Odo, the shapeshifting Chief of Security on Deep Space Nine who adopted a human form as best he could, was a novel idea for a character. It was also one that worried the creative team behind the “Star Trek” spin-off. They initially weren’t sure if the late actor René Auberjonois would be able to emote underneath the prosthetics that made him look like an alien.
Luckily, as Auberjonois recalled in the book “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion,” the concern was unfounded. Yes, the prosthetics masked the subtle expressions that are typically an actor’s main tool, but Auberjonois had the right experience to make Odo’s personality and feelings come through.
“I’d done a lot of mask work over the years,” Auberjonois said. “In fact, I taught mask at Juilliard.” Training in mask acting forces a performer to focus on their body movements, rather than facial expressions, to communicate. Auberjonois did just that as typically taciturn Odo.
In a 1996 interview at FantastiCon, Auberjonois explained how a mask could actually “magnify emotions,” and that a deliberate tilt of Odo’s head spoke volumes. “I love that about him, and I love that about acting,” he said.
Auberjonois spent less time in the makeup chair because of his mask experience
When “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” premiered in syndication on January 3, 1993, the makeup that transformed René Auberjonois into Odo consisted of multiple pieces of rubber applied to his head. The thinking was that these segments would allow Auberjonois some use of his facial expressions. However, as he explained in the “Deep Space Nine Companion,” it eventually became clear that the multi-part prosthetics weren’t necessary, and that a more complete mask better matched what they’d envisioned for the character anyway.
“Once they saw that I was going to be able to be expressive with something that completely covered my face, they were able to move further in the direction they wanted,” he said.
Switching to a full rubber mask that Auberjonois would put over his head for 16-hour stretches ended up being a huge time-saver for the actor. A 1996 news story about Auberjonois notes that he would attend “Star Trek” conventions and just yell out “three hours!” before anyone got a chance to ask the inevitable question about how long the original makeup took. The one-piece rubber mask, in comparison, was “only” a two-hour process.
“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” is one of the best TV shows streaming on Paramount+. You can stream most of the “Star Trek” franchise on Paramount+, from “The Original Series” to “Strange New Worlds.”
