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

The makeup process for creating the Cardassians was laborious, time-consuming, and expensive. While these reptilian soldiers cut a fierce profile in Star Trek, it's a wonder they were ever brought back because, on top of everything else, they stank!

Adding the prostheses to performers, initially, took up to five hours in the make-up chair. Marc Alaimo's Gul Macet make-up was streamlined when he became Gul Dukat, bringing the process down to a swift two-and-a-half hours. Guest actors weren't so lucky, though they were paid well - the average daily rate for a Cardassian extra was $1500.

Nana Visitor, recalling her experiences on Second Skin, stated that the make-up began to stink after the hours and hours she would spend in it. As a claustrophobic, she struggled with being entombed under the rubber. Robert Blackman, the costume designer, said that the actors who were picked to play Cardassians needed to be extremely slender, thanks to their form-fitting clothes.

Perhaps the prickly nature of the Cardassians makes more sense now!