Interview: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Bernadette Croft Talks Costuming with Integrity and Imagination

Bernadette Croft, the costume designer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, discusses the integrity and creativity behind "The Elysian Kingdom" looks.

The second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is soon to arrive on Paramount+. The series, which premiered last spring, has received several nominations for its cast, music, sound, and design. Despite the legacy of these costumes, the series is able to offer new insight to these notorious characters and how they express themselves through their wardrobe.

Game Rant had the opportunity to speak with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' costume designer Bernadette Croft to discuss the fantastical looks brought to life in "The Elysian Kingdom" (season 1, episode 8), taking on the classic Star Trek costumes, and the importance of remaining truthful to a character's identity. Croft also provided a few hints for what fans may look for in season 2.

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GR: The colors of the traditional Star Trek uniforms do not transfer over to the Elysian Kingdom story characters each of the Strange New Worlds characters take on, but the moral integrity does. What was drawn from the Strange New Worlds characters to generate their looks for the creation of The Elysian Kingdom?

Bernadette: I think some of the characters are completely opposite and some have similarities. Chrissy Chong, who plays the strict, no-fuss security officer, her fantasy character is this whimsical, bright, earthy, graceful airhead, so I feel she was the opposite. It was nice seeing her in that palette of pink, blue, and gold, and to have the sequins make her look like a completely different person, I thought was really magical.

Christine Chapel is quite similar. Her character is a healer of sorts. She's the nurse; she helps people and her fantasy character, Lady Audrey of the Woods, she was also a healer, just in a different way. She wasn't using modern medicine, she was using spirits, herbs, and crystals, and had a bit of a witchy vibe.

Uhura, she's another fun one. She's this beloved team member. She's really smart; a logical thinker. She's really friendly, she's curious, and in the Elysian Kingdom she's this fierce queen, and she was quick to anger and quick to punish. It was fun to see Celia Rose Gooding, who plays the character, act so mean.

GR: You touched on a lot of the women in the series. Some Star Trek series have dressed their women differently, often exposing their legs or other assets. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds doesn't do that with their uniforms or their fantastical costumes in "The Elysian Kingdom." What went into that decision?

Bernadette: We wanted more of a professional look. I think costuming should really reflect and enhance the character. It's distracting if a person is dressed a certain way purely for a gimmick. We do celebrate body positivity and showing your body is wonderful if it makes sense for your character, but I don't think it should be done just for the sake of it.

I read that some of the actresses loved showing their legs, and they felt progressive, but others were stressing about having to be so exposed. It's that whole idea of filmmaking through the male gaze. It's one of those things that we definitely discussed and everyone was on board with making it look professional and make people feel confident.

GR: There are touches of medieval fashion throughout "The Elysian Kingdom," but there also seem to be Renaissance influences. All have a vintage, modern, and futuristic touch, which create very complex layers in each of these costumes. How did you blend these elements to create these regal designs?

Bernadette: My inspiration came directly from the script. It was written by Akela Cooper and Onitra Johnson, and it was this beautiful story about the love a parent has for their child, the pain in letting them go, and the lengths they go to ensure their safety and well-being. It had serious undertones even though it had this fantastical adventure with elements of comedy throughout.

I loved all things fantasy growing up, so I tapped into that nostalgia and wanted to design the costumes as if they were directly from Rukiya's imagination. I didn't want the costumes to look as if they were from a certain time period because a kid doesn't think like that; it's more eclectic.

GR: Most characters are dressed in very dark black, reds, and greens, except for King Ridley, Princess Thalia, and Queen Neve, who wear bright reds, golds, blues, pinks, and white. Was it intentional to make these rulers stand out?

Bernadette: I think that just naturally happened. For me, it just comes down to character when I'm thinking about what palette works best. For Hemmer, for instance, I wanted to work with his silvery hair and his really pale skin tone, so that's how we came about his palette. We aged the robes in this gray dust to make it look like moon dust to create this aura about him.

M'Benga, he's really stoic. He's a very deep thinker. He's extremely loyal and intelligent and brave, and we also wanted to celebrate the beauty of African royalty. They have these vibrant colors and intricate beadwork, and the fabric was 3D printed as well as the crown, which was inspired by an antique. We were using those modern processes but leaning on actual, historical references.

Queen Neve, she's very icy to me, so we went with that white, silvery palette. I wanted her shoulder pieces to really look dangerous like they were made of ice or glass, so we edged those with silver as well. Adya, played by Melissa Navia, is more earthy. She's very grounded. Her palette was very brown, black with a bit of gold to kind of suit her no-fuss character. I think it's all about the character, really. That's how the palette comes out. I wanted to lean into the vibrancy of Rukiya's imagination as well.

GR: Which look or looks did you find most exciting to design and bring to life?

Bernadette: They're all so special. I'm so proud of the team because they went above and beyond. Seeing the cast's reactions was a real treat, especially Sage Arrindell who plays Rukiya. It just makes all the work worthwhile when you see her beaming face, and she's dressed in this beautiful princess gown. It was a special episode; definitely my favorite of the season.

Seeing the team's work come to life on screen was really impressive. For the Crimson Guards, there are about 150 different pieces that make up each costume. It was covered in foil to give it that metallic look. The dragon pauldron on the shoulder was hand sculpted, and we made casts of it to make it more flexible for stunt work, so it wasn't dangerous for the actor. I just loved seeing it all.

GR: Were there any struggles that made some looks more exciting to see in the end?

Bernadette: I think the struggle for our team is always time and what we can make happen realistically. There are fun things that happen on set that you don't think of at the time. Chrissy's Princess Thalia dress was so massive that she couldn't fit through doors. We couldn't even set up her trailer for her to get dressed in, we had to make this big tent on set for her to get changed in. Things come up all the time, but we just try to work it out.

GR: Is there anything you can share with us about the costumes in season 2?

Bernadette: There have been a couple of trailers, so I can talk about the costumes in those. It goes to show the power of costume and how much information you can glean just from the costume. You know the team is going on an away mission. They're going to a world where the weather is going to be extreme. They're wearing leather, bits of fur, and the way the trimming is placed on the costume may reflect their place in society. Perhaps it's reflecting the local people's traditional dress. There are always tell-tale signs for the audience to look at.

We updated the original formal uniform. We call it the Menagerie uniform cause that's the episode from TOS that it appeared in. We just do our version of it. We updated the silhouette, and we added more detail, so I can't wait for everyone to see that episode as well. The crossover episode was really fun too.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is now streaming on Paramount+. Season 2 will premiere on June 15, 2023.

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Brittany Utley is a writer for Game Rant with a Bachelor's Degree in English and Communications. As an eager fan of movies, television, and professional wrestling, Brittany doesn't deem herself worthy of stepping in front of the camera and enjoys writing about what occurs on it instead. Find her on Twitter @BritUtley