What did you think of the alien redesigns? (spoilers)

[Gretnablue]

What did you think of the Caitian and Klingon redesigns in the film? I really liked the Klingon but the Caitian seem very odd. Also was that bald alien on the bridge for most of the film a Deltan?

Enjoyed the film by the way.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I have no idea whether those were "Caitians" at all - who says they were?

The bald woman on the bridge appeared to have a shaved head rather than there being an attempt to show her as naturally bald.

Love the new Klingons.

 

[Christopher]

What did you think of the Caitian and Klingon redesigns in the film? I really liked the Klingon but the Caitian seem very odd.

We didn't see any Caitians. Yes, there was a bit where Kirk was with two alien women with tails, but they weren't felinoid in any other way. Surely Caitians aren't the only tailed species in the galaxy.

The Klingon design looked fine to me. There have been many different variations on Klingon design over the decades, and this was just another variation on the theme from another makeup designer's hand. The only real additions were the ridge piercings and the blue eyes.

Also was that bald alien on the bridge for most of the film a Deltan?

If you mean the fellow with the circular implant in the back of his head, he seemed to be some kind of cyborg. His credited character name is a number. I even heard someone suggest that Aisha Hinds's navigator character was a Deltan, but she wasn't completely bald, just extremely close-shaven -- pretty much Hinds's normal hairstyle.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I like the new Klingons, they're far more alien-looking than before, IMO.

 

[Romulan_spy]

The bald woman on the bridge appeared to have a shaved head rather than there being an attempt to show her as naturally bald.

Looked like a dude in drag to me. I just figured it was a subtle way to show the diversity in Starfleet.

 

[trekker670]

We didn't see any Caitians. Yes, there was a bit where Kirk was with two alien women with tails, but they weren't felinoid in any other way. Surely Caitians aren't the only tailed species in the galaxy.

They also had some very cat-like eyes...

 

[T J]

I want to know more about the cyborg/android guy on the bridge, looked interesting!

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I assumed we were talking about the navigator; Gatt as a Deltan didn't cross my mind.

 

[F. King Daniel]

The Klingon design looked fine to me. There have been many different variations on Klingon design over the decades, and this was just another variation on the theme from another makeup designer's hand. The only real additions were the ridge piercings and the blue eyes.

And pointy, whispy ears.

Also was that bald alien on the bridge for most of the film a Deltan?

If you mean the fellow with the circular implant in the back of his head, he seemed to be some kind of cyborg. His credited character name is a number. I even heard someone suggest that Aisha Hinds's navigator character was a Deltan, but she wasn't completely bald, just extremely close-shaven -- pretty much Hinds's normal hairstyle.

Not her. I'm pretty sure I saw a white, bald female on the bridge at one point.

 

[BillJ]

Loved the redesign of the Klingons, the Kronos landscape and the broken up moon hanging dangerously close. The Klingons actually seemed 'alien' for the first time.

The rest I didn't really see enough of to judge.

 

[cbspock]

The Cyborg type character was interesting, would be interesting to see if he was a alien cyborg, or an android like Data. The Klingons were interesting, from the way Uhura spoke it seems like their culture is similar to what we are familiar with. The look was interesting, a little more alien. I liked their uniforms better then the familiar movie /TNG outfits. They seemed a bit more intimidating then the old Klingons maybe because they never spoke in english.


-Chris

 

[Christopher]

The Klingon design looked fine to me. There have been many different variations on Klingon design over the decades, and this was just another variation on the theme from another makeup designer's hand. The only real additions were the ridge piercings and the blue eyes.

And pointy, whispy ears.

Didn't notice. But considering all the past changes in Klingon design, I see no reason to be troubled by yet another one.

Not her. I'm pretty sure I saw a white, bald female on the bridge at one point.

I didn't notice. But the filmmakers seem quite happy to make up their own new aliens, so we shouldn't be quick to assume that any given alien can be identified with a pre-existing one. Unfortunately, this has been a practice in Trekdom for decades. There are tons of background aliens seen in the movies, the TNG-era shows, and ENT that were only seen there and had no continuity with earlier or later productions.

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

The Cyborg type character was interesting, would be interesting to see if he was a alien cyborg, or an android like Data.

My first thought was that we were seeing a new design of the Bynar. Sans twin, of course.

 

[Brent]

The Klingons should have subdued ridges during this time period, as per their dealings with Eugenics DNA manipulation, during TOS they didn't have ridges at all, but slowly gained them back. So, I would have preferred that the ridges be more subdued than they were here, but still, they aren't as ridgy as we see in TNG, so overall not overly disappointed. Just think they should have been even more a bit smoother.

Also, it makes perfect sense that they'd wear helmets, I think the Klingons were pretty embarrassed at first when they lost their ridges, wearing helmets to cover this disgrace makes sense, so I liked the fact they were wearing helmets.

 

[Amaris]

What did you think of the Caitian and Klingon redesigns in the film? I really liked the Klingon but the Caitian seem very odd. Also was that bald alien on the bridge for most of the film a Deltan?

Enjoyed the film by the way.

I thought they were Caitians, too, for a few seconds, but in the time I was able to look (believe me, I was studying very hard!), they had several notable differences. Could be Caitians, might not be. Either way, my friend and I said "you lucky bastard!" at the same time.

 

[T'Bonz]

From Star Trek.com

When asked "Can you confirm that the creatures we see with Kirk during his off-hours on Earth are Caitians?" Lindelof said: "You mean the women with the tails?''

"Yes, this is the species that Lt. M'Ress was, from The Animated Series," said the person interviewing Lindelof.

"Yes, we can confirm this," said Lindelof.

 

[cooleddie74]

Yeah, I had a sneaking suspicion they were meant to be Caitian girls in that scene and thought it was a nice little touch. As for these girls looking less feline and more humanlike than M'Ress back in TAS, it's nothing new really. The Klingons and Romulans have had different looks dating all the way back to 1966 and the Andorian and Tellarite looks changed as well over the decades with refinements and alterations made that sometimes clash with previous appearances in the franchise.

Yay for the continuity and references.

 

[Amaris]

From Star Trek.com

When asked "Can you confirm that the creatures we see with Kirk during his off-hours on Earth are Caitians?" Lindelof said: "You mean the women with the tails?''

"Yes, this is the species that Lt. M'Ress was, from The Animated Series," said the person interviewing Lindelof.

"Yes, we can confirm this," said Lindelof.

Hm. Well, that's good to know!

 

[F. King Daniel]

OMG Caitians with Brazilians!!

 

[F. King Daniel]

The Klingons should have subdued ridges during this time period, as per their dealings with Eugenics DNA manipulation, during TOS they didn't have ridges at all, but slowly gained them back. So, I would have preferred that the ridges be more subdued than they were here, but still, they aren't as ridgy as we see in TNG, so overall not overly disappointed. Just think they should have been even more a bit smoother.

Also, it makes perfect sense that they'd wear helmets, I think the Klingons were pretty embarrassed at first when they lost their ridges, wearing helmets to cover this disgrace makes sense, so I liked the fact they were wearing helmets.

According to "Affiction"/"Divergence" only one Klingon colony world was infected with the Augment virus. So a Klingon with a bumpy head on the homeworld is perfectly fine.

Of course, we have to assume that ALL the Klingons we saw during TOS were from that planet or a decendant of someone from that planet. But I can do that just fine.