Star Trek : Discovery S3
From Traditional VFX to Virtual Production | 従来のVFXからバーチャルプロダクションへ
Having worked on Star Trek: Discovery across all five seasons, I witnessed its evolution from traditional VFX to virtual production. The early seasons relied heavily on conventional workflows, but by Season 4, virtual production was integrated, transforming how environments and effects were created. This progression reflected the industry's broader shift, and being part of the transition provided invaluable insight into the changing landscape of filmmaking.
Project Credit
Head of Virtual Art Department & Art Direction
Realtime Environment Supervision & Creation
VFX Concept Art, Environment, Digital Matte Painting Supervision & Creation
Star Trek : Discovery S3
From Traditional VFX to Virtual Production | 従来のVFXからバーチャルプロダクションへ
Having worked on Star Trek: Discovery across all five seasons, I witnessed its evolution from traditional VFX to virtual production. The early seasons relied heavily on conventional workflows, but by Season 4, virtual production was integrated, transforming how environments and effects were created. This progression reflected the industry's broader shift, and being part of the transition provided invaluable insight into the changing landscape of filmmaking.
Project Credit
Head of Virtual Art Department & Art Direction
Realtime Environment Supervision & Creation
VFX Concept Art, Environment, Digital Matte Painting Supervision & Creation
PXO BTS | VFX Breakdown
PXO BTS | VFX Breakdown
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(MJ-S10-01)
PROJECT BREAKDOWN プロジェクトの詳細
PROJECT BREAKDOWN
PROJECT BREAKDOWN
PROJECT BREAKDOWN
Season : Three
Our journey started with season one back in 2017 where it all began and I would have never guessed I would continue on a long 7 years journey of working on every single one of the seasons that would come after it.
Star Trek : Discovery was my first Sci-Fi project and one that PXO was responsible for majority of the visual effects for the season that kicked off a long partnership.
Hima - The Turquoise Planet
ヒマ - ターコイズ色の惑星
Hima is the first planet visited in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, introduced in Episode 1, "That Hope Is You, Part 1." It is a lush, Earth-like world with distinctive turquoise oceans, where Michael Burnham crash-lands after emerging from the wormhole into the 32nd century.
I led my team in creating this beautiful turquoise planet, developing several hero DMPs that showcased its exterior from afar.
I drew on extensive satellite imagery as reference to capture the intricate details of the cloud layers above the planet’s surface.
Over the years of working on Star Trek: Discovery, we have crafted many iconic planets. In Season 3, I designed two of my favorite looks—creations that I feel truly transcended time.
Crashing into Planet Hima
There are many M class planets in the Star Trek Series, Hima features vivid blue-green oceans, rugged mountains, and vast desert-like regions, making it visually distinct from other Star Trek planets.
"Molly"
In Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, Episode 1, Molly, the massive trance worm, is introduced as one of the most visually striking alien creatures of the season. As part of the texture and look development, I was responsible for a texture mockup pass, exploring the creature’s surface details, bioluminescent properties, and emotional states.
In the year 3188, Cleveland "Book" Booker, a dedicated animal conservationist, rescued Molly from poachers after she was stolen by Cosmo Traitt and destined to be sold as food on the black market.
Various eye designs and color treatments were tested to create a distinct and expressive look that fit the creature’s intelligence and personality.
After a crash-landing on the planet Hima, Molly was accidentally released during a confrontation with local authorities. In the chaos, she swallowed Commander Michael Burnham whole but, at Book’s command, spat her out unharmed. Later, Booker transported Molly to Sanctuary Four, a protected refuge where trance worms could thrive, ensuring her survival in a safe habitat.
The Hollow Planet
空洞の惑星
In Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, Episode 2 – "Far From Home," the USS Discovery crash-lands on a mysterious, fractured planet known only as "The Colony." This desolate world is inhabited by stranded settlers and controlled by Zareh, a ruthless enforcer of the Emerald Chain.
In highlight of season3, or even in all the episodes from the entire series, was the Hollowed Planet where I was responsible for designing and creating the planet inside and outside the planet.
The most visually unique aspect of this hollow planet in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, is its "cracked eggshell" exterior—a fragmented, brittle planetary crust that appears broken apart, revealing a habitable surface both on the exterior and within its hollow interior.
This world is a cold, dusty world with rocky cliffs, storms, and minimal vegetation. Unlike solid planets, it has a massive underground cavern system, where captives are imprisoned and forced to work in salvage operations.
We created the icy world based on real world of Iceland for the surface of Hollow Planet.
Hero environment for the crash landing, the team went for location shooting in iceland and brought back lots of photography and scans which enabled us to use as base to create the crash landing sequence.
Hima - The Turquoise Planet
ヒマ - ターコイズ色の惑星
Hima is the first planet visited in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, introduced in Episode 1, "That Hope Is You, Part 1." It is a lush, Earth-like world with distinctive turquoise oceans, where Michael Burnham crash-lands after emerging from the wormhole into the 32nd century.
I led my team in creating this beautiful turquoise planet, developing several hero DMPs that showcased its exterior from afar.
I drew on extensive satellite imagery as reference to capture the intricate details of the cloud layers above the planet’s surface.
Over the years of working on Star Trek: Discovery, we have crafted many iconic planets. In Season 3, I designed two of my favorite looks—creations that I feel truly transcended time.
Crashing into Planet Hima
There are many M class planets in the Star Trek Series, Hima features vivid blue-green oceans, rugged mountains, and vast desert-like regions, making it visually distinct from other Star Trek planets.
"Molly"
In Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, Episode 1, Molly, the massive trance worm, is introduced as one of the most visually striking alien creatures of the season. As part of the texture and look development, I was responsible for a texture mockup pass, exploring the creature’s surface details, bioluminescent properties, and emotional states.
In the year 3188, Cleveland "Book" Booker, a dedicated animal conservationist, rescued Molly from poachers after she was stolen by Cosmo Traitt and destined to be sold as food on the black market.
Various eye designs and color treatments were tested to create a distinct and expressive look that fit the creature’s intelligence and personality.
After a crash-landing on the planet Hima, Molly was accidentally released during a confrontation with local authorities. In the chaos, she swallowed Commander Michael Burnham whole but, at Book’s command, spat her out unharmed. Later, Booker transported Molly to Sanctuary Four, a protected refuge where trance worms could thrive, ensuring her survival in a safe habitat.
The Hollow Planet
空洞の惑星
In Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, Episode 2 – "Far From Home," the USS Discovery crash-lands on a mysterious, fractured planet known only as "The Colony." This desolate world is inhabited by stranded settlers and controlled by Zareh, a ruthless enforcer of the Emerald Chain.
In highlight of season3, or even in all the episodes from the entire series, was the Hollowed Planet where I was responsible for designing and creating the planet inside and outside the planet.
The most visually unique aspect of this hollow planet in Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, is its "cracked eggshell" exterior—a fragmented, brittle planetary crust that appears broken apart, revealing a habitable surface both on the exterior and within its hollow interior.
This world is a cold, dusty world with rocky cliffs, storms, and minimal vegetation. Unlike solid planets, it has a massive underground cavern system, where captives are imprisoned and forced to work in salvage operations.
We created the icy world based on real world of Iceland for the surface of Hollow Planet.
Hero environment for the crash landing, the team went for location shooting in iceland and brought back lots of photography and scans which enabled us to use as base to create the crash landing sequence.
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