Andrew Probert

Andrew "Andy" G. Probert has an artistic career that spans over twenty years, ten of which were spent working on some of science-fiction fans' favorite Hollywood productions, including Star Trek.

Early career
At the age of six, Probert moved to California, and later joined the United States Navy. After his service he attended the "Art Center College of Design" in Pasadena, California (which also counts William Ware Theiss and classmate Mark Stetson among their alumni). Probert was a Star Trek: The Original Series fan and as such contributed with art work in 1969 to the fanzine Inside Star Trek. His Hollywood career began, with assistance of Ralph McQuarrie, on the small screen as a designer for Glen Larson's Battlestar: Galactica (1978).

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
He quickly moved to the big screen as a major contributor on Star Trek: Phase II and its successor, being employed by Robert Abel & Associates (again, on recommendation by McQuarrie) as concept designer/illustrator, moving over to Future General Corporation in the same capacity, after the former was pulled from the project.

When Star Trek: Phase II (the proposed successor of the original Star Trek series) was canceled, in order to produce The Motion Picture, Joe Jennings (the Art Director) had already come up with his version of an upgraded Enterprise, and a model was in the process of being constructed. Brought in by Art Director Richard Taylor, Probert, amongst others, went on re-designing this version, plus he designed several of the Enterprise's interiors, as well as those for the. For the movie he further designed amongst others the orbital office complex, drydock and the Work Bee.

Intermediate career
Andrew Probert went on to work a number of television and feature-film projects, including Airwolf (1984) and Back to the Future (1985), for which he designed the signature.

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Probert's next-to-last project in Hollywood proved to be the one for which he is most well known. On 2 December 1986 Probert was hired as the fifth production staffer in the capacity of Senior Illustrator for Star Trek: The Next Generation, originally to design interiors sets, most notably the bridge. But a lucky circumstance, when a producer David Gerrold noticed a design sketch Probert made, based on a painting he did for his own amusement years earlier of a conjectural future design of the Enterprise, resulted in him also designing the.

Paramount obtained several design patents based on Probert's work on both Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek: The Next Generation. He is listed as the "inventor" on those designs and is the sole person officially credited with the design for the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D).

Probert was, and is a staunch supporter and defender of Gene Roddenberry's creation and his vision thereof, and has been on record for his less than enthusiastic view on Rick Berman and his take on the franchise: "Gene Roddenberry was initially in charge of Star Trek: The Next Generation, as he well should be, and something happened politically to change that. You know, I had no idea what caused that change. But while Gene was in charge, he and I got along very well. We understood each other. And I liked him because of his creation of Star Trek, and he fully understood exactly where he wanted his show to go. Yet he was fully open to any ideas that we threw at him, and he would talk about that, and he talked about it intelligently.

"When Rick Berman took over the show, half way through the first season, every time we showed him a design concept, his constant response was, "no, we can't do that, because it reminds me of something that I've seen somewhere", or "it looks like a shaver", or "it looks like something I've seen in a furniture store". The only thing of note that Rick Berman did before Star Trek was a show called "The Big Blue Marble", a kid's show. For some reason, Paramount led him into this. I don't know. I've heard conflicted stories that Gene thought he was a great producer and wanted to bring him in. Whatever it is, Rick Berman did not, in that time, and, as far as I can see from what is being produced, does not understand science fiction. I've seen a lot of great concepts, by Doug Drexler and a few of the other illustrators that they have been working on, passed over in favor of much more controlled concepts. My experience with Rick Berman is, you know, he does not understand what he's doing, he does not understand science fiction.(...)

"I think Star Trek died when Gene died. Well, as I said, Gene understood exactly what he wanted for his show, and his main focus was maintaining consistency in the show. And everybody who cared about Star Trek eventually left the show. Bill Theiss, the costumer, left, I left, Bob Justman left. So... I don't know what to say, it was very frustrating working on that.(...)I think he [Berman] cares about it for the money. I think he cares about it because he is confident that, no matter what they produce, if it has the name "Star Trek" on it, people will go watch it. They'll complain about it, but they will still make money from the viewers. But, you know, this is just my opinion."

Although having only worked on the first season of The Next Generation, designing most of the ships, sets, and races, Andrew Probert's design work very much defined the visual style of the series, and which was largely adhered to for the remainder of the series. In that respect, he was to that production what Walter M. "Matt" Jefferies had been to the original Star Trek television series.

In, Probert was interviewed for the special feature "Next Generation Designer Flashback: Andrew Probert" for the Star Trek: The Next Generation Motion Picture Collection (DVD), especially for the newly released. He talks about his memories regarding his work on the first Star Trek film and early concepts for the saucer separation on the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701).

Probert is, besides his design work, also an accomplished painter and work by his hand has adorned the TNG settings of the Captain's ready room and sickbay as well as the covers of publications like The Making of the Trek Films and Cinefantastique, issue 51.

Post Star Trek career
A consummate designer Probert found Hollywood a difficult place to work in, "As much as I (still) love making films, I hated the politics, ass-kissing, and back-stabbing that it took to get most jobs in that town. I never learned to "play the game". I don't lie, I don't schmooze, I just like to work.", This and the artistic differences, made Probert consciously decide to leave the movie business, having only worked as effects storyboard artist on the television series War and Remembrance (1988), after The Next Generation.

Probert went on to work as a Walt Disney Imagineer, a video game artist, and is now involved in producing paintings and recently joined the developers of Star Trek Online with their visual look development.

In 2008, he made a short return to Hollywood as set designer/storyboard artist for the science-fiction/horror production Pesticide.

Star Trek credits

 * - Production Illustrator (credited as "Andy Probert")

Storyboards, revisions or new designs of all space hardware and various hand props. Interior designs and renderings of the Enterprise cargo bay and Klingon cruiser's bridge, as well as an assortment of additional production art. Art directed and supervised the detailing of various miniatures as well as providing major design contributions to the Enterprise exterior. A com-voice at Epsilon IX also makes reference to a "Commodore Probert, Starfleet."

Concept sketches and designs of all featured starships, for the show's first season, including the Type 7 shuttlecraft, Ferengi marauder, Romulan warbird and the  USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D). Also designed the Enterprise-D main bridge, battle bridge, and contributed heavily to the remaining sets. Additional responsibilities included designing various props, other-world environments, matte paintings, and the look of several alien races, notably the Ferengi.
 * Star Trek: The Next Generation - Consulting Senior Illustrator, Season 1/Performer, -

He made an uncredited cameo appearance as a post-atomic court spectator in the pilot episode. He described his hat as a large tribble in an interview.

In 2008 Probert joined James Cawley's fan film production of Star Trek: Phase II for their episode Kitumba, for which he designed a new Klingon fighter craft  and in which he guest starred as the afore-mentioned Commodore Probert. 
 *  - Production Designer/Performer

Commercial availability
Probert, in conjuncture with selected retailers, is selling commercialized versions of his work through his website "ProbertDesigns.com", including Star Trek related items, such as posters of his paintings for the franchise, Star Trek model kits, and apps, a number of those showcasing unrealized designs he has done for the franchise, as well as later design work he has done on the subject.

Star Trek interviews

 * TNG Season 1 Blu-ray special feature, "Stardate Revisited, Part 3: The Continuing Mission" (2012)
 * "Andy Probert Talks about the Lost Designs of Star Trek The Motion Picture", Starlog, issue 32, March 1980, pp. 26-33, 63, interviewed by David Houston
 * "Bridge Work", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine Vol. 1, December 1987, p. 50, interviewed by Marc Shapiro
 * "Designing the Enterprise", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine Vol. 4, April 1988, pp. 29-37, interviewed by Dennis Fischer