"Each episode is its own story."

Ortiz has worked as an artist and illustrator since 1985, creating images for the likes of Disney, Warner Bros., and DC Comics. But despite this experience, he claims he doesn't really have a style of his own, which came in handy for this particular project. "I tend to see things as though they were designed by someone else," says Ortiz, "mostly by designers that have inspired me. I have an eclectic taste in genres, music, movies, and books, so the challenge was to create images that were inspired by works that I love, rather than copied."

Some of the best loved episodes proved intimidating to illustrate, and Ortiz's favorite was a poster that almost didn't even get made. The first pilot episode for the original series, known as "The Cage," was filmed in 1965, but didn't actually air until 1988, well over a decade after the show was off the airwaves. Because of this, it was the last piece he worked on, and it was a challenge to get it finished by CBS' deadline. "It was also the most colorful, having been inspired by the artist Shag," Ortiz explains. "Shag is the reason that I taught myself vector art; I had fun adding the copy, too."

You can check out a few of Ortiz's posters below, but be sure to grab Star Trek: The Art of Juan Ortiz to get the full experience.