Carol Kane's Star Trek Costume Made Starfleet History In One Small Way
"Star Trek" fans have seen quite a few new uniforms on "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," including standard and dress uniforms for the crew of the Enterprise and live-action versions of the "Star Trek: Lower Decks" uniforms, but one character's uniform offered something totally unique to the franchise. A new Chief Engineer of the U.S.S. Enterprise joined the crew in season 2 of "Strange New Worlds," played by comedy legend (and "Star Trek" rookie!) Carol Kane, and she was given a new accessory for her uniform that made Starfleet history.
While joining host Wil Wheaton on "The Ready Room," a web series that dives into the world of "Star Trek" and provides interviews and behind-the-scenes peeks, Kane shared that she was lucky enough to be the recipient of a unique item for her Starfleet uniform. Kane's character, Commander Pelia, is a Lanthanite who has lived for centuries, even hiding out on Earth for a number of years while pretending to be human, so it makes sense that she might have picked up some fashion preferences along the way. The character is as quirky as Kane's fans might expect, and her fun Federation-approved fashion item is perfectly on-point for Pelia.
A Federation fanny-pack
When asked by Wheaton about bringing comedy into science fiction, Kane demurred, explaining her role in bringing Pelia to life:
"Well, first of all, I don't think it was my idea. I think the creators clearly decided to verge into that because they wrote it that way. And they called me, of all people. Strange, as in, 'Strange New Worlds,' it's strange. And so, then they wrote good stuff. And I think that they also gave me a lot of freedom to play around with it, and create this person who I just love now, Pelia. The voice and the — I think it's just great. I even have this fanny pack type of thing that they made me, that wardrobe made me, that's so unique. And I just love it because nobody else has ever worn [a] purse around their waist in the show. So, I'm the one that gets to do it."
Honestly, it's a wonder that there hasn't been some kind of Federation fanny pack before now, especially for the engineers. Starfleet uniforms aren't exactly known for their wealth of pockets, which means that anyone with tools has to carry them some other way. Both doctors and engineers in various "Star Trek" shows have carried around larger bags with their tools inside, but no one has had anything nearly as fashionable or functional as Pelia's waist-worn purse.
Seriously, where can we order one?
Commander Pelia had some pretty big shoes to fill when stepping into the engineering role on the Enterprise, as the late Hemmer (Bruce Horak), the previous Chief Engineer, was beloved by the crew and fans alike. She's a totally different kind of character, with a fun and free-wheeling attitude and a penchant for stealing priceless artwork, fitting into the crew as if she'd been there the whole time. Besides, who doesn't love Carol Kane? With this winning combination of great writing and the perfect actor, it's hard not to love Pelia.
It's possible to get all kinds of "Star Trek" uniform memorabilia, so my question is: where in the world is the Pelia Purse, because I would buy one in a heartbeat. Regular fanny packs might make some kind of ironic comeback because of "Barbie," so maybe we can make the fanny pack futuristically fashionable. The costume design on "Strange New Worlds" has been some of the best in the franchise's history, and Pelia's fanny pack is definitely a part of that winning streak.
Both seasons of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" can be streamed on Paramount+.