Falling Skies Unused Concept Art Is Better Than The Stuff That Made It Into The Show
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TNT’s Falling Skies is one of those frustrating shows that always seemed to waver between bad and juuuuuuust skirting the edge of being really good. I finally bailed on the show this past season, but one of the things that I did always consistently enjoy while I watched it was the show’s design work. Whether it was the insectoid Skitters, the lithe and powerful Espheni, or the lumbering mechs that were always making life miserable for the 2nd Mass, the world of Falling Skies usually looked really well-realized, especially for a basic cable show. Still, I can’t help but wish some of these amazing alien designs by artist Nuttavut Baiphowongse had actually made it into the show.
The alien designs were created for the show’s second season, and while Baiphowongse doesn’t provide any further details than that, but given that time frame I’m guessing the designs were for the character of “Cochise,” a representative of the alien Volm who aligns with humanity against the Espheni Overlords. Here’s what Cochise ended up looking like on the show, where he was played by Doug Jones.
Given that the Skitters and Overlords were already established by season 2, Baiphowongse’s designs pretty much have to be for potential Volm. This next one is probably closest to what we eventually got, and, not coincidentally, it’s actually the one I like least.
I love this next one, and it makes me wonder if they would have gone CGI or perhaps taken a page from Farscape and used practical effects and puppetry. Almost certainly the former, sadly.
If you like Baiphowongse’s work, it’s definitely worth perusing his deviantART page. He’s got tons of cool original work, as well as riffs on well-known creatures such as Alien’s xenomorphs, Hellraiser’s Pinhead, and even Batman himself.
