Star Trek Retro Prints Have Power-Mad Godlings And An Enterprise In Kirk’s Eye

By David Wharton | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

GothosIt’s October! You know what that means: Halloween decorations going up, people shopping for costume ideas (even ones that are really stupid), and me eating all the candy long before any trick-or-treaters reach my door. (They can get a job and buy their own damn candy.) But it also means a new month is here, and with each new month comes another lovely batch of artist Juan Ortiz’s rather excellent retro-style Star Trek episodic posters.

If you have somehow missed the monthly posts of these things over the past year or so, here’s the skinny: last year one Juan Ortiz set out on a massively ambitious quest, a quest to create a unique, retro-style poster for each and every one of Star Trek: The Original Series’ episodes. I’ve lost count at this point of how many he’s done, so I have no clue how close we are to him reaching the end of the project. All I know is, I’ll miss his monthly injection of awesomeness into my life.

As always, we’re including comments from Ortiz along with the art, courtesy of StarTrek.com. We’ll have info on how you can order prints of the art at the bottom. Engage! (Wait, wrong series…)

Which TOS Art Print from last month generated the most response and what was your sense as to why it generated that response?

ORTIZ: I would say it was ‘The Gamesters of Triskelion.’ Most people grew up with comic books in their lives and this one really brought that pop-art look to the forefront.

What did you make of the fan reaction to the Animated Series Art Print designs that we revealed on StarTrek.com?

Fortunately, I’ve only read good responses for them. This time around I went with a straight design approach. They were meant to be bold and less thought-provoking and I was able to single out more iconic Trek images that I didn’t acknowledge in the TOS prints. Images like the Vulcan hand sign, the transporter, the captain’s badge and also dilithium crystals. I think they are perfect for any rooms or offices needing splash of color.

Let’s get to this month’s prints. What was the hook for “The Squire of Gothos”?

The noose was the hook. I was able to build upon that one image. There is some Russian poster influence in this one also.

You don’t often use photos of actors in your pieces and even more rarely do you use photos of guest stars. What compelled you to use the shot of William Campbell?

I didn’t want the noose to be too central. To me the poster was still about the trial and this photo of the actor was too perfect. But what sets this one apart from most is the written copy along the side.

Mudd

The “Mudd’s Women” print is very fun and sexy. Where did the idea for this one come from?

I thought of the old movie musicals/comedies. Back in the days before video, cable and DVDs, any old movie on TV would do. Sometimes there would be a whole week of musicals. This episode is in no way lighthearted, but the idea for the design was tough to resist.

Why the Desilu logo on this one?

There are two or three posters where I used the Desilu logo. This was actually the first time that I used it. I felt it was necessary for me to acknowledge Lucille Ball at some point. Against her executives’ advice, she gambled to put Star Trek on the air, along with Mission: Impossible at the time. Unfortunately, her advisors were right and Desilu was sold to Paramount even before Trek was cancelled. But thanks to her gamble, the potential she saw in Star Trek continues.

Obsession

Up next is “Obsession,” has A Trip to the Moon feel to it. Take us through your choices on this one?

It is a tribute to Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon. The iconic image of the rocket hitting the moon in the eye from that film is, of course, replaced with Kirk and the Enterprise.

Cloud

The last one for October is “The Cloud Minders.” What went into the elements you selected for this piece?

This was meant to be a page out of a storybook. My initial thought was to go with an image of Droxine, representing a sort of princess. I felt, however, that the image of the floating city had more of a magical and mysterious tone to it.

Of these four, which was the hardest to get right and the easiest — and in what ways/why?

The easiest was “Obsession.” The idea was already there and piecing it together was fun. I wouldn’t say that “The Cloud Minders” was difficult, but just a bit time-consuming with picking colors.

Last question. Which one would you most want on your wall… and why?

I would pick “Obsession.” All posters are meant to be viewed from a distance, but this one in particular needs to be.

If you’re craving copies of these prints for your walls, you can purchase them via the StarTrek.com online store. The prints are available as 18×24 inch “plated-printed lithographs on 100-pound, aqueous-coated, satin-finish paper.” That sounds luxurious to me. You can get a set of all four — or any of the earlier batches — for a mere $34.95.

If you’re across the pond in the UK, you can grab the posters from any of three different websites: Amazon.co.uk, ForbiddenPlanet.co.uk, and Oneposter.co.uk. You can also get the whole lot of Ortiz’s posters in Star Trek: The Art of Juan Ortiz.