Kelsey Grammer is one of those few major names that Star Trek was able to get, that even to this day, doesn't make sense. Grammer is a huge name and has been a featured player on Cheers, and later starred on his own hit show Frasier. He's been in many movies with most of us remembering him as his turn on X-Men 3: The Last Stand, where he played Henry McCoy, aka Beast.
Arguably the best part about that film. He's largely been known for his more sophisticated roles. The world of sci-fi hasn't snarred him in its web just yet. Maybe it never truly will but for one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the series had the famed Dr. Frasier Crane.
In season five, episode 18 ("Cause and Effect", Grammer appeared in a cameo role as Captain Bateson. He only appeared for a brief spot on the episode but made major fans in his lone role. The landing of such a big name at the time (this was 1992), really did wonders for the optics of Star Trek from the larger acting community and others would appear who were once thought ungetable.
So talking to Cinemablend, Grammer was asked why the usually (shall we say stuffy?) actor decided to let his air down and appear on Star Trek. Apparently, it fell on one man, with Grammer saying;
"But the thing that turned me on, Jonathan Frakes was a buddy. He called one day, I was at Cheers, and he said, ‘Will you come over and do a show for us?’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t know, what’s the deal?’ He says, ‘Well, he’s a contemporary of Captain Kirk’s.’ That was the one that hooked me. So I got to wear the same uniform they wore in the original Star Trek, and that made me really happy."
Grammer clearly either misremembered his turn or just doesn't know, but the outfit in question wasn't from the original series, but the second film. Still, an iconic look and one that looked very good on him. Grammer may not be as popular as he once was but he's still able to have a heck of a performance. So maybe, just maybe, Grammer can take one more trek around the stars as Bateson.