Michael Okuda


 * You may be looking for Michael Okuda (Doctor) or M. Okuda.

Michael "Mike" Hideo Okuda (on occasion affectionately called Mikey O by his close co-workers), hailing from Tokyo, Japan but raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been the scenic art supervisor for every live-action Star Trek series except The Original Series. As the art supervisor he is responsible for such things as the look of alien languages, computer screens, graphic detailing and perhaps even the look of the exotic artifacts Picard has collected. His most recognizable achievement is the creation of okudagrams, the futuristic glass-covered control panels first seen in. He was a graphic designer at the time.

While never having taken a class in calculus in his life (though being a graduate of the University of Hawaii-Manoa), Okuda is responsible for designing the logarithmic warp scale used in Star Trek: The Next Generation. All his computer graphics and designs are done on a Macintosh.

As a big fan of M*A*S*H and Gilligan's Island, he often placed references to these TV shows in his designs.

He is married to fellow Star Trek scenic artist Denise Okuda.

Together with Rick Sternbach, he serves as a technical consultant to the script staff, maintaining technical and chronological continuity and inventing scientific terms and technobabble. He is a coauthor of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, the Star Trek Chronology, and the Star Trek Encyclopedia. He is now also part of the development staff for the upcoming Star Trek Online, in addition to his work supervising the remastering of the Original Series.

He and his wife have created the text commentaries on the Star Trek DVDs. "Inside DS9 with Michael Okuda" is a special feature on the DS9 Season 5 DVD. He also designed the new Star Trek: Deep Space Nine title logo for the Deep Space Nine relaunch series.

In 2007, Michael and Denise Okuda were hired as scenic designer and video supervisor, respectively, for a planned zombie series co-created by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens entitled Alive. John Billingsley and Gary Graham were set to star in the series, which would've debuted in the summer or fall of 2008. However, the series was never made. 

Okuda and his wife were the visual effects producers as part of the CBS Digital team for the remastered 2006 Original series, while serving as consultants for the 2012 follow-up remastering project of The Next Generation. He appeared as a Starfleet science officer on a new matte painting in the remastered version of.

Okuda also worked as graphics artist on the fan-made internet series Star Trek: New Voyages, episode "World Enough and Time" (2007) and received special thanks in the end credits. This episode features fellow Star Trek alumni George Takei, Grace Lee Whitney, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, John Carrigan, James Cawley, Jeffery Quinn, writer and director Marc Scott Zicree, writer Michael Reaves, Doug Drexler, Iain McCaig, James Van Over, Dan Curry, Daren Dochterman, Pierre Drolet, Sam Mendoza, Ronald B. Moore, Lee Stringer, Gregory Jein, Philip Kim, Leslie Hoffman, and Tom Morga.

Okuda has worked in pretty much in the same capacity for after his Star Trek years, and was eventually awarded by that organization with an "Exceptional Public Service Medal" for his emblem designs in 2009. 

Star Trek credits
(This list is currently incomplete.)
 * Season 1 - Scenic Artist
 * Season 2 - Scenic Artist
 * Season 3 - Scenic Art Supervisor/Technical Consultant (credited only as Scenic Art Supervisor until )
 * Season 4 - Scenic Art Supervisor/Technical Consultant
 * Season 5 - Scenic Art Supervisor/Technical Consultant
 * Season 6 - Scenic Art Supervisor/Technical Consultant
 * Season 7 - Scenic Art Supervisor/Technical Consultant ("Descent, Part II"-"Journey's End")
 * Season 7 - Scenic Art Consultant ("Firstborn"-"All Good Things...")
 * Season 7 - Scenic Art Consultant ("Firstborn"-"All Good Things...")

Emmy Award nominations
Okuda received the following Emmy Award nominations for his work on Star Trek in the category Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects:
 * Emmy Award nomination for the episode, shared with Robert Legato, Gary Hutzel, Steve Price, Don Greenberg, Erik Nash, and Don Lee
 * Emmy Award nominations for the episode, Part I, shared Gary Hutzel, Robert Legato, David Takemura, Don Greenberg, Erik Nash, Steve Price, Syd Dutton, Robert Stromberg, Bill Taylor, and Don Lee
 * Emmy Award nominations for the episode, Part II, shared Robert Legato, Gary Hutzel, David Takemura, Patrick Clancy, Steve Price, Erik Nash, Syd Dutton, Bill Taylor, and Don Lee

Star Trek interviews

 * TNG Season 1 DVD special feature "The Making of a Legend" ("Artistic Design")
 * TNG Season 3 DVD special feature "Departmental Briefing Year Three" ("Art Design and Visual Effects", "Visual Effects ", "Creating the ", "Technical Consultation"), interviewed on
 * TNG Season 4 DVD special feature "New Life and New Civilizations", interviewed on and 22 January 2002
 * TNG Season 5 DVD special feature "Mission Overview Year Five" ("A Visit from Spock"), interviewed on
 * TNG Season 5 DVD special feature "Departmental Briefing Year Five" ("Visual Effects"), interviewed on 4 April 2002
 * TNG Season 5 DVD special feature "Memorable Missions Year Five", interviewed on 4 April 2002
 * TNG Season 5 DVD special feature "Alien Speak", interviewed on 4 April 2002
 * TNG Season 5 DVD special feature "A Tribute to Gene Roddenberry" ("Gene Roddenberry Building Dedicated to Star Trek's Creator"), interviewed on 4 April 2002
 * TNG Season 6 DVD special feature "Mission Overview Year Six" ("January 1993 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Debuts"), interviewed on 4 April 2002
 * TNG Season 6 DVD special feature "Departmental Briefing Year Six" ("Production", "Special Graphics Design"), interviewed on 4 April 2002
 * TNG Season 7 DVD special feature "Departmental Briefing Year Seven" ("A Stellar Writer"), interviewed on 4 April 2002
 * TNG Season 7 DVD special feature "Starfleet Moments & Memories Year Seven" ("A Unique Family"), interviewed on 4 April 2002
 * TNG Season 7 DVD special feature "The Making of "All Good Things..." Year Seven" ("USS Pasteur", "Changes On The Enterprise"), interviewed on
 * DS9 Season 1 DVD special feature "Deep Space Nine: A Bold Beginning"/ "Designing Deep Space Nine", interviewed on
 * TNG Season 1 Blu-ray special features "Energized! Taking The Next Generation to the Next Level" and "Stardate Revisited, Part 3: The Continuing Mission"
 * "Michael Okuda - Scenic Art Supervisor", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine Vol. 15, pp. 30-35, interviewed by Bill Warren
 * "Michael and Denise Okuda: A Star Trek Love Story", The official STAR TREK prop and costume auction catalog'', 2010, pp. 24-27, interviewed by Alec Peters