Strange New Worlds puppet episode used Henson craft and clever set tricks
Season 4’s Enterprise puppet adventure relied on hand-built characters, hidden operators and precise practical staging.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Spoiler warning: The Strange New Worlds puppet episode turns nearly all of the Enterprise crew into sentient puppets after a transporter accident, leaving Ethan Peck’s Spock human. The screen trick in Season 4, Episode 5 was built the old-fashioned way: Jim Henson’s Creature Shop made the characters, and the crew had to fit their operators into sets designed for people.
Variety identifies the episode as “Level Five Transporter Accident,” while other coverage renders the title as “A Level 5 Transporter Accident.” Jordan Canning directed it after working on the Apple TV reboot of Fraggle Rock, an experience that helped connect the production with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, according to Variety.
How did Strange New Worlds make its puppet episode?
The Creature Shop started with 3D versions of the Enterprise crew, then amplified the traits that made each character recognizable. Jason Weber, the shop’s creative supervisor, pointed to Captain Pike’s hair and broad shoulders as the features the team pushed further in puppet form.
Most of the characters were made by hand using traditional Henson methods, Weber told Variety. Commander Pelia’s hair required its own bit of engineering: synthetic horsehair tubing was placed around a spiral form and boiled, leaving it with the tight curls needed for the character’s distinctive hairstyle.
Building the puppets was only the opening problem. Canning said a production such as Fraggle Rock can use sets specifically designed to keep puppeteers out of shot. The Enterprise bridge, sickbay and corridors were built for full-size actors, so the team had to find cover where it could, including behind bridge consoles and inside the sickbay set.
Even small actions needed planning. Weber said a wrangler could attach a prop to a puppet’s hand between takes, then the camera would cut back to make the hold look seamless. For a hallway scene with T’Pring and Spock, Canning said puppeteer Donna Kimball lay on her back, used her feet to move forward and operated the puppet while performing opposite Peck.
Peck said he initially questioned the premise, but the job changed once the puppets arrived on set. As the only main cast member whose character was not transformed, he told Variety he got the unusual assignment of playing scenes directly with the puppet versions of his co-stars.
The result put a practical-puppetry challenge inside a familiar sci-fi ship. The transporter accident supplied the plot device; concealed operators, prop rigs and carefully arranged edits did the heavy lifting.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.