Designing Timeless Starships with Thomas Marrone & Nate Simpson

This week on the Clonestar Podcast, Mike Overton & Mike Goodwill welcomes Thomas Marrone, Art Director of Star Trek Online, and Nate Simpson, concept and 3D artist from Starfleet Command II, for a deep dive into the design legacy behind the brand-new Timeless Legacy starship bundle.Created to celebrate the many visual eras of Star Trek, the Timeless Legacy bundle introduces three unique ships, each with variant skins inspired by The Original Series, The Motion Picture, and Star Trek: 25th Anniversary. One of the featured ships—the USS Okinawa—has a base version modeled from the classic Star Trek game, Star Trek: Starfleet Command II, bringing an iconic design from late-’90s Trek gaming into the modern era.In this exclusive interview, we explore the process of updating legacy assets for Star Trek Online, how the Okinawa bridges past and present design sensibilities, and what it takes to honour nostalgia while embracing gameplay innovation. We also take a detailed look at all three ships and their visual variations, unpacking the creative decisions, technical challenges, and collaborative vision behind each design.🖖 Whether you’re a die-hard Star Trek Online captain, a Starfleet Command veteran, or just love Trek ship aesthetics—this episode is warp core hot.