Hey all. Just got back from a business trip to L.A. (trying to get our technology www.screamingsports.com on Direct TV). anyway, I didn't have time to write a preview this week, but I did want to discuss one special item.
The General Chang costume has gotten a lot of attention. And deservedly so. Just last week I asked people to list their 5 Star Trek Holy Grails on the Star Trek Prop, Costume and Auction Forum and this costume came up a bunch of times. Then Friday hits and there it is! Almost like IAW was reading the Forum and though the time was time to strike!
The issue with this costume is that not only is it incomplete (it lacks boots, the bandoleer and the emblem on the neck piece), but the arms are not correct being red, rather than black as in the movie. Now we have discussed this on the Forum and a screencap was offered of the Star Trek: Klingon Academy game and it was pointed out that the uniform Christopher Plummer wore there did in fact have red sleeves in that game.
Now was that a movie uniform that was altered for the game? Hard to say. Probably. But was it a Chang movie costume altered for the game? No way to know.
Now the plot thickens, as the uniform was featured in the Star Trek World Tour in Germany in 1999 and the traveling Star Trek exhibition that was in Australia.
Ian from the Star Trek Forum (a native Australian) note:
The Chang costume was a featured part of the traveling ST exhibition that came to Sydney, Australia. Interplay needed it for the new footage - and it was removed from display and raced back to the US. When the ST exhibit finally traveled to Brisbane, the altered Chang costume had been returned, and the new display card mentioned how the costume had been recalled and revamped for use in the computer game.
The photo from the Star Trek World Tour book clearly shows red sleeves as well (Sort of maroon).
So, the costume was most likely altered for the game, but more than that is hard to say. Is it screen used in Star Trek VI? Hard to say. For me, the fact that it is so incomplete is what is keeping me away from one of my holy grails.
Alec