# The biggest celebrity to appear in the Star Trek Universe **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 28, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109 "2003-05-28T20:44:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/1 "2003-05-28T20:44:35Z")
I’m not looking for famous people who loved the show and wanted to do a cameo (c.f. Christian Slater, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth), or actors that had already had extensive careers before their guest appearance (c.f. Ricardo Montalban, Julie Newmar, Joan Collins). I’m looking for the biggest actor appearing in a bit part in a Star Trek episode years before they were famous. Here’s some I came up with: • Teri Garr in ST TOS “Assignment: Earth” • Ashley Judd in ST TNG “Darmok” & “The Game” • Famke Janssen in ST TNG “The Perfect Mate” That’s all I got. NOTE: I never watched DS9 or Voyager, so I’m sure there will be some good ones in there. Also didn’t find any sort of “Star Trek celebrity list” on the Web, surprisingly… ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/2 "2003-05-28T20:51:18Z")
King Abdullah of Jordan was on Voyager (was just a prince then) Kirstin Dunst was on TNG in “The Dark Page” (or something similar) ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/3 "2003-05-28T20:55:52Z")
Mariette Hartley, David Soul, and (I think) Daniel J. Travanty were in TOS. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/4 "2003-05-28T20:57:50Z")
and Clint Howard on TOS (later on DS9 but was estblished then) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/5 "2003-05-28T21:00:22Z")
Does Stephen Hawking count? He appeared on The Next Generation once or twice. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/6 "2003-05-28T21:15:36Z")
Amelia Earhart was quite a suprise… ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/7 "2003-05-28T21:24:29Z")
Kim Darby. Jill Ireland. Joan Collins. Adolf Hitler (honest!) (oh, wait… he was famous before ST:TOS, wasn’t he?) Julie Newmar. Vic Tayback. All from TOS. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/8 "2003-05-28T21:36:10Z")
Kirstie Alley (Star Trek II) ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/9 "2003-05-28T22:01:05Z")
Robert Walker, Jr. Vic Perrin Marc Lenard The Horta Tige Andrews William Windom John Fiedler Mogatu Vic Tayback ok, so they don’t all completely fit the OP’s request, they’re close. This is all TOS, btw ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/10 "2003-05-28T22:16:34Z")
Patrick Stewart appeared millions of years before he became famous! What? Quit looking at me like that ---
**Author:** ![Monstre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@Monstre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstre)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/11 "2003-05-28T22:21:56Z")
Olivia D’Abo was a girl with budding Q powers. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/12 "2003-05-28T22:27:41Z")
Mmmm… a budding Olivia D’Abo [drool] yeah, she was cute then; she’s downright HOT now! ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/13 "2003-05-29T01:04:49Z")
I forgot about Olivia D’Abo - good one. Forgot about Clint Howard from TOS - Michael J Pollard was also in that one. (And Gene Roddenberry and William Shatner’s kids). Any DS9 fans wanna chime in? ---
**Author:** ![montag01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@montag01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/montag01)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/14 "2003-05-29T04:06:06Z")
Kim Cattral, perhaps (as Valeris in ST6). She had a lot of roles before that one, but I think she only became really famous with Sex and the City. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/15 "2003-05-29T05:42:56Z")
Christian Slater was an ensign in one of the movies, as I recall. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/16 "2003-05-29T05:56:02Z")
He was a Lieutenant, I think. In _The Undiscovered Country_. Wasn’t he already established by then? ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/17 "2003-05-29T06:02:38Z")
yes, and his mom was casting director, and he was mentioned in the OP. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/18 "2003-05-29T06:08:24Z")
Sally Kellerman guest starred in an episode of TOS (from what I recall, she and one of Kirk’s friends developed some godlike abilities that disrupted whatever mission the Enterprise was on; of course, they were thwarted). I’m not familiar with her work before then, but she later appeared in _MASH_ (the movie) as Hot Lips O’Houlihan and as Rodney Dangerfield’s love interest/professor in _Back to School_, among other films. Christian Slater had already become a well-known actor by the time he appeared in _Star Trek VI_, as he had already appeared in _Heathers_, _The Name of the Rose_, _Pump up the Volume_, the skateboarding classic (hehe) _Gleaming the Cube_, _Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves_, _Young Guns II_, etc. I saw _Star Trek VI_ shortly after it first appeared on cable, and I remember seeing Slater in the film and saying, “Hey, it’s Christian Slater!” ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/19 "2003-05-29T06:10:08Z")
The episode you cited was “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” TOS’ pilot episode. ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2003, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109/20 "2003-05-29T06:30:33Z")
My [readings](http://originaltrek.deepspace93.com/) indicate that you are correct! All along I thought that “The Menagerie/The Cage” was the pilot episode. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biggest-celebrity-to-appear-in-the-star-trek-universe/178109.md?page=2)