Star Trek's Jonathan Frakes Didn't Envy Castmates Who Had To Sit In Makeup

Starfleet admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew travel all across the galaxy on "Star Trek: Picard," so it's only natural that not every character is human. The franchise is known for introducing audiences to fictional races like Vulcans, Klingons, and the Borg, and the special effects used to bring these aliens to life have only gotten better over the years. However, just because they look more realistic doesn't mean that they take less time to apply. Speaking with ComicBook at a fundraiser, "Stark Trek" actor Jonathan Frakes explained that he's happy to play a human on the show because it allows him more free time before and after work.

"I was very fortunate to be a human being on the show. It was proved every Friday night when I was able to go to Nickodell with Patrick and have a drink and wait for Worf to take his turtle head off, and wait for Brent [Spiner] to take that gold s*** out of his pores, and wait for the two leading ladies to take their four or five wigs off," Frakes explained, noting that the actors who portray aliens have to arrive on set four hours earlier and stay an hour and a half later than everyone else. "I have nothing but respect and no envy for the people who wear the rubber heads in our company."

While it seems unfair that certain actors have to endure hours in hair and makeup, the process definitely has its benefits.

Even though "Star Trek" actors who play alien characters have to spend more time on set, they are compensated appropriately. At the same event, John Billingsley, who played Doctor Phlox on "Star Trek: Enterprise," explained that the extra time spent in the makeup trailer equals more money in the bank. Furthermore, Billingsley wasn't needed on set every day, a factor that made the tedious makeup process worth the time.

"I will say, I was the rubber head, but I was number seven on the call sheet. I sang a little song called, [to the tune of 'Day-O' by Harry Belafonte], 'Day off, day off, day off, day off, and the checks still come,'" Billingsley told ComicBook. "I used to sing it to the human beings because that made up for the fact that I wore the rubber head. I didn't have to come in every day."

Beyond making the "Star Trek" universe a richer, more diverse place, the alien characters play an incredibly important role in the narrative. Makeup and prosthetics allow these characters to appear foreign, pointing to the fact that they were raised on other planets in societies unlike those on Earth. However, their altered appearances highlight similarities as well as differences. Time and time again, viewers are reminded that these characters have a lot in common, regardless of where they come from.