STAR TREK COSTUME- THE HORTA: SERGEANT ROCK
"Let's Rock!"
"To boulder go, where no Horta has gone before!!"
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A very old costume that I did for an Austrek (local Star Trek club) Christmas party back in the 1980s, definitely after 1986, perhaps '87 or '88.
The inspiration was the sentient, silicon based alien that tunnelled its way through asteroids in one of my favourite classic Trek episodes "The Devil In The Dark".
Janos Prohaska designed and wore it originally in the show. Prohaska was a plucky monster and animal costume trooper and performed as a bear, gorilla, giant Bloop (Lost In Space!) and whatnot in a huge number of television shows and movies. Tragically, he was killed in a plane crash on his way to a television shoot in 1974.
My version of the Horta was built out of heavy cloth coated with paint, latex, expanding foam and other lightweight 'rubble' designed to give the rocky, mineralised look of the Horta skin. I used lots of metallic paints as well to detail it. The trailing tentacles were made from a mixture of sawdust filled cloth tubes and unravelled rope.
The key to the mobility of the costume was a wheeled trolley that I knelt upon. Resting my chest on an elevated platform I was able to use my hands to 'paddle' around quite quickly, mimicking the original performer's characteristic rapid pivots and directional shifts. The costume rested on my back on foam blocks.
I remember that I glued Sergeant's stripes to the outside and a little nametag that read "SGT. ROCK. SAPPER. FEDERAL MARINE CORPS. U.S.S THUNDERCHILD". I figured that the Hortas would be a very useful Combat Engineers if they ever joined the Federation. I also had Aliens Colonial Marine badges on it, so the costume must date after 1986, probably 1987 or '88. Since the Hortas tunnelled by spraying concentrated rock dissolving acid I also reckon they would eat 'Bugs' for breakfast! ("Okay, so you've got acid for blood? That don't impress me much....")
As with most of my cossies I had little bits of 'business' to fill out the performance. Gold painted toy balls could be rolled out from beneath the costume, replicating the Horta eggs seen in the episode. I also had a prop broadsword that I could raise by the blade through a slit, so I could pretend to be the Stone that King Arthur's sword was embedded in....
I think this may very well have been the costume that started my silly tradition of always getting onto the dance floor no matter what I was encumbered in.
Certainly, it was an easy one to rock 'n roll in.
As with my Babylon Five Ambassador Kosh costume, this outfit was also self supporting, so I could get out of it and walk off and people would sometimes assume I was still inside and chat happily away to the empty suit.
A quick but fun build, though I don't think I ever wore the costume more than once.
Visibility was quite limited, so I remember spending most of the party looking at people's shoes. Socks meet Rocks. Yes, it was pretty warm under there!
I don't know who took this particular picture. Could be one by my partner, Gail Adams.
Thanks, whoever done it!
STAR TREK COSTUME- THE HORTA: SERGEANT ROCK
"Let's Rock!"
"To boulder go, where no Horta has gone before!!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A very old costume that I did for an Austrek (local Star Trek club) Christmas party back in the 1980s, definitely after 1986, perhaps '87 or '88.
The inspiration was the sentient, silicon based alien that tunnelled its way through asteroids in one of my favourite classic Trek episodes "The Devil In The Dark".
Janos Prohaska designed and wore it originally in the show. Prohaska was a plucky monster and animal costume trooper and performed as a bear, gorilla, giant Bloop (Lost In Space!) and whatnot in a huge number of television shows and movies. Tragically, he was killed in a plane crash on his way to a television shoot in 1974.
My version of the Horta was built out of heavy cloth coated with paint, latex, expanding foam and other lightweight 'rubble' designed to give the rocky, mineralised look of the Horta skin. I used lots of metallic paints as well to detail it. The trailing tentacles were made from a mixture of sawdust filled cloth tubes and unravelled rope.
The key to the mobility of the costume was a wheeled trolley that I knelt upon. Resting my chest on an elevated platform I was able to use my hands to 'paddle' around quite quickly, mimicking the original performer's characteristic rapid pivots and directional shifts. The costume rested on my back on foam blocks.
I remember that I glued Sergeant's stripes to the outside and a little nametag that read "SGT. ROCK. SAPPER. FEDERAL MARINE CORPS. U.S.S THUNDERCHILD". I figured that the Hortas would be a very useful Combat Engineers if they ever joined the Federation. I also had Aliens Colonial Marine badges on it, so the costume must date after 1986, probably 1987 or '88. Since the Hortas tunnelled by spraying concentrated rock dissolving acid I also reckon they would eat 'Bugs' for breakfast! ("Okay, so you've got acid for blood? That don't impress me much....")
As with most of my cossies I had little bits of 'business' to fill out the performance. Gold painted toy balls could be rolled out from beneath the costume, replicating the Horta eggs seen in the episode. I also had a prop broadsword that I could raise by the blade through a slit, so I could pretend to be the Stone that King Arthur's sword was embedded in....
I think this may very well have been the costume that started my silly tradition of always getting onto the dance floor no matter what I was encumbered in.
Certainly, it was an easy one to rock 'n roll in.
As with my Babylon Five Ambassador Kosh costume, this outfit was also self supporting, so I could get out of it and walk off and people would sometimes assume I was still inside and chat happily away to the empty suit.
A quick but fun build, though I don't think I ever wore the costume more than once.
Visibility was quite limited, so I remember spending most of the party looking at people's shoes. Socks meet Rocks. Yes, it was pretty warm under there!
I don't know who took this particular picture. Could be one by my partner, Gail Adams.
Thanks, whoever done it!