Doug Drexleredit
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference
(written from a Production point of view)
Artist Doug Drexler has been creating or contributing to Star Trek productions and publications since the 1970s.
Born in New York City, Drexler was a first-generation Star Trek fan - although he was prohibited from watching television on school nights, Drexler managed to watch "This Side of Paradise", and subsequently to persuade his parents to allow him an hour's viewing a week, for Star Trek.
Drexler, along with Ron Barlow, ran a small Star Trek store in Manhattan, New York - "The Federation Trading Post" - during the early 1970s. Although failing initially, the store became more well-known after advertising during Original Series syndication, eventually becoming a focus for media contact about Star Trek. Drexler and Barlow were approached by Paradise Press to edit one of the first Star Trek magazines, the Star Trek Giant Poster Book. It was through the store that Drexler met frequent collaborator Geoffrey Mandel, with whom he compiled one of the first technical reference works in Trek history: the USS Enterprise Officer's Manual.
Drexler also contributed as co-writer of two Gold Key TOS comics issues, "This Tree Bears Bitter Fruit" (#47) and "Sweet Smell of Evil" (#48). On issue #47, he is credited as a Story Consultant.
Drexler began working as a makeup artist in 1983 on the movie The Hunger, having been invited to do so by renowned makeup artist, Dick Smith. His other early work included Manhunter and Fatal Attraction.
After engaging in a long correspondance with Robert Justman and Michael Westmore during preproduction of Star Trek: The Next Generation, only to be unable to get a position on the series due to union rules, Drexler moved to Hollywood in 1990 to work on Dick Tracy (being made a member of the LA Union by Warren Beatty), for which he later won an Academy Award.
Now able to work in California, Drexler approached Westmore to reapply for a position in the Next Generation make-up department. Drexler worked as a make-up artist for three years, earning two Emmy nominations. He then moved over to Michael Okuda's art department and went on to become the lead scenic artist on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a visual effects artist at Foundation Imaging on Star Trek: Voyager, and Senior Illustrator on Star Trek: Enterprise. He was the co-author of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual and an illustrator of the Star Trek Encyclopedia.
Drexler recently worked as Visual Effects CG Supervisor on Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica, and acts as a technical consultant for the Remastered Original Series. Under the pseudonym "Max Rem", Drexler also worked on the fan made internet series Star Trek: New Voyages (2004-2007). He worked as visual effects artist, executive producer, make-up artist, casting director, and editor on the series and wrote the story for the episode "In Harms Way".
Drexler is married to Enterprise food stylist Dorothy Duder.
[edit] Appearances
Drexler has made two cameo appearances as a Starfleet officer. Upon starting work on Star Trek, he asked if he could appear as a background artist, in uniform, at some point. His wish was granted in "Transfigurations", where he appeared as an unnamed Enterprise-D officer in several scenes set in Ten Forward. He also appeared in "These Are the Voyages..." as an unnamed Earth Starfleet ceremony attendee.
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Perhaps not coincidentally, his name has been used referring to two Starfleet personnel, D. Drexler and Doug Drexler, on dedication plaques in the same time periods.
In addition, Drexler had a Klingon character named after him - Drex, the son of Martok and Sirella, who appeared in "The Way of the Warrior".
[edit] External links
- Drex Files - Doug Drexler's blog
- Doug Drexler at the Internet Movie Database
- Doug Drexler at Battlestar Wiki, an encyclopedia of the Battlestar Galactica sagas
- 2006 Interview with Doug Drexler at TrekPlace.com
