Forest became a fan-favorite actor, despite appearing in only one episode of TOS.
Star Trek guest actor Michael Forest died at the age of 97 on Wednesday, Oct. 14, according to an obituary published by The Hollywood Reporter. “Forest was living in a facility for seniors in Sparks, Nevada, (per THR), and it was the veteran performer’s friend, James A. Brown, who made the official announcement.
Forest only appeared in a single episode of The Original Series (“Who Mourns for Adonais?”), but his unforgettable and empathetic performance as Apollo — God of the arts for all intents and purposes — cemented his legacy in Star Trek history.
In fact, Forest’s popularity among the fandom is unquestionably one of the reasons he reprised the role of Apollo in 2013’s fan-made Star Trek: Continues episode, “Pilgrim of Eternity," which can be seen below, courtesy of the production's official YouTube channel.
Sadly, in an ironic twist of fate, it was revealed back in August that Forest’s fellow Star Trek co-star Leslie Parrish from “Who Mourns for Adonais?” had died at the age of 90. Forest’s episode is unquestionably one of my favorite TOS offerings from season 2, but it’s those final moments after Apollo is defeated by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the crew of the USS Enterprise which still haunt me — in the best possible ways.
In order to defeat the nearly omnipotent being, Lt. Carolyn Palamas (Parrish) pretends she doesn’t have romantic feelings for Apollo, who loves her so deeply. “I loved you,” Apollo says to Carolyn as the tears stream down his face. “I would have made a goddess of you. I’ve shown you my open heart… see what you’ve done to me?”
Forest, who was surprisingly never even nominated for an Emmy despite all of his incredible performances in television over the years, breaks the viewers’ hearts in his final moments as Apollo in “Who Mourns for Adonais?” And I’ve been a fan of his ever since.
In addition to Star Trek, Forest appeared in some of the most well-known titles on both the small and big screens, including the Tom Hanks-led Cast Away, King Kong Lives, and Jennifer Garner’s hit show, Alias.
Outside of Trek, though, I’ll always remember Forest from Street Fighter II: V. As video gamers and genre fans already know, Forest voiced the role of Chun-Li’s dad and the martial arts master, Dorai, at least in one of the show's dubs.
And as serendipitous as it might seem, especially when compared to Star Trek’s Apollo character, Forest also provided the voice for Olympus in the Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue series.
The FanSided and Redshirts Always Die teams are truly saddened to hear of Mr. Forest’s death, and we would like to pass on our condolences to those closest to him, including his family and friends. For more Star Trek content, and to remember the late actor, please visit the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Rest in peace, Mr. Forest.
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