Sci Fi Trifles: Useless but essential pop culture tidbits and trivia from the worlds of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror that once you have read them you don’t know how you have lived so long without knowing them.
Patrick Stewart has remained in the limelight since his time on Star Trek: The Next Generation with his notable role as Professor Xavier in the X-Men films as well as his stage productions and ever-present voice over work. And we looked at Jonathan Scott Frakes’s post-Trek activities in a previous post. But what have the other TNG regulars been doing to keep busy for the past couple of decades?
Michael Dorn: He of course carried the character of Worf over to Star Trek: DS9 beginning with Season 4 of that show, but since then Dorn has kept himself quite busy. Like many actors who became well-known in a particular television role, he turned to voice acting, lending his voice to commercials and any of a number of animated series which include: Gargoyles, I Am Weasel, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. In non-voice-over roles of note, he showed up on a few episodes of Heroes in that show’s final season as the President of the United States, and he currently he can be found in a recurring role on ABC’s Castle with fellow sci fi vet Nathan Fillion. He plays the psychiatrist for Detective Beckett.
Brent Spiner: Since his Trek days, Spiner has shown up in character roles on television and in movies, most notably as Dr. Okun in Independence Day and as Dr. Nigel Fenway in the short-lived CBS series Threshold. He also appeared on several episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise as Dr. Arik Soong, the ancestor of Data’s creator Dr. Noonian Soong, and he has done voice-over work in shows like Gargoyles, Generator Rex, and Young Justice (as the Joker). He had a Trek reunion of sorts when he guest-starred in an episode of Leverage directed by Jonathan Frakes. More recently, Spiner showed up as the villain Dr. Kern on Syfy’s Alphas and he also stars in the web series Fresh Hell in which he pokes fun at his own career and lack of success since departing from Trek (and we highly recommend you check that one out at this link).
LeVar Burton: Burton has taken several co-starring and guest-starring roles on television and in movies and has lent his voice to animated shows such as Gargoyles, Captain Planet, and The Super Hero Squad. In 2007 he executive produced and hosted the documentary The Science of Peace which looks at the possibility of achieving world peace with science and technology (and you can find out more about that at this link).
Gates McFadden: After Trek, McFadden went on to several co-starring and guest-starring roles on television including the short-lived series Marker and in a recurring role on Mad About You. She has lent her voice to several audio productions including the audiobook version of Star Trek: First Contact and a dramatization of War of the Worlds that also included John de Lancie, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, and Leonard Nimoy. Most recently, she appeared on an episode of Franklin & Bash as Judge Mallory Jacobs. She has also taught at several universities and is currently a faculty member in the School of Theater at the University of Southern California.
Marina Sirtis: Sirtis has remained quite busy since her Trek days, taking on many co-starring and guest-starring roles on television and in movies which includes appearances on the revival of The Outer Limits as well as Stargate: SG-1 and Earth: Final Conflict. She has also lent her voice to animated series such as Gargoyles, Duckman, and Young Justice and narrated the audiobook version of Anne McCaffrey’s The Powers That Be. Mostly recently, her fans have lobbied for Sirtis to appear on the new Doctor Who series and she has confirmed that she would indeed like to travel with the Doctor.
Wil Wheaton: After Wheaton departed from Star Trek: TNG in Season 4, he went on to star in several independent films, and, like his fellow Trek alumni, voiced several characters in animated shows such as Teen Titans, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and Naruto. Most recently, he has made several notable guest appearances on The Big Bang Theory and showed up on Season 4 of Eureka as a foil to series regular Fargo. Wheaton is also well known for his blog Wil Wheaton Dot Net, parts of which have been compiled into a series of books.
More Sci Fi Trifles at This Link
But Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD and Blu-ray (Coming Soon) from Amazon.com:
Sci Fi Trifles Quick Hit: Many of the actors from the Star Trek spin-offs starting with The Next Generation lent their voices to quite a number of animated shows during and after their tenure with Trek. But the Gargoyles animated series that ran from 1994 to 1997 provided and ongoing cast reunion throughout its three season run. Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis were series regulars early on voicing the characters of David Xanatos and Demona respectively. Other Trek veterans stopping by the show throughout its run included Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, and Colm Meaney. Original series star Nichelle Nichols even jumped on board in a recurring role as well. You can see the full list of Trek alumni who lent their voices to the show over at Wikipedia.
Buy Gargoyles on DVD from Amazon.com:
