Richard D. James, ‘Star Trek’ Production Designer on ‘Next Generation’ and ‘Voyager,’ Dies at 88

Richard D. James, the Emmy-winning production designer who worked on all but one of the 14 seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, has died. He was 88.

James died Nov. 11 of complications from an infection at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, his longtime friend Tom Sanden told The Hollywood Reporter.

For the big screen, the Texas native was art director on Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero (1983), starring Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert; on Mike Nichols’ Silkwood (1983), starring Meryl Streep, Cher and Kurt Russell; and on Kevin Reynolds’ The Beast of War, starring George Dzundza, Jason Patric and Steven Bauer.

James joined the syndicated Next Generation for its second season (1988-89) and remained through its conclusion in 1994. He then segued to UPN’s Voyager, working on that series for its entire seven-season run (1995-2001).

James received his Emmy (shared with longtime collaborator Jim Mees) in 1990 for his work on the Next Generation episode “Sins of the Father,” and he was nominated in 1989, 1991, 1992 and 1994 as well.

The youngest of five kids, Richard Dale James was born on April 7, 1936, in Fort Worth, Texas. His father, William, sold auto parts and repaired cars, and his mother, Katie, was a homemaker. He graduated from R.L. Paschal High School, and while attending Texas Tech University learned about production and art direction working at the Casa Mañana Theater in his hometown.

After college, James headed for Hollywood and landed a job painting scenery for Disney, then joined NBC. The network put him to work on such programs as Let’s Make a Deal — he spent many years on the Monty Hall-hosted game show, starting with its 1963 debut — Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and The Dean Martin Show and on a 1967 adaptation of Carousel that starred Robert Goulet.

James gained valuable sci-fi experience as an art director in 1978 on Glen A. Larson’s Battlestar Galactica film and ABC series and on the 1979 NBC series Supertrain.

He was hired as a temporary replacement on Next Generation for Herman F. Zimmerman, who had left to work on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), but got to keep the job permanently when Zimmerman decided not to return.

Next Generation was having trouble creating “star fields” when he arrived, but he had a solution.

“I had worked on Battlestar Galactica, so I told the producers, ‘The only way you’re going to get star fields that you’re going to be happy with is you’ve got to go with black velvet, and you’ve got to glue on the glitter by hand,'” he said in an undated BBC interview.

Asked about the difference in look between the Next Generation and Voyager centerpieces, he said: “The Voyager ship was more a scientific exploration ship. The Enterprise was like a luxury liner in comparison. Voyager was more sleek and more advanced technically. I went for a much cooler look, whereas the Enterprise for The Next Generation was a much warmer palette.”

James retired in 2001 with the end of Voyager and returned to Texas.

Survivors include his husband, Ron.