5 Awesome Alien Species To Cosplay

Are You Ready To Join The Massive Universe Of Sci-Fi Cosplay

Some of the most beloved science fiction series and movies have a tremendous number of alien races populating their backgrounds and planets. But, often because of real-world budget reasons, most of these aliens are humanoid, mostly defined by different heads or facial features. This means that the intrepid cosplayer that knows their way around makeup and a few other tools can bring a cosplay to another galaxy.

So, with that in mind, we’ll be looking at five alien species perfect for cosplaying. To keep things interesting, I’m only allowing one per fictional universe and will try to vary the difficulty level. That way, you can get in on the fun no matter how much time you have.

Togruta (Star Wars.)

Ever wondered what those aliens with head-tails are? Well, there are a few species in the Star Wars universe with them. The Twi’leks are a better-known example, but the fan-favorite character, Ahsoka Tano, is a Togruta, so I went with her species. The head-tail is called a “lekku,” and Togruta have three. It’s also—by far—going to be the hardest part of the cosplay to make. Getting it “realistic” while not having the weight of it hurt your neck and head is a fun crafting challenge, and most fans will know what franchise you’re from on sight.

Vulcans (Star Trek.)

This is an easy one. Vulcans have pointy elf ears and sometimes different eyebrows. To ensure that people know that you’re going for Vulcans and not LOTR elves, wear your best Star Command or Vulcan High Command outfit. If you want it to be a little more of a challenge, you can build layers of detail with props and lore-specific items.

Ice Warriors (Doctor Who.)

If you want to make fake armor, Doctor Who is a playground. Cybermen are really visually complex if you think about it, as are species like Sontarans and especially Judoon (those Shadow Proclamation rhino-like aliens are practically impossible to cosplay if you don’t just wear a helmet). But, for this section, I wanted a species that doesn’t get as much love: The Martian Ice Warriors. It’ll take a lot of creativity and logistics to make something you can move around in for a convention while maintaining the scale-armor look.

Skrulls (Marvel Cinematic Universe.)

With Secret Invasion coming up soon, these shapeshifting aliens seem like a fun cosplay to bring “out of hiding.” Skrulls are a sort of middle-ground in difficulty, having the classic elf ears and basic wardrobe of the Vulcans but the comfort and crafting considerations of doing a Togruta cosplay. You also have to contend with a lot of green body paint to fully replicate the look. But if you can pull it off, it’ll be eye-catching. And since you’re not shapeshifting to infiltrate somewhere, that’s a good thing!

Petrosapien (Ben 10.)

You might know this alien better as Diamondhead, one of Ben’s more iconic transformations. The Ben 10 aliens seem to have been designed around their “powers” more than anything else, and this one is no exception. Petrosapiens can (among many other offensive capabilities) shoot super-sharp crystal shards and encase people in crystal shells. Cosplaying them will require a few decisions: will you use green body paint like the Skrull, or will you make some kind of full body covering to mimic the crystals? I leave that to you, but whatever you choose, you’ll surely cause a lot of nostalgia.  

And those are five alien species for science fiction cosplayers and crafters to try out. Each of the universes they come from has staggering amounts of other species to consider, and I wasn’t even able to get to Men in Black or series I’m less familiar with, like Babylon Five or Star Gate. So, even if these aliens don’t make your personal list, there’s so much more out there for you to cosplay.