Mr. Sternbach's work includes: Star Trek-The Motion Picture, Star Trek: The Next Generation, a number of non-Star Trek related projects, including the PBS series Cosmos, and the feature "The Last Starfighter." Sternbach has been honored with the prestigious Hugo award for best artist twice. Sternbach's illustrations are well known and have been seen on the covers of Analog, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and in the pages of Aviation Week. Sternbach is also the co-author of the Pocketbooks best seller, The Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, with Michael Okuda.

Question: Do you believe that it is possible to construct a Dyson Sphere? If so, how far in the future do you imagine it will be?
Jay001

Rick Sternbach: Well, this isn't something we can get great numbers on, since the tech is sooooooo distant and it involves taking entire solar systems apart to make the classic Dyson Sphere.

How far off? Maybe millions of yrs. if we live that long!

Q: What is the "Ultimate Project" for you (the ONE thing you have always wanted to work on)? Do you think you'll get a chance to do it?
Megg_STAR

RS: I'll preface it by saying I won't be able to, but it would have been involvement with the international Space Station. Some years ago I was asked to submit a list of projects to perform up on the space station (this was prior to the Challenger explosion). A number of my space-artist colleagues were asked to submit questionnaires, and it would have been interesting to become a principal investigator on a space station project.

Q: My friend and I have been having a debate as to what exact weapons the Defiant fires. Are those barrages of orange blobs quantum torpedoes, or are they something else?

RS: I must admit that I am not terribly up on the exact specs of the Defiant. if you asked how many decks it has I couldn't tell you, so don't ask. I do know that the primary weapon is the photon torpedo. Mike Okuda and I are working out the details on that now.

Q: Were you artistically inclined as a child? If not, what were you involved in earlier in life?
SurfNerd

RS: I began drawing at the age of 2 1/2. My architect father stuck a pencil in my hand and said, "Draw!" So I think art was with me pretty much since the beginning.

Q: What projects were you involved in before you came to work with Star Trek.
Net-Skwurel

RS: As far as motion picture and TV projects I was involved in "Black Hole", Carl Sagan's series "Cosmos", Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and a number of smaller TV and feature productions. Way before that, I did time in the NY book and magazine market as an SF illustrator.

Q: I saw something about an art school project of a Medieval Scottish Spaceship. Is it really something that you did!?
josh_284

RS: Hey, who is that!? Yeah, I did a fake letter from the US Navy about finding a ship's log from the 1200s, from a stone ship powered by limestone and naptha.

Q: How many decks are on the Enterprise-E?
Michael

RS: Either 24 or 26, depending on who you believe in the movie!

Q: Rick I've seen blueprints for the new enterprise-E in a starlog magazine centerfold, with a Voyager "arrow" shaped saucer section, the playmates toy enterprise also reflects that design, but in the movie the saucer section seems round. Is that just because of the angle of the shot, or are there 2 designs out there?
CROISIS

RS: Optical illusion; the saucer is an ellipse.

Q: When did you join the Star Trek team? What were you doing (occupationally) before that?
Jeff187

RS: Technically, I go back to Star Trek: The Motion Picture, but I was hired on Jan 5 87, making me a 10-year man...I did, however, send sketches to Gene in 1967, which I may finally get to put into a real design! <grin>.

Q: What formal art training have you had (school, apprenticeship, etc...)?
Cosmosis

RS: My dad's training, then art school (UConn. for three years) and a switch to bio, then aw phooey, and went to work in NY.

Q: Will you be at the opening of the VIACOM store in Chicago this spring; I've heard that you, Greg Jein and Hermann Zimmerman will be there?
J.F.

RS: Well, I haven't been formally invited, but I'd go if asked! Sounds like it'll be fun.

Q: Hi Rick,I was watching Dateline on NBC a few months ago & noticed the set design looked very trek(Okuda-ish computer panels on the walls etc.)Just wondering if you, or any one else from the star trek team had anything to do with that?
CROISIS

RS: Yes! I hope Mike Okuda has seen how nicely his graphic style works on big network TV! BTW, we didn't do that for NBC; they seem to have thought of it all by themselves.

Q: Have you created blue-prints for the Enterprise NCC 1701-E? If not, do you plan to come out with them any time soon?
CyberMan

RS: The only blueprints existing were done for ILM so they could build the 10-foot miniature. No plans to publish yet, but they'd have to be reworked heavily to make them work.

Q: Ask him this: About how big is the defiant to the Enterprise-e?
rnra

RS: The Defiant seems to be about 1/2 the length of the Enterprise-D, but I'd have to check that with Mike Okuda.

Q: I really enjoyed the TNG Tech Manual. Have you (or would you consider) writing any fiction about Star Trek? ...like AN EPISODE?

RS: The thought has crossed my mind, but doing that would infringe on my work and home life! I feel like I've written a few episodes' worth of tech notes, though.

Q: Mr. Sternbach: Do you think you'll help make Technical Manuals for any other series? (If you haven't already done so)
Anders

RS: That really is up to Pocket Books, but I can imagine some new tech things to do with DS9, if you can wait just a bit.

Q: How did you come to work for Trek? Did you know someone on the set, or did they come to you?
TreeCutter

RS: Gene knew my work from ST:TMP, so when I heard about TNG I was on the freeway listening to the news and in 20 seconds I was at a pay phone! Called the office, and a month or so later came in to interview.

Q: Have you seen Star Wars? Do you plan too? If you have, do you like it? Anders

RS: I'd like to see the new CGI work mostly. I've SEEN the movie <grin>.

Q: Mr. Sternbach were you in the military?
chronon

RS: Nope, missed out on that, but I certainly appreciate the inventiveness of the hardware designers and the dedication of the armed services.

Q: What has been your favorite technological advance during your involvement with the show?
Fitzgereld

RS: The most fun has been the cellular phone, the computer advances and the possibility of anti-matter propulsion. It's tough trying to keep SF and real science straight on this show!

Q: Do you know if a CD of 3-D wireframe models of the different ships will ever be available.
Becky-Y

RS: Commercially, I don't know; maybe the way Bitstream did fonts? There are certainly opportunities to create lots of new product.

Q: How much input, if any, did you have on the ST: TNG Tech. Manual on CD-ROM?
chronon

RS: The original material is certainly all the stuff that Mike and I created; S&S Interactive massaged it into a CD-ROM title with some new QTVR stuff which I admit, was way cool.

Q: I've spent many hours coming up with a starship design. As I was doing it, I found it hard not to copy what I had seen in the shows. How do you come up with such diverse designs? I read that George Lucas saw the shape that became the Millennium Falcon in a hamburger he had for lunch back when Star Wars was being made. What was your weirdest source of inspiration?
Maltz

RS: Weirdest? Mostly animals, like crabs, scorpions, nudibranchs, that sort of stuff.

Q: Do you use the Internet very much? Is there some way I can e-mail you?
Maggie

RS: Go hang out in rec.arts.startrek.tech.

Q: Do you Dive (as in Scuba Dive?)
Trekker

RS: Used to! Had endless fun with my aluminum 71.2!

Q: Mr. Sternbach: What do you think of VIACOM's quest to get off all non-official fan pages on the net?
Anders

RS: I really can't say, since it doesn't impact my work terribly much. I know that there have been some grumbles, but all I can do is hope it all gets resolved.

Q: What type of computer do you use?
Dude409

RS: Macs, big ones with lots of RAM.

Q: How can I get something autographed by you? Is there an address?
Kaycee

RS: You could try the main Paramount address, I suppose.

(Kaycee, send your item to Rick Sternbach, Star Trek, Paramount Pictures, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038)

Q: Did you help on designing the Borg or their ship(s)?

RS: The Borg suits; just the early takes on the external gear...the whole thing was a team effort with the make-up and costuming folks.

Q: Can you tell us anything about new projects(for Star Trek or otherwise)?
chronon

RS: Nothing officially new; a proposed DS9 item is being discussed but outside of work, I'm involved with a group of space enthusiasts, and we're building a full-size Mars lander ascent stage cabin for the Planetary Society's Planetfest '97. It'll be in Pasadena this July 3-6.

Q: Rick: Have you been on TV before? (commercials, shows, etc.)
Anders

RS: Just newsy kinda interviews, and one appearance. On the Disney Channel showing off space art by me and Don Dixon.

Q: I know the writers occasionally accept scripts from freelance writers?does your department ever use outside designs?
Ernest

RS: Unfortunately, no, due to legal concerns, but we do occasionally see portfolios, and we DO encourage artists to KEEP DRAWING!!! That's how we all got here.

Q: How do you or who ever comes up with them decide the names and registry numbers for all the starships?
rnra

RS: The names and numbers are generally the territory of the writers and producers.

Q: Do you have any children?
Bert007

RS: Two.

Q: What is your favorite spaceship design (not necessarily Star Trek)?
Michelle

RS: Ya gotta love the Luna from Destination Moon! On Star Trek, it's the Klingon Attack Cruiser for me.

Q: Were you a Star Trek fan before you started work on the show?
Samantha

RS: Not so much a fan, but a real interested viewer who gobbled up the tech and the alien stuff.

Q: Do you believe in UFO's?
chronon

RS: Sorry, no. But there are strange things not yet understandable by science.

Q: The Klingon Attack Cruiser is a Great design, who designed it You? or Andrew Probert...?
Trudy64

RS: Me.

Q: How do phasers work? Do they travel like lasers (at the speed of light?) Or is it something else?
YJ

RS: Phasers are lightspeed weapons; the torpedoes are FTL.

Q: It's amazing that it is so easy to distinguish something Cardassian from something made by Starfleet on DS9. Are there some universal design specifications that ships, interiors, and (or) hand weapons follow to keep the "look" so consistent?
Frank

RS: We try very hard to keep the alien styles and Starfleet styles separate. We do this by way of shapes and colors so you can tell pretty fast who's who.

Q: Rick, in Star Trek, is there really labels like "In Space No one can hear you scream" and "Objects in mirror closer than they appear" on doors etc. in small type?
Anders

RS: Yep! But they're teeny weeny.

Q: Can you describe some of the early concepts for the ships we see today? Are they all that different from the final version? What are some of the "rejected" ship ideas you came up with?
Leo

RS: I go thru a number of designs sometimes and show the producers a number of sketches. they request changes on some things, and then I rework the pencil stage art then when they say go to the pencil, it gets inked. The best times are when a single sketch gets approved, and then we're off to the model guys or CGI shop!

Q: If the engine pylons on Voyager are on giant hinges, how does the casing carrying the matter/antimatter reaction energy adjust for the change? Does the casing bend, or is it some kind of high-power force field (inquiring minds want to know!) : - )
Asok

RS: Same way we keep water out of propeller shafts! Seriously, there must be some flexi-coupling or moveable "windows" in the plasma conduits.

(Rick is working this out with his hands, seeking the proper terminology for what he can "see")

Q: Can I send a top layout of a ship I designed to the address you posted earlier? I'm not asking you to use it, even if you could, but to see if you think it's good..?
Anders

RS: I wouldn't be able to give it the look I'd like and as I said, we can't really accept artwork for legal reasons.

Q: Have you had any offers from other shows (Babylon 5, X-Files, etc...)?
dpettigrew

RS: No, not really, since I've been here all snug, and the other shows have some pretty hot designers already.

Q: I know that actors get paid to have their likeness as an action figure, do designers get paid anything for toy/model replicas of ships or props?
CROISIS

RS: Good question!...

I had to sign over my rights to the Star Trek: The Next Generation hand props which I designed for a dollar, and I didn't even get my dollar! <grin>

Q: Obviously, you can make up any technology you want to justify the stuff that happens in Star Trek. How closely do you try to stick with established scientific principles? (excluding, of course, warp travel).
Andy

RS: We certainly try to make it *sound* plausible when it comes to physics, biology, medicine. I think that's one of Trek's VERY great strengths!

Q: What is your favorite series?
rnra

RS: No, I don't think I have a favorite right now but I can tell you we watch Chicago Hope, ER, Voyager, DS9, and NYPD Blue.

Q: Do you simply design the mood of the sets or are you in charge of every last detail?
chronon

RS: I'm strictly a spaceship and gizmo guy, but I do get asked to storyboard some sequences, and make different shapes used in the sets work with the ship miniatures and other hardware. Style, style, style.

Q: What is your favorite prop design?
Tuluse

RS: Hmmm...

Got to be the Tricorder because it has all those cool blinkies. I like most of the phasers, too.

Q: Have you ever considered drawing Klingons or Romulans or something playing poker? (The Klingons go with the dogs)
Anders

RS: Not on my agenda, sorry <grin>.

Q: Do you still appear at conventions and do you still teach airbrush technique?
Kevin

RS: I still go to some of the bigger Star Trek conventions and once in a great while I'll hang out with my artist and writer buddies at a regular SF con. No airbrushes tho', since the Mac does a pretty decent job of that!

Q: How Closely do you and Mike Okuda work together in the design of the shows?
chronon

RS: Well, we laid a lot of groundwork back on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but now we consult every so often on particularly thorny questions. We've figured out most of the universe early on <big grin>.

Q: What book cover art have you done that we can find?
Drewlet

RS: Geee, you'd have to go back a few years to Analog, F&SF, Galaxy, If, and a few others starting in 1973. Also a bunch of books for Del Rey around the same time.

Q: How involved was Gene (Roddenberry) in the design of the ships etc..?
JoeWilliams

RS: Gene and Bob Justman and the other higher-ups had their ideas for the Enterprise-D ship, I'm sure, but it was Andy Probert's baby, with Herman Zimmerman. Gene certainly had interesting takes on the props and gave us our orders on things like Geordi's VISOR, the comm badge, etc. I made a lot of it real, in terms of the drawings.

Q: Do you have any top secret Star Trek designs you can hint at that may be coming out?
chronon

RS: Ships, more ships some very cool things have been happening on both shows from both myself and John Eaves over on DS9.

Q: What do you do with your time on the show? Are you perpetually designing new things? What is your typical day like?
gleknar

RS: Get in, surf the net, get email, coffee, draw, lunch, draw, draw more, visit the stage, draw, get ships approved, draw,...coffee, coffee, go home. Coffee, dinner, TV, email, snooze.

Q: Did you ever get pranked by anyone while working on the set?
Anders

RS: Nope, not on me.

Q: How is your favorite Sci-Fi artist? Do you Like Roger Dean the guy who does a lot of the Yes album covers?
chronon

RS: I like Roger's stuff.

Love Syd Mead.

I like Giger only for certain things.

Giger has a very inventive mind. I try to separate that from the content.

Ron Cobb - great stuff.

Thanks very much, Rick, for taking the time to chat with us today.

RS: I enjoyed this immensely - and will join you again sometime!