Any ideas about the Batwing species from DS9?

[TJ Sinclair]

I was going through my old Trek trading cards and came across this guy. He was one of my favorite "random background aliens" back in the day.

https://imgur.com/ZSHPBeY

Just one of the many Westmore creations that were nothing more than "hey, that looks cool." https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Deep_Space_9_visitors#Buck-toothed_aliens

But what race could it be? Any of the thousand named-but-unseen species? Anything from the novels? Or something completely different. What are your ideas?

 

[Xhiandra]

That's a Dutchman. They all look like that.

 

[F. King Daniel]

How does he eat with tentacles over his mouth? I remember there was an alien in Voyager too who had like a handle over their mouth. Some of these designs look nice at a glance but I wonder how much thought was put in. Unless you aren't meant to see the mouth underneath and it's meant to be tentacles and a hole.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

How does he eat with tentacles over his mouth? I remember there was an alien in Voyager too who had like a handle over their mouth. Some of these designs look nice at a glance but I wonder how much thought was put in. Unless you aren't meant to see the mouth underneath and it's meant to be tentacles and a hole.

Well, Westmore did describe them as "buck-toothed aliens" in his notes, so there is a case to be made, I suppose...

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

Cool...I put together that entire set of cards when I was a kid. I remember that guy.

 

[Tosk]

I love how the card artist made almost no attempt to disguise the tell-tale signs of this being a background make-up.

 

[NCC-73515]

I only saw him on Odo's criminal display somewhere XD

 

[Oddish]

Kind of ridiculous looking, but less ridiculous than Michael Keaton's Batwing.

BATWING: Fires hundreds of bullets and two missiles at Joker, after locking onto him with its tracking system. Joker doesn't get a scratch.
JOKER: Fires one shot at Batwing from a sixgun (albeit a very long one). Batwing is trashed.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Kind of ridiculous looking, but less ridiculous than Michael Keaton's Batwing.

BATWING: Fires hundreds of bullets and two missiles at Joker, after locking onto him with its tracking system. Joker doesn't get a scratch.
JOKER: Fires one shot at Batwing from a sixgun (albeit a very long one). Batwing is trashed.

I actually rewatched that a few days ago and loved that bit. Bruce must've spent all his money on the voice-controlled, armoured Batmobile and gone super cheap on the Batwing

 

[Oddish]

Its weapons system was definitely built by the lowest bidder.

 

[publiusr]

I actually rewatched that a few days ago and loved that bit.

The best part was when the optics slid out.

“Use the Force, Bruce”

shhh...,

I could not help myself

 

[TJ Sinclair]

So... no actual thoughts about this guy's species and what it could be? Nothing? Anyone? Bueller?

...okay then, guess I'm the only one interested in speculating about background aliens...

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I love when we have races that do make you scratch your head and wonder, "but how do they do ________?"

Opens up all sorts of interesting questions about their evolution.

 

[Sakonna]

I will say, this guys appearance in "Duet" never fails to grab my attention, in that I'm always shocked by how clear his dick bulge is in that costume, and how centered in the frame it is. There's something a little unsettling for me about being able to so clearly see the outline of a human penis, attached to a body with such a monstrous creature face.

Trek has a lot of jumpsuits that have me saying "no one signing off on the wardrobe photos said anything about that?", but Knuckferatu's shiny gold number might be #1. (Knuckferatu is the name I gave him in my head, in that I also think he looks like Nosferatu)

I do like the flash of his getup, though, it always prompts me to go Project-Runway-judge in my head -- "Where is this guy going?"

This is why I would make a bad Memory Alpha moderator. "In 2369, a well-endowed member of this vampire species walked along the upper level of the Promenade on his way to feed at a rave."

Sorry if Knuckferatu speculations are worse than no speculations at all. This is legitimately what I have thought for years, though!

 

[Cyfa]

No idea, sorry. Although this alien is one of my favourites too (along with the Tail-heads/Chandir), so much so that I did a little sketch of how I imagine they eat (in the Fan Art forum) last year.

It's curious that the trading card states "Batwing" is from STIV, though. As far as I know, it originated on DS9?

 

[Sakonna]

It's curious that the trading card states "Batwing" is from STIV, though. As far as I know, it originated on DS9?

Memory Alpha says that's a mistake and these aliens aren't actually in STIV. I did just notice one of them in the seedy bar on TNG in "Tapestry", which is truly stocked with all my favorite ridiculous alien makeups... Selay, Antican, Tailhead, Knuckferatu.

Great drawing!

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Memory Alpha says that's a mistake and these aliens aren't actually in STIV. I did just notice one of them in the seedy bar on TNG in "Tapestry", which is truly stocked with all my favorite ridiculous alien makeups... Selay, Antican, Tailhead, Knuckferatu.

Great drawing!

Yep, I'm the one who added that note about the discrepancy to Memory Alpha. I noticed it when I was looking through my cards this time - not something that registered with me when I was a kid. Going back to Westmore's notes made it clear he designed it for DS9, which was long after STIV.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

No idea, sorry. Although this alien is one of my favourites too (along with the Tail-heads/Chandir), so much so that I did a little sketch of how I imagine they eat (in the Fan Art forum) last year.

It's curious that the trading card states "Batwing" is from STIV, though. As far as I know, it originated on DS9?

Pretty much how I envision them eating.

 

[Arpy]

I might do a collage one day (three years from now) of background aliens in Trek that are some of the minor races that, like, everyone in-universe knows, but we know nothing about. How often do you talk about Paraguay, yet you know it's a country in South America. DS9 especially had a number of good ones.

 

[Cyfa]

So... no actual thoughts about this guy's species and what it could be? Nothing? Anyone? Bueller?

- I've had a thought! I was in the bath (I have lots of thoughts and ideas while lolling around in there), and wondered if the "Batwing" could be a Yattho? I've long envisaged the Yattho as kind of bat-like, and although "Batwing's" ears are the only visible part which appear bat-like, who knows what lies under that shiny outfit? Well, apart from @Sakonna...