Getting Into Costume

I followed the others to the wardrobe room and when I saw what was there one word came to mind - Cheap.

They obviously didn't have the budget for anything to be specially made for the show, so the wardrobe lady had thrown together a bunch of things from all over the place - bits and pieces of costumes from old period pictures, hand-me-down props and uniforms from other shows, and stuff she'd picked up from way too many shopping sprees at some god-forsaken swap meet.

I ended up with an oddly appealing ensemble and didn't think I looked too bad - black parachute pants, a tan safari shirt with lots of pockets, and bright blue Adidas sneakers with the logo tweeked to look like the emblem of the Galactic Star Republic.

Tanner got something that looked like a cross between an 18th Century British Admiral and a Wild West cowboy.

Sara and Jasper were fitted with what were obviously bell-boy uniforms, but without the silly hat.

And Suzie was given a flowing red ball gown with a shoulder cape that I'm pretty sure was left over from some version of The Three Musketeers.

Like I said, I thought my costume was pretty ok, and Tanner too didn't seem displeased with what he was wearing. But why would he, he'd had a hand in the design after all. Tanner you see was not just an 'actor', he was a 'creator'. And Commander Jefferson was going to be his creation. Whether the writers, the directors, or the producers liked it or not.

Less happy about her wardrobe though was Sara. And I wasn't a bit surprised. While her uniform was based on a generic bell-boy costume, it had been pimped out a bit. Oh she still had the gold piping and important looking buttons, but her uniform also boasted a leather skirt, black nylon stockings and a cut-off belly shirt. Oh, and they'd stuffed her little bra to give her a a few extra cups worth of demographic appeal.

"I look like a two-bit whore that escaped from some sleezy Vegas casino!" she hollered at John.

Tanner glanced over to the bickering starlet and grinned. I got the definite impression he'd had as much to do with her costume as his own.

"But Sara," John replied calmly, "its all a part of the cultural narrative that this show is exploring. The clash of past and future, the underlying threat of an overly technological society pressing against the innate demands of the Human Spirit, the--"

"The needs of a bunch of horny sci-fi geeks that make up your primary viewership," Sara accused him, hefting her make-believe breastage.

"That too," John smiled. "But, Sara, if you're feeling a bit uncomfortable just remember this. You're not being exploited as some kind of sex object. Your character is. And you are an actress aren't you?"

Frustration and a touch of hurt pride suffused Sara's face, and instead of answering him she just turned around and stormed away. I couldn't help but watch. Damn but she looked good in that leather miniskirt.

1. On with the rehearsal

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