Morn the bar customer would count as a side character, but good point; many 'main' characters, just not all of them appearing in every episode, more evenly disbursed throughout the course of the 7-season-long series.
This was largely because of the central a for the most part unmoving plot and the fact not all the main cast was star Fleet allowing circles to develop around every main character with many many recurring characters and a good bit of world building it never felt like any of them were gone even if they weren't on screen though I do like Quarks circle the most Morn and several of the other frequent bar keepers not to mention Zek and Brunt FCA.
The Boslic freighter captain is an obscure character that keeps showing up. I kind of loved that about DS9. It really made it feel like a real place where people kept coming and going, you know? It was also nice that they were able to get the same actors to come back for roles most of the time. Though, speaking of, what happened with the casting of Ziyal?
They had to, really. With DS9 being set on a starbase as opposed to being set on a ship, stationary vs. traveling the quadrant, people on starbases tend to be a little less transient.
With DS9 having a long story line with the Dominion, it allowed for additional characters like Admiral Ross to appear in more episodes. I’m glad O’Brien was #1 he truly went where no man has gone before (Worf followed later).
@@mjrxero I recall reading somewhere that the plan for Enterprise, had it continued, was to actually bring Shran onto the Enterprise permanently, though I can't recall more than that. Shame, honestly, Combs is like a chameleon. He just seems to become whatever character he is.
Andrew Robinson almost didn't play Garak, a job he took to pay the rent. The makeup triggered a claustrophobia-driven panic attack and it was only when he looked at himself in the mirror that he realized how badly he wanted to do the part. Garak remains a fan favorite to this day as a result. Thanks for making him #2.
Did you miss someone? Oh I don't know, maybe a certain Lieutenant Reginald Barkley? Pretty much a role created to give A-Team actor Dwight Schultz a cameo, but he did not go away. Made his way into 4 episodes of TNG, 5 of Voyager, and even into Star Trek: First Contact so he could fan boy over Zephrim Cochrane. Speaking of the father of warp drive, Zephrim Cochrane could fit on this list... so long as you don't stipulate the same actor over all portrayals (which by not including Rainn Wilson's Harry Mudd from Discovery seems to be the case). Created as a one off character in the Original Series, he would later be portrayed in First Contact and in two episodes of Enterprise (both original and Mirror). If you thought he didn't like the idea of becoming a statue, imagine how he would react to learning he would become the husband of a cloud of gas. One more mention, because "Trials and Tribble-ations" is an amazing episode and loving nod to the original series, Arne Darvin. Granted, he was brought back for what was pretty much the same episode, but his banter with Worf is priceless.
My personal headcanon is that "The A-Team" is actually one of Barcley's holodeck programs where he just goes nuts to relief stress. Or the equivalent of a DnD session of Lower Deck officers...
It's amazing how many of this list (Garak, Weyoun, Miles, Ross, Rom, Martok) are integral to DS9 and in particular the Dominion War. Now this could be writers bias but it also shows how many of those actors made an impact when given the change and how the story evolved around those actors/characters. DS9 really was a character actor driven show and it shows!
yeah they learned to embrace their secondary cast so much more than the other series. I guess cause they tried to be a tad more serialized in their storytelling.
The actress that plays Ro was given a chance to be a permanent member of DS9, but she pulled a Tasha Yar and assumed the plots were going to be shite. Woops.
They were very open that Combs was the only one that could play a Vorta with nuance, hence the recall. They gave Kaitlin Hopkins (Kilana) a nod to another actor almost getting it, but I think they were overall disappointed. It's the same reasoning they gave to Jenner. That it's hard to get an actor to have nuance, knowing when to hold back and when to go for it... rather than "Me admiral, I'm going admiral myself all over here and stomp about." My words not theirs.
Decent list. Another character that would fit this list is Damar. He was only meant to be in one episode, but they realized Casey Biggs was too good to only use as a one-off. The fact that he eventually became a key character that they even gave a developed arc to is testament to Biggs' portrayal of Damar.
Not true. Biggs was told bigger things were in store. At least that’s the way I’ve heard it. Alaimo was clearly meant as a recurring character, so he wouldn’t make this list.
I've always had the feeling that Nurse Ogawa from TNG was only originally meant to be in "Future Imperfect", but she then kept coming back and being expanded upon (even being in two of the movies).
Yeah, she wasn't on screen a lot, but the way Patti Yasutake bounced off McFadden you instantly felt the kind of long-standing professional relationship and friendship the characters had and did a lot to solidify Crusher as a leader of a department.
I always felt like Ogawa got done so fucking dirty - she's present a LOT and her being pregnant became a mini-side story for her character - and then interspatial fuckery happens and she... doesn't exactly miscarry, but loses her baby. And then just kinda unceremoniously is gone from the show. It felt like a really meanspirited thing to throw in.
That's another good pick. It made me think about Suzie Plakson as K'ehleyr. Not sure about intent when she was cast. Though she did only show up in one other episode as her. But just typing this out made me wonder about.. shudder.. Alexander... or Lwaxana Troi? Mr. Homm I also had Gul Evek, Lita, Zek, Boothby, and maybe even Vic Fontaine.
I'm pretty sure Enabran Tain on DS9 was supposed to be a one-off. But his five minute scene with Bashir in "The Wire" was pretty darn good, so they used him as the lead villain in "Improbable Cause" and "The Die is Cast". Then they got to use him one last time in "In Purgatory's Shadow" for a send-off, simultaneously revealing the true nature of his relationship with Garak. Both of those two-parters are fantastic all around, as is The Way of the Warrior.
I'm skeptical. They tied him so closely to Garak, who was already a recurring character, so I'd be surprised if they didn't have any plans for a follow up somewhere down the line.
I think that Leonard Nemoy's Spock was the ultimate one-off character who never left: the producers hated the character, and told Roddenberry to get rid of him, but Gene didn't.
Version I once read: the NextGen auditions were on. One man alternately read lines as Picard, as Riker, AND THEN as Data. Everyone was impressed with the readings, but he kinda didn't have the look to play any of these characters. They cast him as a recurring extra. It was some time before he even got a name; O'Brien.
You incorrectly state that Ricardo Montalban and Roger C. Carmel are the only actors to play characters who went up against Kirk both inside and outside the original series. Stanley Adams also appeared as Cyrano Jones, the trader who introduced us to the Tribbles, in the original series' "The Trouble With Tribbles" and the original animated series' offering "More Tribbles, More Troubles."
Yeah, and Mudd returned in The Animated Series as well voiced by Carmel, so there’s three appearances instead of the two listed here. Animated Series needs more love! (Koloth returned as well, but voiced by Doohan instead of William Campbell in TAS)
I had read that "Trouble with Tribbles" was originally supposed to be a Mudd story, but this is the one that he was unavailable for - enter Cyrano Jones.
@@weyounclone7234 Did they edit this video after they posted it? They say that Mudd came back twice and show a clip of Mudd from TAS when discussing it.
@@rolandbaldwin l loved Lorne Greene too in Bonanza, Battlestar Galactica & the wild animal shows he did. This was a great video, newer stars & many faces l know since childhood, amazing that Star Trek has reached generations of folk these past 50 years, wonderful!!👍 All the best, Live Long & Prosper! 🖖🇨🇦☘️⚜️
I always loved the fact that John Colicos used to milk his roles as Baltar and Kor (as well as one-off villains in other series, including Charlie's Angels, and X-Men: The Animated Series). He used to make a lot of appearances on the convention circuit, and introduce himself as "the most evil man in the universe," typically while wearing his Baltar costume. Apparently, he even did that at a Star Trek con, that he'd been invited to to speak as Kor...
@@shendaraalshedir1933 That was before ADR. I love the theatricality and clarity the actors had on that show. Especially Lorne Greene and John Colicos. They were very Shakespearean. I do think James Callis really captured his essence too in an updated way for that time and added it to the lunacy of that Baltar
So glad they stuck with colm meaney and fleshed out his character, while he may not be my favorite character by any means, his episodes always added a family angle in TNG that was nice to see
Miles O'Brien seems like the only truly relatable character in all of Star Trek. He isn't overly idealistic, he isn't trying to make the next big discovery and he values his family.
@@songcramp66 There's a couple of moments where O'Brien has this look of sheer "I can't believe I have to put up with this" on his face, and it really helps sell him as the everyman. I really love him bouncing off Worf in Way of the Warrior, when they talk about fighting the Borg, and Worf is all "we were like the great heroes of the old songs" and he's all "Do I have to say we were going to get assimilated? It sounds so stupid". And back in TNG, in The Wounded when Captain Maxwell makes a joke about O'Brien kissing the Blarney Stone he has his expression that reads like "yeah yeah shut up" that's such an Irish reaction to the Irish-American mythology
I've always been a fan of Lt. Leslie (played by Eddie Paskey), the man of many positions and ranks, but usually a security guard in TOS. He started in The Cage. Neat fact; in one or two episodes, they use stock footage of him in the corridors in two different colored uniforms with different ranks. In my head-canon he has a twin brother who also serves on the ship. There's also Chief or Lieutenant Kyle (played by John Winston), who had many appearances in TOS, and also cameoed in Wrath of Khan as a commander on the bridge of the Reliant. Also, Bruce Hyde played Lt. Kevin Riley in "The Naked Time". When he was brought back for the episode "The Conscience of the King", they renamed the character's name (from "Robert Daiken") to match his first appearance, to establish a little continuity.
After destroying his own shop, In the wreckage...his despondency about actually being a good tailor...a rare moment of brutal honesty from his character.
Ross was a great character to have on DS9, especially knowing that the actor actually wrote his backstory. That's dedication, only matched by Andrew Robinson keeping his own character Bible for Garak.
Big Fat Nerd, yes that was the whole joke, it's sarcasm, because obviously it's a hugely important episode of TNG, not insignificant at all, that's why they made the joke about it
@Big Fat Nerd If you can't take a little bit of creative sarcasm, then maybe you should log off and go back to reading books. It's not safe out here on the web. With its wonders and treasures of knowledge untold. And it's blood boiling trolls who are ever so bold. But it's not for the timid.
Well.... Alexander Rozhenko could certainly not be describe as a gone-nut Klingon.... And I'm sure all their lawyers and not-warriors also would fit that label begrudingly.
Garak's scenes in _By Inferno's Light_ weren't him _acting_ as if he had claustrophobia; Andrew Robinson _has_ claustrophobia, and the area in which he was working was an extremely tight space. The producers even cut off the fans keeping him cool and started dimming the fiber optic lights, and Robinson just kept in character the whole time. It was an absolutely stellar performance.
Ah! Never knew the part where Q was interjected into a basically finished script. That explains Picard's mandate that they should go forward with the mission "as if the Q never existed."
I always believed that the bit with Q in Farpoint was added by Roddenberry because Paramount wanted a two-part pilot movie; something Roddenberry didn't want. The original script written by D.C. Fontana was just about the Farpoint Station and the alien ship. So as Paramount kept pushing for a two-hour pilot, even going so far to threaten to fire Roddenberry, he added the Q-Storyline as a framing of the Farpoint Mystery and took the writing credits for the whole script.
@@fredcasdensworld I read about it on Memory Alpha long ago. And there is a documentary "Chaos on the bridge" that tells the story how TNG came to be and it's rough first two season. Very interessting.
Per some NextGen companion book I read long ago, the studio proposed compromising with a 90-minute first episode. (Makes sense if you're a computer. GR wanted it to be an hour. Studio execs wanted it to be two. Ninety minutes would be the length they'd arrive at if they haggled. But you wouldn't think human beings would seriously offer that compromise. Oh, and I don't know if these lengths are reckoning with or without commercials.) But GR had warmed all the way up to the feature-length idea, hence that's what we got. The author might have been spin doctoring all this though, anyway.
It would have been nice if K'Ehleyr was a more recurring character. She was great interacting with Worf the way she irritated him and still he desired her. The actress did reappear as Q's mate on Voyager.
I would love a little story about Nog, the retired Starfleet Captain who now serves as the Ferengi Ambassador to The Federation. As the first Ferengi in Starfleet he understands the Federation better than any other Ferengi, and he's the son of the Grand Nagus, and we know Rom would do anything for his boy
There's a tribute to Nog and Aron Einsenberg in the Trek series: Discovery. When they see the future ships after traveling 1000 years into the future, they see one ship named USS NOG and it's been classified as an Eisenberg-class starship - named after Nog’s real-life counterpart, of course.
The backstory to his original appearance in TNG was a writers credit issue or something "behind the scenes" the widely accepted non cannon was he originally changed his name to hide his relation to his high ranking father so to not be overshadowed...and when everything went south he had no choice but to come out....
Jeffrey Combs delivered my favorite line in all of Star Trek, which was, "Of course I'm paranoid, everyone's trying to kill me." -- Treachery, Faith and the Great River
He did get his own episode. It was not explained why he kept the latinum in his stomach all that time only to turn it over to Quark, though. He ended up with nothing after all that ordeal. I suppose he should be grateful he didn't end up dead or in jail, but to just hand it over seems a bit much.
I'd really like to see a list of all the actors/actresses throughout Trek who played various (and unrelated) roles. This does not include "Mirror Universe" characters, Benny Russel episodes, etc. Vince Armstrong Jeffrey Combs Suxi Paxton JG Herztler Tony Todd Armin Shimermann Ethan Philips James Cromwell and so many more
So that's why the Ferengi in the STO Risa event always reminds me of Rom. He IS Rom.... in a way at least. And... Martok is easily my favourite side character. But what all this tells me that Star Trek has attracted some serious talent over the years...
The notion of Rom, Weyoun and Martok being one-shot characters is effectively unthinkable... But GARAK? Plain, simple GARAK, as a one time bit character?!? I would sooner believe Captain Picard wearing a lime green toupee, a glittery pink tutu, singing show tunes inside the Enterprise's warp core, than I would have EVER believed that GARAK was a bit character!
I cant believe the actor, Andrew Roberson, who played Garak, on DS9, played the psycho killer, Scorpio, in the movie, Dirty harry. What a diverse actor!!!
As an American who speaks colloquial Michigan (yooper), every time I watch these videos I pick up a new slang or phrase or way of saying something. Its a little added bonus to these videos that are already "the business". Gentlemen, thank you.
Jeffrey Combs played both Weyoun AND Liquidator Brunt?? Holy shit!! I had absolutely no idea. Those two characters are about as far apart personality wise as they can be and he played them both to perfection. I'm blown away.
there was a plan to have Weyoun, Brunt, and the third DS9 character he did actually interact in an episode until they realized the work to to do it and pull it off was not feasible with current technology. he also did Shran the Andorian in Enterprise and a number of other roles.
This is one of the reasons Star Trek becomes great. A guest actor loves the show so puts so much extra depth and backstory into their character that it inspires the writers to lean into it, positive feedback cycle ensues.
Colm Meaney is among the top three reasons the movie "Under Siege" is so good. He sits alongside seeing Tommy Lee Jones as a bad guy (or at all) and getting to see Gary Busey jump out of a cake! That's right, Steven Seagal is, at most, the fourth best thing about that movie, lol. Also, Jeffrey Combs is the best!
Garak wasn't withdrawing from a drug. He was withdrawing from a droud - a pleasure device, "the wire" implanted in the Cardassian equivalent of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex. The moment I realised that Garak was a wirehead, I reached for Larry Niven's short story "Death By Ecstasy," which was written some twentyyears before DS9.
Nope. David Gerrold had seen only a few episodes before writing "The Trouble with Tribbles," and "Mudd's Women" was not one of them; he did not know who Harry Mudd was. Although... The producers did notice the similarity; there's a note from one to another: "Does he (Cyrano) remind you of Harry Mudd?" Source: "The Trouble with Tribles" by David Gerrold, Ballantine Books 1973
What a delightful set of actors and moments. I've rewatched TNG, VOY, DS9 and ENT this year and everytime it's a total joy seeing them perform, all ten!
No, by that point they knew what a good actor he was. They were always open to him returning, and in fact in season five he would have become a regular.
I love all these characters except maybe for Ro Laren, who I may have completely forgotten about if it wasn't for her frequent mentions on this channel.
Ro Laren was also offered the role Kira would play on DS9. Originally, Laren was going to be the first commander to Cisco as Laren (not another character). However, the actress turned the role down. As a result, Kira was created, Nana Visitor took her place, and the rest as they say is history!
@@sijdnsd6460 Yes, I knew that. And if she had not turned down the role, I most likely would remember Ro Laren quite fondly, as I do Kira Nerys. Can't imagine anyone taking Nana Visitor's place though!
She originally auditioned for Mardah, Jake siskos girlfriend. she only lost out on that because they decided she was too old for Jake. They brought her back for a one shot in Explorers where she starts dating Julian. They liked her so they kept her around.
Weyoum. Like a cockroach kill one he just keeps coming back again and again he was one of my favourite characters with that smooth talking voice I want to chaos I also like general Martok and Garenne
Some of my favorite characters are on this list I'm so glad the star trek creators recognized the actors charm charisma and talent and kept them in the show.
I can't believe anyone ever thought Garak wouldn't be recurring. He was the only Cardassian on the station, who were the primary enemy species of the series. He's just too relevant right from the description.
God, DS9 was just so good, can’t believe TNG and DS9 ran back to back and a little concurrently. That was a pinnacle of television and I didn’t even realize how good we had it at the time.
Also, John Delancie was so good as Q that he ended up playing Q again in a completely different franchise. He's Discord in newer MLP series. the character is literally just Q in a draconequis body. lol
Mudd does make an appearance earlier in the timeline in Star Trek: Discovery. Which honestly, the performance was good, but I just wanted him to be a little more fun like TOS
You missed Ambassador Soval from Enterprise. Gary Graham wasn't supposed to return after the pilot, but he gave such a great performance being a foil to Archer that they brought him back several more times.
That story about Michelle Forbes being the inspiration for the Bajorans' makeup design is similar to the one about Marc Alaimo (for the Cardassians) and identical to the one about Terry Farrell (for the redesign of the Trill). I thought for sure they would mention the fact that Ro and O'Brien were both planned to be part of the DS9 cast, with the character of Kira created as a replacement when Forbes passed on the role.
I think O'Brian was a good Irish replacement in Star Trek for the Scottish Scotty character. Lots of similarities between them such as being a damn good engineer/mechanic.
You forgot to mention that John Hertzler (General Martok) also played the role of a Klingon called Kolos in two Enterprise episodes. The ones based on Rura Penthe.
You didn't mention Lieutenant Klag who was Riker's second officer in "A Matter of Honor". Klag was played by Brian Thompson. He was also the Klingon helm officer on the Duras sisters' Bird-of-Prey in Star Trek Generations. It seems fitting that Riker was the one who eventually sent him to Sto'Vo'Kor.
Excellent list. I mean, could #1 have been anyone else? No other character went from a likely one-time role to a series regular? No arguments with the list. Some honorable mentions definitely must include Damar, maybe Vic Fontaine, Shran, and Barclay.
DS9 didn't even feel like it had many "side characters", it was more like one really big list of main characters.
Morn the bar customer would count as a side character, but good point; many 'main' characters, just not all of them appearing in every episode, more evenly disbursed throughout the course of the 7-season-long series.
This was largely because of the central a for the most part unmoving plot and the fact not all the main cast was star Fleet allowing circles to develop around every main character with many many recurring characters and a good bit of world building it never felt like any of them were gone even if they weren't on screen though I do like Quarks circle the most Morn and several of the other frequent bar keepers not to mention Zek and Brunt FCA.
@@volrosku.6075 I just wish that Morn would shut up on occasion.
And a third were played by Jeffrey Combs.
The Boslic freighter captain is an obscure character that keeps showing up. I kind of loved that about DS9. It really made it feel like a real place where people kept coming and going, you know?
It was also nice that they were able to get the same actors to come back for roles most of the time.
Though, speaking of, what happened with the casting of Ziyal?
DS9 transcended itself by finding and keeping all the recurring actors and actresses. Just an absolute gem of a supporting cast and characters.
They had to, really. With DS9 being set on a starbase as opposed to being set on a ship, stationary vs. traveling the quadrant, people on starbases tend to be a little less transient.
@@shadowtheimpure they definitely did not have to. Lots of passing people through an entire Starbase from day to day
Glad they did. Morn agrees, that chatterbox can't stop talking about his favorite ds9 characters
With DS9 having a long story line with the Dominion, it allowed for additional characters like Admiral Ross to appear in more episodes. I’m glad O’Brien was #1 he truly went where no man has gone before (Worf followed later).
Morn, that’s all
Jeffrey Combs is soo good, no matter what character he's portraying
Undeniably true ❤
Very disappointing he never became a regular character...always just a supporting cast member...
@@ploofedoof1 I was hoping he'd get more screentime as Shran in Enterprise, but no such luck there either.
@@ploofedoof1 I think that is his magic. If he was regular I wouldn't appreciate his presence as much
@@mjrxero I recall reading somewhere that the plan for Enterprise, had it continued, was to actually bring Shran onto the Enterprise permanently, though I can't recall more than that. Shame, honestly, Combs is like a chameleon. He just seems to become whatever character he is.
Andrew Robinson almost didn't play Garak, a job he took to pay the rent. The makeup triggered a claustrophobia-driven panic attack and it was only when he looked at himself in the mirror that he realized how badly he wanted to do the part. Garak remains a fan favorite to this day as a result. Thanks for making him #2.
The fact that they wrote Claustrophobia into Garak's caracter still amazes me.
@@Willard_guy DS9 had some superb writers...
Another little fun fact about Andrew Robinson, he played the killer Scorpio in Dirty Harry.
@@fr1day2 And he was type cast from then on, his first movie role
Andrew Robinson was fantastic! He perfectly played layers and layers of depth in his character.
Did you miss someone? Oh I don't know, maybe a certain Lieutenant Reginald Barkley? Pretty much a role created to give A-Team actor Dwight Schultz a cameo, but he did not go away. Made his way into 4 episodes of TNG, 5 of Voyager, and even into Star Trek: First Contact so he could fan boy over Zephrim Cochrane.
Speaking of the father of warp drive, Zephrim Cochrane could fit on this list... so long as you don't stipulate the same actor over all portrayals (which by not including Rainn Wilson's Harry Mudd from Discovery seems to be the case). Created as a one off character in the Original Series, he would later be portrayed in First Contact and in two episodes of Enterprise (both original and Mirror). If you thought he didn't like the idea of becoming a statue, imagine how he would react to learning he would become the husband of a cloud of gas.
One more mention, because "Trials and Tribble-ations" is an amazing episode and loving nod to the original series, Arne Darvin. Granted, he was brought back for what was pretty much the same episode, but his banter with Worf is priceless.
My personal headcanon is that "The A-Team" is actually one of Barcley's holodeck programs where he just goes nuts to relief stress.
Or the equivalent of a DnD session of Lower Deck officers...
I was surprised not to see Barclay on this is.
Barclay sucked, maybe why he didn't make top 10
@@SmegulonPrime No way, he totally owns. Great character that Mr. Broccoli. He can program my holodeck fantasy any day.
@@MLBlue30 err, glad to hear he floats your boat that way...
"You got to sell it...Style baby, style". ~ Vic Fontaine, coolest hologram ever, 'Star Trek Deep Space Nine'.
Very good point indeed !
Morne too.
best thing about season 7
It's amazing how many of this list (Garak, Weyoun, Miles, Ross, Rom, Martok) are integral to DS9 and in particular the Dominion War. Now this could be writers bias but it also shows how many of those actors made an impact when given the change and how the story evolved around those actors/characters. DS9 really was a character actor driven show and it shows!
yeah they learned to embrace their secondary cast so much more than the other series. I guess cause they tried to be a tad more serialized in their storytelling.
Why it's my favorite. I'd even say that the side characters were more interesting than the main characters.
That's how you elevate a character
The actress that plays Ro was given a chance to be a permanent member of DS9, but she pulled a Tasha Yar and assumed the plots were going to be shite. Woops.
@@Vespyr_ Well... at least she later made Admiral... On BSG... ;) Still making crazy bad decisions though.
I had no idea that the clones of the Dominion were just so they could bring Weyoun back. That is so cool.
They were very open that Combs was the only one that could play a Vorta with nuance, hence the recall. They gave Kaitlin Hopkins (Kilana) a nod to another actor almost getting it, but I think they were overall disappointed. It's the same reasoning they gave to Jenner. That it's hard to get an actor to have nuance, knowing when to hold back and when to go for it... rather than "Me admiral, I'm going admiral myself all over here and stomp about." My words not theirs.
Weyoun was DS9's equivalent of South Park's Kenny...
"Ohmygod they killed Weyoun! You Klingon Bastards!"
@@OldUKAds They also gave Iggy Pop a chance to play a vorta, Keevan. Although he was an animated corpse for part of the episode.
@@stvdagger8074 I thoguht he was the other Vorta in that episode. The one that replaced the animated corpse as aprisoner.
@@GabePuratekuta Correct, it was Christopher Shea that was Keenan.
I have to say, I absolutely adore Garak! I'm so glad his role was expanded in DS9!
Shame they made Andrew curb his pansexualism and didn't let him go after Bashir properly...
The best character in all of Star Trek.
Jeffrey Combs is a treasure and the best guest actor Star Trek ever had IMO
Absolutely.
I am surprised that didn't even mention that Ensign Ro was supposed to be in DS9. When Michelle Forbes turned it down, Kira was created.
Ditto B'Elanna Torres in _Voyager._
Decent list. Another character that would fit this list is Damar. He was only meant to be in one episode, but they realized Casey Biggs was too good to only use as a one-off. The fact that he eventually became a key character that they even gave a developed arc to is testament to Biggs' portrayal of Damar.
Or Marc Aliamo who originally did a TNG appearance as another Cardassian...the kind of villain you could love to hate.
@@ploofedoof1 Marc Aliamo is a fantastic actor.
Dwight Shultz is the often overlooked Broccoli in the bunch.
@@aedwardsss loved what you did there! 😉
Not true. Biggs was told bigger things were in store. At least that’s the way I’ve heard it. Alaimo was clearly meant as a recurring character, so he wouldn’t make this list.
Worf's character really came alive on DS9 I know it's not what we are talking about here but still
You’ve missed Morn! He almost didn’t make it on screen with his first performance, then became the most notable character to not have any lines ever!
I've always had the feeling that Nurse Ogawa from TNG was only originally meant to be in "Future Imperfect", but she then kept coming back and being expanded upon (even being in two of the movies).
Yeah, she wasn't on screen a lot, but the way Patti Yasutake bounced off McFadden you instantly felt the kind of long-standing professional relationship and friendship the characters had and did a lot to solidify Crusher as a leader of a department.
I always felt like Ogawa got done so fucking dirty - she's present a LOT and her being pregnant became a mini-side story for her character - and then interspatial fuckery happens and she... doesn't exactly miscarry, but loses her baby. And then just kinda unceremoniously is gone from the show. It felt like a really meanspirited thing to throw in.
That's another good pick. It made me think about Suzie Plakson as K'ehleyr. Not sure about intent when she was cast. Though she did only show up in one other episode as her. But just typing this out made me wonder about.. shudder.. Alexander... or Lwaxana Troi? Mr. Homm I also had Gul Evek, Lita, Zek, Boothby, and maybe even Vic Fontaine.
Good old Broccoli, I mean Barkley. They apparently liked him so much he was in First Contact, and popped up on Voyager a few times.
DS9 ensemble cast was easily the best trek has ever had... or ever will
I'm pretty sure Enabran Tain on DS9 was supposed to be a one-off. But his five minute scene with Bashir in "The Wire" was pretty darn good, so they used him as the lead villain in "Improbable Cause" and "The Die is Cast". Then they got to use him one last time in "In Purgatory's Shadow" for a send-off, simultaneously revealing the true nature of his relationship with Garak.
Both of those two-parters are fantastic all around, as is The Way of the Warrior.
I'm skeptical. They tied him so closely to Garak, who was already a recurring character, so I'd be surprised if they didn't have any plans for a follow up somewhere down the line.
I think that Leonard Nemoy's Spock was the ultimate one-off character who never left: the producers hated the character, and told Roddenberry to get rid of him, but Gene didn't.
Nimoy.
Version I once read: the NextGen auditions were on. One man alternately read lines as Picard, as Riker, AND THEN as Data. Everyone was impressed with the readings, but he kinda didn't have the look to play any of these characters.
They cast him as a recurring extra. It was some time before he even got a name; O'Brien.
He shows up in the credits to Encounter at Farpoint as Battle Bridge Conn
You incorrectly state that Ricardo Montalban and Roger C. Carmel are the only actors to play characters who went up against Kirk both inside and outside the original series. Stanley Adams also appeared as Cyrano Jones, the trader who introduced us to the Tribbles, in the original series' "The Trouble With Tribbles" and the original animated series' offering "More Tribbles, More Troubles."
Yeah, and Mudd returned in The Animated Series as well voiced by Carmel, so there’s three appearances instead of the two listed here. Animated Series needs more love!
(Koloth returned as well, but voiced by Doohan instead of William Campbell in TAS)
I had read that "Trouble with Tribbles" was originally supposed to be a Mudd story, but this is the one that he was unavailable for - enter Cyrano Jones.
@@weyounclone7234 Did they edit this video after they posted it? They say that Mudd came back twice and show a clip of Mudd from TAS when discussing it.
Of course most of these characters were on DS9. I believe DS9 was the best Trek show to really world build the 24th century for the franchise.
Canadian actor John Colicos was also Baltar, the evil villain in the original 70's "Battlestar Galactica"!!🇨🇦☘️⚜️
Indeed he was 'By Your Command'
@@rolandbaldwin l loved Lorne Greene too in Bonanza, Battlestar Galactica & the wild animal shows he did. This was a great video, newer stars & many faces l know since childhood, amazing that Star Trek has reached generations of folk these past 50 years, wonderful!!👍
All the best, Live Long & Prosper! 🖖🇨🇦☘️⚜️
I always loved the fact that John Colicos used to milk his roles as Baltar and Kor (as well as one-off villains in other series, including Charlie's Angels, and X-Men: The Animated Series). He used to make a lot of appearances on the convention circuit, and introduce himself as "the most evil man in the universe," typically while wearing his Baltar costume. Apparently, he even did that at a Star Trek con, that he'd been invited to to speak as Kor...
@@shendaraalshedir1933 That was before ADR. I love the theatricality and clarity the actors had on that show. Especially Lorne Greene and John Colicos. They were very Shakespearean. I do think James Callis really captured his essence too in an updated way for that time and added it to the lunacy of that Baltar
So glad they stuck with colm meaney and fleshed out his character, while he may not be my favorite character by any means, his episodes always added a family angle in TNG that was nice to see
Miles O'Brien seems like the only truly relatable character in all of Star Trek. He isn't overly idealistic, he isn't trying to make the next big discovery and he values his family.
@@songcramp66 There's a couple of moments where O'Brien has this look of sheer "I can't believe I have to put up with this" on his face, and it really helps sell him as the everyman. I really love him bouncing off Worf in Way of the Warrior, when they talk about fighting the Borg, and Worf is all "we were like the great heroes of the old songs" and he's all "Do I have to say we were going to get assimilated? It sounds so stupid". And back in TNG, in The Wounded when Captain Maxwell makes a joke about O'Brien kissing the Blarney Stone he has his expression that reads like "yeah yeah shut up" that's such an Irish reaction to the Irish-American mythology
@@lorcannagle at least one point in every episode of DS9.
I've always been a fan of Lt. Leslie (played by Eddie Paskey), the man of many positions and ranks, but usually a security guard in TOS. He started in The Cage. Neat fact; in one or two episodes, they use stock footage of him in the corridors in two different colored uniforms with different ranks. In my head-canon he has a twin brother who also serves on the ship.
There's also Chief or Lieutenant Kyle (played by John Winston), who had many appearances in TOS, and also cameoed in Wrath of Khan as a commander on the bridge of the Reliant.
Also, Bruce Hyde played Lt. Kevin Riley in "The Naked Time". When he was brought back for the episode "The Conscience of the King", they renamed the character's name (from "Robert Daiken") to match his first appearance, to establish a little continuity.
Any introduction of DS9's tailor must always be as "Plain... simple... Garak."
After destroying his own shop, In the wreckage...his despondency about actually being a good tailor...a rare moment of brutal honesty from his character.
I remember being a kid and recognizing Ross. I was so shocked to see Lt Lieu Murtaugh being so serious.
Ross was a great character to have on DS9, especially knowing that the actor actually wrote his backstory.
That's dedication, only matched by Andrew Robinson keeping his own character Bible for Garak.
Moriarty had a follow-up in TNG. Hugh had a follow-up in TNG and three episodes of Picard.
Moriarty was cool, Hugh was just kinda meh.
"Little insignificant episode "Q Who?"
Ah yes, "Insignificant".
One of the best of TNG, I think…I don’t revisit a lot of TNG, but that one I’ll be happy to…
Yeah, i also vaguely remember that episode...🤔🤔🤔
Big Fat Nerd, yes that was the whole joke, it's sarcasm, because obviously it's a hugely important episode of TNG, not insignificant at all, that's why they made the joke about it
@@duffman18 Yeah, I know. My comment was also sarcastic.
@Big Fat Nerd
If you can't take a little bit of creative sarcasm, then maybe you should log off and go back to reading books.
It's not safe out here on the web.
With its wonders and treasures of knowledge untold. And it's blood boiling trolls who are ever so bold.
But it's not for the timid.
"Described by the producers as 'Klingons gone nuts'"- That doesn't narrow it down.. even in TNG.
Well.... Alexander Rozhenko could certainly not be describe as a gone-nut Klingon.... And I'm sure all their lawyers and not-warriors also would fit that label begrudingly.
@@ServantOfOdin I meant as far as Klingon episodes go, usually someone Klingon goes nuts and yes at one time it was a lawyer.
You forgot to mention that Jeffrey Combs played the Andorian Shran in eleven Enterprise episodes.
"WHY A VULCAN FIRST OFFICER!?"
"Because they're cute!"
*nods*
I knew this list wouldn't be complete without Miles O'Brien
I'm kind of hurt that they misspelled O'Brien. Especially considering they have two Irishmen as hosts. lol
@@mjrxero Ta be shoor!
A character so important that they almost spelled his name right.
@@DrakeAurum LOL!
@@mjrxero O'Brian must suffer.
Garak's scenes in _By Inferno's Light_ weren't him _acting_ as if he had claustrophobia; Andrew Robinson _has_ claustrophobia, and the area in which he was working was an extremely tight space. The producers even cut off the fans keeping him cool and started dimming the fiber optic lights, and Robinson just kept in character the whole time. It was an absolutely stellar performance.
Ah! Never knew the part where Q was interjected into a basically finished script.
That explains Picard's mandate that they should go forward with the mission "as if the Q never existed."
I always believed that the bit with Q in Farpoint was added by Roddenberry because Paramount wanted a two-part pilot movie; something Roddenberry didn't want. The original script written by D.C. Fontana was just about the Farpoint Station and the alien ship. So as Paramount kept pushing for a two-hour pilot, even going so far to threaten to fire Roddenberry, he added the Q-Storyline as a framing of the Farpoint Mystery and took the writing credits for the whole script.
@@toval76 And basically you prove once again that WhatCulture really does not do any research at all
@@fredcasdensworld I read about it on Memory Alpha long ago. And there is a documentary "Chaos on the bridge" that tells the story how TNG came to be and it's rough first two season. Very interessting.
@@toval76 That's where I first saw that information as well... and again it proves WhatCulture doesn't do basic research.
Per some NextGen companion book I read long ago, the studio proposed compromising with a 90-minute first episode.
(Makes sense if you're a computer. GR wanted it to be an hour. Studio execs wanted it to be two. Ninety minutes would be the length they'd arrive at if they haggled. But you wouldn't think human beings would seriously offer that compromise. Oh, and I don't know if these lengths are reckoning with or without commercials.)
But GR had warmed all the way up to the feature-length idea, hence that's what we got. The author might have been spin doctoring all this though, anyway.
This is actually one of the best lists I've EVER seen, not just on WhatCulture channels, BRAVO!!
It would have been nice if K'Ehleyr was a more recurring character. She was great interacting with Worf the way she irritated him and still he desired her. The actress did reappear as Q's mate on Voyager.
What about Kaiko O'Brien? She had several arcs + 2 kids!!!
What about Dabo Girl Leeta, who eventually showed off brains & depth?
Thanks for having Adam Cleary do the commercial. I love seeing him.
Does Vash qualify? She was one of my favorite recurring delights.
She only had three appearances.
The dislikes are from the cameo actors who ACTUALLY only showed up in only one episode.
What does "dislike" mean?
An irish guy is hosting this show and you can´t even spell O´Brien right? :P 12:52
I wonder if it was his good self or the editor who made that balls up!?
It's because "O'Brien Must Suffer"
I hope that they (Picard) talks about the HERO NOG.
I would love a little story about Nog, the retired Starfleet Captain who now serves as the Ferengi Ambassador to The Federation. As the first Ferengi in Starfleet he understands the Federation better than any other Ferengi, and he's the son of the Grand Nagus, and we know Rom would do anything for his boy
It's a real shame the actor died, would have been great to revisit him.
There's a tribute to Nog and Aron Einsenberg in the Trek series: Discovery. When they see the future ships after traveling 1000 years into the future, they see one ship named USS NOG and it's been classified as an Eisenberg-class starship - named after Nog’s real-life counterpart, of course.
@@LAdivad Yep, I seen it.
If they had continued the ST:TNG movies, my #1 wish was to see Nog serving under Capt. Picard!
Lt. Tom Paris as he was originally written to be a completely different character who was a one-off i think belongs here
The backstory to his original appearance in TNG was a writers credit issue or something "behind the scenes" the widely accepted non cannon was he originally changed his name to hide his relation to his high ranking father so to not be overshadowed...and when everything went south he had no choice but to come out....
How can you forget Morn as much as THAT guy talks?
Jeffrey Combs delivered my favorite line in all of Star Trek, which was, "Of course I'm paranoid, everyone's trying to kill me." -- Treachery, Faith and the Great River
One recurring character whose potential was never exploited was Morn the barfly in DS9. He was always there and yet we knew nothing about him.
Morn the living scenery
He did get his own episode. It was not explained why he kept the latinum in his stomach all that time only to turn it over to Quark, though. He ended up with nothing after all that ordeal. I suppose he should be grateful he didn't end up dead or in jail, but to just hand it over seems a bit much.
@@anonygent I thought he just sent up a generous reward?!
@@Pygar2 You think that was only part of the latinum?
@@anonygent Yes.
Sarek possibly was a little important as well.
Unexpeceted gem in he advert: The punchline "I would be vigorously prosecuting but you could do it" somehow lands perfectly. I loled.
I'd really like to see a list of all the actors/actresses throughout Trek who played various (and unrelated) roles. This does not include "Mirror Universe" characters, Benny Russel episodes, etc.
Vince Armstrong
Jeffrey Combs
Suxi Paxton
JG Herztler
Tony Todd
Armin Shimermann
Ethan Philips
James Cromwell
and so many more
Mark Alan Sheppard
Michael Dorn was also his own grandpa...
So that's why the Ferengi in the STO Risa event always reminds me of Rom. He IS Rom.... in a way at least. And... Martok is easily my favourite side character.
But what all this tells me that Star Trek has attracted some serious talent over the years...
The notion of Rom, Weyoun and Martok being one-shot characters is effectively unthinkable... But GARAK? Plain, simple GARAK, as a one time bit character?!? I would sooner believe Captain Picard wearing a lime green toupee, a glittery pink tutu, singing show tunes inside the Enterprise's warp core, than I would have EVER believed that GARAK was a bit character!
Wait, Picard never did that?
@@GabePuratekuta It might explain a few things in this new series they're running into the ground, I suppose...
I can't imagine DS9 without Garak and O'Brien....
I cant believe the actor, Andrew Roberson, who played Garak, on DS9, played the psycho killer, Scorpio, in the movie, Dirty harry. What a diverse actor!!!
As an American who speaks colloquial Michigan (yooper), every time I watch these videos I pick up a new slang or phrase or way of saying something. Its a little added bonus to these videos that are already "the business". Gentlemen, thank you.
5:14 lolol.. why you wanna flip us all off Adam? A double whammy at that.. lol the two finger salute!! ;)
Jeffrey Combs played both Weyoun AND Liquidator Brunt?? Holy shit!! I had absolutely no idea. Those two characters are about as far apart personality wise as they can be and he played them both to perfection. I'm blown away.
there was a plan to have Weyoun, Brunt, and the third DS9 character he did actually interact in an episode until they realized the work to to do it and pull it off was not feasible with current technology. he also did Shran the Andorian in Enterprise and a number of other roles.
Damar, he was just Dukat's random lackey at first.
Yes! From lackey to hero. Damar was a great character!
@@Okiedog1 What an arc!
@@OldUKAds I know, right?!
"Keep..." Great improv and he had no idea what Damar was going to say.
Unpopular opinion:
Rom needs to come back or better yet, become a main character.
This is one of the reasons Star Trek becomes great. A guest actor loves the show so puts so much extra depth and backstory into their character that it inspires the writers to lean into it, positive feedback cycle ensues.
Colm Meaney is among the top three reasons the movie "Under Siege" is so good. He sits alongside seeing Tommy Lee Jones as a bad guy (or at all) and getting to see Gary Busey jump out of a cake! That's right, Steven Seagal is, at most, the fourth best thing about that movie, lol.
Also, Jeffrey Combs is the best!
John DeLancie was so underrated!!! Q was great 🖖🖖
Underrated? By whom, exactly?
@@waynemarvin5661 Q himself. Mortal understudies never cut the mustard with their Q impersonations.
An excellent select of characters. I’d have included Reg Barclay and Andreas Katsulas’ Tomalak but those are personal favourites.
O'brien was amazing, I've no idea who O'brian is though
Garak wasn't withdrawing from a drug. He was withdrawing from a droud - a pleasure device, "the wire" implanted in the Cardassian equivalent of the rostral anterior cingulate cortex.
The moment I realised that Garak was a wirehead, I reached for Larry Niven's short story "Death By Ecstasy," which was written some twentyyears before DS9.
I always felt that the Tribbles episode was written with Harry Mudd in mind.
Absolutely
It would’ve been funny to throw Harry Mudd, Cyrano Jones, and Quark together.
Nope. David Gerrold had seen only a few episodes before writing "The Trouble with Tribbles," and "Mudd's Women" was not one of them; he did not know who Harry Mudd was.
Although...
The producers did notice the similarity; there's a note from one to another: "Does he (Cyrano) remind you of Harry Mudd?"
Source: "The Trouble with Tribles" by David Gerrold, Ballantine Books 1973
What a delightful set of actors and moments. I've rewatched TNG, VOY, DS9 and ENT this year and everytime it's a total joy seeing them perform, all ten!
I would love to see Liquidator Brunt in Lower Decks
I wonder if general schran, another Jefferey Combs character was envisaged as a one off. He stole the show, every time he appeared!
No, by that point they knew what a good actor he was. They were always open to him returning, and in fact in season five he would have become a regular.
At least he brought it back before it became a problem.
I love all these characters except maybe for Ro Laren, who I may have completely forgotten about if it wasn't for her frequent mentions on this channel.
Ro Laren was also offered the role Kira would play on DS9. Originally, Laren was going to be the first commander to Cisco as Laren (not another character). However, the actress turned the role down. As a result, Kira was created, Nana Visitor took her place, and the rest as they say is history!
@@sijdnsd6460 Yes, I knew that. And if she had not turned down the role, I most likely would remember Ro Laren quite fondly, as I do Kira Nerys. Can't imagine anyone taking Nana Visitor's place though!
WOW!
These characters were amazing!
And they added so much to the series!
I seem to remember that Chase Masterson wasn't intended to have as large a part in the show either. Does anyone know if this is correct?
She originally auditioned for Mardah, Jake siskos girlfriend. she only lost out on that because they decided she was too old for Jake. They brought her back for a one shot in Explorers where she starts dating Julian. They liked her so they kept her around.
Weyoum. Like a cockroach kill one he just keeps coming back again and again he was one of my favourite characters with that smooth talking voice I want to chaos I also like general Martok and Garenne
Some of my favorite characters are on this list I'm so glad the star trek creators recognized the actors charm charisma and talent and kept them in the show.
The 2nd tier characters are always so good. I saw Q at number 3 and through a tantrum!!! Then saw 2 and 1 and calmed down a bit.
What about Majel Barret as LwaxanaTroi? And Suzie Plakson as K'Ehleyr, Female Q and Dr Selar and Eric Menyuk as The Traveler?
I can't believe anyone ever thought Garak wouldn't be recurring. He was the only Cardassian on the station, who were the primary enemy species of the series. He's just too relevant right from the description.
Rom is one of my favorite DS9 Characters...him and Morn 🤣
God, DS9 was just so good, can’t believe TNG and DS9 ran back to back and a little concurrently. That was a pinnacle of television and I didn’t even realize how good we had it at the time.
To think Q was supposed to a one and done character ♥️❣️❤️❤️❤️🥰🥰
plot twist: he filmed all his appearances in one day.
Also, John Delancie was so good as Q that he ended up playing Q again in a completely different franchise. He's Discord in newer MLP series. the character is literally just Q in a draconequis body. lol
And the Q that shows up on Lower Decks is far more Discord than Q.
Mudd does make an appearance earlier in the timeline in Star Trek: Discovery. Which honestly, the performance was good, but I just wanted him to be a little more fun like TOS
Always looking forward to these vids! 😁
You missed Ambassador Soval from Enterprise. Gary Graham wasn't supposed to return after the pilot, but he gave such a great performance being a foil to Archer that they brought him back several more times.
That story about Michelle Forbes being the inspiration for the Bajorans' makeup design is similar to the one about Marc Alaimo (for the Cardassians) and identical to the one about Terry Farrell (for the redesign of the Trill). I thought for sure they would mention the fact that Ro and O'Brien were both planned to be part of the DS9 cast, with the character of Kira created as a replacement when Forbes passed on the role.
I think O'Brian was a good Irish replacement in Star Trek for the Scottish Scotty character. Lots of similarities between them such as being a damn good engineer/mechanic.
Actually Garak and Bashir are "married" now :P (The two actors read aloud a fanfiction, and the ending was honestly very, very touching.)
Miles didn't even have to be on the white water rapids to endure that damn shoulder once he ended just hanging a plant for Keiko
i loved Harry Mudd ... and find it amazing that Carmel only appeared 3 times in the role and yet created such an endearing fanbase
What would DS9 be without Rom, Martok, Weyoun and Miles???
it took me years to realise liquidator brunt is actually Jeffrey combs. he's such a versatile actor
Always loved how Carl Winslow had to get a new boss after the Dominion War started.
Reading all these comments makes me think a Part 2 is in order.
I am shocked you folks misspelled Miles O'BRIEN's name
You forgot to mention that John Hertzler (General Martok) also played the role of a Klingon called Kolos in two Enterprise episodes. The ones based on Rura Penthe.
Hugh, the former Borg
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Garak: yes
You didn't mention Lieutenant Klag who was Riker's second officer in "A Matter of Honor".
Klag was played by Brian Thompson.
He was also the Klingon helm officer on the Duras sisters' Bird-of-Prey in Star Trek Generations.
It seems fitting that Riker was the one who eventually sent him to Sto'Vo'Kor.
Martok is my new favorite Captain on my Romulan Augur -commanding Romulans as his First & Tactical officers.
Excellent list. I mean, could #1 have been anyone else? No other character went from a likely one-time role to a series regular? No arguments with the list. Some honorable mentions definitely must include Damar, maybe Vic Fontaine, Shran, and Barclay.
I had no idea.
Star Trek really lucked out on Comes. And on minor charictors in general but most especailly on DS9.