10 Changes Star Trek Hoped You Wouldn't Notice

5. The Trill

Star Trek Trill Makeup Change
CBS

The Trill were introduced in The Next Generation, with Ambassador Odan being their first representative in the franchise. He failed to mention to Dr Crusher that the Trill were a joined species, one who was unable to use transporters for that reason. They are bore distinct forehead ridges in this appearance as well, shown on both the male and female hosts for the Odan Symbiont.

Then, along came Terry Farrell.

When Deep Space Nine was entering production, she was tested with this make-up and for several reasons, it was quickly abandoned. First, she has skin that is so sensitive that she can barely stay in direct sunlight for more than a few minutes, so heavy prosthetics were out of the question. Second, hiding her face behind these ridges was sacrilege of the highest order!

The Trill were then redesigned with the spots that ran from the forehead to toes, revealing far more of the actors' faces going forward. Naturally, this change was never addressed on-screen by the writers and the characters, so it is up to the audience to decide what exactly prompted this enormous change in Trill physiology in those few years.

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"