Mark Cotta Vaz is a freelance writer who has published extensively on popular culture, and in particular on behind-the-scenes aspects of motion pictures, the various aspects of visual effects (VFX) of these productions a specific focus of his writings. Some of his writings did cover in full or in part several Star Trek films.

While Vaz had broached the subject Star Trek on occasion in some of his earlier works, that had always been part of a larger piece of work, and it was not until 2009 that his first specialized Star Trek reference book, Star Trek – The Art of the Film, was published. On the occasion of the release of this book, Vaz was interviewed a short time later for the Star Trek Magazine.