Cult-TV Theme Watch: Blue Skin

Last week I remembered green skinned character in cult-TV history. This week, it’s time to look at blue skinned characters. 

Oddly enough, there are probably as many blue-skinned characters in the historical sci-fi TV catalog as there are green-skinned ones…which I don’t think I fully realized until preparing this post. 

Blue is the new green?

The most famous blue-skinned aliens may be Star Trek’s (1966-1968) Andorians. This race of antennaed aliens appeared in episodes such as “Journey to Babel” and “Whom Gods Destroy.”

The Andorians were also a major presence on Star Trek: Enterprise (2001 – 2005).  Oddly, though an Andorian was featured in the Star Trek animated series (1973-1974), it did not have blue skin; rather gray skin.

In Jason of Star Command (1978-1980), the second season replaced James Doohan’s Commander Canarvin with John Russell’s Commander Stone.  We never learn much about the species of this blue-skinned officer, but we do know he is by-the-book and quite stern.

The two-part second season Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century (1979-198) episode “Journey to Oasis” features a blue gnome and genetic mutant, ODX, who soon proves an ally to Buck (Gil Gerard) and Hawk (Thom Christopher) on a dangerous planet surface.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994), Deep Space Nine (1993 – 1999) and Voyager (1995 – 2001) have all featured blue-skinned aliens including Benzites and Bolians.

Farscape (1999 – 2004) features the beautiful and noble Zhaan (Virginia Hey), a Delvian, or plant-like humanoid.

And Doctor Who (2005 - ), in the era of the eleventh doctor, Matt Smith, gave audiences the rotund -- and blue skinned -- informant, Maldavar.