Looks like Wayang Kulit has gone where no one has gone before, making an appearance in the recent pilot episode of Star Trek: Discovery.
As for where it was spotted, it was a prop in a scene featuring our own Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, who stars in the show as a starship captain.
Needless to say Malaysians were pretty excited when they spotted the wayang kulit but sadly we’re going to burst your bubble. The wayang kulit puppet that was in the scene was identified by Pusaka founder and writer Eddin Khoo who said the puppet’s origins are actually from Java.
He also said that the puppet in question is called Antareja, which is a character from Javanese wayang kulit tradition. Khoo adds that Javanese wayang kulit shouldn’t be described as Indonesian either, because it isn’t performed outside of Java and that Malaysian and Javanese wayang kulit traditions are vastly different.
Malaysian wayang kulit designs are more “raw” and have stronger Khmer-Thai influences, while Javanese wayang kulit characters have sharper features, looked less fierce and possessed a more elongated design, just to name a few differences.
There’s a Wayang Kulit on Cap’n Philippa Georgiou’s wall! #StarTrek #StarTrekDiscovery pic.twitter.com/9R9wFbTRRh
— Marvel Sutantio (@copydawg) September 25, 2017
At any rate, you can catch Star Trek: Discovery on Netflix. Who knows, we might find more culturally relevant stuff hiding in the background.
