the story goes,” relates Claus, “Yuricich was really under a lot of deadline pressure on a few paintings for the film, including this one. He was never satisfied with his perspective on the hull of the ship, and refined it several times. The painting was placed under camera at least twice–once before Yuricich was ‘done’ and again after he had made a few more alterations. However, the earlier image taken was accidentally used in the final film–not the improved later version!”

Claus was able to speak to Matthew Yuricich’s nice, Anna Yuricich, who checked with her father Richard (Matthew’s brother and photographic effects director of photography on TMP ) about the piece, who noted the following:

“With 4 days to go for final neg cut and printing neg creation by the lab, the great old MGM lab, we were in a rush to get the last few shots done which included two matte shot painting fixes from previously approved takes. Fortunately the few shots were in the same reel. Reel 5 of 6. I think the discrepancy in the same painting (which the great detective Gene Kozicki sleuthed out) was one of the last minute repairs. Myself, Douglas [Trumbull], and Matthew wanted to help the painting out as much as possible, all paintings and shots on the movie were rushed! As the take-up-turns the wrong take was cut into the reel and the improved painting was an improvement, but not used.”

Claus says it is possible to see the differences between the final painting and the one in the film primarily in the top silhouette angle of the hull, as well as in the bridge and nacelles. “I’ve had hopes that one of the later restorations of the film would include the adjusted painting, but so far no luck,” Claus adds.

issue #16 – the art of flying

issue #15 – miniatures

issue #14 – VFX tools

issue #13 – creatures

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40 years of ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’

This is a wonderful book!

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Book Review: Star Trek: The Art of the Film

Submitted by Teoh Yi Chie on December 1, 2009 - 1:35am

It's weird this book came out months after the movie. The wait is over and I'm glad to say that this book is great.

There's plenty of cool concept art in this 160-page hardcover art book published by Titan Books . There are technical sketches and paintings for spaceships, the set, character, costumes, gadgetry, weapons and creatures. Included also are discarded ideas and concepts.

The amount of detail in the art is astonishing and texture is everywhere, 3D renderings, paintings, film stills. The bridge looks like casinos straight out of Las Vegas, with all the lights, panels, buttons and seats. The wickedly awesome looking mining vessel Narada is shown in different views and comes with close ups which will make you marvel at the engineering.

Those who love spaceships will not only find them, but also space stations and their interiors. They are all meticulously designed showing all the seams, cutting, and texture. The designs for the spaceships look really sleek.

For the non-human looking characters, there are lots of photos on the sculptures. For the creatures, there are sketches and 3D models.

This book is highly recommended to fans of sci-fi, not just Star Trek fans.

Star Trek: The Art of the Film is available at Amazon ( US | CA | UK | DE | FR | IT | JP | CN )

Visit Amazon to check out more reviews.

If you buy from the links, I get a little commission that helps me get more books to feature.

Places to get Star Trek: The Art of the Film : Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.de | Amazon.fr | Amazon.it | Amazon.co.jp | Amazon.cn

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Looks good. Ship designs and

Looks good. Ship designs and concepts especially tempting. Think I'll pick up a copy from Amazon in the next order I do.

Thanks for posting!

It came out months after the

It came out months after the film so it was released around the same time as the DVD/Blu.

I bought this book due to your review so thanks Parka. Lately i have had a real interest in Art Books and i have just received the amazing Art of District 9 from Weta. Your site is often linked over at wetacollectors in the Art section so feel free to say hello.

Thanks for this great site and keep up the good work. Cheers mate.

This is good but not great

This is good but not great book. I wish there was more about the actual making of the film. Obviously that's why Cinefex (magazine) exists. But for any fan of this latest installment of Trek, I recommend it wholeheartedly. Personally, I wish there was more about how the designers redesigned the starship Enterprise, especially which versions they ended up not using. Since there were no physical miniatures of the ships made for the movie, there is very coverage of the other Federation starships that are glimpsed briefly in the film. But overall a keeper to add to my Star Trek collection.

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Published Jul 15, 2010

New Lithographs of Concept Art from Movie Posters

Not every scene of a movie makes it into the final cut that reaches theaters, and those scenes – bits and/or sequences trimmed for time or pacing -- tend to turn up as extras on the subsequent DVD and Blu-ray releases. It’s a common occurrence and it happened with J.J. Abrams recent blockbuster Star Trek feature. Fans were treated, for example, to more young-Kirk back story, a Klingon interrogating Nero, and Spock nearly having a close encounter with his father, Sarek.But when was the last time you saw the movie poster equivalent -- concept art?The answer is… now.Quantum Mechanix Inc. is making available, for the first time, concept art created for the Star Trek movie poster. QMx will offer several thematic sets, each with four 18” x 24” prints. The first set features retro, Works Progress Administration (WPA)-style themes that were contemplated at an early stage of the promotion/marketing process, back when the target release date for Star Trek was still December 25, 2008. Abrams, his team at Bad Robot and the marketing unit at Paramount Pictures ultimately elected to go in a different direction, but the concepts developed and the art commissioned were nothing less than stunning, and now they’re available to the public.“About the closest analogy I can come up with is that these are like the director's cuts of movie posters,” says Andy Gore, CEO, Quantum Mechanix Inc. “While they may not have been necessary to tell the story, having access to them adds dimension and color to an already great experience. As far as I know, no one has ever done something like this before, for any franchise. It’s unusual for a studio to release promotional artwork they didn’t use. And I think if these images were any less compelling than they are, we probably wouldn’t have gotten clearance to release them.”Gore recalls that when he and Quantum Mechanix staff were first given access to the concept posters, everyone involved was dazzled. “The work was just breathtaking, all of it, really,” he says. “But we were especially taken with the retro, WPA-style art. It was reminiscent of our own Blue Sun Travel posters and Battlestar Propaganda posters. So it’s a school of design we really love. And I knew we just had to bring these to our customers.”The Star Trek Movie Poster Set, Series 1: Retro costs $29.95 and is comprised of four plated-printed lithographs that, like all QMx poster sets, come on 100-pound, aqueous-coated, satin-finish paper. Series 1, it should be noted, is intended to pave the way to additional sets in the very near future. “We already have three more series in the planning stages,” Gore says. “I can’t really tell you much more, except each series will be thematically unique. Not just the concepts, but the art styles that were experimented with span the gamut. You could seriously fill a museum with all the wonderful art that sprang from Star Trek’s creative process."Get them now at www.quantummechanix.com .

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Star Trek: Picard  stars Patrick Stewart, reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard from  Star Trek: The Next Generation.  The book explores each of the three separate season-long narratives, which tell the story of Picard in later years, as he is brought out of retirement on his family chateau to face old enemies such as the Borg, take command of a new starship, and ultimately reconcile with his past.   New characters such as Doctor Jurati (Alison Pill), Cristóbal Rios (Santiago Cabrera), Soji (Isa Briones) and Elnor (Evan Evagora) feature alongside appearances by old enemies and friends, such as Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching), Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg), Data (Brent Spiner), and Q (John de Lancie). Season 3 sees a full-scale Next Generation reunion, featuring Worf (Michael Dorn), Dr. Beverley Crusher (Gates McFadden), and Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton).   Alongside interviews with showrunners, writers, cast, and crew, discussing concepts and character arcs, “Spotlight” features explore makeup, costumes, art, and visual effects. A final section features reflections on the much-beloved character from its original incarnation in  Star Trek: Next Generation  through to its final satisfying conclusion.   This beautifully illustrated hardback, featuring behind-the-scenes and on-set photography, and a range of production art, is an in-depth exploration of a hugely popular and seminal  Star Trek  character.

Thanks to Titan Books, we can bring you five exclusive pages from The Art and Making of the Series , with imagery from the first and second season of Picard .

In addition to these four exclusive pages, several other preview pages from the book have been made available at retailer listings.

Star Trek: Picard – The Art and Making of the Series   by Joe Fordham is in stores February 27. Watch for our review of this new hardcover later this month!

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Screen Rant

Star trek origin movie officially announced by paramount for 2025 release.

Paramount Pictures officially announces the next Star Trek movie at CinemaCon, which will arrive in movie theaters in 2025.

• Paramount Pictures announces new Star Trek movie for 2025, directed by Toby Haynes and written by Seth Grahame-Smith.
• Chris Pine-led Star Trek 4 remains in development, while the new film is an origin story set decades before Abrams' 2009 movie.
• Alongside the Star Trek origin movie, Paramount reveals a packed slate of exciting films for 2025-26 at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

Paramount Pictures officially announces the next Star Trek movie, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters in 2025. As reported in January, the next Star Trek movie isn't the long-delayed, Chris Pine-led Star Trek 4 produced by J.J. Abrams, which remains in development at Paramount. Rather, the next Star Trek movie is an origin story directed by Toby Haynes ( Star Wars: Andor ) and written by Seth Grahame-Smith (A braham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter ).

Screen Rant' s Rob Keyes (@rob_keyes) is at CinemaCon in Las Vegas where Paramount Pictures confirmed the next Star Trek movie , currently called Untitled Star Trek Origin Story , to be released in 2025. J.J. Abrams is also producing Untitled Star Trek Origin Story, which takes place decades before Abrams' Star Trek 2009 movie. See Rob Keyes' Tweet below:

Paramount also confirmed Untitled Star Trek Origin Story will begin production later this year for theatrical release in 2025.

Every Upcoming Star Trek Movie & TV Show

Star trek's new movies in theaters and paramount plus explained, star trek is finally making movies again.

After nearly a decade, Star Trek i s back to making movies. Star Trek on Paramount+ has created a television renaissance for the franchise, but the theatrical side of Star Trek overseen by Paramount Pictures has languished in development hell since Star Trek Beyond bowed in the summer of 2016. Toby Haynes' Untitled Star Trek Origin Story is yet another prequel, but as it's said to be set decades before Star Trek 2009, it could very well be set after Star Trek: Enterprise 's mid-22nd century voyages but otherwise be an origin story for both Star Trek 's Prime and alternate Kelvin timelines .

Meanwhile, J.J. Abrams' Star Trek 4 , which is the "final chapter" of the USS Enterprise crew led by Chris Pine's Captain James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto's Spock, has seen some movement with a new screenwriter, Steve Yockey ( The Flight Attendant ), tackling the long-delayed sequel. Pine and his fellow Star Trek actors, including Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, and Sofia Boutella, have all expressed their eagerness to return if Star Trek 4 can come together.

It's a positive sign that Star Trek movies are finally coming back.

Paramount+ is making their own Star Trek movies, with the recently-wrapped Star Trek: Section 31 awaiting a release date. Starring Academy Award-winner Michelle Yeoh, Section 31 i s the first made-for-streaming Star Trek movie, and it is reportedly set during Star Trek 's "lost era" with connections to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Section 31 could get a sequel if successful, and the Star Trek: Picard spinoff dubbed Star Trek: Legacy may also become a streaming movie instead of a series. However all this shakes out, it's a positive sign that Star Trek movies are finally coming back.

Source: Rob Keyes Twitter

‘Star Trek’ Origin Story Movie Will Be Set Decades Before 2009 Film

CinemaCon 2024: The new project will be produced by longtime “Star Trek” steward J.J. Abrams

Paramount Pictures is ready to boldly go (again).

After rumors circulated earlier this year, Paramount officially announced a new “Star Trek” prequel film on Thursday, this time taking place decades before the original 2009 “Star Trek” feature.

“Andor” director Toby Haynes will direct from a script by Seth Grahame-Smith (who is also writing another hotly touted CinemaCon title, the third “Now You See Me” film). J.J. Abrams is returning to produce.

But then again, we’ve heard about a new “Star Trek” movie before.

During the run-up to “Star Trek Beyond” in 2016, it was revealed that a fourth film would reunite Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk with his deceased father (played, once again, by Chris Hemsworth). A year later, Quentin Tarantino approached Paramount about doing a “Star Trek” movie – this time as an R-rated gangster movie (based, in part, on the 1968 episode of the original series “A Piece of the Action”). In 2018 S.J. Clarkson, a TV vet who would eventually direct “Madame Web,” was hired to direct the fourth film in the Abrams-verse, but salary disputes led to Pine and Hemsworth leaving the project. That version was canceled in 2019 and Tarantino stated in 2020 that he wouldn’t be making his “Star Trek” either.

In November 2019 “Fargo” creator Noah Hawley was hired to write and direct a new “Star Trek” film based on his version of the series. A year later, this movie was canceled by new Paramount Pictures president Emma Watts. In 2021 “Star Trek: Discovery” writer Kalinda Vazquez was hired to write a version based on her original pitch, but a separate script was being developed by Lindsey Beer and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. The studio even set a summer 2023 release date for a new “Trek” (which “Trek” was the question).

In 2021 that release date was pushed to Christmas 2023, under the direction of “WandaVision” director Matt Shakman. Josh Friedman and Cameron Squires were brought on to retool the script. In early 2022 it was announced that the stars of the three previous “Star Trek” installments in the Abrams-verse would all be returning, although it was later reported that the actors had not entered negotiations to return.

In 2022 Shakman left “Star Trek” to join Marvel Studios’ “The Fantastic Four.” But just last month Steve Yockey was hired to write a fourth “Star Trek” movie.

Now, we are finally getting word of another film in development, with another writer/director team. But it’s not the first time that a “Star Trek” prequel script has been floated, as Erik Jendresen, cowriter of “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning,” had submitted a script for “Star Trek: The Beginning” before J.J. had taken over and pitched his 2009 version. It depicted the Earth-Romulan War.

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A Star Trek Origin Movie Is Coming in 2025 From 'Andor' and 'Doctor Who' Director Toby Haynes

'Star Trek' (2009) director J.J. Abrams is attached to produce.

The Big Picture

• A new Star Trek prequel film, an "origin story", is in development, at Paramount.
• The Star Trek history before Kirk's missions on the Enterprise is largely unwritten, leaving room for creativity with the new film.
• Director Toby Haynes, known for Andor , is working on the film alongside writer Seth Grahame-Smith; a 2025 release window was announced at CinemaCon.

Star Trek may finally be coming back to the big screen. A prequel to the 2009 J.J. Abrams reboot of the franchise is in the works from director Toby Haynes . The news comes from Paramount's presentation at CinemaCon today, as reported by Collider's Steve Weintraub and Britta DeVore . With Haynes, who recently helmed six episodes of the acclaimed Star Wars series Andor , at the rudder, the film will be written by Seth Grahame-Smith .

So far, other details on the new film are scarce, but it will reportedly be an "origin story", taking place decades before the 2009 Star Trek film, which took place in 2255. That likely means that it will not feature the cast from the 2009 reboot, which has so far been difficult for Paramount to wrangle together for a fourth film, despite numerous attempts to do so . That doesn't necessarily mean that a fourth movie isn't happening: back in March, Paramount hired The Flight Attendant scribe Steve Yockey to pen a new script for the film. For their part, the cast is game as well, with Zoe Saldaña recently stating her willingness to return for a fourth mission on the USS Enterprise .

What Happened Decades Before Kirk's First Missions on the Enterprise?

The history of the Star Trek universe prior to the celebrated voyages of the Enterprise is largely unwritten. The first starship Enterprise 's adventures in the 22nd century were chronicled on the UPN prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise . That series ended with the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161, which leaves almost a century of mostly unexplored history between that and the history now being charted on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (and the first two seasons of mothership show Star Trek: Discovery ).

At some point, the nascent Federation faces a devastating war against the Romulan Star Empire , while also engaged in a Cold War with the Klingons. The USS Enterprise will eventually be launched in the 23rd century, under the captaincy of Robert April, who has been briefly glimpsed on Star Trek: The Animated Series and Strange New Worlds , before being handed off to Christopher Pike . Apart from that, however, Haynes and Graeme-Smith have a near-blank canvas upon which to make their mark.

In addition to Andor , Haynes has also helmed episodes of Doctor Who , Sherlock , and Black Mirror ; his work on the latter series includes the episode " USS Callister ," a loving pastiche of Star Trek . Graeme-Smith wrote the novels Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter ; he worked on the story for the upcoming horror comedy sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice .

A new Star Trek prequel film is in development; no date has yet been set beyond a 2025 release window . Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

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Exclusive Preview: ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Inside the Art and Visual Effects’ Coffee Table Book

| August 27, 2020 | By: Neil Shurley 17 comments so far

On Tuesday, September 1st Titan Books releases a new coffee table book all about the art of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . TrekMovie spoke with the authors and has exclusive imagery from the book for a preview.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Inside the Art and Visual Effects

Starfleet spent eighteen months redesigning and refitting the Enterprise before launching the legendary ship on a mission to intercept a giant cloud. But a new book detailing the art and visual effects work of that adventure took considerably longer to come to fruition.

“I pitched it to Titan Books at least three or four years ago,” co-author Jeff Bond told TrekMovie. “It actually goes back further than that,” added co-author Gene Kozicki, who cites the 2014 book Return to Tomorrow , Preston Neal Jones’ oral history of Star Trek—The Motion Picture , as his starting point.

From Star Trek: The Motion Picture: The Art and Visual Effects (TM & © 2020 CBS Studios Inc. © 2020 Paramount Pictures Corp. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved)

Kozicki, a 30+ year screen industry veteran who’s worked on visual effects for dozens of films, appreciated the many interviews included in Return to Tomorrow . But he also immediately noticed a few key omissions, specifically the lack of any input from Robert Abel & Associates, the special effects firm that was famously dismissed during the movie’s production. And maybe even more than that, his other complaint about the book was summed up in a single question: “Where are the pictures?”

Using his own personal collection as a starting point, Kozicki teamed with his friend Jeff Bond to pitch a new book idea to Titan, for whom Bond had already written several books, including Planet of the Apes: The Evolution of the Legend , The World of the Orville , and The Art of Star Trek: The Kelvin Timeline .

“I’d already done some Star Trek-related work for them,” Bond said. “In the context of discussing what a next project would be, this was a pretty obvious one, because the anniversary of the movie was coming up. And by that time, I had gotten to know Gene and knew that he was going to bring his vast expertise to this book. He’s a visual effects producer and has worked for a long time with the Visual Effects Society and is a genius at preserving and excavating all that history. And he has contacts with everybody.”

Using contacts they’d both made over the years, Bond and Kozicki conducted dozens of new interviews with such legendary figures as Douglas Trumbull, John Dykstra, Richard Yuricich, Andy Probert, and Syd Mead. They also spoke to some overlooked contributors, people like Richard Taylor, one of the effects artists who worked with Robert Abel & Associates.

“I felt that it was time to talk about that,” Kozicki said. “Talk about the positive contributions that Abel and his organization did.” Along with finding new insights into the production through original interviews, the authors tapped numerous sources for artwork, including scouring both the CBS and Paramount archives.

“The Star Trek division, John Van Citters, was extremely cooperative,” said Bond. “They allowed us unfettered access.” Paramount even provided the authors with a thumb drive containing thousands of high-resolution production photos. “There were 27,192 photos on this drive,” Kozicki said. “It’s like they have given us access to pretty much every photo they have in their archives.”

With this embarrassment of riches, the authors felt like part of their chore was trying to find photos that fans haven’t seen before, which was quite a challenge considering the material is over 40 years old. In the end, they were able to publish over 400 photos in a big, 192 page, coffee-table art book. “It deserves to be bigger,” said Bond, “because it’s the first Star Trek film and it’s the most visually expansive of all those movies. It’s groundbreaking in its way, and it really deserves to have a big book like this.”

Available Tuesday

All the artwork above and much much more is available in Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Inside the Art and Visual Effects by Jeff Bond and Gene Kozicki, published by Titan Books. The 176-page hardcover coffee table book will be released on September 1, 2020. It retails for $50.00 but you can pre-order it at Amazon for $39.99 .

Keep up with all the Star Trek merchandise news and reviews at TrekMovie.com .

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Ooh, nice. They’ll sell me one of those.

ST:TMP is still my favorite Star Trek movie. I pre-ordered this book a few weeks ago and it’s scheduled to be delivered on September 1. Can’t wait.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a sci-fi classic. This is really cool.

You must have to have an ‘in’ to get somewhere with Titan.

I’m looking forward to this as well. I do hope there are LOTS of new things. As for the Trumbull interview, we should find out just what exactly he would’ve done with the FX had he had the extra time to do them. I think the quote was adequate effects in time for the release, better FX in Jan and the best possible by Easter. Nothing was said from him regarding this when they did the Director’s Edition and they recorded his interview about the production.

How about stills from the cut footage like the security guard firing the phaser, the Ilia/Scotty exchange in engineering. Storyboards, if any, of the proposed earth scene with McCoy taping up an injured lion’s paw chatting with Kirk. The Nogura/Kirk exchange. I know..not filmed, but it would’ve added more dramatic ooomph for the Kirk character and the desire to be in the Captain’s chair again. In the Return to Tomorrow book, I was reading about how expansive the rec deck was and that they didn’t show it all on film, although its vast interior and full crew complement did showcase its cinematic quality, nonetheless.

With the pandemic crisis, I miss going to the movies, especially sci-fi movies. I hope one day Paramount spends a few $ and does an IMAX of TMP because it deserves it and with the director edition edits and its new soundtrack (but restore the Klaxon alarm..plasma weapon and warp drive sound fx), it would be amazing to experience. I remember the opening Klingon ship flyover and turn sitting close to the screen, you had a real sense of mass, movement and detail. The 40th anniversary release did pretty well considering its 1 or 2 day showing with lousy digital copies. There have been restoration efforts made on far lesser movies, TMP deserves it for future posterity!

Those Klingon ships look fantastic. Everything look fantastic on the exterior side in TMP, and most of the sets (though the uniforms would be better in II, and I liked the active displays behind Kirk vs. the rather bland science station; though in their defence that science station is pretty active compared to a door in DIS). A highlight in Discovery was the use of some of the well thought out symbology especially on the Big E from TMP (like that “Red Alert” animation which still is light years ahead of any display post 1981 in terms of epicness). Why Discovery didn’t use D-6/D-7 battlecrusiers when it would have made sense in favor of ugly forgettable designs is beyond me. TMP was actually my favorite Trek movie for 20 years as it looked and felt epic, it was only the last ten years where I now feel II is superior (it’s more fun).

What’s David Spade doing in that second picture?

The Special Effects for this film were fantastic. I always wanted to see it in 70mm. As intended by Doug Trumbull but no prints beyond one were ever made. Because of the rush of post production we were lucky to even get the 35mm version before 1980. It would be a dream come true for a 4k presentation of the original 65mm effects and the theatrical version of the movie along with the directors cut.

I think you are confused about what that 70mm print would have to offer us now in the present era.

You yourself noted it was expediently done. The film was edited and mastered in 35mm, and the 70mm print was just a blowup run off that. Even if that 70mm print is never found another of equivalent or dare I say superior quality could easily be run off the restored 35mm master for whatever quality it is that you believe was lost with that original 70mm print.

Don’t get me wrong, in 1979 when waiting in line for the premier I wanted to see the 70mm because its technology offered superior viewing options for that era. I’m just not sure with an 8k rescan of the 35mm looming in the wings that a 70mm blowup print could offer anything more?

In fact, it’s likely more valuable as an auditory archive as the increased physical real estate of 70mm allowed a magnetic stripe on which 6 discrete channels of sound could be recorded for playback.

Unless I am totally off-base, the 65mm film elements would have been used directly to strike the 70mm print, combined with 35mm blowup elements of the live-action. That’s always been my belief.

no, on 2nd thought you’re probably right. The shooting-fx-in65 thing was about protecting the quality when doing the necessary duplication for optical printing, so it would match with the 35.That’s what happened on CE3K. Still, I double-envy the writer from PLAYBOY who got to see the original 65mm VFX elements projected.

Interesting book to be sure. Nice to get some different background stories with the visual effects that were something when I saw this back in 1979. I really enjoy enjoyed the movie then and still do today, but I never liked the uniforms though.

What a nice contrast to have this available during this period where we are stuck with this silly and annoying cartoon.

the lost art of great miniatures and great ideas…

Ordered! Love Jeff Bond’s work.

Mine arrived last week and I just got thru reading it. After 40 years, there isn’t a lot about this movie that I don’t know but there were still a few stories, anecdotes and revelations that I was not aware of.

The book does a good job of breaking out and exploring different facets of the movie and many of the people involved. But while it spends a lot of time on certain aspects, like Doug Trumbull and John Dykstra’s teams’ efforts, as well as the many ideas contributed by and ultimate failure of the Robert Abel team, other people and teams are barely mentioned. Brick Price Movie Miniatures, who developed many of the movie’s props are get maybe one line in the whole book; Sam Nicholson and Brian Longbotham, who were responsible for the movie’s lighting effects in engineering and the final V’Ger temple, likewise are only mentioned in passing.

Overall though, it’s a nice, coffee-table edition with lots of photographs (some new, many previously seen) that does a good job of summarizing the movie’s voyage from TV pilot to theatrical film and I’m happy to have it in my collection.

My copy arrived yesterday. So far, so good, and with Jeff Bond on the job, this should be a good’n.

10 Behind-the-Scenes Books for Pop-Culture Fans

W e’ve gathered 10 books that spotlight some of pop culture’s most beloved and fascinating properties, including Disney , Star Trek , The X-Files , and Labyrinth. Scroll through for ideas on what to gift-wrap for the sci-fi fanatic, the film-history buff, or even the budding photographer on your holiday list.

Looking for more gift ideas? Check out all of Gizmodo’s 2023 gift guides .

The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdom and Beyond (Disney100 Celebration Edition)

Why we like it: Disney has been celebrating its 100th anniversary all year with festivities that have included an avalanche of commemorative merch . This book by author and photographer Christopher Finch has become a classic for Disney fans since its original release back in 1973, and it’s now available in a revised, updated, and aesthetically spiffed-up new version. According to publisher Abrams Books, it offers “a comprehensive history and tribute to the career and legacy of Walt Disney” and “was the first to reveal the wealth of concept art, animation drawings, and archival material that is created in the course of animating films.”

Price: $100 Where to buy: Abrams Books , Amazon

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: The Art of the Movie

Why we like it: Ramin Zahed’s official tie-in book delves into the 2023 Sony Pictures Animation sequel, the second in the eye-poppingly dynamic series that kicked off with the 2018 Oscar winner Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse. Creating the dazzling array of characters and settings explored in the multiverse tale was no small task, and this up-close look at Across the Spider-Verse contains “exclusive concept art, sketches, character designs, and storyboards from the visually innovative film, as well as interviews with key creators such as writers/producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who offer insights into their creative process.” Check out an excerpt from the book here .

Price: $40 Where to buy: Abrams Books , Amazon

Spielberg: The First Ten Years

Why we like it: Most directors don’t have decades-long careers full of so many hits you need an entire volume to chart just “the first 10 years,” but Steven Spielberg isn’t most directors. The time period spanned by author and documentarian Laurent Bouzereau’s book—1971-1982—includes deep dives into now-classic features like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Price: $70 Where to buy: Insight Editions , Amazon

Dune Part One: The Photography

Why we like it: While sci-fi fans wait ( and wait ) for Denis Villeneuve’s next Frank Herbert adaptation, Dune: Part Two, there’s no better eye-candy feast than this collection of images from the Oscar-winning first film, shot on location by unit photographer Chiabella James. The book also features commentary from stars like Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson (who also wrote the preface), Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, and Jason Momoa, plus a foreword by executive producer Tanya Lapointe and an afterword by Brian Herbert. Get a look inside the book here .

Price: $60 Where to buy:   Insight Editions , Amazon

A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s Dune - An Oral History

Why we like it: And then there’s David Lynch’s Dune—not a multi-Oscar winner by any means, but a cult classic that’s inspired plenty of curiosity over the years. Author Max Evry gathers new interviews with stars like Kyle MacLachlan, Sean Young, and Virginia Madsen, as well as “creatives, film executives, and insiders” and even director Lynch himself to excavate the true story behind this legendary and oft-misunderstood 1984 Hollywood oddity. Read an excerpt here .

Price: $22.99 Where to buy:   1984 Publishing , Amazon

Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road

Why we like it: This Hugo-nominated book by New York Times pop-culture journalist Kyle Buchanan offers “a full-speed-ahead” oral history of George Miller’s stunning 2015 action epic , which won six Oscars and racked up audience acclaim despite a brutal production plagued by harsh weather and notoriously dangerous conditions. Miller and stars Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy are among the interviewees in the book, which traces “Fury Road’s unexpected origins, through its outlandish casting process to the big-studio battles that nearly mutilated a masterpiece ... and astonishing facts behind a shoot so unconventional that the film’s fantasy world began to bleed into the real lives of its cast and crew.”

Price: $23.19 Where to buy:   HarperCollins , Amazon

Labyrinth: Bestiary - A Definitive Guide to the Creatures of the Goblin King’s Realm

Why we like it: Any fan of Jim Henson’s 1986 fantasy would break out into a spontaneous performance of “Magic Dance” upon receiving this collector’s volume by S.T. Bende, which explores the “wondrous beings and chaotic critters” that populate the movie as well as the tie-in comics and novelization. What’s more, the book includes “a stunning sketchbook featuring exclusive artwork from award-winning illustrator Iris Compiet, a selection of three beautiful art prints, and a signature card signed by the artist.”

Price: $200 Where to buy:   Insight Editions ; if you don’t need the extra flair, Insight Editions and Amazon also have a version for $35

The Wicker Man: The Official Story of the Film

Why we like it: Released in 1973, The Wicker Man is still the definitive folk-horror movie—and is just as chilling now as it was over 50 years ago. This book explores the movie’s origins, deploying “fascinating behind-the-scenes photography, new interviews, exclusive artwork, and never-before-seen material from the StudioCanal archives” to weave its tale.

Price: $50 Where to buy:   Titan Books , Amazon

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - The Making of the Classic Film

Why we like it: Every Star Trek fan’s coffee table needs two things: a bowl of revenge (served cold), and this handsome volume chronicling the making-of 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It contains “rare and previously unpublished archival material, behind-the-scenes photography, production art, cut scenes, script extracts, and much more, alongside new and exclusive interviews with the creatives, including director Nicholas Meyer.” Get a peek inside the book here .

The X-Files: The Official Archives: Cryptids, Biological Anomalies, and Parapsychic Phenomena

Why we like it: This release from author and X-Files superfan Paul Terry is styled as a collection of “case files” pulled from the desks of FBI agents Scully and Mulder (check out a look inside and an author interview here )—making it a fun reference volume for fans wanting to know more details about the show’s most fascinating and monstrous cases. Terry has a second volume, The X-Files: The Official Archives: Volume II: Extraterrestrial Activity and the Syndicate, due out next year; you can learn more about that here .

Price: $50 Where to buy: Abrams Books , Amazon

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New Star Trek Prequel Movie Is Officially Official, Andor And Black Mirror Director Confirmed

Captain's Log: Stardate 2024. It's been eight years since the USS Enterprise's last voyage on the big screen, with the franchise having since returned to its roots on television. During that period, the property has proliferated thanks to an influx of streaming series that's included everything from a "Next Generation" reunion to a raunchy cartoon and a wonderfully silly musical episode . But through it all, the question has lingered: when will Trekkies get to undertake another mission painted on the largest canvas available?

It's not been for lack of effort on Paramount's part. Ever since the commercial disappointment of 2016's "Star Trek Beyond" brought the escapades of the Kelvin Universe film series to a halt, the studio has cycled through one filmmaker after another in its quest to get "Star Trek" up and running in theaters once more. Most recently, it turned to "Black Mirror" director Toby Haynes to helm a new chapter based on a script by "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" and "The LEGO Batman Movie" scribe Seth Grahame-Smith. At the same time, Paramount has continued to try and mount a fourth and final chapter in the Kelvin Timeline story that began with J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" in 2009, having only barely recruited Steve Yockey ("The Flight Attendant") to work his magic on the screenplay.

Thankfully, we finally got an official update today during Paramount's CinemaCon presentation in Las Vegas (which /Film's Ryan Scott was there to witness with his own two eyes). The studio confirmed that Haynes' film will usher in the franchise's long-awaited return to theaters while, apparently, also functioning as a prequel to the previous Kelvin Universe movies. Production will begin later this year.

Star Trek will boldly go before it's never gone before

Literally winding back the clock for a mission is common practice in "Star Trek," so much so that the property even has a strict set of rules covering all the do's and don'ts of time travel (lest anyone step on a butterfly and wipe James Kirk out of existence). Prequels, on the other hand, only really came into vogue in the 2000s with the one-two punch of "Star Trek: Enterprise" and Abrams' film, the latter of which also introduced the alternate timeline known as the Kelvin Universe. Now, much as its big screen reboot 15 years ago served to reinvigorate the franchise while also appealing to a new generation of Trekkies, it's possible Paramount's goal here is for Haynes' prequel to revive the Kelvin series before bringing the main cast back while at the same time offering a jumping-on point for those who're new(ish) to the whole trekking across space thing.

Haynes' movie itself has previously been described as an "origin story" for "Star Trek" at large , which certainly supports the idea of it functioning as a soft reset without actually wiping out any earlier continuity (just like Abrams' movie). The director, for his part, has already demonstrated an appreciation for the property with his acclaimed "Black Mirror" episode "USS Callister" — a darkly satirical take on "Star Trek" tropes and toxic fandom — while his work on the "Star Wars" series "Andor" proves he's more than up for the task of taking a beloved sci-fi property and subverting it in fresh and exhilarating ways. With a little luck, these past eight years will prove to be more than worth the wait.

Keep it tuned to /Film for further updates on anything and everything "Star Trek."

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‘Star Trek’ Fan Leaves Behind a Collection Like No One Has Done Before

When Troy Nelson died, his shelves were filled to the rafters with memorabilia from the popular franchise. Soon, the massive collection will be boldly going, going, gone.

Evan Browne said her brother Troy’s love of “Star Trek” began with the original series, which he and his siblings watched at dinnertime. Credit... Connie Aramaki for The New York Times

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By Sopan Deb

• Published April 1, 2024 Updated April 3, 2024

Editors’ Note, April 2, 2024: After publication, The Times learned that Troy and Andrew Nelson were named in a civil lawsuit filed in Pierce County Superior Court in 1998, in which they were accused of molesting three disabled adults in a state-licensed facility that they operated. After a six-week jury trial, Washington State was ordered to pay $17.8 million to the plaintiffs. The state said it intended to appeal but missed the deadline and paid the victims. The Nelson brothers denied the allegations and were never criminally charged.

Troy Nelson and his younger brother Andrew were almost inseparable.

The two youngest of six, they were born two years apart. They lived together in their childhood home in Bremerton, Wash., for more than half a century. Near their home, there is a park bench on which they carved their initials as young boys.

The Nelson brothers never married or had children. They worked together at the same senior home. They even once, as teenagers, dated the same girl at the same time while working different shifts at the same pizza shop. This lasted a week until they realized it.

“Two parts of one body,” Evan Browne, their older sister, said of their relationship in an interview.

On Feb. 28, Andrew Nelson, who had been treated for cancer for years, went to feed the chickens and ducks that were gifts from Ms. Browne to her brothers. He had a heart attack and died. He was 55. Just hours later, Troy Nelson, who was stricken with grief, took his own life. He was 57.

“He had talked about it before,” Browne, 66, said, tearfully. “He said, ‘Hey, if Andrew goes, I’m out of here. I’m checking out.’ Andrew would say the same thing, and then it really happened .”

What Troy Nelson left behind has become a sensation. After his death, family members posted pictures on social media of his massive — and, really, the keyword is massive — collection of “Star Trek” memorabilia, which have now been shared thousands of times.

The items took up two living rooms and a bedroom, all lined with bookshelves, according to Elena Hamel, one of the brothers’ nieces. The centers of the rooms were lined with additional bookshelves — all packed to the brim — to create aisles. There were jewelry cabinets serving as display cases.

The shelves contained action figures. Dolls. Models of ships. Posters. Ornaments. Lunchboxes. Legos. Several toy phasers and tricorders. (For non-Trek fans, the phaser is a weapon, and a tricorder is, essentially, a fancy smartphone.) Multiple “Star Trek” lamps. (Yes, there are “Star Trek” lamps.) Trading cards. Comic books. Trek-themed Geeki Tikis (stylized tiki mugs). Life-size cutouts of famous characters. A life-size captain’s chair.

While it’s impossible to account for every private collector in the world, Troy Nelson’s collection is almost assuredly among the largest — if not the largest.

The last additions to the collection came in the final weeks of his life: Stuffed rabbits in “Star Trek” uniforms. “I’ve never seen a collection that size,” said Russ Haslage, the president of the International Federation of Trekkers , a “Star Trek”-themed nonprofit that Haslage founded with Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the franchise.

Haslage’s organization opened in 2020 a “Star Trek” museum in Sandusky, Ohio, that has received donations of memorabilia from estates. Those collections “pale in comparison” to Mr. Nelson’s, he said. (Haslage has reached out to the family to ask about donations from the collection.)

The older brother’s love of “Star Trek” began with the original series, which he’d watch with his siblings.

“It was our dinner meal,” Ms. Browne said. “When we had dinner, we were sitting in front of ‘Star Trek.’”

Troy Nelson began collecting in the late-1970s. His first acquisition was a model version of the Starship Enterprise. Then came Star Trek conventions. Why the franchise was such a draw to him remains a mystery to his family.

“I really can’t say. I mean, other than the fact that he was brainwashed with it at dinner time,” Browne said, laughing. “That sounds ridiculous. When we grew up, it’s like, ‘Dinner is at this time. And if you don’t get here at this time, you don’t get dinner.’ So it might’ve been a comfort for him .”

Troy Nelson would often monitor sites like eBay for items he didn’t have. On several occasions, he would express frustration on losing out on an item before being able to bid on it. Until he found out the reason.

“Andrew already got it for him,” Ms. Browne recalled.

Obsessive “Star Trek” fandom has long become an indelible part of pop culture, especially as the franchise — which has spawned several television series, movies, novels and comics — has been a long-running institution. There have been documentaries that have studied the subject, such as “Trekkies” in 1997. It’s been lampooned on “The Simpsons,” “Saturday Night Live” and “Family Guy,” and become a story line in an episode of “The West Wing,” among many others. For dedicated fans, accruing collectibles isn’t uncommon.

“When you collect these things, you’re closer to that genre that you enjoy so much,” Haslage said. “When I first started in 1979, I was grabbing everything I could get my hands on because it was cool, and it was a piece of the whole ‘Star Trek’ mythos. If you have these pieces, you’re a part of that universe in some way.”

It turns out that collecting is a pursuit that runs in the family.

Andrew Nelson collected mall swords, Ryobi-branded tools and statues of warrior women, like Xena, the warrior princess .

Browne’s house has a wall with thousands of smashed pennies and her living room windows are full of glass sugar and creamer bowls.

Browne’s father, Bud Peers, collected salt and pepper shakers, guns and knives. Troy and Andrew’s father, Norman Nelson, collected scrap metal and wood.

Hamel has 17 Christmas trees, all fully decorated with separate themes.

Browne’s son, Michael, who is 36, collects anything and everything related to black bears.

“ When you have a large collection like that and it’s displayed like that,” Hamel said, “and it’s something that is important to you, it’s often really calming to be in a space like that. It’s just all the things that you love. It’s soothing.”

As far as Browne knew, Troy had no history of mental illness or any previous suicide attempts. After Andrew died, she received a distraught and frantic call from Troy with the news. She told him that she was on her way.

Ms. Browne said she called him when she got to the Tacoma Bridge. No answer. And then again, at the Manette Bridge. No answer. When she reached their home, the back door was open. And then she found him. The phone call was the last time they spoke.

Troy Nelson did not leave a note, but did leave some things meticulously arranged by his computer, including a key to the house, burial plans for the two brothers, and bills.

“ I don’t know really what I thought,” Ms. Browne said. “All I could do was just scream.”

The Nelson family is boxing up Troy’s “Star Trek” collection to prepare it for auction. Andrew’s ashes will be placed in an urn carved in the likeness of the supermodel Bettie Page . (He was a fan.) Troy’s ashes will be placed in a “Star Trek” lunchbox.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.

Sopan Deb is a Times reporter covering breaking news and culture. More about Sopan Deb

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