Sarah Silverman - Almost A Crew Member Of Starship Voyager

Comedian Sarah Silverman as a member of Captain Janeway's crew? It almost happened.  After Silverman guested on the UPN show, producer Brannon Braga toyed with the idea of bringing the comic onto Star Trek as a full fledged member of the cast.

Read about it in my new OMNI article.

Sci-Fi Stage: Trek's Broadway Theater Connection

Trek Article Flashback - this was first published online in 2009

Star Trek stars don't only act on TV or in movies. Big actors like William Shatner, Patrick Stewart & Kate Mulgrew not only command Starships in the deepest regions of space, but also act on the stages on Broadway's great white way.

The iconic sci-fi TV show and feature film series is light years away from New York City's Broadway theater in time and space, but there's a creative connection between the two entertainment worlds. Many of its biggest actors have graced Broadway's stage on the great white way. With J.J. Abram's new Star Trek movie starring Chris Pine as a youthful Captain Kirk coming out in May 2009, moviegoers will see a new cast of actors playing familiar roles. Much as Broadway's stage actors have assumed great roles of Shakespeare to Sondheim to Andrew Lloyd Webber over the years, we'll soon see new faces play classic characters.

From Captain James T. Kirk William Shatner to Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) to Voyager's own Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), these daring and adventurous starship commanders dazzle us by piloting spaceships amongst the stars, and also wow earthbound Broadway theater audiences for many years.

William Shatner

Before William Shatner became the most famous TV spaceman of all, he commanded audience attention on stage, instead of on television.

The Canadian born actor was classically trained as an actor and performed in the Statford Festival of Canada. He made his Broadway debut in Tamburlaine The Great (1956). In 1958, he appeared in The World of Suzie Wong, opposite France Nuyen, who would later guest star on original Star Trek opposite Shatner in the episode Elaan of Troyius. Finally in 1961, Shatner appeared on Broadway in A Shot In The Dark, a comedy along with Walter Matthau (The Odd Couple) who won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor.

Patrick Stewart

This classy and classically trained British actor performed in theater before he was chosen to play Star Trek: The Next Generation's Captain Jean-Luc Picard and later as Professor Xavier in the X-Men feature films.

Stewart's first Broadway role was in 1971 as Tom Snout in A Midsummer's Night Dream.  In 1991, four years after his Star Trek series premiered in television syndication, Stewart began the first of four revivals of Dicken's A Christmas Carol, as a one man play and snagged a 1992 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance/One Person Show for his acting efforts. Most recently, Stewart earned a 2008 Tony Award nomination for his electric performance in the acclaimed rival of Macbeth.

Avery Brooks

Captain Benjamin Sisko of Deep Space Nine has worked extensively in live theater.

In 1979, Brooks appeared on Broadway in Are You Now or Have You Ever Been? Brooks played actor and social activist Paul Robeson in Paul Robeson in 1988, and it was a role which he'd reprise often. Brooks played Robeson at the Westwood Playhouse in Los Angeles, and also at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Brooks played Othello in various Shakespeare productions, including the Folger Shakespeare Festival (1985) and at the Washington Shakespeare Theater in 1990.

Kate Mulgrew

Star Trek: Voyager's Kate Mulgrew is best known to daytime TV watchers as Mary Ryan in Ryan's Hope, this actress made history by being the first woman to head a Star Trek show as commanding officer.

In 1993, before leading her lost starship safely through the Delta Quadrant, Mulgrew appeared in the Broadway comedy White Liars & Black Comedians as Clea. Mulgrew then played Hesther Saloman on Broadway in Equus - with boy wizard Harry Potter (actor Daniel Radcliffe) playing the fragile Alan Strang.

Scott Bakula

Bakula stars in Star Trek: Enterprise as Captain Jonathan Archer in this prequel series - chronicling a time before Kirk, Spock, the birth of the Federation of Planets and the early days of the space faring Starfleet itself.

Scott Bakula first came to Broadway theater when he understudied in Is There Life After High School? in 1982. In 1983, he played joltin Joe DiMaggio in the musical Marilyn, then finally in 1988 he played two roles in the musical Romance/Romance.

Nana Visitor

In Deep Space Nine, Nana Visitor played Kira Nerys, the tough, but emotionally sensitive Bajoran officer.

Visitor comes from a prominent stage and dancing family - her aunt was the legendary Cyd Charisse. In 1983, she appeared in the smash hit show My One And Only, starring Tommy Tune and Twiggy. Visitor then starred in the revival of the musical Chicago, as Roxie Hart.

Leonard Nimoy

Logical Mr. Spock of Vulcan is also an accomplished Broadway actor and director.

Nimoy's first appearance on the Broadway stage was in Full Circle (1973) - four years after Star Trek finished its original NBC network television run. In 1974 Nimoy appeared in Equus. Finally in 1996, Nimoy worked behind the scenes as director of the play The Apple Doesn't Fall.

Brent Spiner

Android Data is a marvel of technology mixed with the human equation. Actor Brent Spiner brought the mechanical man to life, though before he wore thick pancake make-up and sported blinking circuits, he acted on Broadway.

Spiner first appeared on Broadway in A History Of The American Film as Hank in 1978. He then played Franz in Sunday In The Park With George, starring Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. In 1997, Spiner earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for his role as John Adams in the musical 1776.

A Bionic Voyager Connection

After the role of Captain Janeway was given to actress Genevieve Bujold, it would only be 2 days before the actress quit - deciding that the schedule demands of a weekly TV show was something she didn't want to pursue.  Before she was cast, however, actresses like Erin Grey from Buck Rogers In The 25th Century were considered.  Also Lindsay Wagner - most famous for her turn as Jamie Sommers, the bionic powered tennis pro/teacher - almost sat in the Captain's chair on the bridge of Starship Voyager.

Janeway's Way

The simple philosophy of Captain Janeway is as follows:

It's Janeway or The Highway

During Voyager's time in the Delta Quadrant, Captain Janeway was a Starfleet pro - through and through.  She ran a tight Starship, and one thing she rarely did was dress casually. Kathryn Janeway never wore this t-shirt - she didn't have to the way she ran things.

Captain Janeway Or The Cosmic Highway

Captain Janeway - played by Kate Mulgrew - was the first woman commander of a Starship to be featured as star of a Trek spin-off. Voyager became lost in space in the Delta Quadrant, but its intrepid leader never wavered in her pursuit of getting home to Earth, nor the Starfleet goals and ethics which guided her and her valiant crew.

Genevieve Bujold - The First Captain Janeway

Some Voyager fans don't realize that the first choice to play Captain Kathryn Janeway wasn't actress Kate Mulgrew, but Genevieve Bujold. Bujold was first cast as Janeway, but she didn't last long.

When Bujold was cast, the character's name was Nicole Janeway. Bujold lasted only one day for the pilot filming, and then realized that a TV actress schedule was just not to her liking.  Bujold's professional resume is extensive, but she's probably best known to American audiences in the Michael Crichton thriller Coma - opposite Michael Douglas.

The Return of Lindsay Ballard to the Starship Voyager

Ensign Lyndsay Ballard (Kim Rhodes) died on an away mission, but that doesn't stop her from returning to her home - the Federation Starship Voyager - commanded by Captain Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, who also plays Russian prison cook Red on, Orange Is The New Black.

Ballard is back, but she's not the same woman.  She has been resurrected from the dead and both surgically and genetically transformed into a new species by the Kobali - an alien race who scavenges corpses and gives them new life.  Harry Kim tries to kindle something of a romance with the new Ensign Ballard, but the pull of her new race is too strong for them both.  This is one of the most poignant tales of doomed romance on any of the Trek shows.  It's all the more compelling because of the excellent performances of actors Garrett Wang as Harry Kim and Kim Rhodes as Ballard.

Orange Is The New Black And Also 'Red'

Orange Is The New Black is the hot show everyone's buzzing about on Netflix.  Chronicling the desperate lives of inmates in a women's prison, the show rides a thrilling roller coaster of intense emotions and wild themes.  Sexuality, of all kinds and stripes, also plays a big part in the narrative equation.  There are so many fun characters, one would be hard pressed to pick a favorite.  But one of the inmates holds a highly respected sci-fi connection.  One familiar face stands out from the pack of gals - one Kate Mulgrew, best known to loyal Star Trek:Voyager fans as Captain Kathryn Janeway.

Now, Mulgrew plays 'Red' - a tough talking, no nonsense Russian named Galina Reznikov, who cooks up the grub for her fellow prison pals.  It appears that Janeway has morphed into Neelix - who'd have guessed it?

The Regulation Stands - But Not On Risa

"You gonna throw me in the brig?" asks the first officer of Starship Equinox to B'Elanna Torres in the Star Trek: Voyager episode of the same name.  In Max's case, he was up to no good, so the question had merit.  During other situations, it's a seemingly innocent query full of a myriad of legal and moral possibilities.  Indeed, a starship like Voyager, according to Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) must run on regulations and protocols.  However, on the pleasure planet of Risa, those nagging, old school laws and parameters fall neatly away.

Like the Fantasy Island of the cosmos, Risa enabled stressed out Starfleet professionals to officially and efficiently take a load off.  Recreation came in many forms - most especially of the sexual kind. One of the trademark visuals - and helpful items - of a stay on Risa is the ritualistic displaying of the Horga'hn or fertility idol.  It may not look like much, or even downright silly, but it's said that once displayed, the holder nearly always gets romantic action.  Of exactly what type and amount, well, that's strictly personal.

Star Trek Sexy Spotlight - Female Q - Suzie Plakson

Q!  Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) shouted this so many times, he should have trademarked it - well, maybe he did.  On Star Trek: The Next Generation, one super powered bad baddie called Q - played by John DeLancie - menaced the Enterprise crew more than many.  It was a wild ride with Q popping in every so often over the course of 7 seasons to muck up mischief.  When Star Trek: Voyager warped onto TV, with Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) at the helm, Q had a new adopted home to terrorize and it was here that we met a female Q  - Suzie Pakson.

The Female Q was Q's lover and despite some rocky romancing, they reconciled and even managed to bring a child into the world - only to have it be so badly behaved, so much of a cosmic handful, his mother basically disowned him.  Q was then left to raise Q Junior on his own.

Voyager Sexy Spotlight - Seska - Martha Hackett

Seska is the girl you definitely don't want to take home to Mother.  On the other hand, if you want a conniving, double dealing and basically psychopathic personality to join the family, perhaps Mom would take a real shine to her.  On Star Trek: Voyager, actress Martha Hackett brought to life a Bajoran who was really a Cardassian.

Seska, among many other interesting things, was a spy - surgically altered to appear a Bajoran. She'd romance Chakotay (Robert Beltran), then throw the love affair back in his face by carrying on with a Kazon heavy.  The ultimate betrayal would be her pretending to have Chakotay's baby, when in reality, it was the son of the Kazon Culluh. 

Star Trek Sexy Spotlight - Kes - Jennifer Lien

We met the enigmatic Kes (Jennifer Lien) on Voyager.  She was an Occampan - an alien species who didn't have a long lifespan. Voyager's Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) took Kes and boyfriend Neelix (Ethan Phillips) into the fold.  She relied upon their knowledge of the Delta Quadrant, as the starship made its journey home.  Kes had many looks during her tenure, and by the time of her departure, she had survived many incredible adventures.

The Women Of Star Trek

Recently, NBC broadcast a prime-time special - The Women of SNL.  It was a rebroadcast from 2010 - an hour long retrospective featuring female comic performers who've made Saturday Night Live must see TV.  Star Trek also has an NBC connection.  It premiered on the National Broadcasting Company back in 1966.  How about a special called - The Women Of Star Trek?

Star Trek Sexy Spotlight - Seven of Nine - Jeri Ryan

Seven of Nine is Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01.  Well, at least she used to be.  When Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her Voyager starship crew encountered the Borg in the Delta Quadrant, 7of9 was employed as a kind of go between to the Starfleet crew to help defeat Species 8472.  Actress Jeri Ryan (Boston Public) then joined the UPN TV show as a regular cast member.

Seven joined the starship on its journey to the Alpha Quadrant - using her enhanced capabilities and wide reaching knowledge she shared while part of the vast Borg collective. Before being just a number, Seven was a little human girl named Annika Hansen.  Her parents, intrepid scientists and explorers, brought her along on a study mission of the rampaging cybernetic race.  This led to her assimilation as a Borg drone.

Though her guarded and outright standoffish behavior made her alienate some, she eventually became an indispensable member of the Voyager crew, and made friends with many, including; Neelix, Naomi Wildman, Doc (Robert Picardo) and even engaged in romantic relations with first officer Chakotay - Robert Beltran.  Seven and Janeway clashed often, but in the end, the conflicts usually led to practical solutions to the struggles the crew faced while warping home to Earth.

Star Trek Sexy Spotlight: Kellin - Virginia Madsen

Captain Janeway's Voyager kept up the trek back home from the Delta Quadrant to the Alpha Quadrant for seven seasons.  Along the way, Kate Mulgrew (Orange Is The New Black) and her crew encountered bizarre, sexy aliens and some familiar, yet frightening faces like the rampaging Borg.  One of the most unforgettable - in the episode of the same name - was Kellin played by actress Virginia Madsen.

Madsen has had quite a memorable acting career, and she was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the 2004 film, Sideways, co-starring Paul Giamatti (Private Parts) and Thomas Hayden Church.  Kellin's people had the peculiar ability to make all others forget about their very existence, after only a few short hours of meeting them.  Talk about not making an impression! 

Star Trek Sexy Aliens - B'Elanna Torres - Roxann Dawson

Star Trek: Voyager is the third spin-off TV show from Gene Roddenberry's classic series.  Focused on the Starfleet Starship Voyager, lost in space, and helmed by Captain Katherine Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the show premiered on the UPN network in 1995.  Among the crew was a half human, half Klingon woman - B'Elanna Torres, played by actress Roxann Dawson.

B'Elanna became the starship's Chief Engineer and her excellent tech skills managed to save the ship and crew on more than one occasion.  One thing she constantly had to work on was her fiery temper.

The Klingon side of her would roar forth and Torres would do all she could to reign it back in and calm down.  Eventually, she hooked up with the intrepid helmsman, Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeil) and they not only wed, but had a baby together.