10 Surprising Guest Stars That Appeared In ‘Star Trek’
As a show primarily about exploration, all of the iterations of Star Trek have run into many different peoples throughout the galaxy. That means Trek has had more than its fair share of guest stars. Someone has to live on the planet of the week, after all. Most of these guest stars are the same as the guest stars on any long-running show. They've probably appeared on a Law & Order and an NCIS over the years, too. Sometimes, however, a guest star will be genuinely surprising.
There are three main ways for a guest star to be surprising. One, it could be someone who isn't even an actor, but they got a role in Star Trek. Another is when an actor who is already famous takes a one-off role in a Trek project. And third is when someone started as a bit guest role on Star Trek and went on to be famous beyond Star Trek circles. Here are ten surprising guest stars from Star Trek in no particular order:
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1. Iggy Pop played Yelgrun, a Vorta, in the Deep Space Nine episode The Magnificent Ferengi (one of the all-time great episodes in Trek history). The surprise is obvious. Iggy Pop is known as the "Godfather of Punk" rather than an actor. Any self-respecting punk must hate the Vorta, but Pop acquits himself as one admirably.
2. Stacy Abrams played the president of United Earth on the Discovery episode Coming Home. It's surprising because Abrams is a politician, not an actor. This is one of only two acting credits she has (Blackish is the other). She has been a well-known Trek fan since she hit the national consciousness saying that Voyager is her favorite.
3. Kirsten Dunst played Hedril in The Next Generation episode Dark Page. While Dunst is a famous actor, this appearance is surprising because she was just eleven when this episode aired. Honestly, it's a fairly forgettable episode, but it gets a "Hey! That's Kirsten Dunst!" on every re-watch.
4. Gabrielle Union played the Klingon, N'Garen, on the Deep Space Nine episode Sons and Daughters. Union is also a famous actor. Her appearance is a surprise because we just don't think of Star Trek when we think of her. She was relatively young, but it wasn't her first role or anything. With all the makeup, she could slip past the scanners, but it's a performance worth watching.
5. James Worthy played another Klingon, Koral, in The Next Generation episode Gambit, Part II. Worthy is primarily known as a Hall-of-Fame basketball player. He won championships in college at North Carolina and in the NBA with the Lakers. To call Koral imposing is an understatement. He has to be the most intimidating Klingon in Trek history.
6. Tyler Perry played Admiral Richard Barnett in the movie Star Trek (2009). The surprise here is that Perry was a big star at the time. Then, he showed up in a tiny part at the end of the movie.
7. Speaking of big stars taking tiny roles in Star Trek movies, we have Christian Slater, who appeared in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as Excelsior's unnamed communications officer. This is an oft-forgotten entry, but quite entertaining.
8. Stephen Hawking showed up on The Next Generation episode Descent playing himself. It's true that in his later years, Hawking made something of a habit guest starring on shows like Futurama and The Big Bang Theory. But, in 1993, it was quite surprising to see a world-renowned physicist appear on syndicated science fiction.
9. Abdullah II played an unnamed and uncredited science division officer on the Voyager episode "Investigations." He is probably the most surprising guest star of all as, at the time, he was the Crown Prince of Jordan. When he became King, he had to put his acting career on hold.
10. Sarah Silverman played Rain Robinson in the Voyager two-parter Future's End. This was more than a cameo or bit part. Rain was key to the story. The thing that makes Silverman's appearance surprising is that she is not doing comedy. It's a straight acting role. And it's only her third credit listed on IMDb. This is a classic Voyager episode and well worth the watch.
There have been so many guests on Star Trek in its almost 60 years. These are just ten of the most surprising. They are a small part of what makes Star Trek so much fun.
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Source(s): IMDb