As one of the longest-running science fiction franchises,Star Trekhas been airing in various forms, both TV series and movies, since 1966. As such, hundreds of actors appeared in the franchise over the years. Some played their roles for a long time, while others only had a short appearance.
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AllStar Trekfans know the leading actors, of course, but there are plenty of actors who had a smaller part inStar Trekand later went on to become famous thanks to their other roles. With such an abundance of fascinating characters, it’s easy to forget some of the actors who were inStar Trek.
7Bill Hader
These days,Bill Hader is drawing attentionto himself thanks to starring as the lovable assassin and actor Barry in the TV seriesBarry. However, Bill Hader has a long list of acting roles in movies and TV series in various genres. Those fans who would like to see his face in aStar Trekmovie are out of luck, but the good news is that Hader isn’t entirely absent from the franchise.
In the 2013 movieStar Trek: Into Darkness, Hader voiced the ship computer of Vengeance, the ship that the movie’s main villain, Khan (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), takes over. And the name is more than appropriate since Khan is on a path of vengeance throughout the entire movie.
6Chris Hemsworth
Even though he appeared in theStar Trekfranchise relatively recently, in the 2009 movieStar Trek, it’s easy to forget that Chris Hemsworth was a part of the universe. His role as James T. Kirk’s father, George Kirk, has been since overshadowed by Hemsworth playing the God of Thunder, Thor, in the MCU.
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Plus, George Kirk only appears at the beginning of the movie. He sacrifices his life to save his wife and his newborn son and other crew members after the Romulan Nero attacks their ship. It was Hemsworth’s first major Hollywood movie, and his career hasn’t stopped ever since.
5Dwayne Johnson
Today, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is known for playing action roles as well as comedy ones. Originally starting out as a wrestler, Johnson used his physicality in multiple movies. And his one-episode role inStar Trekwas no exception to this rule.
Dwayne Johnson played a Tsunkatse champion inStar Trek: Voyagerand an episode appropriately titled “Tsunkatse.” His face is recognizable to all those familiar with the actor’s work, so if somebody decides tostream the series on Netflix, they’re bound to come across Johnson sooner or later.
4Famke Janssen
Famke Janssen is no stranger to science fiction and fantasy roles, having played Jean Grey in theX-Mentrilogy, or the evil witch Muriel inHansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters(2013). However, in the early 1990s, even before her appearance in the James Bond movieGoldenEye(1995), Janssen had a more civil role in oneStar Trek: The Next Generationepisode titled “The Perfect Mate.”
Janssen played Kamala, an ambassador’s daughter who was tasked to undergo an arranged marriage but built a bond with Sir Patrick Stewart’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard instead. The actress lent her talent and charm to the role and left a strong impression even in a limited space. Of course, she and Stewart later reunited as Jean and Professor X in theX-Menseries, in roles very different fromStar Trek.
3John Rhys-Davies
John Rhys-Davies is a name well familiar to all fans of epic fantasy sincehe played Gimli in the popularLord of the Ringsmovie trilogy. The English actor proved he could portray real-life historical figures as well.
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DespiteStar Trekbeing undisputed science fiction, John Rhys-Davies played the genius painter Leonardo da Vinci in twoStar Trek: Voyagerepisodes, “Concerning Flight” and “Scorpion,” proving that he wasn’t out of place neither in Middle-earth nor on a starship.
2Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst started her acting career as a child, having starred opposite Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in the 1994 vampire movieInterview with the Vampire. She later went on to appear inthe Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogyas Mary Jane Watson or the Oscar-winning recent westernThe Power of the Dog(2021). But before that happened, Dunst had a one-episode role inStar Trek: The Next Generationin 1993.
She played the character of Hedril, a girl who uses telepathy to communicate with others, in the episode “Dark Page.” Considering the nature of her character, it gave Dunst a chance to show off her rich facial expressions since Hedril wasn’t using her voice in the same way as mostStar Trekcharacters do.
1Seth McFarlane
Some celebrities don’t hide their love forStar Trekand Seth McFarlane is one of them. All fans of science fiction comedies might be familiar withMcFarlane’s showThe Orvillethat’s similar toStar Trekin many ways and can function as a parody of the franchise.
But Seth McFarlane appeared in the actualStar Trekas well, more specifically two episodes ofEnterprisein which he played Ensign Rivers. An interesting fact is that his character didn’t get a name until his second appearance. Before that, Ensign Rivers was simply known as “a young engineer.”
