‘Star Trek’s’ alien look of the future, inspired by past and present
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Makeup
“Star Trek”
Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
The Spock ears might’ve been the easiest part. For the winning three-person makeup team for J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek,” it took seven different designs before they settled on the right blunt-foreheaded look for the menacing Romulan race. It wasn’t a minor endeavor in execution, either: Makeup department head Mindy Hall and alien designers Barney Burman and Joel Harlow were assisted by a team of more than 40.
Though they drew inspiration from the classic TV show, the crew wanted to modernize the look. “I think we have a whole new generation of fans,” Hall said backstage. “We wanted our ‘Star Trek’ to appeal to the current fans as well as the newer, younger generation. A younger, hipper ‘Star Trek’ . . . it’s fantastic for the whole franchise.”
