Caledonian2 comments on Humans in Funny Suits - Less Wrong

22 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 30 July 2008 11:54PM

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Comment author: Caledonian2 31 July 2008 01:23:27AM 2 points [-]

Budget constraints usually curtail attempts to bring 'alien' aliens to the big and small screens. Making plausible-looking aliens is quite expensive; even the prosthetics used to make quasi-human aliens are extensive, and the more complex they are, the harder it is for actors to be expressive.

In the few cases I know of where it was attempted anyway, people responded so poorly to the unfamiliar aspects of the extraterrestrials that the shows gave up. See especially: the early appearances of the Minbari from Babylon 5. Delenn was originally supposed be male, played by a female actress, then changed to female in the metamorphosis at the end of the first season. JMS thought the juxtaposition of human-female features in a male character would be interesting.

Everyone hated it, and Furlan wanted to ditch the facial prosthetics, so the plan was scrapped.