Much to his delight, two of artist and author Dr. Tyler Nordgren’s “Space Bar” posters appear in “Monsters”, the Season Two, Episode Seven of Star Trek: Picard.
The posters feature in a Los Angeles bar when the crew goes back in time to the early 21st Century. As far as the real Tyler Nordgren is concerned, he must therefore exist as a person in the Star Trek universe according to canon, and surely now requires a listing on the many online databases inspired by the fictional universe to this effect.
“The poster series was originally commissioned by a planetary scientist for his home bar so I wanted it to appeal to someone who knew their science, he says.
This isn’t Tyler’s only Star Trek encounter. Visit his webshop, and you’ll find work such as “Star Trek Ten Forward” and “Star Trek Enterprise-D”, special commissions for Star Trek: Picard Season Two and Three Art Director Liz Kloczkowski and on sale to the public with her permission; and a “Enjoy the Perfect Risa Sunset” poster, a specially commissioned by Star Trek: Picard for Seasons Two and Three, which appears in promotional photos for Season Two and on screen in Episode Ten, “Farewell”.
For those unfamiliar, Dr. Tyler Nordgren is the owner behind Space Art Travel Bureau; an artist, author, astronomer, and, we’re pleased to note, a Night Sky Ambassador.
He has worked with America’s National Park Service to turn the national parks into the single largest source for public science and astronomy education in the world. His popular science book Stars Above, Earth Below: A Guide to Astronomy in the National Parks, reveals what visitors to America’s national parks can observe in their dark night skies. The colour illustrations in the book include both his night sky photography, as well as vintage-style “travel posters” he designed to help the public learn about and see the astronomical wonders in the sky.
For the 2017 “Great American Eclipse” he wrote the book, Sun Moon Earth: The History of Solar Eclipses from Omens of Doom to Einstein and Exoplanets, describing the vast array of social and scientific influences eclipses have had throughout history.
Dr Nordgren also produced a series of 30 eclipse travel posters for communities, state, and national parks in the path of totality. These posters are being collected by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
In addition to the Smithsonian, Dr. Nordgren’s work has appeared at NASA Headquarters and the White House where he designed the poster for President Obama’s final White House Astronomy Night. In 2012, NASA’s Curiosity rover joined Spirit and Opportunity on Mars, each carrying sundials, or “Marsdials” which Dr. Nordgren helped design through his science and art.
Dr. Nordgren has been working with rangers at America’s National Park Service for almost 20 years now, promoting dark sky and science outreach in the parks. He leads astronomically themed tours for various companies to see the beauty of the northern lights in Alaska, dark skies in the Grand Canyon rafting the Colorado River, and locations around the world following the shadow of the Moon, to share the glory of a total solar eclipse with the general public.
• Check out Tyler’s Space Bar posters, as seen on Star Trek, here
• Dr. Tyler Nordgren is online at tylernordgren.com | Webshop
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Science Fiction, Star Trek, Television
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