In Star Trek III: Search for Spock, John Laroquette, who would later go on to make a name for himself playing the sarcastic prosecutor Dan Fielding on the original Night Court, played the Klingon Maltz aboard the vessel commanded by Commander Kruge (Christopher Plummer). Most fans will remember him from the scene with Admiral Kirk (William Shatner) where he says he doesn't deserve to live, and Kirk tells him he'll kill him later.
Laroquette is back in full Klingon makeup for this week's episode of the newly-rebooted Night Court entitled "The Wrath of Comic-Con." As for why Dan Fielding embraces the Klingon in him, here's a brief synopsis from the episode. [via Trekmovie]
When Dan finds a potential love connection with a woman who has sworn to destroy him, Dan takes drastic measures, which include fully embracing the wondrous world of Comic-Con.
Star Trek III aired in 1984 shortly before Laroquette starred in his breakout role on the original Night Court for which he won four consecutive Emmys. He would later appear alongside several other Star Trek actors on the series, including Brent Spiner who played Bob Wheeler for seven episodes as well as several of the Star Trek III actors, including Robin Curtis and Teri Hatcher.
Laroquette and Shatner would reunite once again on Shatner's hit series, Boston Legal. Laroquette played Crane, Poole & Schmidt's managing partner Carl Sack, replacing series regular Rene Auberjonois, also a Star Trek alum.
Night Court season 2 episode 6 (“Wrath of Comic-Con”) airs Tuesday, January 30th on NBC at 8 pm. Night Court also streams on Peacock, and you can watch the original Night Court that began in 1984 on Amazon Prime.