Memory Alpha
Register
Advertisement
Memory Alpha

The Selay were a carnivorous humanoid reptilian species native to the planet Selay. The Selay were long-standing enemies with a neighboring species, the Anticans.

First contact with the Federation took place before 2327, when there was a Selay present on Starbase Earhart. (TNG: "Tapestry")

In 2364, the Selay and the Anticans both applied for Federation membership, and as part of the process the USS Enterprise-D carried a Selay delegation to Parliament to resolve their conflict with the Anticans. (TNG: "Lonely Among Us")

A representative of the Selay attended the biennial Trade Agreements Conference held on Betazed in 2366. (TNG: "Ménage à Troi")

People[]

Appendices[]

Appearances[]

Background information[]

Probert selay concept

Probert concept art

According to the script, the "Selay are tall and two axhandles across the shoulders. Their reptilian heads are sinister – sleek scaled skin, lipless mouths, and beady eyes. The markings on their heads are cobra-like, and folds of skin at the neck imply a cobra hood."

The Selay species was designed by Concept Artist Andrew Probert. As such, it was one of only three alien facial designs that were conceived by Probert prior to Makeup Supervisor Michael Westmore joining the production crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the others being the Anticans and the Ferengi.

Several Selay

Actors in Selay costuming

Although Gene Roddenberry decided (at about the start of the series) that all aliens shown on TNG were to be depicted without burying the actors under deep rubber or covering their mouths, the Selay makeup – involving a pull-over mask – broke this rule of thumb (in common with the makeup for the Anticans and Armus). (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 2, Issue 12, p. 26) A full latex Selay mask was put up for auction in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1]

In a Star Trek: Discovery Log released on Instagram before the release of DIS: "Kobayashi Maru", Cleveland Booker mentions a visit by the USS Discovery to the "Selayans", who mistake Grudge for an offering. This may have been intended as a reference to the Selay. The Selay have previously been called Selayans in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual, the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion and the Star Trek: Titan novels.

External link[]

Advertisement