The Craft Of Star Trek: Discovery: Special Effects, Makeup, Music, And More

As viewers, we tend to consume so much television that sometimes it's easy to forget just how much work goes into Every. Single. Episode.

When it comes to CBS All Access standout Star Trek: Discovery, you might already be familiar with a lot of the outstanding talent who bring each episode to life (Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham, Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou, and Doug Jones as the chronically anxious but exceedingly clever Saru, to name just a few).

But now, we wanted to spotlight some of the brilliance that goes on behind the camera. We're talking visual effects, makeup (Doug Jones definitely can't get that Saru mask on by himself), music, and more.

Read on for a special inside look behind the scenes when creating Star Trek: Discovery, and stream the entire first season of Star Trek: Discovery, exclusively on CBS All Access.

Star Trek: Discovery Is Visually Arresting



One of the most startling aspects to Star Trek: Discovery is the sophistication of its visual effects, from Burnham hurtling through space in the series premiere, "The Vulcan Hello," to creating believable, realistic starships like the U.S.S. Shenzhou.

The highly detailed nature of the show is hardly lost on Visual Effects Supervisor Jason Zimmerman, who says in a behind-the-scenes video (watch it below), "Star Trek: Discovery is letting us do a cinematic experience on television... If our goal is to blur the line between television and film, it's gotta be great. " He adds, "The show is designed by so many genuine fans who are now in a position to create the things that they grew up loving."

WATCH: Star Trek: Discovery's Visual Effects Create A Deeply Cinematic Experience

The Music Always Reflects Character And Storyline



From a Kaseelian Opera to scoring Lorca's pivotal scene, Emmy®-winning composer Jeff Russo uses music to illustrate characters' emotions on Star Trek: Discovery.

"When I first started thinking of what I would do, I first needed to feel like I was in the world of Star Trek," says Russo in a behind-the-scenes video (watch below). "Even though there's a lot of action in our show, I really wanted to play into how these characters are feeling."

WATCH: Composer Jeff Russo On Scoring Star Trek: Discovery's Biggest Moments

Take A Seat In Discovery's Makeup Chair



From Kelpiens to Klingons, Star Trek: Discovery uses makeup and prosthetics to create its one-of-a-kind alien life-forms. Creature & Makeup Designer Glenn Hetrick discusses his vision in a behind-the-scenes video (watch it below).

"When we came in the project, it was very important that we treat it with so much respect," he says. "...So that all of the fans, like myself, out there love what we're doing, and that it resonates, and that it's treated with a respect to canon but brings something new and unseen to the franchise."

WATCH: Here's How Star Trek: Discovery Brings Its Unique Creatures To Life

Designing Star Trek: Discovery



As you would expect, Star Trek: Discovery explores a wide variety of amazing locations, from the Qo'noS black market to the rebel planet Harlak to the Federation facility in Paris. And, of course, every set needs an expert Production Designer, which Discovery has in Tamara Deverell.

"Good design is just good design, and Star Trek is more and more about that," says Deverell in a behind-the-scenes video, which you can watch below. "The paint and scenic work and layers upon layers, to me, is what Star Trek is about. It’s just your dream as a production designer."

WATCH: Here's How Star Trek: Discovery Designed Its Extremely Detailed Sets

Stream the entire first season of Star Trek: Discovery, exclusively on CBS All Access.