The Hollywood A-lister loved appearing on Voyager and working with this fan-favorite performer.
There was a time when Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was just a struggling performer trying to make the move from professional wrestling into the world of acting. As it turns out, one of his earliest roles was as the physically imposing, bad-tempered Pendari Champion in Star Trek: Voyager’s season 6 episode, “Tsunkatse.” And today, over 25 years later, Johnson reveals just how “amazing” working with Jeri Ryan was. The Rock said in a brand-new interview, courtesy of Moovy TV:
“The were all amazing […] And the crew, the cast, everybody was so awesome, but very specifically, Jeri Ryan was amazing. And she was so welcoming and warm. I had never done anything before in terms of acting. You know, I come from the world of wrestling, and in a way, that was performance, and it is performance."
Today, Johnson is one of Hollywood’s most influential and bankable movie stars. The actor’s appearances in The Fast & Furious franchise alone could have made him a worldwide phenomenon, but he continues to crank out hit films, which continue to resonate. The Rock continued speaking about his Voyager appearance, which featured his character facing off against Ryan's beloved Seven of Nine in a must-see, hand-to-hand brawl. Johnson said:
"But, you know, cues, marks, dialog and all that was still very new to me. But Jeri was so amazing and so cool and gorgeous and like blew me away how just wonderfully welcoming she was. Because, you know, the truth is at that time in my career, I was doing… I’d do this show and that show, and it was just cameo, cameo, cameo.”
The Rock added in the same sit-down by saying:
“Jeri was [expletive]ing cool, man. And, anyway, like moments like that, I don’t forget because it’s the great reminder that… people always remember how you treat them. And she was amazing. So, anyway, once I did that, I thought I knew what Star Trek passion was all about from the fans, but only until I did it [The Rock flashes a huge smile]. And then I realized, ‘Oh my god, this is so incredible… it’s amazing!’ The fandom about Star Trek.”
The fight between The Rock's bad-tempered, powerful champion and Seven of Nine is must-see television. However, one of the funniest moments occurs before the match begins. When the Pendari fighter (Johnson) enters the pit and acknowledges the crowd, Neelix (Ethan Phillips) comments on the warrior to his USS Voyager crewmates by saying, "He looks like he could pick up a shuttlecraft!"
And then there's Seven taunting The Rock: "I assure you, resistance is futile." Have you ever seen the episode? Don't worry, I won't give away the victor here, but the answer is likely to surprise most casual fans who missed out on this one.
This Trekkie is a huge fan of Johnson and all that he has accomplished in the film and television industry. Personally, I think The Rock would make an excellent anti-hero or villain in one of the new Star Trek films which are currently in development.
After all, a hero is only as good as his/her antagonist. And how daunting a challenge would The Rock make for whichever Starfleet crew he might face in the future? Are you as big an admirer of Dwayne Johnson? Did you enjoy seeing Seven of Nine battle The Rock in Star Trek: Voyager? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!