7 people you may have forgot were in Star Trek: First Contact
By Chad Porto
Star Trek: First Contact had a slew of names you may have forgotten were in it.
Star Trek: First Contact remains one of the finest movies in all of Star Trek. Whether it’s your favorite or not, it’s usually among the top films in the franchise in the opinions of many. The story does a great job of explaining the Federation’s beginning, as well as examining the emotional state of Jean-Luc Picard when he’s once again confronted with The Borg.
The storytelling wasn’t the only reason this film gets such high marks, as the special effects and film design were incredible. Visually, it was a masterclass in execution.
The film also succeeded in the casting department as well. While the regulars were back, Alfre Woodard, Alice Krige, and James Cromwell all came in and put the roster of talent over the top. Woodard played Lily, Krige played the Borg Queen and Cromwell played Zefram Cochrane. Each brought something new and unique to the film that had been absent in past and future Rek film installments.
They weren’t the only big names that were in First Contact, however.
Neal McDonough
Neal McDonough starts us off as Lt. Hawk, a conn officer on the U.S.S. Enterprise that accompanied Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Lieutenant Commander Worf onto the exterior deflector dish where the Borg were building a messaging array to call for Borg reinforcements. While he had very few lines, at least memorable lines, McDonough’s Hawk did have a big moment in this scene.
Hawk would get dragged by one of the Borg off-screen, where he’d be assimilated. As Picard struggled to release the deflector dish, Hawk would return, stepping on Picard’s phaser rifle and revealing to his former captain that he was now assimilated into the Borg collective.
A well-timed phaser shot from Worf would send the man once known as Hawk off into space, presumably to his death.
McDonough was not a big name when the film came out, appearing in a lot of small roles but after his appearance in First Contact, he’d land the lead role on The Incredible Hulk cartoon, as well as major roles in Minority Report, Captain America: The First Avenger, Band of Brothers, and the Arrowverse as Damian Dahk.