Borg Queen
Alice back from Wonderland
"I think Star Trek: First Contact is a fairly flawless movie," Krige explains. "It's really beautifully made and seamlessly put together. When I saw the film for the first time, I was blown away by the actual speed and force and interest of the story. Even if I had walked off the street and watched it cold, I would have been interested by it."
For many viewers, one of the most effective elements of the film was Krige's portrayal of the Borg Queen. An utterly evil, yet strangely seductive entity. The character attempts to annihilate Humanity, only to be thwarted by Captain Picard and the crew of the newly-launched U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-E. Ironically, however, while the Borg Queen has become one of the most popular villains in the history of Star Trek, Krige herself felt a little disappointed by her performance in the role.
"The first time I watched the finished film, I actually felt that I had failed," the actress reveals. "I'm still not sure that I made her scary enough and I don't know if there's enough range there. But most people, it seems, thought she worked well and felt that she emerged as this powerful, sensual entity. I was glad about that. And I was relieved too!"
Among those who did enjoy Krige's performance were members of the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, who voted her Best Supporting Actress in last year's Saturn Awards. "That was lovely," she says of the recognition. "Brent Spiner, alias Data, also won an award, but he couldn't make it to the ceremony - I believe he was in a play in New York at the time - so I picked up his award as well. I thought it was wonderful that Data and the Borg Queen got the best supporting actor awards, because they must be the oddest couple of the year!"
Looking back at her actual working experience on Star Trek: First Contact, Krige recalls that she took quite a while to decide how to play the Borg Queen. "It was interesting because everyone had a slightly different take on who the Borg were, what they did and what their origin was. And eventually I thought to myself, 'This is no good. I'll just have to make my own decision on who she is.' At pretty much that moment, I was watching a tape of Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, and there's a section in it where he describes energy and postulates that energy has always existed; it cannot be created or destroyed, it's always been there. And I suddenly thought, 'That's the Borg Queen: she's always been there, always will be. She's pure energy. And all the Borg we've encountered before are just hosts; they're her utensils, her tools, to further her insatiable appetite for power.' That had a whole lot of questions in my mind put to rest."
To become the Borg Queen, Krige spent up to seven hours each day donning Borg make-up and prosthetics, and a further two hours each night getting everything off. Although the process was "gruelling at best," the actress feels that the Borg Queen's distinctive appearance really helped her establish the character's identity. "I'll never forget the day I put everything on for the first time," she says. "I was finally suited up; the head, the face, everything was on. We gathered in a make-up trailer and when I saw myself in the mirror, I was profoundly shocked by how sinister and yet how oddly beautiful the whole thing looked. At that moment, I saw the make-up artists who were standing behind me reflected in the mirror looking in amazement at me, and I got the most amazing rush of power I have ever felt. It was just like the top of my head had come off! I thought, 'Well that's who she is - the Borg Queen kind of gets off on people being frightened and terrified of her.' So what they'd given me physically to work with was almost like a doorway into my character. The suit and look of her gave me a feeling of who the character might be and what she might feel like. They were really great tools in that respect."
Aside from the daily trials of becoming the Borg Queen, Krige has nothing but fond memories of working on Star Trek: First Contact. "It was terrific," she gushes. "I had an enormous amount of fun with the make-up crew; they're not only fine artists, but they were also hilarious to be around. And then on the set, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Brent Spiner were so much fun because they like each other - they really like each other! They get on like really good friends. They've known each other forever and they tease each other mercilessly - and they know each others weak spots! They're hilarious, because whenever they're not working, they're ragging on each other, so it ws a bit like being at a carnival. But as soon as the camera started rolling, the focus suddenly shifted into total concentration and they were off. It was brilliant."
Playing the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact represented quite a departure for Krige's career. Prior to invading the U.S.S. Enterprise, the South African born actress was probably best known for her work in such diverse films as Chariots of Fire, Institute Benjamenta, King David and Sleepwalkers. Reflecting on her role in the latest Star Trek film, Alice Krige feels delighted to have been a part of such a mainstream and popular project. She has also found it fascinating to learn all about the Star Trek phenomenon first hand.
"When I first auditioned," she recalls, "I knew almost nothing at all about Star Trek. I knew about Mr. Spock and his pointy ears and the phrase 'Beam me up, Scotty,' but I didn't quite know what it all meant, because I had never seen the show. It really didn't dawn on me until we started doing publicity for the movie that Star Trek is a part of modern mythology. I didn't realize the extent to which the whole concept of Star Trek is an icon in the modern consciousness. There are references to Star Trek everywhere - in literature, in advertising, and even in daily exchange. People quote it without even trying. The bank near where I'm staying at the moment is using the phrase 'to boldly go' as part of its advertising campaign! So it's very interesting to have been a part of it. I had absolutely no idea at all of Star Trek's pervasiveness."
Taken from Star Trek Monthly (April 1998, Vol. 1, No. 38)
