Star Trek: Enterprise landing Alien Nation's Gary Graham deserves more respect

Star Trek: Enterprise actor Gary Graham has passed away at 73. The actor was most well known for his turn on Alien Nation, the television series, and subsequent TV film series based on the popular Michael Cain and Mandy Patinkin property from the 1980s. In many ways, it surpassed the film's popularity and became even more popular during its run on televison.

Many of the reasons the show surpassed the show was due to Graham, and his incredible presence on the show. So it wasn't that surprising at all that Graham came into Star Trek: Enterprise and stole so many scenes with his dry and deadpan wit at times. Playing a Vulcan is never easy, at least when it comes to standing out, yet he and fellow Vulcan portrayer Jolene Blalock really did a great job bringing a subtle personality to their characters.

And that's a sign that Graham understood the assignment when being cast as Soval on Enterprise. The show landing him was a big coup but it wasn't one that was often discussed. Not nearly as much as the show landing Scott Bakula, who played Jonathan Archer on the show.

Bakula of course was the star of Quantum Leap and is easily the biggest name ever acquired to lead a Star Trek series. His arrival on the show set it up for success right off the bat, and the show probably lasted longer than some would've expected due to his involvement.

Still, while Bakula was a big get for science fiction fans of a certain age, Graham was a huge get in his own right. Had it not been for the shadow of Bakula, more fans would have highlighted just how impactful Graham was as a science fiction actor before arriving on Enterprise. Sadly, not many people have spoken that highly of Graham's arrival on Enterprise and it's likely due to his role as Soval.

While he brought a hint of wit with the character, it's so hard to stand out in a role like that. Still, he made it work and we're thankful for his time on the show.