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The Emmys Remember Star Trek’s D.C. Fontana and Rene Auberjonois

ByRachel Carrington|
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 02: (L-R) Rene Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, Michael Dorn and Cirroc Lofton speak on stage at "The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: From The Edge of the Frontier" cast reunion at Javits Center on September 2, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 02: (L-R) Rene Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, Michael Dorn and Cirroc Lofton speak on stage at "The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: From The Edge of the Frontier" cast reunion at Javits Center on September 2, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Both Star Trek icons passed away in December 2019

Star Trek fans mourned in December 2019 after losing both Rene Auberjonois, best known for portraying Head of Security Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and D.C. Fontana who wrote for Star Trek: The Original Series. The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards acknowledged the losses by including both the actor and the writer in its In Memoriam segment.

Rene Auberjonois held fans hearts for seven seasons while keeping the Fergengi and other riff-raff at bay on Deep Space Nine. He later went on to star in Boston Legal for 71 episodes playing a character that was reminiscent of his earlier days when he portrayed Clayton Endicott III on the sitcom Benson. He then lent his voice to the Star Trek Online game (once again portraying Odo) as well as several other series. But to Trekkies, he will always been known as the shapeshifter who tried to keep the peace and Quark in line.

D.C. Fontana penned some of our favorite episodes of the original Star Trek, including Journey to Babel which introduced us to Spock’s father and mother, and The Enterprise Incident which showcased a female Romulan commander who romances Spock. She also wrote Encounter at Farpoint for Star Trek: The Next Generation, an episode that was nominated for a Hugo Award, and Dax, a Deep Space Nine episode that saw Jadzia Dax on trial. Though she wrote for other series will always be known to us for molding some of our favorite characters.

The In Memoriam segment is included in the Emmys every year, but oftentimes, some individuals who have passed end up being excluded for some reason. This year, along with many others, the Emmys omitted great actors like Orson Bean (Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman), John Karlen (Cagney & Lacey), and Richard Herd, who worked with William Shatner on the first season of T.J. Hooker. Some might say that the actors/writers/producers who were left out were more memorable than Auberjonois and Fontana, but Trekkies are grateful the award ceremony paid homage to these two legends as they’ve left a big hole in the universe for us.

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