Art Book Review: STAR TREK: THE ART OF GLENN HETRICK'S ALCHEMY STUDIOS

Thank you to Titan Books for sending a copy of Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios: Revealing the Magic of Prosthetic Makeup in exchange for an honest review.

It’s no secret that I am a fan of art books, and it’s really no secret that I am a devoted Trekkie. But even so, I cannot emphasize what an invigorating and fascinating book Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios: Revealing the Magic of Prosthetic Makeup by Joe Nazzaro turned out to be. There is a whole lot to love on every page of this gorgeous, coffee table-sized hardcover. It thoroughly explores another thread of the fascinating tapestry that is making Star Trek.

Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios

As mentioned above (and as anyone who has ever visited Geek Girl Authority probably already realizes), I am a devoted Trekkie. I have seen every episode of the Franchise at least twice. Some episodes I have seen many, many more times. Plus, I have watched almost every special feature and related documentary on which I could lay my hot little hands. And that’s not to mention the many Star Trek books and art books I have read, as well.

Yet, in spite of repeated viewings, this book was filled with details that I had overlooked or never considered. Reading Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios, a core feature of what makes the Franchise so spectacular and enduring becomes clear.

At every level of the production of an episode of Star Trek is a team of talented and passionate creators. Many of these individuals do not view working on the Franchise as “just a gig.” Instead, they care deeply about the stories they are telling in a way that transcends the prescribed boundaries of a job. As such, their craftsmanship on the show frequently extends to the horizonS.

So when reading Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios, you will get an idea of the kind of thought that goes into every single prosthetic that appears on Star Trek: Discovery. And one thing becomes very clear over the course of the book. Even if you don’t fully comprehend the depth of reasoning behind the aliens you see on screen, this depth and the associated creator’s passion are key parts of what breathes life into these masks and prosthetic creatures.

Star Trek: Discovery

I’m still not completely over the fact that Discovery was ended before its time. But, one thing I like about Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios is that it covers all 5 seasons of the series. This includes the epilogue for the series finale, “Life, Itself,” in which Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Cleveland “Book” Booker (David Ajala) were transformed into older versions of themselves.

I have already watched the special feature on the Discovery final season Blu-ray about Martin-Green’s experience being “aged up.” And yet, this book was still filled with fresh information on that particular prosthetic transformation alone. By interviewing Glenn Hetrick and others associated with Alchemy Studios, this book overturns a plethora of fresh intel about the processes behind this and many other scenes.

Hetrick himself seems like a fascinating person. He is a lifelong Trekkie. This is evidenced by a picture of him in his childhood wearing a Starfleet uniform. At several points throughout Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios, the degree of devotion with which he approached his work on Discovery is revealed. In more than one instance, prosthetic work for the series was done by Hetrick off-the-clock and on his own dime.

As well as being a longtime Trekkie, Hetrick also drew on his many other interests for his work on Discovery. In addition to certain movies and artists (some more expected than others), this also includes his personal interest in Occultism.

Species 10-C

In particular, I found a detail about Species 10-C to be revelatory. Unlike the rest of the book, which is arranged in “season order,” the section on Species 10-C appears out of order. It’s the very final section of the book. In part I believe this is because, unlike the rest of Hetrick’s work on the series, Species 10-C was fully computer generated.

This is because the immense scale of these extraterrestrials couldn’t feasibly be physically constructed. However, my mind was blown by the revelation that Hetrick incorporated shapes from Sacred Geometry into the light patterns displayed by Species 10-C.

Sacred Geometry places an emphasis on universality and connection. This explains how its inclusion in conjunction with Species 10-C aligns with Discovery Season 4’s main themes. At first, Species 10-C might be considered an antagonist to our heroes. Their actions cause the destruction of many Federation planets. This includes our beloved Book’s homeworld.

In order to save the Federation, the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery must find a way to communicate with Species 10-C. This is more challenging than many First Contact missions. Species 10-C originates outside our galaxy and is therefore “more alien” than any species encountered by humanity before. However, thanks to the individual efforts of Discovery crew members, communication and understanding is reached. Learning that Sacred Geometry was used in the climactic First Contact scene with Species 10-C allows me to appreciate Discovery‘s expression of the essential Franchise theme of connection more deeply that I had previously. And this is just one example of the kind of details you can expect to discover in this book.

But to Connect

Another element of this book I enjoyed is how it fits like a puzzle piece with many other books and behind-the-scenes featurettes. On more than one occasion, the work of Michael Westmore is discussed. Westmore was behind the prosthetics of the 1990s Franchise renaissance. In Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios, the influence his work had on Hetrick’s Discovery work is made apparent. Thus, Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts by Westmore, Alan Sims, Bradley M. Look and William J. Birnes serves as a nice companion.

And another art book about the current Franchise renaissance would also serve as a great companion. This is Star Trek: The Art of Neville Page by Neville Page as told by Nazzaro. Page was behind much of Discovery‘s concept art. Subsequently Hetrick was responsible for bringing the characters and creatures to prosthetic life. And in an additional connection, Page himself even served as a model for Discovery Season 1 Klingon makeup. So, a photo of Page as a Klingon even appears in Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios.

Finally, and perhaps obviously, this book pairs perfectly with the Discovery: The Complete Series home video set. This is because reading this book from cover to cover will make Discovery fans very nostalgic. You’ll want to rewatch all 5 seasons of the series over again.

While some of the aliens are instantly recognizable, others only appear in the show in the background. However I want to see them all again with the context provided by this book. Plus, I am eager to return to the featurettes and spot some of the creators whose work was featured and explained in these pages.

Revealing the Magic of Prosthetic Makeup

Finally, let’s talk a little bit about the book itself. This is indeed a coffee table book. Measuring 12″ by 10″, it’s a hefty hardcover tome (but one without a dust jacket). However Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios takes full advantage of its size with at times breathtaking photos overflowing with lucious detail.

Not only do you get to see many finished prosthetics, but you also get to see them in the process of being crafted. And this is not to mention the inclusion of many alternate or unincluded designs. Even the endpapers of this book are thoughtful and well-done.

Overall, I cannot recommend Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios enough. This is especially true if you are a devoted fan of Discovery in particular. But even if you don’t appreciate Discovery as much, consider checking it out. This book might give you some insight into some of the reasons the now-concluded flagship series is worth your while.

Hopefully, this book will serve as a model for future volumes based on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Because although Discovery may be over, I would certainly have more of this.

Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios is available now at a bookstore and/or public library near you.

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Avery Kaplan

Avery Kaplan is the author of several books and the Features Editor at Comics Beat. She was honored to serve as a judge for the 2021 Cartoonist Studio Prize Award and the 2021 Prism Awards. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her partner and a pile of cats, and her favorite place to visit is the cemetery. You can also find her writing on Comics Bookcase, NeoText, Shelfdust, the Mary Sue, StarTrek.com, in many issues of PanelxPanel, and in the margins of the books in her personal library.