Garrett Wang of Star Trek: Voyager recounts the time he nearly hit a Star Wars icon.
There’s a loose rivalry between the Star Trek and Star Wars fandom. Star Wars fans think their franchise is best, and Star Trek fans let them believe in fairy tales. Jokes aside, the two sci-fi franchises have long been the pillars of what near-perfection can be in the genre. So when you have two actors from the two different franchises interact because one nearly killed the other; well that’s how things go from bad to bat-crap crazy. Enter Star Trek: Voyager’s Garrett Wang.
On the Delta Flyer’s podcast, hosted by Wang and Star Trek: Voyager co-star Robert Duncan McNeill (Tom Paris), Wang recanted the time he nearly ran over Harrison Ford while driving around the parking lot of the Paramount Studio set, where Voyager was filmed at. The incident occurred on the day he found out he landed the role of Harry Kim on the series and had been running late for his first date of work.
"“I’m actually speeding around the parking lot, and I come around this one bend, and this guy in a suit walks between two cars right in front of my car, so I slam on my brakes,” Wang recalls in the podcast episode. “You know when you almost have an accident; your heart is beating a thousand miles a minute? I lock eyes with this dude in the suit, and it’s Harrison Ford! I look at him, and I go ‘Oh my god! I almost killed Han Solo!’ I would have been hated by nerds everywhere!I remember reading the Variety paper, our Hollywood trade paper, the next day, and on the front page was a photo that said ‘Harrison Ford at Paramount Studios for the Clear and Present Danger screening.’ He was there for that, based on the Tom Clancy novel, wearing that same suit I almost maimed him in. He could have been a cripple, because of me."
This is one of those stories nearly too good to be true. Wang nearly ran over Han Solo. How is that not the greatest story ever told from the set? Ford to his credit has had a history of near-misses. He’s an avid pilot and has not only saved someone before but nearly died before while flying his plane. It very much seems like someone or something is looking out for him.
I think it’s Bill Shatner, personally.
The Delta Flyer’s podcast is a look back at Star Trek: Voyager episode by episode from two of the main cast members. It’s available for free at the-delta-flyers.captivate.fm. The episodes usually are about the length of a Star Trek episode, and upload either Monday or Tuesday. You can also sign up for their Patreon page if you want to help contribute.