Andrew Probert (born 1946 in Independence, Missouri) is an artist who is best known for designing the USS Enterprise for Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the Enterprise-D for Star Trek: The Next Generation.

After spending some time in the US Navy, Probert studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California^[1].

His first film/TV work was on Glen A. Larson's 1978 ABC miniseries Battlestar Galactica, for which he was recommended by artist Ralph McQuarrie^[1]. For Galactica, Andrew contributed the design for the Cylon Centurions^[1] as well as building one of the physical spaceship models for the "rag tag fleet", seen in the opening title sequence of each episode of the series.

In 1978 he was hired by Robert Abel and Associates to work on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, where he worked as a concept designer/illustrator^[2]. When Abel's group was replaced, Andrew survived the transition to the group of new effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull. Andrew was primarily responsible for designing the human and Vulcan space technology seen in the film, including the refitted starship Enterprise, Space Drydock, Orbital Office Complex, Travel Pod, Work Bee support vehicles, and the Vulcan long range shuttlecraft^[3]. His concept sketches for the bridge set of the Klingon battlecruiser set the style for all future Klingon ship interiors.

In 1983 Probert returned to television, working on the pilot episode of Airwolf (1984). He designed the fuselage attachments for the Airwolf helicopter, based on a Bell 222.

In 1984 he worked on Back to the Future, initially drawing storyboards but then continuing the design of the Delorean time machine that had been started by Ron Cobb^[4].

Also in 1984 he designed the motorcycle for the pilot episode of Street Hawk, which was later redesigned for the series by Ron Cobb.

In 1986 he joined the staff of the then new show Star Trek: The Next Generation where he was initially hired to design the bridge of the new starship, the Enterprise-D ^[2] However, after the show's producers saw a speculative Enterprise sketch that Probert had produced he was tasked with designing the starship's exterior as well. ^[2]. During his one season stint on the The Next Generation, he also designed the exteriors of virtually every other space vehicle seen in the first year of the show, including the Romulan Warbird^[2]

His film and television work also includes stints on

• batteries not included

On February 6, 2006, Perpetual Entertainment and CBS Media announced that Probert had been employed as an initial design consultant for the upcoming MMOG Star Trek Online^[5].

References