Plakson: It Was A Thrill
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For Suzie Plakson, her first role as Selar on Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s The Schizoid Man was exciting.
Part of the reason that Plakson was happy to get the role was because her brother was a Star Trek fan.
“It was thrilling,” said Plakson. “First off, my brother was always a sci-fi fan, always a Trek fan. I love the fans, but I’m not a sci-fi person by nature. But for me to call my brother and say, ‘Mike, I’m a Vulcan!’ … He was over the moon. I saved my ears for him and snuck him onto the lot. So I have some very campy pictures of me as a Vulcan, which we took until some guard told me we had to stop.”
Not being a Trek fan herself, Plakson didn’t know much about Vulcans when she first took the role. “I was a little bit shy on set, which I tend to be anywhere because, when you come on as a guest star to any set, it’s a little like the first day of school,” she said. “But to come on with ears and in makeup, it’s really odd. ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ I remember that being a little nerve-wracking. I also thought it would be a grand idea to give her a little, tiny, thin, peaceful smile, very small. But someone told me ‘Vulcans don’t do that.’ So that was gone.”
Next up was her role as K’Ehleyr. Plakson reminds fans that the character was not fully Klingon, but half-human too. “People say, ‘She’s my favorite Klingon character…’ and I say, ‘Well, she’s not only Klingon, and that’s one of the reasons you dig her, because she’s not totally Klingon.” So it’s fascinating, because I hear that all the time.”
Plakson will be appearing in K’Ehleyr makeup at the Creation Entertainment Official Star Trek Convention, and fans will be able to take advantage of photo ops with the actress as K’Ehlyer afterwards. “John [Paladin] and I are going to have a blast,” said Plakson. “I am going to, for the first time anywhere, in front of everybody, live on stage, get into K’Ehleyr makeup. It hasn’t been done. No one has seen it. Paladin and I are good buddies and he’s such a riot. I knew he did the Klingon makeup demos for the conventions and I thought it’d be a blast if he made me up as K’Ehleyr and we just told some stories as he’s putting the old turtle head on. It should be a lot of fun.”
For those attending the convention, which runs through Sunday, the K’Ehleyr make-up presentation will begin at 2:10 PM on Friday at the DeForest Kelley Theatre – Brasilia Ballroom.
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She was phenomenal as K’Ehlehr…just what, 3 episodes? Yet a very impactful character. SHe could’ve easily replaced Troi!
Amazingly, I think it was only 2 episodes, the one with the Klingon sleeper ship where she was introduced, and then the second episode was when she brought Alexander aboard during K’mpec’s succession conference, wherein she died. So, even more impactful.
She also played one very scary Andorian on Enterprise. I’d love to see her on stage in that makeup.
I’d love to see her onstage in nothing at all. By Grabthar’s hammer that woman is HAWT.
I would have loved to see her as a semi regular as Dr. Selar on TNG.