Al Smutko was a member of the production staff on numerous Star Trek series. Smutko is namesake to a character, Lieutenant Alex Smutko, whose name appeared on numerous dedication plaques and okudagrams. An element, Smutkoian, on a futuristic periodic table was also named for him.
He began his career working on Trek in the 1960s when he worked on Star Trek: The Original Series as a carpenter. He would return to the franchise later in his career as construction coordinator for Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager.