Visual effects model designer Greg Jein has died aged 76.

The news was passed on on social media by former colleagues.

Jein received an Oscar nomination for his model work on Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, and also for Spielberg’s 1941, and was nominated for an Emmy for his work seen in Angels in America.

His career began with the parody Flesh Gordon. and also included Laserblast, The Day Time Ended, V and its sequel The Final Battle, and more recently, Interstellar.

He worked on many iterations of Star Trek including Star Trek: The Motion Picture (many of the interior sequences within V’Ger), Star Trek V and VI as well as the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, for which he created Klingon and Ferengi craft as well as the USS Enterprise-D for the pilot episode. (A full account of his Star Trek work can be found here.)

Michael and Denise Okuda posted to their Facebook page:

Deeply saddened by passing of legendary modelmaker Gregory Jein, whose work ranged from Dark Star and the Jolly Green Giant to Firefox, Buckaroo Banzai, The Hunt for Red October, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Trek.
Greg had a wry sense of humor and was endlessly inventive. He always seemed to find a way to provide us with spaceships, even when only a tiny budget was available. He genuinely loved Star Trek, and was always generous with his expertise and his experience, giving many top modelers their start in the business.
Greg had been ill for some time, but his passing is nevertheless a gut punch. The world of Star Trek and of fantastic filmmaking has gotten a little smaller with the passing of our friend, Gregory Jein.
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