While we all have been speculating, arguing, and mostly just waiting for more details on Star Trek: Discovery, there’s a segment of the fan community that has been doing its part to fill the void. Without a lot of visuals to work with, some fans have been creating their own Discovery-themed art.
This fan-driven effort to bridge the gap is reminiscent of what happened in the 1970s following the end of the original Star Trek series, and its revival as a feature film franchise. Fan publications like Bjo Trimble’s influential “Star Trek Concordance” were full of fan art. But this time, the art is being shared onwebsites like DeviantArt or Tumblr, and on social media.
So while we wait for whatever CBS has to reveal, we thought we’d share some of this Discovery fan art that has been holding us over.
Posters by Aaron Harvey
I have been one of those indulging in Discovery art. I have always been interested in unused ship concepts and have had a Starlog magazine with the Ken Adam/Ralph McQuarrie Planet of the Titans U.S.S. Enterprise sitting on my shelf since I was eight years old. So when the Discovery was revealed last summer I was pretty exuberant, and happy to be one of the first ones out there to do Discovery fan art. I have found that sharing images of the U.S.S. Discovery from different angles has even changed a few skeptical minds.
In my latest creation, I have taken a crack at a cast poster featuring Jason Isaacs’ Capt. Lorca, Michelle Yeoh’s Capt. Georgiou, and Sonequa Martin-Green’s Lt. Cmdr. Michael Burnham … plus a little of James Frain’s Sarek if you look closely.
You can see more of my art on Dribble and by following me @geekfilter on Twitter.
Fan trailer by Trekyards
We are all waiting for the first trailer for Star Trek: Discovery. In the meantime, the guys at Trekyards have put together their own.
The TrekYards crew also kindly created an exclusive render for TrekMovie.
For more more ship obsession, visit trekyards.com.
Posters by Damien Devlin
One of the other most prolific and shared Discovery fan artists is Galway, Ireland’s Damien Devlin, also known as “The Irish Trekkie.” He told TrekMovie that:
“My fan art is a representation of my passion for Star Trek and Star Trek: Discovery and it’s a way for me to connect with the community and to inspire conversation and thought about the possibilities that lay head of us, and to maybe help people see things from a different perspective or light.”
Devlin, with the 3-D assist from David Combe, is also fond of making posters featuring the U.S.S. Discovery.
You can find more of Damien’s art on Imgur and by following @theirishtrekkie on Twitter.
Animation by Michael Williams
Michael Williams has created an interesting and moody 3-D flyby of the U.S.S. Discovery.
Crew Uniform Sketches by Michael McDonnell
Michael McDonnell has envisioned what a Discovery-era uniform might look like based on the snippet glimpsed in the January 2017 trailer.
Visit deviantart for more of Michael’s work.
Napkin pic by Jason Sexton
A piece of fan art that really jumped out at me wasn’t a splashy poster or a slick animation, but this drawing on a napkin by Jason Sexton. Trek fans are passionate and when the mood strikes them, even if they are out to dinner, they express themselves!
See more of Jason’s art at stacksstudios.com.
What about you?
Do you have any Star Trek: Discovery fan art? Or have you seen other Discovery fan art you liked? Share a link to it in the comments below!
I have to say, that one pic that has the TOS style ship with the “dish” navigational deflector & nacelles is spot on and more what I hope for. The style is completely updated, but with nods to TOS that really give it the continuity I look for. I hope there is more of that in the new series. I love the “back to basics” feel.
So excited for this series, even if it doesn’t aesthetically hit every note for me. The talent on board is undeniable.
That’s the NX-01 refit. The plan was to have that be the ship if Enteprise wasn’t canceled
That’s Doug Drexler’s NX-01 refit design. He hoped ENT would use it in a 5th season.
Yeah we would’ve gotten that ship if Enterprise had a fifth season. It really sucks since it sounded like they were going to take the show in a really fun and interesting direction to tie the show in more with TOS. I just saw it for the first time late last year and was really impressed thats what was in the cards.
I was referring to the Trekyards ship, pictured below Discovery, btw.
That’s the refit NX-class. That’s what the NX-01 Enteprise would have been refit into if ENT had continued.
https://trekazoid.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/nx-class-refit/
LOL I got SO excited thinking ‘FINALLY’ only to discover its fan art. :(
But don’t get me wrong, very cool fan art. I just want to see something official at this point. That said I like a lot of this stuff so if they are close to what will be in the show I will happy with it. Still not happy with the ship but whatever. The videos did a great job of highlighting it at least.
I love the design of the uniform though by Micheal McDonnell. Yes please NO TOS looking uniforms. I think thats a cool look, a one piece like the later shows but still in style to the time period.
This all looks great… looking forward to another official look – come on with a trailer CBS! I love that third poster here with the shuttle Aaron Harvey – looks awesome. I think I’m in the minority, but I love the look of the Discovery.
Well, it just goes to show that no matter what angle you look at it, it’s a butt ugly door stop with a roulette wheel stuck on the top.
Looks very much like the Franklin which everyone loved.
@Enter Prize – Wahhhhh. Waaaaahhhh. Waaaaahhhhhhh. Sorry, I’m trying to speak your language, but my universal translator struggles with “pathetic whiny troll baby.”
Ah yes, that old chestnut of not liking the ship. I get not liking something but the level of anger “fans” show kind of baffles me. I mean, do they lay awake at night and curse John Eaves? Just don’t get that part of fandom,
This is all beautiful work, but the NX-01 Refit still steals the show for me! I always liked the original NX design. Still, Discovery could grow on me. I think the Ent-D takes the cake for least-attractive ship, but in HD she does have some serious presence. Honestly all Trek ships are gorgeous works of art to me. Can’t wait to see Discovery take flight.
I’m not convinced that the uniforms are all going to have a blue base with the division colors being minimal (like Enterprise) on the trim of the shoulders and down the middle. I think the preview image we saw in the teaser trailer was a Science Division uniform (of course with the logo on the Delta) that just happens to have gold trim (which does make it look very sexy sleek). I believe that Command uniformss with be all gold also with gold trim and Engineering/Security uniformss will be all red with gold trim. It’s set too close to TOS to still be designing the uniforms based off of Enterprise era uniforms.
I hope everyone ignores this post because I’m wrong on all levels. They are blue based and that was an engineering/security symbol on the delta in the teaser. I am shame-faced…
I make fanart, mostly Star Trek. Check out crisisenvy.com or http://www.tumblr.com/blog/crisisenvy.