Gendy AlimurungNew Star Trek Trailer:
Who had better style? The old 1960s Star Trek crew members or the new 2009 Star Trek crew members? By “new” I mean “new version of the old.” The movie drops next year. I know you're already in line. Here are some fashion-related things to think about while you're setting up camp on the sidewalk. You can also watch (and re-watch) this piece of video. It's the latest trailer, which our web editor bribed a couple of Dabo girls for.
Star Trek Fashion Smackdown: Old vs. New
1. UHURA (Nichelle Nichols vs. Zoe Saldana)
The key to her look is the mini-dress. Nichelle rocked the bright cardinal red Mary Quant-ish mini-dress like the future depended on it. Note that she wears black sheer tights to go with her knee-high whip-me boots, which tones down both the shortness of the dress and the aggressive sexiness of the boots. It looks like Zoe won't be doing the trademark Uhura beehive, but a sleek little bun at the crown of the head and a long Go-Go girl fall. It's a more modern way to go. You'll notice that instead of the polyester double-knit fabric, her mini-dress has texture. Is that because it's made by present-day nanotechnology robots? I'm not sure. But I can tell you that the raglan shoulders give it a nice sporty/athletic edge that's a bit more “ready to spring into action and kill aliens” than old Uhura's ice-skater-chic cowl neckline. It's more of a bordeaux shade, too (a la Jean Luc Picard in Next Generation) rather than bright red. Her cats-eye eyeliner is adorable. And the earrings! Who wears earrings to space? Uhura, that's who.
2.KIRK (William Shatner vs. Chris Pine)
It's tough to evaluate Shatner-Kirk's sense of style because it is so eclipsed by Shatner-Kirk's Shatner-Kirkness. Look at that wavy, caramel hair! The mustard yellow makes it look even more golden. What I will say is that that gold rick-rack along the 1960s version of the uniform sleeve always bugged me. Is it supposed to indicate rank or something? Chalk it up to it being the '60s when no one was immune to the effects of a little bit of gold cha-cha to tacky-up an outfit. New Kirk is shown here in an all black scuba-type ensemble. I'm not sure why he's dressed goth. Is that part of the Star Trek oeuvre? It will all be explained months from now, of course.
3. SPOCK (Leonard Nimoy vs. Zachary Quinto)
It's very gratifying that New Spock is outfitted in a less fluffy shade of blue than Old Spock. Nimoy's shade of blue is indicative of bluebells, fairy princesses, and My Little Pony. Quinto's shade of blue is indicative of oceans, that area of sky in which the atmosphere begins to dissipate (which I believe is called the ionosphere), and electricity. The 1960s crew always carried their scientific accoutrements with little purse-strap thingies slung across the chest. I see no such madness in the new crew. For now. A word on Spock's hair:
Characters in the '60s had great hair. Characters in the '60s who were supposed to be from the future had fantastic hair. A side-by-side comparison reveals that Spock's hair is just as sleek and shiny some 40 years later. That is hair endurance. Quinto's do looks softer. More Asian. His makeup is also less, well, overtly makeup-y seeming. Old Spock often looked like he was wearing blue eyeshadow, blush and lipstick. New Spock, on the other hand, has a menacing quality about him that makes him sexy and a bit scary.
4. SCOTTY (James Doohan vs. Simon Pegg)
Simon Pegg as the New Scotty is a piece of casting genius. And kudos to the wardrobe department for accentuating the v-neck on the shirt. Much more flattering. The deep red color is much more au courant as well. I can't tell if there's rick-rack on New Scotty's shirt. Please let there not be.
5. BONES (DeForest Kelley vs. Karl Urban)
Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy.
There's a flight attendant quality to Old Bones's outfit. It is essentially identical to Old Spock's, but minus the ears and the groovy haircut, the periwinkle blue tunic-shirt and black pants say “Please return your seat to its upright position.” New Bones looks like he's ready to run the Boston Marathon in his snazzy, textured azure blue pullover. I'd wager 5 bars of latinum that its moisture wicking properties are out of this world. Isn't it awesome that they kept the hair the same? I don't know about you, but I can't trust a doctor who refuses to wear his hair shellacked into place with a deep side part and a wavy brush-over that no amount of blood or alien virus can dislodge.
6. SULU (George Takei vs. John Cho)
I'm gonna go with Old Sulu on this one. George Takei wore his golden uniform so lightly, with such debonair style. Of all the characters, the svelte outfit looked most natural on Takei. John Cho lacks Takei's essential prissiness. Which may or may not be a good thing.
7. CHEKOV (Walter Koenig vs. Anton Yelchin)
With his floppy dark hair, boyish grin and slight build, Old Chekov looks like the missing fifth Beatle. Anton Yelchin is sporting curly Cupid hair that undoubtedly would have been combed into tame straight submission in the old Trek. I'm glad they're letting the curls stay. Why shouldn't people in the future wear curly hair?
8. Amanda Grayson (Jane Wyatt vs. Winona Ryder)
Oooh, this is a tough one. Jane Wyatt is old school elegant. Winona Ryder has found a mini-niche in sci-fi/fantasy. She has an otherworldly beauty about her that's two parts anime, one part pixie, one part alien species. Amanda Grayson, however, was not an alien. She was human. She married Sarek, the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth, and gave birth to Spock. Wyatt is handsome as a '50s housewife at a cocktail party as Spock's mom, with her weird hats and flowing robes. I haven't seen any photos of Winona yet in weird hats and flowing robes. Have you guys? Here she is lying down. Her outfits are sure to be gorgeous. We are in a post-Queen Amidala world now, and the bar has been raised on alien gals across the galaxy. If they're going to wear flowing robes, they better be Comme des Garcons quality flowing robes.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.