The physical attributes of a Star Trek actor determined the appearance of an entire extraterrestrial breed

The emblematic television characters were generally born from the mixture of a transcendent performance of an actor and a pronounced relationship with the public who creates a lot of buzz. An underlined element that helps a lot of favorites on television is their signature look, and this stylistic link is absolutely crucial when you go back and you remember the most remarkable characters of many series. The design, costume design and “Star Trek” makeup absolutely play a role in the way the show was able to persevere during all this time. Thanks to different iterations, on several networks and even streaming, there is an effective promise that you will see the full effort of these film units on the screen each season. But, sometimes, the choice of a single actor can affect the trajectory of tradition and the approach of the show to a whole breed of characters. This is certainly the case for the emblematic tour of Marc Alaimo as Gul Dukat in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”.

Gul Dukat appears in 33 episodes of “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”. In fact, the character is the first extraterrestrial of viewers of the Cardassian race during the first episodes of the show’s race. In a line of films and television that rinse with bad guys who are always referenced on the internet daily, Dukat is a favorite of fans among the devotees of “Star Trek”. He quarrels with Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks), then finds himself fighting by his side, which helps to give credibility to the idea that all these different extraterrestrial races have their own motivations and customs apart from what we see of our protagonists of the Federation. All this is true, but the real cheat code for Dukat is Alaimo’s performance.

The entire Aaimo’s executive turned out to be an inspiration for the makeup team, because its unique physiology encouraged them to go big for the Cardassian’s head profile. It is not difficult to say that, between Alaimo being the perfect actor for Dukat, and the physical features of the extraterrestrial race, the Cardassians would not be such a popular choice for the cosplay or the lasting fandom among the viewers of “Star Trek”.

Marc Alaimo was a personal favorite of the makeup artist “Star Trek” Michael Westmore. He spoke of creating the look of the Cardassians based on the features of Alaimo, and one thing really jumped for the designer. The people who watch the show are well aware, but the man has a long neck, and that has made the enhancement of the extraterrestrial race much easier. After all, there is room to work there! And, Westmore called it “the perfect canvas”. Combine this kind of serendipity with an actor who absolutely has the role, and you have something special. In fact, future Cardassians should measure the “best neck of science fiction” all.

Alaimo also wants to be clear, in his eyes, the character is more gray than evil squarely. He told Startrek.com: “Dukat is not bad. And he’s not a bad guy.” He felt like all the motivations for fans’ favorites were absolutely understandable when you zoom them on them. As he said:

“What I like about Dukat is that you never know what he’s going to do next,” said Alaimo. “It is not really unprecedented or completely black. Dukat does not eat children, you know what I mean? … Cardassians has a fairly dominant presence. They are great, and besides, they are the most beautiful foreigners.”

It would be easy to point to a raised fans base, because the reason why “Star Trek” has endured over the years, and viewers have absolutely helped keep fire in leafy periods. But the captivating worlds and stories are what maintains these individuals invested and come back for more. The Cardassian brothers of Alaimo are one of those antagonists who immediately jump like something that other science fiction programs can have trouble on occasion, and they are flawless in “Deep Space Nine”. Moments like its introduction and growth throughout this series help to show how elastic the world of “Star Trek” can be elastic when they are allowed to deviate from common models.

Viewers must also abandon an artist like Alaimo, because his performances are not easy to take either. Under a lot of rubber and makeup, he managed to make Dukat sympathetic in a few moments and take certain fans in his head to light his reflection. “Star Trek” has always excelled to think about the question of how exactly the Federation would be received by other guiding bodies. Having to feel closer to other cultures and beings is the secret sauce that makes it all up. Yes, they can have different cous, but they have the same motivations as you or me when you really get there.