Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Cardassians

10. Aligning With Alaimo

Academy Award-winning make-up artist Michael Westmore created the look of the Cardassians for The Next Generation episode The Wounded. For their reptilian-inspired design, Westmore looked to returning guest actor Marc Alaimo.

Alaimo had already received the nickname 'the neck' for his prominent neck muscles. Westmore decided that accentuating these would help to give the Cardassians a distinctive, threatening appearance.

...ridges went down the sides of the neck and flared out to the shoulder tips, giving the Cardassians a strange, menacing appearance, like a praying mantis, or a king cobra.

This, Westmore noted, worked perfectly on any actor with a long head. It helped the casting directors seek out those actors for whom the make-up would suit best - Alaimo got the ball rolling, while Andrew Robinson and Casey Biggs kept it up in the air.

One element that was unique to Alaimo's appearance in The Wounded was Gul Macet's beard. From their second appearance in Ensign Ro, no Cardassian was seen with facial hair again.