Why Sci-Fi Makeup Matters: Storytelling Through Prosthetics, Hair, and Makeup Design

By Leah_SciFi - HMUA, Lecturer, and Professional Space Nerd 

When we talk about science fiction, it’s easy to focus on ships, technobabble, and the shiny bits of future tech. But as a hair, makeup, and prosthetics artist, I’ll always argue this: you can’t world-build without character design. The way a character looks, their skin texture, their silhouette, and the shape language it conveys, all tell us who they are before they speak a line. 

Good sci-fi design doesn’t just invent something new. It borrows from history, culture, nature, and fashion theory. It hints at social class, political tension, emotional vulnerability, and identity. A few iconic examples demonstrate precisely how powerful this visual language can be. 

Let’s talk Tuvix, Londo Mollari, Leeloo, and Queen Amidala. 

Tuvix (Star Trek: Voyager) 

Hybrid identity, narrative ethics, and the aesthetics of two cultures colliding. 

Tuvix’s design, blending Tuvok’s Vulcan stoicism with Neelix’s Talaxian exuberance, is a masterclass in visual storytelling. Instead of simply pasting features together, the design team used makeup language to communicate dual identity and the uncomfortable ethics at the centre of the episode. 

Historical + Cultural Parallels 

Tuvok’s Vulcan design has roots in classical stoic sculpture and ancient Near-Eastern styles. Clean lines, balanced symmetry, and restrained themes. Neelix’s Talaxian design draws from tribal paint traditions and good old-fashioned 90s print. 

Together, Tuvix visually represents cultural fusion. But he also represents the anxiety in the plot of forced hybridity, a theme with strong historical resonance in discussions on identity and medical ethics. 

Vulnerability 

The toned-down colour palette signals a calmer, more measured version of Neelix, while the softened Vulcan severity indicates emotional accessibility. These were deliberate choices: through makeup alone, we understand that Tuvix is a new being experiencing the world through this new identity.  

And when Janeway ultimately chooses separation, the close-up shots rely almost entirely on prosthetics and skin detailing to convey Tuvix’s vulnerability, as the actor's facial expressions were somewhat limited due to the makeup.

Londo Mollari (Babylon 5) 

Political power, vanity, and the slow decay of a man shaped by empire. 

Londo’s hair alone tells an entire political history. His iconic fan-shaped crest is a futuristic exaggeration of 18th-century European aristocratic styling, evoking Napoleonic military uniforms, royal courts, and empire. 

Historical + Cultural Parallels 

The structure echoes Georgian-era hierarchical fashion, big hair/hat = big power. 

His makeup is intentionally pale, leaning towards the aristocratic beauty standards of pre-industrial Europe. Historically, being tan indicated that one was poor enough to work outside. Pale skin was a sign of wealth and status. As Londo becomes morally compromised, the lighting and makeup subtly shift: more shadows, harsher contrast, less polish. 

Class + Character Development 

Londo’s entire design screams privilege. But his moments of emotional collapse flattened hair, and reduced shine visually represent his humanity breaking through the political facade. 

Babylon 5 is one of the best examples of character design being used as a psychological connotation, leading audiences down the right path, and sometimes using it as misdirection.  

Leeloo (The Fifth Element) 

Mythic purity meets punk futurism. 

Leeloo’s design is deceptively simple. Her orange hair and bandage-like costume are instantly recognisable, but the character’s beauty isn’t just sexualisation; it’s symbolism. 

Historical + Cultural Parallels 

The vivid orange recalls 1960s mod fashion and French sci-fi comic book art. Her hair cut and colour link to mythic depictions of fire, rebirth, and divinity, a nod to ancient goddess imagery. The white bandage “wrappings” evoke ancient Greek depictions of divine figures emerging fully formed. 

Character development  

Leeloo’s makeup is intentionally delicate: minimal contouring, youthful highlighting, and wide-eyed innocence. This allows us to see her fear, her confusion, and eventually her strength. Her vulnerability is presented visually through soft skin texture and human fragility, emphasising her status as a constructed being trying to understand humanity. This is used to show her ‘growing up’ when they then put a full glam makeup on her, a sign of her maturing. 

Leah_SciFi cosplay of Queen Amidala - handmade

Queen Amidala (Star Wars) 

Political theatre expressed through hair, makeup, and cultural fusion. 

Amidala’s looks are some of the most heavily researched designs in sci-fi cinema. Every hairstyle and colour palette element conveys political symbolism, cultural heritage, and gendered expectations of leadership. 

Historical + Cultural Parallels 

Her designs merge: 

• Mongolian royalty (notably the headdress inspired by the Khalkha style) 

• Edo-period Japanese court makeup 

• Baroque and Rococo fashion silhouettes 

• Renaissance portraiture (structured silhouette, rich colour symbolism) 

• Amidala’s white face base echoes historical ceremonial cosmetics used to indicate purity, sacrifice, and lineage. 

Class + Character Development 

The extravagant costuming marks her as upper-class royalty, but the makeup especially the stark white base with the bold lip stripe, acts as a mask. When Padmé appears without this makeup, particularly in moments of danger or intimacy, the visual language tells us: The queen is gone. The girl remains.  

Vulnerability is communicated not by dialogue, but by the absence of extravagant styling. 

Why Sci-Fi Makeup Matters 

Hair, makeup, and prosthetic design are not superficial. They are narrative tools as essential as writing, acting, and costume. Through design, we can communicate: 

• Social class (Londo’s aristocratic opulence) 

• Cultural identity (Amidala’s fusion of global historical royalty) 

• Hybridisation and ethics (Tuvix’s blended features) 

• Mythic symbolism (Leeloo as divine rebirth) 

• Vulnerability and humanity (moments when makeup is intentionally reduced) 

  
  

Sci-fi worlds feel richer, more believable, and more emotionally resonant when character design is grounded in real-world history and anthropological meaning. It’s why, as a hair and makeup artist and an educator, I’ll always say this: 

-You can’t tell a future story without understanding past aesthetics. 

-And you can’t build a universe without building its faces.