10 Laziest Star Trek Alien Designs

9. B'aku

Star Trek Insurrection Anij
CBS

Star Trek: Insurrection receives a lot of, in our opinion, unfair criticism. The most common theme is that it's a long-episode of The Next Generation, just released in theatres as opposed to television. That's both a fair description, and a little bit confusing as a critique - surely we wanted more TNG in the late 90s, right?

However, when it came to the design of the B'aku, the film does feel a little bland. If the theme that audiences were supposed to enjoy was 'fountain of youth' in space, then surely there could have been another way to do it than 'pretty, young humans look better than those mean old S'ona?'

That's where the true crime lies here. It is less the fact that the B'aku are just straight up humans with some foundation and good lighting, and more that their counterparts are all stretched-skin, toxins, and completely obvious commentaries on the culture of beauty and youth.

With plenty of alien designs to choose from, having the B'aku all appear as attractive humans simply feels a little...off.

 
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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"