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6 Major Black ‘Star Trek’ Characters Who Were Scene Stealers

Star Trek is a science-fiction franchise spanning comics, books, film and television. These are some of the main Blerd figures from the Star Trek saga.

Nyota Uhura

Nyota Uhura is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series , Star Trek: The Animated Series , the first six Star Trek films, the 2009 film Star Trek , and its 2013 sequel Star Trek Into Darkness .

In 2266, Uhura (played originally by Nichelle Nichols and later by Zoe Saldana) began her Starfleet career as a communications officer aboard the USS Enterprise with the rank of lieutenant in the command division.

In the following years of that vessel’s historic five-year mission, she was transferred to the operations division where she proved to be a proficient technician and was considered by Captain Kirk to be a capable and reliable bridge officer, manning the helm, navigation and main science station when the need arose.

Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge

In  Star Trek: The Next Generation , which aired from 1987 to 1994 and was the basis of four Star Trek movies, Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge is the chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise.

In  Star Trek: First Contact , La Forge (portrayed by LeVar Burton) and the Enterprise-E travel back in time to the 21st century to stop the Borg from preventing mankind’s first warp space flight. The inventor of the warp drive is a financially motivated, white alcoholic named Zefram Cochrane who lives in Bozeman, Montana. La Forge has to hold his hand to get him to launch the  Phoenix  and make “first contact” with the Vulcans.

5 Replies to “6 Major Black ‘Star Trek’ Characters Who Were Scene Stealers”

Another would be Paul Winfield in the episode "Memory Alpha." He wasn't a regular character/cast member, but it was memorable. He played Darkmok, a Tamarian. The Tamarians spoke only in metaphor. To let Picard know that he was willing to discuss, he would say something like, "Darmok with arms wide open." Picard had to learn his language to communicate. One of the most ingenious and best episodes of ST: TNG and the late Paul Winfield was brilliant in the guest starring role.

I would second adding the great actor William Marshall as the genius "Richard Daystrom" from the original series whose Daystrom Institute is mentioned often in later episodes of Star Trek. And you can't exclude Paul Winfield from one of the highest rated episodes of TNG, "Memory Alpha. This story about the importance of communication among people is on every list of top 10 episodes.

Yeah seriously this list is waaaay too short and I can't fathom how they didn't include Whoopi Goldberg.

…but what about the amazing Tony Todd! Not only as "Kurn" but his INCREDIBLE performance as Jake Sisko in "The Visitor!"

What? Clarence Williams III as the colds Jem Hadar ever Omet'iklan.

Agree on all counts.

Comments are closed.

The Evolution of Klingon Foreheads

by Bernd Schneider and Jörg Hillebrand

The Pictures

Tos klingons.

TOS Klingons are often said to look just like humans, only with beards and thick brown make-up. Actually it seems to be correct that the TOS Klingons who were clearly visible were all played by white actors. But looking at Kras, Krell, Kor, Koloth, Kang and the others (see below for more examples), only half of them seem to wear dark make-up like Krell, Kang and most of Kang's crew . It is also noteworthy that most Klingons are racially indifferent, while some others like Kor and the commander in "Elaan of Troyius" were given a distinct Asian appearance.

Kang, Koloth, Kor

The three Klingons who had appeared in TOS were all given ridged foreheads when they returned in DS9: "Blood Oath" , played by the same actors Michael Ansara, William Campbell and John Colicos, respectively. So at some point between 2268 and 2371 they must have undergone a surgery or genetic therapy to restore their foreheads.

Kor appeared again in DS9: "The Sword of Kahless" and "Once More Unto the Breach", with largely the same make-up as in "Blood Oath".

We have never seen the actual historical Kahless. But we may take for granted that the representation of Kahless created by the Excalbians in TOS: "The Savage Curtain" and the Kahless clone from TNG: "Rightful Heir" are supposed to be the very same person. It is striking that not only the TOS Kahless has lost his forehead crest, his skin is also much darker than that of his TNG counterpart, exceptionally dark by TOS standards. On the other hand, both may be explained with crude records the Excalbians may have drawn from the Enterprise database about the Klingons. The picture of Kahless at the Boreth Monastery shows him with ridges, anticipating the look of the Klingons that would be established for the 22nd century in Enterprise. The same goes for the Kahless shrine and Worf's statue of Kahless and Morath that can be seen in a number of TNG episodes.

It is remarkable that the forehead of the cloned TNG Kahless is jagged like hardly any other, especially if we consider that the clone was created to be not very old (young enough to lead the Empire). Moreover Kortar, another Klingon mythological figure, sports a very similar forehead as Kahless. We may understand this as a sign that, irrespective of the ultimate solution shown in ENT: "Divergence", the average height of the ridges has already decreased since the ancient times of Kahless.

Movie Klingons

It is noteworthy that all of the first ridged Klingons who briefly appeared in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" had very narrow and tall ridges with some sort of a spine structure, like the battlecruiser commander played by Mark Lenard. In the later movies the foreheads were conceded more variety. "Star Trek V" and even more obviously "Star Trek VI" are special cases because here the foreheads must have been more or less deliberately toned down.

"Star Trek VI" Klingons

While there are make-up variations between all of the TOS movies, several Klingons in "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country" stand out because they have comparably low ridges. The actual reason was that some actors like Christopher Plummer (Chang) did not want to wear thick make-up. In the light of the new development in "Affliction" and "Divergence" these Klingons could be the missing link. Curiously Colonel Worf, who defended Kirk and McCoy on the trial, had one of the least pronounced foreheads of all. He is quite obviously supposed to be Worf's grandfather or great-grandfather. So Worf may have a personal motive to remain silent about the Klingon metamorphosis, knowing that his own family was affected too.

TNG Klingons

It can be noticed that, like already in the movies "Star Trek III" and "Star Trek IV", there is some variety of Klingon forehead patterns in TNG, and all of them are quite pronounced. Some foreheads seem to reappear, which may have to do with masks being re-used. Only very few Klingons really stand out like K'mpec with his very unusual pattern.

The make-up of Klingons in TNG, DS9, Voyager and Enterprise remains consistent in its basic pattern and the range of variations (even though we may have expected to see TOS Klingons at the beginning of ENT).

Klingon women

The very first Klingon woman (and one of only two in all of TOS) was Mara in TOS: "Day of the Dove". Her look complies with that of the Klingon men of the time. The actress is wearing dark make-up like at least some of the men and like her husband Kang. Only her eye make-up that is clearly not meant to be a natural adornment is remarkable in retrospect. We certainly would not expect "modern" Klingon women to wear such a make-up. Valkris from "Star Trek: The Search for Spock" has comparably slight ridges, as has Vixis from "Star Trek: The Final Frontier". The ridges of Azetbur from "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country" are not even recognizable from a distance. Her father Gorkon has a more pronounced crest, which may have to do with his age, but also with the fact that women generally have subtler ridges. This subtlety is what all Klingon women have in common so far.

In TNG, DS9 and Voyager, on the other hand, a clear trend is established to have Klingon women who have tall ridges just like the men. The sisters Lursa and B'etor are the most noticeable examples for this new "ugliness". Their ridges are also similar to those of their brother Duras and nephew Toral (below).

One Klingon woman that Riker, with Q's powers, created for Worf in TNG: "Hide and Q", is remarkable because her forehead crest is partially covered by hair. Although it is a standard Klingon forehead appliance, she looks a bit like a Kobliad or a Karemma . In the holodeck simulation of TNG: "Future Imperfect" there is one extra with what looks like a rather cheap Klingon mask with a large ridge. From the dialogue we can safely conclude that she is meant to be Klingon, and the costumer's notes for the episode confirm that.

Partial Klingons

K'Ehleyr looks much like we would imagine a half human, half Klingon woman. She has an overall smoother forehead than full Klingon women of the TNG era, yet considerably more pronounced than the full Klingon women from the TOS Movie era. Quite contrary to K'Ehleyr, like Worf we wouldn't notice that Ba'el from TNG: "Birthright" was half Romulan until we saw her pointed ears. Her forehead ridges are very pronounced. The central ridge has an unusual spine pattern like that of her (fully Klingon) mother Gi'ral. Yet, the lateral bones are much less protruding on Ba'el's head. Moreover, Ba'el has a smaller crest forming a "V" which is at least remotely reminiscent of the Romulan look. Klingon-human hybrids over several generations, of which all must be descendants of Worf, could be seen in DS9: "Children of Time". Owing to the dilution of their Klingon genes these people have only slightly protruding bones and single spikes (a bit like Naomi Wildman) instead of a ridge.

The most prominent Klingon-human hybrid is B'Elanna Torres. Her ridges are lower than those of K'Ehleyr. A curiosity is the full-Klingon B'Elanna that appeared in VOY: "Faces". Her look complies with the look of other Klingon women since TNG, justifying why the mixed-race character B'Elanna was given very fine ridges. B'Elanna's mother Miral is obviously wearing the same full-Klingon make-up in VOY: "Barge of the Dead". It is no surprise that in VOY: "Endgame" Miral Paris (after it was revealed that she as a quarter-Klingon would still have many Klingon features in VOY: "Lineage") has essentially the same ridges as her mother B'Elanna. They may be somewhat subtler on Miral though.

Worf's forehead ridges changed throughout the seven seasons of TNG. The lateral bones of his forehead prosthetics were raised, and the wrinkles were toned down. Most visibly the transversal rib-like wrinkles were flattened out for the second season. Later on in the series the previously rather thin central ridge was widened and modified to exhibit more peaks and wrinkles. The changes are overall slight enough to be interpreted as a part of Worf's natural aging process. The make-up was not returned to the initial version of the first season for the flashbacks in TNG: "All Good Things" though.

It is also worth mentioning that Worf's ancestor from "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country" has essentially the same structure of the forehead bones, only much smoother. This is only one more sign that we are looking at a transitional state of the Klingon look.

Alexander grows up very quickly, at least by human standards. He seems to have inherited the ridges mainly from his father Worf. We first see Alexander in TNG: "Reunion". For later appearances the make-up may have been revised very slightly. It is possible that the edges were sharpened. In DS9: "The Way of the Warrior" there is a photo of Worf with Alexander , but this is probably just a photomanipulation. Alexander, now almost grown up, reappears in DS9: "Sons and Daughters" with basically the already established look. Considering that Alexander was played by no less than four different actors, the subtle changes to his forehead are of minor significance anyway. Finally, we can see an adult Alexander from the future in TNG: "Firstborn", disguised as K'mtar. This Alexander has Worf's characteristic crest once again.

The Duras family

Duras's forehead is quite distinctive because of the structured bulge around the central ridge. His sisters B'etor and Lursa (see above) sport the same look. Toral inherited the bulge too. He first appeared in TNG: "Redemption" where Worf spared his life. Here Toral's forehead ridges are similar to those of his aunts and his father, with pronounced lateral bones, but not quite as jagged. When we see him again in DS9: "The Sword of Kahless", his central ridge seems to have grown in the few years since the TNG episode. He is played by a different actor too (TNG: J.D. Cullum, DS9: Rick Pasqualone). Actually, Toral's look in the DS9 episode is practically the same as his father's. It is not surprising that the 22nd century Duras, Son of Toral (so it's just too obvious that he must be an ancestor) has the very same appearance. Note the shape that looks like an inverted heart above the eyebrows of all three Klingons. They are identical, a sign that the mask has been re-used without changes.

DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations"

The look of Arne Darvin is as consistent as it can be, considering that the actor Charlie Brill is the same in DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations" as already in TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles". All other Klingons that appear in the DS9 episode are of the smooth type too. The shots comprising Kang, Korax and the others were inserted without changing anything about their appearance. Moreover, new Klingons with smooth foreheads were filmed for scenes in the bar.

ENT: "Divergence" and "Affliction"

For the first time since TOS (with the exception of the newly created Klingons in DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations") we can see Klingons with flat foreheads. Their look is consistent with TOS. Moreover, Antaak, who made the transformation from smooth to ridged in just one episode, is living proof for the theory that Kang, Koloth and Kor have undergone the reverse procedure.

Ancient and mythical Klingons

Here are some depictions of ancient Klingons besides Kahless and Kortar. The monster to which Worf mutated doesn't have to be closely related to the Klingon species considering that Barclay was turned into a spider by the same retrovirus. Likewise, Fek'lhr (Ardra who created the holographic image must have taken it from a commonly available database) is not necessarily a scientifically correct representation of early Klingons, but may be just a mythological figure. The same could apply to the Klingon appearance of "God" in "Star Trek V", although this one looks much like a "normal" Klingon. The statues in the Hall of Warriors look like modern Klingons too. They don't have to be very old though, and we would be rather surprised anyway if we saw any Klingons with flat foreheads (representing an era that Klingons remain silent about).

Abramsverse Klingons

The return of classic Klingons in new Trek

Star Trek Picard initially shied away from showing any Klingons except for the footage in PIC: "Remembrance", depicting the events of TNG: "Sins of the Father". No Klingons appeared in season 2. In season 3, finally, Worf returned in person, with the classic make-up.

On a final note, there is so much variation in the look of the Klingons that it may be possible to mistake them for a different humanoid race (or mistake another race for Klingons) if we were to assess only the looks of their foreheads. The Akritirians from the Delta Quadrant, for instance, look a lot like several of the Klingon variations shown on this page. In this light the Klingon Forehead Problem is further alleviated. It only appears to be grave because the Klingons are a frequently recurring race.

Another point of interest is that all members of a Klingon family share a common ridge pattern. This pattern even remains the same over a number of generations (Duras), and it seems to have survived the mutation too (Worf). Although unintentional, these subtle hints support the obvious explanation for the forehead mutation in the Enterprise episodes "Affliction" and "Divergence".

The existence of a variety of Klingon forehead patterns could be attributed to sexual selection. If similar foreheads are a sign of relatedness, then Klingons may be predisposed to sexual attraction to different patterns, just like human teenagers seek sexual contacts that are preferably not like their brother or sister. So it may boil down to a matter of incest avoidance.

The Klingon Forehead Problem - the history of the legendary continuity problem and its new twist in Enterprise

Galleries - Klingons

Thanks to Matt Rudawsky for spotting some mislabeled pics, to Barryg for the note about forehead variety being a natural means of incest avoidance and to Colin W. Warde for a note about the Klingon woman in "Future Imperfect".

https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/klingon_evolution.htm

Last modified: 04 Nov 2023

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Written by William Satterwhite

July 22, 2016, featured | news.

From the very beginning, creator Gene Roddenberry’s vision for the world of Star Trek was an optimistic view of an Earth where humans had reached the pinnacle of understanding, a societal maturity where differences are not simply tolerated but embraced. A major part of this, from the very beginning, has been a diversity not only in major players but also supplementary characters. What follows here is a rundown of 10 non-starring black characters from the broad scope of the Star Trek universe who, each in their own way, represent the Star Trek vision.

Note- Only characters who are human or humanoid aliens virtually indistinguishable from humans were considered for this list.

Richard Daystrom

Imagine for a second a television show establishing that one of, if not the, most brilliant scientist in the world was a black man responsible for not just one, but two, of the greatest technological creations known to man. In 2016 with someone like Neil deGrasse Tyson well known as a foremost scientific mind this might not seem like a big deal but this isn’t 2016- this is March 1968; no one has ever seen Planet of the Apes , Lyndon Johnson is running for President, Robert Kennedy isn’t and both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Bobby Hutton are still alive (in less than a one full month all of these statements would be flipped).

Dr. Richard Daystrom, played by the legendary William Marshall, is introduced in season two of the original Star Trek series as creator of the computer system that helps run ships like the Enterprise and whose new system is capable of running a ship by itself, sans crew. While the latter creation doesn’t quite work out in the end, showing a black man as one of, if not the, greatest scientific mind in the world in the turbulent 60s was an obvious way to show Roddenberry’s dream for the future realized.

One of the few alien characters on this list, Guinan, portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg on Star Trek: The Next Generation , was an El-Aurian, a race of “listeners” scattered by The Borg. Serving as a bartender on the Enterprise, Guinan developed friendly relationships with many members of its senior staff, particularly Captain Picard. She also had great sense of style when it came to fabulous hats.

Captain Clark Terrell

In command of the starship Reliant in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Captain Terrell has the unfortunate luck of running into the vengeful Khan Noonien Singh. Simply described by his First Officer Chekov as a strong man, Terrell, played by the great Paul Winfield takes his own life instead of acting as as a pawn to take another’s.

Lily Sloane

Considered a legend in space exploration within the Star Trek mythos, Doctor Lily Sloane is another example of the Star Trek universe taking great care to show black scientific leaders playing a crucial role in the humanity’s reach for the stars. Played by Alfre Woodard in the Star Trek: The Next Generation film First Contact, Sloane is an aeronautical engineer who works on the development of the first warp drive on Earth.

Commodore Stone

Even before the original Star Trek series gave us a pioneering black scientist in it’s second season with with richard Daystrom, the first season episode “Court Martial” gave us another pioneering black Star Fleet official. In early 1967, the same year the United States Navy would see its first black Captain (Samuel L. Gravely, Jr., also to be the Navy’s first black admiral a few years later), classic actor Percy Rodriquez portrayed Commodore Stone, a top ranking Star Fleet officer who oversees the court martial of Captain Kirk.

Emory Erickson

Played by actor Bill Cobbs, Emory Erickson is another one of the Star Trek universe’s examples of great black scientists. Developer of the molecular transporter, Erickson appeared on Star Trek: Enterprise where he was shown to be something of a surrogate father to Captain Jonathan Archer, both having lost the corresponding figure in their lives.

Kasidy Yates-Sisko

As the name implies, Kasidy Yates-Sisko becomes the wife of Captain Benjamin Sisko on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Introduced by Sisko’s son Jake and portrayed by actress Penny Johnson, the multi-faceted relationship between Yates and Sisko is another example of Star Trek guiding the way in a world of sci-fi where fully developed relationships between a black and a black woman are few and far between.

Calvin Hudson

An old friend and Starfleet Academy classmate of Benjamin Sisko, Calvin Hudson was an experienced officer and leader who could inspire trust in his cohorts. Unfortunately that trust was misguided as Hudson, portrayed by Bernie Casey on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , was a double agent working with the rebellious Maquis.

Captain Silva La Forge

While perhaps slightly more prevalent than black romantic relationships in the world of sci-fi, fully developed black familial relationships in sci-fi are unfortunately also a rare sight. With Geordi La Forge a key featured member of the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew, we are allowed to see the exploration of his family relationships and the stresses of being in a military/service type family as both his mother and father are members of Starfleet.

The mother Silva stands out as Captain of her own ship, though it is in this capacity that she becomes lost in action. Notably, this role was the fourth time that the late actress Madge Sinclair played the on-screen mother of LeVar Burton.

Another standout from the initial Star Trek run, Don Marshall’s Lt. Boma represented another example of Star Trek being bold in its portrayal of black characters in the 60s by being just that- bold- as he engages in an episode long back and forth with Spock as the latter suffers through a trial of leadership while rescuing Boma and his shipwrecked crew.

Shown to be a highly competent and forceful officer, Boma was actually intended to be a recurring character but scheduling conflicts served to rob this character of an even greater role in the annals of Star Trek lore.

William Satterwhite is the creator of the superhero webcomic Stealth and a freelance designer, internet consultant and illustrator living in Douglasville, Ga. His professional website can be found at www.williamsatterwhite.info .

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Show Me the Alien Foreheads

For Star Wars fans who may have only watched the movies and aren’t familiar with the cartoon TV shows that will increasingly form the backbone of the franchise going forward , the new series Ahsoka is eye-opening. One thing it is not, however, is forehead-showing. The show is just the latest example of Star Wars always slapping a hat on one of its most famous alien species, and if you’ll hold off on calling in a wellness check on me, I’ll explain why that’s important — or, at least, annoying.

The mystery forehead in question belongs to Hera Syndulla , a character who made her debut in the Star Wars: Rebels cartoon of which Ahsoka is basically a continuation. She was voiced there by Vanessa Marshall, and she’s played by an all-but-unrecognizable Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the live-action show. Hera, an ace pilot in the Rebel Alliance who went on to become a general in the fledgling New Republic, is a Twi’lek , a species of alien who first appeared in Return of the Jedi who have brightly colored skin and two long fleshy tentacles coming out of their heads instead of hair. In the first few episodes of Ahsoka , as well as all 75 episodes of Rebels (best I can tell), Hera is never seen without her signature aviator’s cap or some other form of headpiece obscuring the base of these head-tails, known as lekku.

Look, I am able to suspend my disbelief and believe I am watching events that took place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But every single time Hera appears on screen — or whenever almost any Twi’lek throughout the entire franchise does — my immediate thought is not, “Look at this wonderful alien from the mind of George Lucas,” but, “This whole thing is a hat.” In live-action, that’s probably because it is, making it easier from a prosthetics and makeup perspective to hide the transition and support the lekku. But even in animation, where the logistics of affixing two hefty tentacles to a real actor’s head aren’t a concern, Hera and the other Twi’lek women are always wearing a hat. Aside from some body paint, these tendrils are the one thing that makes Twi’leks aliens instead of humans, and in almost every instance the dividing line between what makes them a human and what makes them a fantastical alien is obscured by some sort of headgear. It’s easy to spot where the living creature ends and artificiality begins. It’s a step below the “rubber forehead alien” trope, where many a Star Trek alien is just a wrinkled prosthetic forehead away from being a normal human. Twi’leks are rubber-headband aliens.

Twi’lek — or at least female Twi’lek — have been this way from the very beginning. Return of the Jedi featured two examples of the species. One was Oola , a slave at Jabba’s palace who wore a headpiece that was very clearly helping to hold the prosthetics on actress Femi Taylor’s head while she danced around and eventually got eaten by a Rancor. The other was Bib Fortuna , a male Twi’liek who was one of Jabba the Hutt’s key lackeys. Bib Fortuna does not wear a headpiece because male Twi’liek are pretty ugly compared to their opposite-sex counterparts, as female Twi’liek are consistently some of the most sexualized and conventionally attractive characters in the entire franchise, both in canon and in the (occasionally gross) fandom. Bib’s got weird bulbous growths on his forehead, part of a more elaborate and all-encompassing bit of makeup, with the final effect of making him look much more alien than Oola.

This is perhaps the original sin of Twi’lek design. Because Twi’lek women needed to be hot, their alienness was an accessory — and the constant wearing of literal accessories like hats and headbands makes the lekku read as a one as well. Twi’lek characters in later Star Wars installments were eventually less sexualized. Aayla Secura from the prequel trilogy wears pretty revealing clothes for a Jedi, but Hera’s creators, Henry Gilroy and Dave Filoni, partially created her to be an example of a less-sexualized Twi’lek, as Gilroy explained during a podcast interview .

Gilroy and Filoni’s admirable mission was accomplished, but in all her appearances Hera’s wearing some type of cap. She’s not unique in this regard, as with the notable exception of Darth Talon — a red-skinned Sith Twi’lek from non-canon comics and video games who has never been depicted in a movie or show — basically every female Twi’lek in the series has a chapeau. Even some male Twi’lek , as seen in The Mandalorian , have their heads wrapped up.

If there’s a canon explanation for why , in the fiction of Star Wars , girl Twi’leks wear headgear, it’s obscure enough to not be noted on Wookiepedia, the terrifyingly extensive Star Wars fan resource. There is an unsourced explanation from the noncanonical “Legends” part of the site, which states that many Twi’lek slaves were forced to wear headgear because it prevented them from communicating in their native language, which involves subtle movements of their lekku. That’s deeply messed up and would make the widespread voluntary wearing of hats even more baffling.

And so, with no explanation, pretty much every Twi’lek we see wears some sort of hat. The same is true of Ahsoka’s species, Togruta , who frequently wear a headband exactly covering up where their face transitions to the elaborate crown-like horns and tendrils. Perhaps even more so, as whatever’s going on with her head isn’t the same color as her orange skin, making it even easier to mistake the whole thing for a hat.

Is the lack of alien foreheads really the biggest problem facing Star Wars right now? No, of course not. I saw Rise of Skywalker and Book of Boba Fett — the franchise has bigger issues. But I’m hung up on it because it’s a small detail that prevents the Star Wars galaxy from feeling like a real place. It’s not just because the shows are hiding the seams of the makeup. Practical effects are great! It’s that Star Wars frequently feels too small: Everyone’s a Jedi or at least knows of one, Mandalorians are ubiquitous, and a Skywalker could appear at any moment. The same plots of rebellion happen over and over again so there’s no sense of real change. And so when every single Twi’lek just wears a hat no matter what the circumstance is because that’s just the character model or something? Why, that’s just bone-headed.

Update: Never mind.

• mary elizabeth winstead
• twi'lek

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The Making of Star Trek: Picard Romulan Foreheads

How to cast this special piece of alien makeup.

Watch how the Star Trek: Picard team casts a Romulan forehead.

Star Trek: Picard streams on Paramount+ in the United States,  in Canada on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave, and on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories.

Star Trek Introduces Alien Character With Totally Different Forehead Wrinkles

HOLLYWOOD, CA—In a move expected to spark debate and excitement among fans, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine producers announced Monday that next week a new alien character will appear on the show possessing "completely different" forehead wrinkles from those of any previous alien. According to make-up artist Rick Baker, "We're very excited to feature a character whose forehead wrinkles look nothing like those of either a Klingon or Romulan or Bajoran or Ferengi or Cardassian. They're like no other forehead wrinkles we've ever created."

Related Content

The Rubber-Forehead Aliens Trope In Sci-Fi, Explained

Though the idea of aliens could contain any number of crazy biological designs, most sci-fi aliens turn out to be humans with one or two weird traits.

It's tough to imagine what an alien might look like. The mind races, combining biological ideas that exist with ones that don't to create something we haven't seen yet. In a visual medium, however, there are logistical concerns that make designing aliens much tougher. It's much easier to create an alien by outfitting a human actor with a single weird trait, like a rubber forehead.

Aliens serve many purposes in sci-fi stories. Some exist as threats , while others are important allies. Some exist just to fill a single function across their species. Whatever their purpose, however, there are a few key looks that everyone agrees read as alien.

RELATED: Exploring Sci-fi Without Aliens

Rubber-Forehead aliens are extraterrestrial beings that are unquestionably different species , but look almost identical to humans. Since the character's face will almost always be visible, an unusual feature placed there will inevitably set them apart from humanity. This trope isn't limited to facial features, slight changes like unique skin colors or bodily markings would also qualify. These aliens can serve any purpose, their look is the focus of the trope. Of course, the easy explanation of the Rubber-Forehead alien is that they're a cheap solution to the problem of creating believable aliens. There's more going on with this trope than cheap prop work.

There are reasons to use Rubber-Forehead Aliens in a story. A hard sci-fi story might use this to keep an alien looking relatable since humans would have an easier time seeing the subtle emotional details in a fellow human. A more complex design can be tough to choreograph action for since there would be little source material to animate after, and we can only motion capture things that exist. The opposite of a Rubber-Forehead alien is a Starfish alien, which completely eschews human-like attributes, in favor of something completely unique. Some of the most beloved characters in sci-fi are Rubber-Forehead aliens.

The go-to example of this trope almost always comes out of Star Trek . The series has countless creatures of the week that pop up throughout the many seasons, but it often returns to the same handful of iconic species. As the series falls more and more into self-referential callbacks, the familiar faces will rear their ugly forehead even more frequently. Most of the iconic Star Trek races are Rubber-Forehead aliens. The Klingons have those central ridges, the Vulcans have pointed ears, the Ferengi have giant ears and a raised brow ridge, and so on. Interestingly, the Star Trek movies often feature brief glimpses of more complex alien designs. The films have the budgets to accommodate Starfish aliens, but the classic structure of the many Star Trek series are better suited to rubber foreheads.

The overwhelming majority of aliens in the space-faring corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are Rubber-Forehead beings. Four of the Guardians of the Galaxy fit the bill. Gamora's green skin and facial markings, Drax's gray skin and red tattoos, Mantis's antennas and black eyes, and Nebula's purple skin and cyborg parts all leave most of their human appearance intact. Just about every bystander in the Guardians franchise is of a similar description. Plenty of horns, spikes, weird hair, unusual skin tones, bizarre eyes or mouths, and other small details that don't mess with the overall human frame. Humanoid seems to be the dominant design strategy throughout the Marvel universe, but the films do feature interesting alternatives, like a giant tree or a talking raccoon.

Star Wars provides one of the most interesting looks at this trope. For a galaxy so full of life, there are shockingly few Rubber-Forehead designs wandering around. Imagining alien biology as a spectrum with unaugmented humans on one side and H. P. Lovecraft's Old Gods on the other, the Rubber-Forehead is one step away from humanity. George Lucas's beloved franchise prefers to take a second step more often than not. Most of the aliens in Star Wars are still humanoid, but they are unmistakably more alien than something like a Klingon. The most iconic Rubber-Forehead alien is probably the Twi'lek, which are effectively humans with unique headgear. The go-to alien in Star Wars is human-shaped with heavy animal features. Zoomorphic beast-people make up a lot of the franchise's bystanders and minor characters. People with lizard-like heads, bipedal bear dogs, giant slug people, and other unique designs are common in the galaxy far, far away.

Rubber-Forehead aliens aren't lazy or uninteresting, but they are a frequent target of good-natured jokes. It would seem a bit silly if the theoretically endless expanse of space featured almost exclusively other stuff that looks like us. Most sci-fi works feature a wide variety of alien designs, representing multiple points on the theoretical spectrum. With a good idea and the right eye for design, Rubber-Forehead aliens can look distinct and iconic, no matter how close to mankind they may look.

MORE: Exploring Interspecies Romance Tropes In Science Fiction

• The Inventory

Klingon Head Ridges Will Finally Be Explained on Star Trek: Discovery, with Science

How did zebras get their stripes? No one knows, except maybe zoologists. But in Star Trek: Discovery , we’ll find out why the Klingons got their forehead ridges, and they actually serve an important biological purpose.

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During a panel at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention (as shared by Trek Movie ), Discovery creature designers Neville Page and Glenn Hetrick chatted about the show’s version of Klingons, which look remarkably different from earlier versions. Mainly, they’re bald. According to Page, there are two reasons for this: It was a mandate from original showrunner Bryan Fuller, and because they heighten Klingons’ senses. Wait, hold on a second.

That’s right, Discovery is introducing a genetic reason for the ridges. Traditionally, they’ve been viewed as part of each Klingon House’s lineage, showing other Klingons what families each person belongs to. While that’s still true, Page adds that the ridges have extra-sensory receptors, running from the top of their heads to their backs. This is because Klingons are “apex predators,” so this is something that helped them get to the top of the food chain. Actor Mary Chieffo, who plays L’Rell, clarified a bit :

Obviously the hair was the biggest thing people noticed, or the lack thereof. And I will attest to the fact there is a reason my ridge goes back the way it does. There are sensors and pheromones…There is a whole reasoning behind it that is adhering to what has always been true in Klingon canon…So I deeply believe we are in line with what has come before but is also adding a new kind of nuance.

On the surface, this actually seems like an okay idea. We haven’t really gotten a reason for the forehead ridges (although we do know makeup artist Michael Westmore based them on dinosaur bones) so it doesn’t change or destroy anything we already understand about the show. The bald thing is new, though. It could result in some interesting storylines, especially between the Klingons and Starfleet. Plus, I’ll take any excuse to make Klingons even more badass than they already are.

However, it does raise a lot of questions. These Klingons are bald to better access their senses, so is their hair loss genetic or do they shave? Why would some Klingons evolve to have hair and others wouldn’t, and would that affect their abilities? Also, what about the Klingon Augment Virus? Did losing their ridges mean those Klingons lost their extra-sensory abilities, and when they got their ridges back, did they return? And is that virus the reason that they have hair AND ridges later on?

Most importantly: Why would anyone pierce their forehead ridges if they contain extra-sensory receptors? That just sounds counter-productive, and really painful.

Star Trek: Discovery has had some issues during its production, to say the least, but it’s clear the team isn’t dicking around in regards to Klingons. They’re having the actors speak Klingon with subtitles, working with a dialogue coach and translator to make sure it looks and sounds accurate. And the costumes, props, and creature makeup look interesting...even if some of it doesn’t match what we’ve seen from Klingons in the past. However, Page said that’s entirely on purpose.

“The Empire is very big. They don’t all grow up on Qo’noS. They don’t all live on the same planets and certainly those different planets would have different environments. So how would the cultures have evolved differently?” Page said. “We tried to come up with cultural axioms for each house so each looks different and they bear a cultural patina like our cultures do here on Earth.”

Star Trek: Discovery debuts September 24, with extra ridges.

[ Trek Movie ]

Screen Rant

Star trek’s crazy (& brilliant) reason why so many aliens look human.

There are in-fiction and real-world reasons for why Star Trek's cavalcade of forehead prosthetic-enhanced alien species look so human.

One of the most common criticisms of Star Trek over its long and storied history has been its somewhat limited physical portrayal of its aliens, but there are multiple purposes for that ostensible shortcoming.  Star Trek is home to some of the most iconic alien species in all of fiction; the emotionless Vulcans, the duplicitous Romulans, and the violent, honor-obsessed Klingons are all part of the cultural lexicon at this point, with characters like Spock and Worf appreciating their status as household names. Yet even those species are aesthetically defined by what amounts to some fairly basic prosthetics glued onto actors' heads.

Most science fiction franchises at least attempt to implement some non-humanoid aliens, perhaps most famously utilized in Star Trek's biggest competition in popular space fiction - Star Wars . With very few exceptions - we'll get to those in a moment - there's nothing like fish-man admirals or tiny green Jedi warriors in Star Trek . Over the years, the franchise has established both real-world and in-fiction reasons for the physical similarities, some more convincing than others.

Related:  Star Trek: When Did Picard Take Over From Kirk?

With  Star Trek looking to expand massively as  Discovery season 3 moves into the far future,  Picard reunites  The Next Generation fans with Jean-Luc, and even more TV shows are in the works, we can expect many more humanoid aliens. Here's why the future doesn't go as bold as you'd expect.

The Real World Reason: Most Star Trek Was Cheaply Made

To invoke Star Wars again, this is a franchise that never flirts with billion-dollar movie grosses or ratings dominance on television. Star Trek: The Original Series first aired for three seasons starting in 1966 on NBC. Despite a devoted cult following, the show struggled to maintain an audience and  TOS was ultimately canceled after season 3 . Due to its relative underperformance and the fact that special effects were limited even for the most lavish productions of that era, the crew of The Original Series had to get innovative. The show's most omnipresent extraterrestrial, the Vulcan Spock, was made to look alien with fairly simple ear prosthetics, shaved eyebrows, and a bowl cut. The original Romulans looked essentially identical to Vulcans, meaning they simply borrowed Spock's prosthetic and makeup design. Even the original Klingons were just actors with fake beards and dark makeup on their faces; most of those actors were white, which makes watching those episodes in the 21st century more than a little uncomfortable.

Star Trek: The Original Series made a few attempts at non-humanoid aliens, with mixed results. The best was likely in the beloved episode "The Devil In The Dark," where Kirk and Spock attempt to hunt down an alien that is gruesomely murdering workers on a mining planet. The creature is eventually revealed as the Horta, a misunderstood alien simply trying to protect its young. The Horta itself was played by Janos Prohaska, who created many of the special effects for the show. The Horta was intended to appear as a creature of living rock, but ended up looking more like a giant pile of burnt cheese. Still, Prohaska managed to make the Horta seem alive, and the seriousness with which William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy acted alongside the Horta made that particular experiment a success. Less impressive efforts include the Alfa 177 Canine species seen in "The Enemy Within," which was basically a small dog in a wig.

Related: Picard's Dog Is A Brand New Addition To Star Trek Canon

While their efforts were shaped by practical, real-world limitations, this simplicity would go on to define the look of the franchise for the next six decades. When Star Trek  was revived for the small screen in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation spruced up some of the alien looks - the Klingons now had their iconic forehead ridges - but for the most part, the designs from TOS were simply updated and make to look a bit sleeker. The Vulcans have remained physically unchanged for the entirety of Star Trek's run - the Sarek in Star Trek: Discovery looks just like the Sarek seen in The Original Series .

The In-Universe Reason: Star Trek's Aliens Share Humanity's Ancestor

While Star Trek: The Next Generation was more than happy to continue in the aesthetic footsteps of The Original Series , it eventually became a more thoughtful, meditative show than its predecessor. In the season 6 episode "The Chase," TNG establishes an in-fiction reason for why humans and aliens look so similar. Captain Picard is delighted by a surprise visit from his archeological mentor, Dr. Richard Galen. The doctor wants Picard to accompany him on an important archeological mission, but Picard declines.

Soon after, Galen is killed by a Yridian ship for reasons that are not made immediately clear. Picard eventually realizes Galen had found a piece of an ancient puzzle and wanted Picard's help in solving the mystery. As they investigate Galen's findings, the Enterprise finds itself accompanied by Klingon, Romulan , and Cardassian ships also looking for whatever Galen discovered. Eventually, the four parties pool their resources and find an ancient, uninhabited planet. On the planet, they are greeted by a holographic message recorded by a long-dead humanoid species. The message explains that this civilization existed billions of years ago, but that they were utterly alone in the universe. In an effort to create similar civilizations, the ancient race seeded their DNA across the galaxy, meaning that humanity and most of the galaxy's humanoid alien species shared a common progenitor.

Related:  Predicting The Next Generation Crew’s Future In Star Trek: Picard

The notion of sharing ancestry disgusts the Klingons and Cardassians, but the Romulan commander offers the thinnest of olive branches to Picard in the aftermath, suggesting that their peoples have more in common than they understood, and peace between humanity and the Romulans might one day be possible. "The Chase" not only offered a perfectly acceptable fictional explanation for all those prosthetic foreheads, while also seeding a possible relationship between Picard and the Romulans , rumored to be a major plot point in the upcoming Star Trek: Picard .

Humanoid Aliens Are Part Of Star Trek - And Always Will Be

It's unlikely Star Trek is ever going to dazzle audiences with creature effects. The modern interpretations have come close on a few occasions - Scotty's diminutive friend Keenser from the J.J Abrams films and Star Trek: Discovery's Saurian Lieutenant Linus look like they would be at home in a Star Wars production. But the iconic alien aesthetics - the Vulcan ears, the Klingon forehead ridges, the Ferengi earlobes - are all low tech, practical work. Some of them may have been modified over the years - like Discovery's highly polarizing, Orc-looking Klingon redesign - but that aesthetic simplicity still tends to cut through.

That low budget, DIY-feel is part of the DNA of Star Trek . It's the smaller-scale, more thoughtful science-fiction franchise, almost never relying on space battles or fistfights to tell the kind of stories it was meant to. And in the age where CGI surrealism dominates not only science fiction, but just about every genre movie and TV show in existence, there's something comfortingly tactile and real about actors performing Shakespearean dialogue with faces covered in rubber.

The explanation offered in "The Chase" is great for fans who like everything to make perfect sense in their fiction, but the blunter real-world explanation is just as thematically important as the fictional one, embodying the franchise's underdog status, that while plenty of science fiction franchises aim for the cheap seats, Star Trek is defiantly specific, a sharply focused vision of a better, more optimistic future. Let's just hope there's a lot of spirit gum in the 24th century.

Next:  Will Discovery’s Secret Be Known In Star Trek: Picard?

Cranial ridge

• View history

The cranial ridges , also referred to as exo-cranial ridges or cranial plates were bony plates on the surface of the forehead on many humanoid species.

Klingon - Human hybrids generally inherited cranial ridges from their Klingon parent, although they were less pronounced. ( VOY : " Nothing Human ")

In 2154 , the Klingon augment virus , and the subsequent cure, caused many Klingons to lose their cranial ridges and become more like " Humans ." This would be partially cured via cranial reconstruction . ( ENT : " Divergence ")

During the 23rd century of the alternate reality , helmets issued to the Klingon Defense Force gave all warriors the appearance of cranial ridges. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

As a child, B'Elanna Torres was often mocked and joked at because of her Klingon-inherited cranial ridges. She was referred to by Daniel Byrd as "Miss Turtle Head." ( VOY : " Juggernaut ") Partly because of this bullying, after she discovered she was pregnant , Torres attempted to resequence the DNA of her fetus in order to eliminate the genes that would manifest cranial ridges. However, she was convinced by her husband , Tom Paris , to abandon this effort. ( VOY : " Lineage ")

The Cytherian encountered by the USS Enterprise -D in 2367 was fascinated by Worf 's prominent cranial plate, among other things. ( TNG : " The Nth Degree ")

In 2370 of an alternate timeline , Alexander Rozhenko made a plaster cast of his forehead cranial ridges as a birthday gift to his father, Worf , who received it with pride. ( TNG : " Parallels ")

When he de-evolved due to Barclay's Protomorphosis Syndrome , Worf 's cranial plates thickened by 20%. ( TNG : " Genesis ")

Death is immediate for a Klingon if the cranial exoskeleton is shattered at the tricipital lobe . ( TNG : " Descent ")

Ktarians have sharp exocranial ridges, which are also present in Ktarian- Human hybrids. If the mother is human, these ridges can cause a rare complication where they become lodged in the uterine wall, as was the case with Naomi Wildman 's birth in 2372 . ( VOY : " Deadlock ")

• 1 Species with cranial ridges
• 2.1 See also
• 2.2 Background information

Species with cranial ridges [ ]

• Abaddon's species
• Abdon's species
• Allos' species
• Axum's species
• Dala's species
• Dee'Ahn's species
• Dream Aliens
• El-Adrel IV lifeform
• Emi's species
• Fallit Kot's species
• Fantome's species
• Gosis' species
• Jarlath's species
• Kago's species
• Krit's species
• Nara's species
• Night Alien
• Otrin's species
• Pomet's species
• Prah Mantoos' species
• Romulan Northerners
• Saowin's species
• Sarda's species
• Solanogen-based lifeform
• Species 571
• Species 6339
• Species 8472
• Species 10026
• Swarm species
• Talura's species
• Tarquin's species
• Tash's species
• Tessic's species
• Tret's species
• Varn's species
• Viorsa's species
• Xindi-Arboreal
• Xindi-Primate
• Xindi-Reptilian
• Yost's species
• Zolan's species

Appendices [ ]

See also [ ], background information [ ].

During Star Trek productions, some aliens were introduced without ridges, but ridges were added in later productions. Some aliens this happened to include:

• Romulans ( TOS : " Balance of Terror " vs. TNG : " The Neutral Zone ")
• Klingons ( TOS : " Errand of Mercy " vs. Star Trek: The Motion Picture )
• Andorians ( TOS : " Journey to Babel " vs. ENT : " The Andorian Incident ")
• Tiburonians ( TOS : " The Way to Eden " vs. DS9 : " The Ship ")

In the final draft script of ENT : " Two Days and Two Nights ", a person off-screen who Charles Tucker III and Malcolm Reed notice in a Risan nightclub was scripted to be referred to as having cranial ridges, with Reed stating, " She's got lovely cranial ridges. " However, the only comment made about this unseen individual in the final version of the episode is Tucker remarking, " I don't think 'she' is the right pronoun. "

• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

That Epic Stunt for 'The Fall Guy' Was 100% Ryan Gosling

David Leitch also talks stunts at the Oscars & teases the mystery artist whose track captured the film's "Love Story" "All Too Well."

The Big Picture

• Collider's Steve Weintraub speaks with director David Leitch for his movie The Fall Guy , starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt.
• The Fall Guy is about a down-on-his-luck stuntman, Colt Seavers, who's tasked with rescuing the missing movie star of his ex-girlfriend's next movie.
• During this interview, Leitch discusses stunt recognition at the Oscars, working with Taylor Swift for the perfect love song, and how Gosling faced his fears on set.

According to David Leitch ( Bullet Train ), his latest blockbuster, The Fall Guy , was a Hollywood production written in the stars. Not only does he tease the timeliness of getting the rights to a particular tortured poet 's song in the film, stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are both coming off of an explosive awards season in the wake of Barbie and Oppenheimer , giving his feature a boost in the zeitgeist. Despite the buzzy duo, however, The Fall Guy seems every bit deserving of the attention it's garnered, between highlighting the deserving stunt performers in the industry and Gosling facing his fears head-on, performing 12-foot drops, sans the aforementioned stunt performers.

In the movie, Gosling plays Colt Seavers, a stuntman who recently left the business and is down on his luck in life and love. When the star of his ex-girlfriend's (Blunt) movie goes missing, Colt is tasked with tracking down Tom Ryder ( Aaron Taylor-Johnson ), but the mystery surrounding the star's disappearance goes much deeper. The Fall Guy also stars Hannah Waddingham ( Ted Lasso ), Winston Duke ( Black Panther ), Stephanie Hsu ( Everything Everywhere All at Once ), and more.

While talking with Collider's Steve Weintraub , Leitch continues his mission to showcase the crucial role stuntpeople play in the success of cinema. Having been a stuntman prior to stepping behind the camera, who's better suited to direct a meta peek behind the scenes, and also help spearhead the move to celebrate these unsung heroes at the Academy Awards ? He also talks about working with a 14-time Grammy Award-winning singer for the rights to the perfect song for the film and the epic opening stunt Gosling performed on his own, with no green screen. For all of this and more, check out the full interview in the video above or in the transcript below.

The Fall Guy

Colt Seavers is a stuntman who left the business a year earlier to focus on both his physical and mental health. He's drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie, which is being directed by his ex, goes missing.

COLLIDER: I saw the movie again last night. It's still awesome.

DAVID LEITCH: Great.

It hasn't lost a beat. I am curious — and maybe this was done on purpose, and I'm gonna embarrass myself right now, but here we go — I thought when I watched it again last night, I noticed Ryan's stunt double’s face in a few frames, and I thought I noticed some wires that you could actually see in, like, two frames. A., I could be completely wrong, or B., this was done on purpose.

LEITCH: You may see the stunt doubles’ faces at times, like a few frames. That's fine. That was never anything we were shying away from in the sense that I was trying to be more old-school. When you watch some of those old great movies, even in Indiana Jones or Die Hard , there are times where stunt people can see stunt people , and I think I wanted for the stunt people to see the stunt people at times. So, that was just where that’s happening. But not enough to where we're breaking the illusion of the journey we're on. Wires could have just been confused because there's this scene at the opera house where we're cutting back and forth from behind the scenes, Jody's camera footage, and then movie footage. So when it's movie footage, I was erasing the wires; when it was her looking through the lens, I saw the wires. But otherwise, I hope not. [Laughs]

By the way, it's just because I have a very specific eye and I can see things in two or three frames that maybe other people won't see.

The Fight for a Stunt Category at the Oscars Continues

"there's tremendous support with the actors, with directors, with all the departments.".

What do we need to do — you address it in the movie, which I fucking love — to get stunts recognized in awards season?

LEITCH: It's really in process now. I'm really encouraged. The journey that Jack Gill and Gregg Smrz and Melissa Stubbs have been on inside the Academy for a long time, bringing a lot of us in through the members at large. The stunts never had a branch inside the Academy, so we came in at large, and now there's nearly 100 stunt performers inside who got grafted into the new branch, Production and Technology . Now, that being said, inside Production and Technology we're working through the Academy, kind of following the same models casting has done. They've laid a road map that's really clear, and I think that we're on track. I hope, soon, it's gonna happen, and I think there's real support from everybody inside the Academy. It's just really getting through the bureaucratic steps. You can see positivity from the video that 87North produced for the awards, and the support of, obviously, Ryan and Emily. There's tremendous support with the actors, with directors, with all the departments. It's just process.

This Artist Captures 'The Fall Guy's Love Story All Too Well

So one of my favorite scenes in this movie involves no action. It is just Ryan in a car to a song by a very popular artist — I don't want to spoil it — and it's him reacting to the song, he's very emotional, and it's the banter between your two leads. Talk about filming that scene, because it's fantastic, but also landing that artist.

LEITCH: So, we didn't have that artist on the day we shot it, but we played an equally romantic song — that I'm not going to remember — at the time, that we were playing through the speakers from the time he's walking to the truck and getting in. It was just to build up the emotion for Ryan. It was a conversation I had with Ryan. He really wanted to make this a genuine, earnest scene, but also, we could undercut it with some comedy. So, we knew we had to land that track. We weren't sure what it was going to be yet. After we’d shot the scene, which, by the way, is so incredible watching them work — the two best actors working today — I’m watching this unfold in front of us, and we have so many great choices. They were really genuine. You believe that they're stumbling back together, and it's awkward, just like anyone else having a real relationship. But then they also had fun ad-libs and things that you'll get to see in extended versions and things. You just knew you could undercut the scene in a million different ways.

But it wasn't until once we got into editorial. We were drifting through a bunch of different tracks, and Kelly [McCormick] was playing a lot of this artist — a lot of it — and she was not subtle in hinting to me what the song should be, and constantly playing this song. So I just said, “Okay, fine. I'll throw it up against the montage, and we'll see,” and it was like it was made for it. It was such an insightful grab and insightful thing from her, so we got it. And then we reached out, and she graciously gave us the rights for a price. But it's great. It's the perfect moment. It was even really slightly before all this stuff, the thing going on with the NFL and all that. It was even before that we had that in the movie. It was in there for a long time.

Before this artist became part of the cultural zeitgeist in a massive way.

LEITCH: Correct. So, it was another sort of beautiful thing. We have these two actors that are having this incredible moment with Barbie and Oppenheimer , and then we just happened to have this track in the DNA of the movie that is this other incredible artist who's on the top of their game. I'm like, “How did this happen?”

Whatever Universal paid for that song was worth 10 times over.

LEITCH: Yeah.

Yes, Ryan Gosling Performed that 12-Story Drop for 'The Fall Guy'

"there’s no green screen involved.".

I hate doing spoilers, but I want to talk about the very opening shot of the film, which I love. It's a very long oner, you involve an elevator, and it involves Ryan getting hooked up to something. I think people are gonna want to know, when Ryan's getting hooked up, how real is that versus how much is CGI and a blue screen? What's going on there?

LEITCH: So it was funny, this was a question that Spielberg asked me, too. Steven got to see the movie, and he graciously invited Kelly and I to come talk about it. We were talking about this, and we were discussing, “Were there any stitches in that shot?” And I said there weren't any stitches, we went all the way up the elevator — until the moment we had to hook him into the rig, and there's a really beautiful stitch. I'm not gonna spoil where it is. So we needed to be safe and hook him up to the rig, but all of that is real. Then we just stayed there, leaned him off the edge, craned out, and he's hanging 12 stories in the air. That's Ryan Gosling hanging 12 stories in the air. No green screen. Then we dropped him — free fall.

He likes to say that he was putting the sunglasses on to hide his panic, like it was an acting choice. [Laughs] But we built him up from shorter distances. He has a fear of heights, he had mentioned. That was the one stunt he was trying to negotiate out of at times, but he knew ultimately it was important for him to feel what a stunt person must feel at that moment, and I credit him for that. So he went through the progression we asked him to do. We took him out to a parking lot and we brought him up at different heights and we showed him how the rig works. We tested it a couple times so he could get used to it so on the day he knew what it would feel like.

I just have to say that is incredible acting because he must be scared out of his mind, but he has to deliver this incredible performance as Colt where there’s super confidence.

LEITCH: I know. Super confident and he's setting up the love story, and then they have their chemistry and they're super flirty and they're charming, and then he's walking basically to his biggest fear. But he’s just laughing with her and telling jokes. Again, he's an incredible actor, and he was able to compartmentalize all of that and obviously bring this character to life. It's a pleasure working with Ryan. It was one of the best experiences.

Just so it's clear for people that want to know, is it definitely Ryan getting hooked up, and it’s definitely Ryan taking that fall?

LEITCH: Yeah, 100%. There’s no green screen involved.

The Fall Guys free falls into theaters on May 3. Click below for showtimes.

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