Star Trek Characters Who Look Completely Different In Real Life
When the crew of the starship Enterprise first embarked on their twenty-year mission, the goal was to "seek out new life and new civilizations." As it turns out, most of the planets in most of the galaxies across the universe are inhabited by beings that look remarkably similar to Earth's humans. Apparently evolution ends up happening in almost the exact same way on any planet that can support life.
But in all seriousness, the fact that the different alien races in the "Star Trek" universe either look indistinguishable from humans — or like a human but with an unusual skin color or some slightly exaggerated facial feature — likely originally stemmed from it being a network TV show from the 1960s and not having the makeup or VFX budget for much else, which for a time was one of the worst things about the franchise.
Luckily, as time has gone on, new alien races have been introduced, with some actually getting much further from humans visually. Some even require the use of extensive prosthetics or special effects, making the characters look very different than the actors portraying them. Here are some of the more extreme examples of that, mostly sticking to either fairly significant characters or more well-known actors.
Marc Alaimo as Dukat
Often making lists of not only the best "Star Trek" villains but also of fan-favorite "Star Trek" characters in general, Gul Dukat is the franchise's most prominent member of the Cardassian race. Though the Cardassians made their debut on an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation," Dukat was a recurring character on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" where he took turns being both friend and foe to Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks).
Dukat was portrayed by actor Marc Alaimo, who not only looks different in real life but helped to originate the Caradassians as a whole. This is because Alaimo had also played another Caradassian, Macet, in the species' first appearance on "The Next Generation." Additionally, he played four other non-Cardassian characters across the run of "The Next Generation." Among his more noteworthy roles in which he doesn't appear under intricate prosthetics that completely transform his face are Mars Security Force Captain Everett in the original "Total Recall," and eight episodes as Gene Scapizzi on the 1980s police procedural "Hill Street Blues."
Alaimo told a crowd at a 2015 convention that, while he wasn't officially retired from acting, he was no longer actively seeking roles (though the official "Star Trek" X account tweeted that he was retired back in 2013). His most recent screen credit is a 2010 episode of "Family Guy."
Doug Jones as Saru
When prequel series "Star Trek: Discovery" debuted on streaming service CBS All Access — which would eventually evolve into Paramount+ — in 2017, it served as the launching point for one of the most active periods in "Star Trek" history. Since then, there have been two more live-action series as well as two animated ones, plus a slew of new characters that have been added to the "Star Trek" universe debuting in those shows.
Among those debuts is Saru, who also introduced the entire Kelpien race to the "Star Trek" franchise. A first officer of the titular starship who also serves as captain for a time, Saru is played by Doug Jones — an actor who has built his entire career out of completely disappearing behind makeup and prosthetics. Even if you wouldn't recognize Jones if he passed you on the street out of costume, you're most certainly familiar with his work.
His breakout role was as wisecracking zombie Billy Butcherson in the Halloween classic "Hocus Pocus," a character he revisited for "Hocus Pocus 2." He later became a frequent collaborator of filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, playing Abe Sabien in "Hellboy" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," the Faun and terrifying Pale Man in "Pan's Labyrinth," and the unnamed amphibian man in "The Shape of Water." As for roles where he actually shows his face, Jones was Baron Afanas in 10 episodes of "What We Do in the Shadows" and played the Arrowverse's Jake Simmons aka Deathbolt.
Paul Winfield as Dathon
The Children of Tama — also known as the Tamarians — have thus far had the strongest screen presence on the animated series "Star Trek: Lower Decks." Beyond showing up in a couple of novels connected to "Star Trek: Voyager," Tamarians have almost no prior history in the "Trek" universe — with the notable exception of their original debut. Once again, that happened on an episode of "The Next Generation," in Season 5's "Darmok." That episode not only introduces the Tamarian race but also its most prominent live-action ambassador thus far — Captain Dathon.
"Darmok" is often considered one of the best "The Next Generations" episodes of all time, as well as one of Patrick Stewart's greatest performances as Jean-Luc Picard in the series. But respect must also be paid to actor Paul Winfield, whose portrayal of Dathon went a long way in making the episode — and the character — so memorable. Winfield, who was an Emmy winner and Academy Award nominee, had previously played Captain Terrell in the film "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."
Other career highlights include "The Terminator" and recurring roles on the series "227" and "Touched by an Angel," plus the "Picket Fences" guest appearance that earned him his Emmy. Winfield remained active in both film and television right up until his death in 2004.
Eric Bana as Nero
After the disappointing critical and commercial performance of "Star Trek: Nemesis," the "Star Trek" film series needed a break. With none of the subsequent TV series having enough cultural cache to justify building big-budget theatrical movies around them, the only choice was to go the big-budget soft reboot route — which is how we got to J.J. Abrams' 2009 release, simply titled "Star Trek." Providing a new origin story for the crew of the Enterprise, while conveniently having it set in an alternate timeline so the original canon could still be returned to if need be, "Star Trek '09," as its often called, successfully breathed new life into the flailing franchise.
Much of the plot of the "Star Trek" reboot revolves around a new character named Nero, a Romulan captain who travels back in time to destroy Vulcan in an act of revenge — inadvertently creating the two branching timelines in the process. Both actor Eric Bana and the movie's makeup team did such a convincing job of transforming Bana into Nero that even Bana's own agent failed to recognize the actor when he was on set in his full Nero makeup and costume.
Prior to becoming a Romulan, Bana had portrayed Bruce Banner in Ang Lee's "Hulk," Trojan prince Hector in the action epic "Troy," and lead character Avner Kaufman in Steven Spielberg's historical drama "Munich."
Armin Shimerman as Quark
When the Ferengis were conceptualized by "Star Trek" creator Gene Rodenberry and "The Next Generation" writer Herbert J. Wright, they were originally meant to be a dark and menacing villain presence. But that didn't pan out, and they very quickly became comic relief instead. Quark was the standout member of the Ferengi race, to the point that he became one of the main cast members on "Deep Space Nine" as the station's bartender for all seven seasons of the show.
In both his original "The Next Generation" appearances as well as on "Deep Space Nine," Quark was portrayed by actor Armin Shimerman. The geek-minded might better recognize Shimerman — sans the extensive prosthetics used to transform him into a Ferengi — as Principal Snyder on the "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" TV series. Shimerman is also a prolific voice actor, playing General Skarr in "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy" and Dr. Nefarious across the entire "Ratchet & Clank" video game franchise. When he's not acting, Shimerman occasionally moonlights as a writer, even penning a Quark-focused "Deep Space Nine" novel called "The 34th Rule" with David R. George III. He's also open to returning as Quark, but on one condition: that it not be anything more than a recurring role, noting the difficulty of wearing the prosthetics that the role requires.
Pancho Demmings as Kradin soldier
Resembling the Predator alien species from the franchise of the same name, the Kradin are one of the scarier-looking species to ever make an appearance in any "Star Trek" media. Apart from a few quick glimpses elsewhere, they only played a significant role in the franchise in just a single episode of "Voyager" — the Season 4 episode titled "Nemesis." Even so, the Kradin left a lasting impression among "Trek" fans, not only for their gruesome appearance but for the episode itself being a favorite among fans of the series.
The performers that brought Kradin to life in that episode include Peter Vogt, Chuck Borden, and Louis Ortiz, though the most well-known actor among all the Kradin soldiers is likely Pancho Demmings. Demmings also played Gerald Jackson, assistant to Ducky Mallard (David McCallum), on 15 episodes of "NCIS." He's appeared on shows like "Bones," "CSI: NY," "24," and "Alias," and he most frequently plays police officers or members of the medical profession. Demmings also played a character named Alpha 7 in the "Babylon 5" TV movie "In the Beginning."
Hannah Cheesman as Airiam
While cyborgs are no strangers to the crews of various Federation starships — most notably, Voyager's former Borg drone, Seven of Nine — Airiam was still special in that regard. She rose all the way to the rank of lieutenant commander on the Discovery, though she was ultimately killed when she had to be ejected from the ship for fear that the entity that corrupted her would jeopardize the entire crew. Her sacrifice was at the center of one of the saddest "Star Trek" episodes ever, though some fans complained that it was too little too late for a character that never got the development she deserved.
In the first season of "Star Trek: Discovery," Airiam was played by Sara Mitich. In Season 2, Mitich switched to playing operations officer Nilsson, while actor Hannah Cheesman was brought in to take over as Airiam for the remainder of the series. It has never been officially revealed why the swap happened, with a popular (but as of yet unsubstantiated) rumor suggesting it had something to do with Mitich having an allergic reaction to the prosthetics. Either way, Cheesman held the role the longest and saw it through to not only Airiam's demise but one last appearance in the show's final season. Cheesman's biggest part outside of the "Star Trek" universe so far was a recurring role on the Nickelodeon series "Max & Shred."
Jeffrey Combs as Shran
Shran is an Andorian who was a recurring character on "Enterprise." He spent the first few seasons as one of the show's more prominent villains, eventually flipping sides and allying with the crew towards the end of the show's run. Though Shran himself hasn't appeared on screen since "Enterprise," he was referenced years later when a ship called the USS Shran was used during the Battle of the Binary Stars that occurred during Season 2 of "Discovery." A high honor, indeed.
It was actor Jeffrey Combs underneath Shran's blue skin, white hair, and heavily textured forehead. Before playing Shran, Combs had also portrayed the characters of Weyoun, Brunt, Officer Mulkahey, and Tiron across 32 episodes of "Deep Space Nine." Prior to "Enterprise," Combs also played Penk in an episode of "Voyager." And he wasn't done with "Trek" even after playing Shran, having most recently voiced AGIMUS in "Lower Decks."
With all that being said, Combs isn't even best known for his "Star Trek" work — that distinction likely belongs to his portrayal of scientist Herbert West in all three installments of the "Re-Animator" film series, as well as his work in many other cult classic horror films.
Ethan Philips as Neelix
Though he was introduced in the series premiere of "Voyager" and was a main cast member for all seven seasons of the show, Neelix has never been one of the better-liked "Star Trek" characters, particularly among those who have been series regulars. Of course, he has also occasionally found himself brought up in discussions about the most underrated "Star Trek" characters — so perhaps the most accurate way to refer to him is divisive. As for the character himself, his main job on the ship was its cook and also its morale officer, serving a similar role to previous "Trek" characters like Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) and Quark as food service workers and also de facto therapists for the crew of their respective ships.
Whether you love or hate Neelix, you can't fault the actor who portrayed him. Ethan Philips definitely made the best of a character that was perhaps intentionally designed to be unlikable — which he honed after having been a working actor for 15 years at that point. He was no stranger to television, playing recurring character Pete Downey on the classic sitcom "Benson." He also played Ferengi Dr. Farek in an episode of "The Next Generation" and another one-off Ferengi in "Enterprise." More recently, Philips has made multi-episode appearances on "Girls," "Better Call Saul," and "Veep."
Michael Dorn as Worf
OG "Star Trek" fans remember the Klingons as one of the deadliest antagonists groups in the franchise, with several of the "The Original Series" movies in particular featuring them as the primary antagonists. But at this point, Klingons as a whole have been allies to the Federation far longer than they've been adversaries — and Worf played a pivotal role in that initial changeover. Not only was he the first Klingon to be a main character in a "Star Trek" show, but he was such an integral part of the universe that he appeared in all seven seasons of "The Next Generation" and was a series regular for Seasons 4 through 7 of "Deep Space Nine," the highest number of total seasons (11) as a main character of any character in "Star Trek" history." And that's to say nothing of his recurring role in Season 3 of "Picard."
Actor Michael Dorn played Worf in varying degrees for 36 years. He clearly doesn't have issues with Worf being his legacy. But it's not the only character the seasoned actor has played. Dorn played Dr. Carver Burke across six episodes of "Castle," as well as portraying the magical being Sandman in two of the three "Santa Clause" movies plus the Disney+ series "The Santa Clauses." However, the bulk of Dorn's non-Worf roles over the past few decades have been voice performances, lending his distinctive baritone to a number of animated series and video games.
Heather Langenkamp as Moto
The second installment of the rebooted "Star Trek" movie series was "Star Trek Into Darkness," which loosely retells the story of "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" with Benedict Cumberbatch as the iconic villain originally immortalized by Ricardo Montalbán. Also in that movie in a minor role is a being known as Moto, which has a much more exaggerated extraterrestrial look than a typical "Star Trek" character and really put the movie's makeup artists to the test. In fact, it was a member of the makeup team that is underneath Mojo's very elaborate prosthetics — but not just any member.
The makeup work of "Into Darkness" was done by AFX Studio, which is owned by David Leroy Anderson and his wife, Heather Langenkamp. Of course, before Langenkamp was working behind the camera, she was in front of it — most notably as Nancy Thompson in three of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" films. Langenkamp said she had fond memories of watching Robert Englund sit in the makeup chair as he was transformed into Freddy Krueger, and always wanted the chance to experience that sort of transformation herself. So when a few alien extras were needed to fill out a scene in "Into Darkness," Langenkamp jumped at the chance, and she was put into an alien prosthetic that was created for a different project but never used.
Alice Krige as Borg Queen
Several actors have portrayed Borg queens over the years, include Alison Pill, Susanna Thompson, Jane Edwina Seymour, and the late Annie Wersching. And each brought their own unique spin to the character, undoubtedly one of the biggest bads in the entire "Star Trek" franchise. But if any one actor gets to claim herself as the "definitive" Borg queen, it's definitely Alice Krige. Not only was she the originator of the role in the character's first appearance in the film "Star Trek: First Contact," but she also portrayed her in episodes of "Voyager," "Lower Decks," and took over to voice her in her final "Picard" appearance after Wersching passed away — making her the actor who has played the Borg Queen the longest and in the most different projects. But what does the Borg Queen look like today, and what else has Krige been up to?
Krige is a veteran actor whose screen credits go back to the 1970s. Her first big role was portraying real-life singer and actor Sybil Gordon in the Oscar-winning 1981 film "Chariots of Fire." Today, she's more recognizable for her recent roles as Eir in "Thor: The Dark World," Holda the witch in "Gretel & Hansel," and Nancy in Netflix's "The OA." She also played Queen Helena in all three installments of the holiday-based rom-com series "A Christmas Prince."