By David Wharton | 8 years ago

Artist Juan Ortiz is a talented guy. He has worked as an illustrator and designer for both Disney and Warner Bros. stretching back to 1985. He’s also something of a die-hard Star Trek fan. How die-hard? He’s created retro-style posters for every episode of the original Star Trek series, and they are coming out four per month, for the next 20 months. The first batch has been released via StarTrek.com, and I’m betting many of you are going to want to clear a lot of wall space. Here are the posters, along with Ortiz’s commentary on each.

How long did it take you to nail Joan Collins’ profile?

Ortiz: I’m not sure that I nailed her likeness, really. I was more concerned with what was supposed to be happening in Edith Keeler’s head. I went with a 70’s/”Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” approach with this one. The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine was and still is a big influence in much of my work.

“The Ultimate Computer” — Why did you add in so many episode credits, and how do those complement the art you’ve done?

Ortiz: Not all the posters have all of the actors’ names on them, but I knew that they would all need to have the writers and directors names on them. They are, after all, the creators. I’m just interpreting their words and visuals in a different format.

“Dagger of the Mind” — That’s very stark, with few colors. Interesting choices. What went into that one?

Ortiz: The image, of course, is a stylized version of the patch worn by the doctor in the episode. The idea behind the poster came from the early days of TV. Dramas were performed live, so they were actually plays being filmed. I tried to give this poster an old Playbill look.

“The Way to Eden” — That one feels very Grateful Dead-esque and like something you’d buy at Spencer Gifts and put under a black light at home. Would you agree?

Ortiz: Yeah, absolutely. As a kid, I used to be obsessed with black-light posters by The Third Eye company during 1970’s. I knew that I wanted to create a black-light poster for this series and naturally “The Way to Eden,” with its hippie theme, seemed perfect. Depending on the ink used to print this one, I’m not sure that it will work, but I can’t wait to try it out.

And yes, the prints are indeed for sale. You can get the set of four for $34.95, and they are available from retailers including QMxOnline. If you’re across the pond in the U.K., it sounds like the posters will be available beginning in October. Once they’re released, you’ll be able to purchase them at Amazon.co.uk, ForbiddenPlanet.co.uk, and Oneposter.co.uk.

The next batch of four posters will hit on September 1st, and we’ll update you when they do. In the mean time, you can read the rest of the interview with Ortiz over at StarTrek.com.