When Star Trek: The Motion Picture hit theaters in 1979, it began a legacy of feature films that stretches all the way to 2016 and the Kelvin Timeline. With so many movies available, it's easy to forget that some famous faces took up roles within them, so let's take a look back at three actors whose performances in Star Trek films deserve to be remembered.
1. David Warner (The Final Frontier & The Undiscovered Country)
David Warner was an English actor who brought his acting skills to a variety of roles, particularly in dramatic and horror film parts, such as The Omen, which commonly appears on lists of the greatest horror films of all time. In 1989, he set his sights on the Star Trek franchise for the first time.
Warner first appeared in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, where he played one of three diplomats on Nimbus III, the Planet of Galactic Peace, which fell on hard times. Warner played the Federation diplomat, St. John Talbot, an apathetic man who views Nimbus III as a terrible failure populated with "the dregs of the galaxy."
He and the other diplomats eventually join Spock's half-brother Sybok on his quest, but I have to wonder if Sybok's influence on him and the other diplomats simply faded when Sybok sacrificed himself on the so-called God of Sha Ka Ree, or if Talbot and the others had to go through a neural reprogramming.
Warner returned to Star Trek in the final entry of The Original Series movie universe as Klingon Chancellor Gorkon in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. While it is a brief role because the movie revolves around his character's assassination, Warner turned in a fantastic performance as an older Klingon facing the death of his species and a new kind of future. His performance definitely improves this already stellar movie along with Christopher Plummer as General Chang.
2. John Larroquette (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)
I've been a fan of John Larroquette since Night Court premiered in 1984 on NBC, and some of the funniest storylines revolved around his character, assistant district attorney/prosecutor Dan Fielding. Fun fact: Star Trek actor Brent Spiner appeared on the show in the recurring role of Bob Wheeler.
Larroquette has great comedic timing, so imagine my surprise when I first saw The Search for Spock on cable and realized that Larroquette played Maltz, a Klingon serving under Christopher Lloyd's character, Commander Kruge.
Larroquette gave a rather dry, deadpan performance as Maltz, a Klingon who doesn't see eye to eye with his boss on how the Klingons should utilize Genesis, a project created by Dr. Carol and David Marcus, that can transform dead planets into new, life-sustaining ones.
Maltz doesn't seem to have much ambition and ends up being the only survivor of his crew. He tells Kirk, "I do not deserve to live." "Fine," Admiral Kirk quips back. "I'll kill you later." When he doesn't harm Maltz and the Klingon reminds Kirk of his words, the admiral shrugs and admits, "I lied." Maltz's dumbfounded expression is one of Larroquette's best moments!
3. Alan Ruck (Generations)
While Alan Ruck has been in a number of popular movies such as Twister and Young Guns II, he's probably best known as Cameron Frye ("Frye, Frye . . .") from one of the best comedies ever, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Ruck brought a sense of apathetic humor and sympathy to Cameron, making him unforgettable.
In 1994, Ruck played Captain Jonathan Harriman in Star Trek: Generations, the first film in the franchise that didn't feature the entire cast of The Original Series. Rather, only William Shatner, Walter Koenig, and James Doohan returned. However, Pavel Chekov (Koenig) and Montgomery Scott's (Doohan) time in the film was limited to the opening sequence.
While Ruck didn't have many lines as Harriman, his sheepish replies about weapons and systems not being "installed until Tuesday" still make the rounds in memes! My favorite recently was the non-existent Jonathan Harriman Halloween costume; rich in detail, yet not available until — you guessed it — Tuesday!
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