Bringing the world of Star Trek: Section 31 to life required a bold and imaginative approach to hair and makeup, and department heads Shauna Llewellyn and Ryan Reed were up for the challenge. Known for their work on Star Trek: Discovery, where Shauna earned an Emmy nomination, the duo reunited to push the creative boundaries of the Star Trek universe in this new Paramount+ film, starring Michelle Yeoh. Unlike previous entries in the franchise, Section 31 ventures into uncharted visual territory, free from the constraints of Starfleet’s established aesthetic. This freedom allowed the team to experiment with futuristic, intergalactic looks.
INTERVIEWS
In this exclusive interview for DSCENE Beauty by Anastasija Pavic, Shauna Llewellyn and Ryan Reed share their creative approach to bringing Star Trek: Section 31 to life through hair and makeup. From bold nightclub transformations to the gender-neutral styling of background characters, they reveal how costume design shaped their artistic choices and how they pushed creative boundaries. The duo also reflects on their favorite looks from the film and the problem-solving behind key special effects.
What is one product you cannot live without?
Shauna: The one staple product I can’t live without is Nars Light reflecting advanced skincare foundation. They have a wide range of colors and it’s absolutely beautiful on camera. It gives coverage without looking to heavy and can be used on anyone, no matter their age and skin texture. I absolutely love it!
Ryan: The one product that I can’t live with would be Saryna Keys Shea damage repair oil. It works amazingly on dry, damp, or wet hair, leaving it feeling soft and healthy. I use it on wigs and on regular hair of any texture.
Having worked together previously on ‘Star Trek: Discovery,’ how did your collaborative dynamics evolve in this project?
Shauna: Ryan and I have worked together on several different projects over the years, and we are friends outside of the film industry. It makes it so much easier to collaborate, including our respective teams. We know how to play to one another’s strengths and how to elevate and compliment one another’s work. Star Trek operates as a film family; they are very loyal, so the entire crew is very cohesive, which makes for a very productive work environment.
Ryan- We have worked together over the years, which I think is the key to our strength in designing for projects. We feed off each other in a way that is truly collaborative and creates a safe, creative working environment.
How did your collaboration with Michelle Yeoh influence the final looks of her character?
Shauna: Michelle is amazing to work with. She is willing to play and try new things and allows us to try all of our ideas, then offers her input as she knows what works best for her, adding her references and the end result is a design that compliments everything blended together.
Ryan- Working with Michelle is always fun. She is totally open to any idea. It’s always a welcomed challenge to try and create hairstyles that she hasn’t had before and are suitable for the character. The great thing is that it is a true collaboration.
What was the process behind crafting the varying appearances for Michelle’s character throughout her transformation?
Shauna: After looking at Michelle’s costumes, I decided on complimentary colors for her makeup look. The goal was to design a look that hadn’t been done on her before, as we had free reign because we hadn’t been in that sector or timeframe in any previous Star Trek for the bar scenes as madam. For her mission look, we had established it on Season 3 of Discovery but Michelle and I decided to take it up a notch so it had similar elements, but it was also a very different look.
Ryan: I always like to visit the costume designer to find out what the character is wearing. With Georgou, the color pallet set the tone. I added complimentary purples, blues, and aqua to the wig and created an updo that had movement. As we moved to the mission ponytail hairstyle I added braids on the side with the same purple-blue aqua for a subtle thread of continuity.
What were some of the difficulties in designing Michelle’s character’s unique attributes?
Shauna: I knew we had to design something that could withstand all the action she was doing. Michelle does a lot of her own fighting, so it had to be practical but have all the elements of elegance and beauty for her makeup.
Ryan: The biggest challenge in designing for an icon like Michelle Yeoh is that she has had so many hairstyles. For this film, she had both an updo and a ponytail, both created using wigs. With intense fight scenes, the main concern was ensuring the hair complemented the costume’s movement while also securing the wigs so they stayed in place throughout the action sequences.
Ryan, could you walk us through how you managed to achieve the practical effects for Michelle’s ‘steel’ face covering in the opening scenes?
Ryan: Well, the Steel face covering was a bit of a challenge. Originally, it was supposed to fit on like eyeglasses, but that didn’t work, so I was tasked with the mission of trying to have it suspended in front of her face. Along with the costume department, we figured out a way last minute on set. Ultimately, it was anchored from the top of the wig. That was the practical effect, and the rest was VFX.
The space nightclub scenes are visually striking. How did you balance the sequins and bold colors in the background characters’ looks without overshadowing the main cast?
Shauna: We had a lot of room to play and designed each look for the background. For me, I didn’t really worry about overshadowing the main cast because of the environment they were in as well as the fact that they were supposed to blend in with the crowd, so we matched the looks for everyone and made it compliment one another.
Ryan: These were my favorite scenes because we were able to create individual looks for each background performer based on their costumes. I decided that a few brightly colored looks would help to make it a bit more visually stunning. Even if the look was out of focus, you would still get the feeling that this is a different space than what we are used to seeing in a Star Trek universe.
What approach did you take in designing the gender-neutral appearances for the background characters, and what were your central considerations?
Shauna: For makeup I took the opportunity to push all the looks as far as possible. The beauty of the Star Trek universe is that it has always established a gender-neutral environment and used the environment and costumes to my advantage to tell that story through makeup.
Ryan: For this, we played with the performer in front of us, whether gender-neutral or not; we came up with looks that fit the person and tried to push the limits as far as we could to create some cool looks.
What are each of your favorite creative elements or looks from the film, and why do they stand out to you personally?
Shauna: My favorite look for Michelle was the last scene in the silver dress with the silver eye decals and nails. It was just so striking to me. I also loved the contrasting looks for Kacey as she was pretty much unrecognizable between the bar scenes and her Starfleet look. I also loved the breakdown on Young Georgiou. Great contrast from all of the beauty looks and truly helped tell that part of the story of what she had to do to become the Emperor we all love to hate.
Ryan: Similarly, in the last scene with Michelle, that dress was my favorite! Even though the hairstyle itself was a sleek classic look, I stayed on theme with the color, but this time, I put the blue to the front and had a chic, sleek bob. I thought it was a great combination of the hair and the makeup of the costume.
What advice would you give to aspiring makeup and hair artists who are just starting out in the industry?
Shauna: My advice would be to never give up. It truly is a journey, and you constantly have to keep up with new products and techniques, which is part of the fun. Always be open to learning from the senior artists, but use the fact that you are up and coming with fresh new ideas to take those techniques and advice and make it your own. That’s how you evolve and develop your special signature to any project you work on and any team you are a part of.
Ryan: My advice to aspiring film techs, whether it’s in makeup or hair, is the same. Be kind, observe, and listen. You may be a fantastic technician, but there is a lot to learn from your department head. People skills are important, and working together with teammates and other departments are very important, in fact, crucial to your success. People will remember your personality faster than your skills, so try to always leave a good impression on others. That’s how I have navigated over 20 odd years in this business.
