Carbon Costume

Alison Pill plays Agnes Jurati, a human cyberneticist on the television sci-fi drama Star Trek: Picard.  She is the leading expert on Earth when it comes to the science of synthetic life forms, which makes her a useful addition to Picard’s crew.  Agne’s outfit changes throughout the show’s episodes, but she can often be found wearing a cozy-looking sweater under a white lab coat.

Originally written by Robert Heinlein in 1959, Sony adapted the novel Starship Troopers into a 1997 film that tanked in the box office only to gain a cult following. The film follows Johnny Rico (played by Casper Van Dien who later went on to make several cameos in other Starship Trooper films) as he graduates high school and enlists in the army. Unlike military service in America today, however, military service is required to gain full rights as a citizen, prompting Rico to join despite his parents’ protests. Rico and his friends go on to fight Bugs and Arachnids, members of an insect-like species that have been fighting humans for control of new planets since the beginning of off-Earth human colonies.

The most unique piece of the Starship Trooper uniform is the helmet. It’s modeled on just about any other military helmet of course. But the specific styling is what really sets aside a Starship Trooper. Unfortunately a premade unit is pretty pricy. There are a few other options though. You can get a 3-D printer file for it here. Or you can find craft foam tutorials like this one on YouTube.

From there, the rest of the costume is fairly easy. Grey tactical pants and, a black t-shirt and a chest protector The chest protector listed above is very close to the version the Troopers wear but it has white detailing. Black acrylic paint will cover that up since the protector is made of nylon. And of course you’ll need your trusty laser rifle.

In Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element, Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (played by Gary Oldman) is a weapons dealer who falls in league with Mr. Shadow, also known as the Ultimate Evil intent on destroying Earth.  Zorg attacks Leeloo while looking for the four elemental stones, though his plans are eventually thwarted by Korben Dallas and others.  Recreating Zorg’s futuristic look may take some time if you want to get the pieces just right, but you can always tone down his wet-look holographic clothes by choosing slightly more muted pieces in similar colors.  By getting crafty with some clear plastic and a small toupee, you can evoke a look that is similar to Zorg’s unique hair and futuristic head piece.

Roy Batty (played by Rutger Hauer) is a replicant – an android – built for the sole purpose of fighting in places seen as too dangerous for humans, much like Pris, Zhora, and Rachael. Unfortunately for him, soldier replicants only have a four-year lifespan. It is this injustice that brings him back to Earth and pushes him to try any means necessary to extend his life. He’s one of sci-fi’s most enduring antiheroes and is almost more a fan favorite than the the movie’s hero, Deckard.

Roy’s costume is simple but pulling it off takes a little bit of work. There are two iconic parts to his look: his white blonde hair and the dove her carries. You can either bleach your hair or opt for a wig. And there are many prop doves on Amazon, one of which is listed above.

For the rest of his costume you will need a leather trench coat, grey t-shirt, black tactical pants, and  – as odd as it might sound – a pair of black and white sneakers. If you want to try and get some of the detailing on Roy’s coat you can use leather tubing and a hot glue gun to try and recreate the specific style.

It’s a simple costume with parts that can be repurposed for other cosplays. But it’s still a costume with an impact and a shelf life of a lot more than four years!

In the future, Susan is a man’s name and reality TV really could be the death of you. In season 3 of Future Man, Susan (played by Seth Rogan) is the producer of the Diecathlon show that Tiger, Wolf, and Josh are subjected to as punishment for their time travel crimes.  Susan’s position at the network is precarious at best, and when the trio manages to escape, he must track them down through infinite time and space to save his job and keep his family (an android wife and daughter he leases from the network and who can be stored as small silver cubes).  Susan has a bright red patch of hair and wears several suits throughout the series, including one with a peacock feather bow tie and glitter on the lapels.

Marcus (played by Travis Fimmel) is one of the main characters of the HBO Max show Raised by Wolves.  He is a follower of the Mithraic faith, and eventually becomes the leader of a group of humans who have relocated to the planet Kepler-22b in order to escape an Earth ravaged by war.  Marcus finds himself in conflict with Mother, an android who was previously sent to Kepler-22b with Father and human embryos in an effort to begin populating the new planet.  Marcus’ clothing is tactical in feel and mostly white.  If you have some skill with a paintbrush, you could paint the Mithraic sun symbol onto a white tunic.  Otherwise, a Crusader costume will help evoke the same feel.  For a little extra detail, use an FX kit to recreate the scarring on the right side of Marcus’ face.

Mother (played by Amanda Collin) is an android sent to the planet Kepler-22b in the HBO Max show Raised by Wolves.  Mother and Father, another android, are tasked with raising human children destined to repopulate their new planet, as the Earth has been plagued by war between atheists and followers of the Mithraic faith.  Some of these followers, including Marcus, eventually make their way to Kepler-22b as well, causing conflict in the world of Mother, Father, and Campion.  While Mother’s costume is relatively simple, her hairstyle truly makes her stand out.  If you aren’t quite ready to take the plunge and give yourself a buzzcut, a men’s wig in a strawberry-blonde color can help you achieve the utilitarian appearance of this futuristic android.

In 12 Monkeys, James Cole (played by Bruce Willis) is a prisoner who is offered parole if he can complete a dangerous mission that involves time travel.  James is sent back to 1996 from the year 2035 in order to try and stop a plague from plunging the world into chaos and wiping out millions of people.  During James’ first trip back in time, he is inadvertently sent to 1990, where he meets animal rights activist Jeffrey Goines.  James wears several outfits, depending on which timeline he is in, but one of his most recognizable includes an army green jacket and burgundy zip up sweatshirt.