Keeping fans in general happy is tough. Imagine what it must be like keeping Star Trek fans happy.

That's something "Enterprise" computer graphics artist and illustrator Doug Drexler said he has had to do while designing the new NX-01 for the UPN series, but there is a reason behind a lot of the design madness. Especially the blue and red nacelle coloration on the new ship.

"As a matter of fact, this is something that Gene Roddenberry wanted to do on the original series ship, but they could not afford it," Drexler recently told Steve Krutzler of TrekWeb. "We had the opportunity to fulfill his vision. What I would find offensive is if we went back and redid the effects on TOS and changed Kirk's ship's nacelles. Since no one has ever seen a ship from the NX era, we felt a freedom to do this."

A lot of the original series ideas has been brought into the new series, Drexler said. Most importantly were some of the ship designs as originally realized by the original Enterprise designer Matt Jefferies. Some of his original ideas have been incorporated into the look of the new Vulcan ships featured in "Enterprise."

"I've always been in love with Matt Jefferies' ring ship design, which was never realized," Drexler said. "I suggested it to [production designer] Herman Zimmerman, [and executive producers] Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, and they liked it a lot. I just think it's great that the three alien vessels -- Starfleet, Klingon and Vulcan -- are all Jefferies thoroughbreds."

For the complete interview, visit TrekWeb.