Star Trek The Art of Neville Page goes behind the scenes of one of Star Trek’s most talented designers.
I had the privilege of reviewing Titan Books’ recent release, Star Trek The Art of Neville Page as told by Joe Nazzaro. From the Kelvin Timeline to Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, Page was responsible for some of the most iconic creations in the newer times of the franchise, and this wonderfully illustrated hardcover book gives you the insights into the good, the bad, and the downright fascinating. And the designer’s willingness to do what it takes to get the job done which led to a role in Star Trek (2009).
The Romulans of Star Trek (2009)
When designing the Romulans for Star Trek (2009), Neville needed to do a make-up test on actor Eric Bana’s shaved head. Bana suggested that Page try it on his head first, and it worked. The design was so spot on, Page ended up becoming Nero’s right-hand man for the movie. Unfortunately, the designer wasn’t used to acting, and it wasn’t his finest hour. But his creations are some of his best hours.
And one of the best for the series that kicked off another time period of Star Trek was Saru.
Saru from Star Trek: Discovery
The original concept for Saru was a multi-eyed creature that could look around with other eyes behind it. But Bryan Fuller wanted Page to try a V-headed creature instead. But Page’s design would have caused issues for actor Doug Jones to see. Only the jaw and chin could move. Though they did a try out, Page was concerned and talked to Jones. Fortunately, the production team didn’t have the budget for the design anyway, and Page had to make it more affordable. A trip back to the drawing board resulted in the Saru that came to be on Discovery.
And Discovery fans will love that Page covers all four seasons of the series with interesting pieces of information and the hows and whys of some of each season’s best designs.
And sometimes, it isn’t all about the creation itself but the meanings behind the names of the characters.
The meanings behind the names of characters in Star Trek: Picard
Sometimes, it isn’t all about the design. Page paid homage to the people who helped inspire him to create the characters. Rhomsew, for instance, was named after the host of Face Off who is like a sister to Page. (It’s a version of Westmore spelled backwards.) And the purple alien Fesoj was based on the artist, Joseph Pepe, Page had hired to create background alien designs. Page used a phonetic spelling of Joseph’s name backwards.
It’s wonderful tidbits of information like these, stunning graphics, and design concepts that take Star Trek The Art of Neville Page to a level beyond just an ordinary behind-the-scenes book.