Seconded! Not one mention of Marc Alaimo? Gul Ducat, Gul Macet, the Romulan commander in the season one finale of TNG, the cars player in Time's Arrow, and an Antican in TNG's season one episode Lonely Among Us.
Yes! I kept waiting for Suzie Plakson's mention. She is one of my absolute favorite Star Trek repeat actors, especially for the roles of Tarah and K'Ehleyr. She is fabulous, and has tremendous screen presence. She is funny, strong, and charismatic. She holds her own in scenes with some of Star Trek's favorites--John De Lancie, Michael Dorn, and Jeffrey Combs.
Biggest one missing here is Brent Spiner. Both as unique distinct characters as well as one-liner other characters. Androids: Data (including his one-off future self), Lore, B4 Soongs: Adam, Noonian (young/dream version as well as old man), Arik, Altan Possessions: Ira Graves, Nanites, Ghost Criminal, Masaka and another half-dozen D'arsay ghosts, Holograms: Musketeer Data, Fake Future Data, the entire population of the Deadwood program (at least 5 there alone) I'm sure I missed a few too.
Jeffrey Combs. Hands down. Weyoun, Brunt, Shran and multiple single episode characters. Every character distinct. An acting pro who gets his teeth into every character no matter how much screen time it will have.
"Every character distinct." Except they're not. You can tell it's him in literally all of his roles. They have the SAME mannerisms, cadence, speech patterns, pauses. The literal only difference is the writers giving him the lines. He just doesn't have any acting talent, he delivers the lines the same way no matter what role he places. There's a sci-fi 80s movie he's in that you can instantly tell it's him and he's playing the same character as all his other Star Trek roles. There are other actors that you LITERALLY cannot figure out who they are until their names are in the credits and you're astounded because they owned the role so well compared to HIM. I got so sick of his face and voice I stopped watching Enterprise when he popped up.
*SPOILER* (In case some new fan hasn't watched all of DS9 yet) I watched the finale back when it first aired in my country, and when Garak shot Weyoun, I actually blurted out "Hey! I liked that guy!" like I was talking to a roommate that ate my leftovers.
I must see that episode again - my memory is failing me lately, with all the Star Trek I've consumed. But I remember how brilliantly she did that 'personality swap' with the Doctor! I'm such a big fan of Jeri Ryan, another truly gifted actor!
she also does a fantastic performance of the doctor when he is living in her implants -playing a new role is easy compared to copying an existing performance
Yes, now that you mention it, that was a huge oversight by Steve. None of them were fully realized characters but you can't deny the versatility of the acting. She was *at least* worthy of an Honorable Mention.
That episode was* my go-to example that Jeri Ryan wasn't just eye candy, but was just as strong if not stronger of an actor as anyone else on that cast. *Before Picard. Everyone is welcome to their own opinion on that show, but you can't deny she turned in a phenomenal performance.
Indeed. If you'd told me, when she first arrived on the show, that she'd end up not only playing a Ferengi, but being great at it, I wouldn't have believed you.
I still think it's a damn shame Enterprise got canceled before a fifth season. Not only because I liked the show but also because Shran would have joined the Enterprise crew and we finally would have gotten Jeffrey Combs a main starring role which is what he God damn deserved.
We really missed out on something there. Anyone seen Doug Drexler's refit design with the engineering hull under the saucer? Bridging the gap to the familiar later design. And obviously more of Shran and Jeffrey Combs is always a treat.
I'm kinda surprised no one has mentioned Suzie Plakson, who played most famously K'Ehleyr in TNG, as well as the Vulcan doctor Lt. Selar also in TNG, the female "Q" in Voyager, and the Andorian Tarah (opposite Jeffrey Combs' Shran) in Enterprise.
I'll watch the video later (I promise!) but I would just like to pre-emtively congratulate Jeffrey Combs on being named number one ☺️ Shran in particular was absolutely superb and Weyoun and Brunt were brilliant characters on DS9, a show already overflowing with great characters.
Tony Todd's performance as Jake in The Visitor isn't just one of the best performances Trek gave us, it's one of the best performances we've gotten on American TV, period.
A fun little fact: Tony Todd is also in the next episode, playing a background Starfleet officer at Quark's. I love it because it's a perfect summation summation of his work on Trek. Sometimes he's Old Jake, sometimes he's Bar Patron #3, but he's around a lot more often than you'd expect.
Tony Todd is one of my favourites, the episode where he plays Jake absolutely broke my heart and I love all his roles. I saw recently that he was cast as Venom in the upcoming Spider-man 2 game and I am very excited to hear his performance.
The way Tony got me in the heart was when he (as Kurn) lamented his single regret in "Sons of Mogh" to Worf: "We were not raised together-- whether in the empire, or on Earth would not have mattered but the sons of Mogh should never have been separated" That hit me right where I live
Honorable Mention I feel should go to Salome Jens who, in addition to playing the Female Changeling in DS9, also had a one-off role as the Humanoid Progenitor in The Chase from TNG. Also Robin Curtis who, in addition to taking over the role of Lt. Saavik, also played Tallera in the Gambit 2 parter from TNG
My head cannon is that both of the characters by Salome Jens are actually one in the same. I could go into my reasoning. They both are experts at genetic manipulation. The changelings say they used to be solids long ago, and we don;t know just how old they are but they seem to be able to live a long time.
@@BenjaminWirtz My sister came up with a whole theory about that as well! She explained it to me and I was like, whoa, that makes so much sense it almost seems intentional (I don't think it was though). The ancient humanoids said they seeded plantets because they had searched far and wide without finding any life-forms like themselves (which is really sad???). It makes sense they might have eventually traveled all the way to the Gamma Quadrant and settled on a planet where they evolved over the eons into the Changelings, forgetting some of their history after so much time. That would explain why the "default" humanoid form they usually take looks very similar to the ancient humanoid in The Chase. It could be a sort of old vestigial instinct or genetic memory. They Changelings even said they were once humanoid solids. It also means the whole time Odo thought he just "couldn't do faces", he was actually doing a quite passable version of the face he was genetically predisposed to.
Good grief; I never realized that Brunt was Combes! That's versatility! I feel that Commander Shran is my favourite Star Trek character. Enterprise did a lot to flesh out the Andorians. It is amazing how the series keeps returning to the same actors over and again. I guess that is an advantage of the heavy prosthetic make-up
Talking about versatility, I also would include Jerry Ryan. Her acting in "infinite regress" (Season 5) where she played a variety of characters (involuntarily) was incredible, and also her take on the doctor in "Body & Soul" (Season 7) was very good.
You missed Combs as a Ferengi in the Acquisition episode as well. And an actor I’m surprised you missed was Clint Howard. He also appeared in Acquisition but is also Balok (Baby’s lover) from TOS, Grady in Past Tense Part 2 and the Orion guy who gives Tilly drugs in Discovery. The sheer fact he was in TOS and also Disco has to count for something.
What about Brent Spiner? He played 6 characters in addition to Data. In TNG, he played Lore and Dr. Noonian Soong at various ages. Then he went on to play a whole bunch of other Soongs in the dynasty as well.
If you count all the one line characters that Doohan voiced you HAVE to count all the characters in TNG’s Masks, AND A Fistful of Datas. If you define versatility as being able to hand an actor a dozen parts and have them dive in head first to each and every one of them, Brent Spiner defines that!
@@GregorBarclay I think he deserves more credit than you're giving him. While there is obviously lots of commonality between his characters, there are consistent differences to be appreciated, too. He doesn't just play Data and Lore with specific patterns, he plays Lore impersonating Data and manages a unique blend. TNG's "Masks" is actually one of my favorite episodes, though, so gauge my bias accordingly.
@@GregorBarclay - I have to agree on that one; not detracting from Spiner’s roles, but playing six different people in the family isn’t unlike watching Eddie Murphy in Nutty Professor. 😂
Brent Spiner actually gets my vote. His versatility wasn't used much, but if you watch fistful of data and think he isn't wildly versatile you aren't paying attention. Edit: I can't believe he wasn't even mentioned in the main video but especially not even a nod in the end section?!
I'm kind of offended that Majel Barrett was in the "and the rest" section. She deserved a full section to herself, if only so you had time to mention that she took the time to record a phonetic alphabet so that her voice could be used for the ship's computer after her death. That didn't end up happening, but that kind of dedication deserves a shout out.
I was eagerly waiting to see how you'd handle Doohan. I got the chance to see him speak once, and as part of that, he mentioned that when he was auditioning for Roddenberry, they talked about different ways they could play the character, and he ran through something like a dozen voices in half a dozen distinct accents. Futurama's Welshie is very much a thing that could have happened.
I'm looking forward to the "Not Actually Trek, Actually: Comment Response" video with the list of every Soong and Soong-type android that Brent Spiner played (plus the Data holograms that tried to kill Cowboy Worf)
David Warner featured in a recently released Doctor Who audio drama, which I believe was his last role before he died. He's appeared in Doctor Who audios several times playing the 'Unbound Doctor', an alternate version of the Third Doctor from another universe. He also appeared in the Series 7 episode 'Cold War', playing Professor Grisenko, a Soviet scientist stationed aboard a nuclear submarine who enjoys Western pop music. The guy is a legend, he brings great gravitas to these roles but also warmth and humour. May he rest in peace knowing that he'll be remembered for years to come by passionate fans of Star Trek and Doctor Who.
Vaughan Armstrong. Without a shadow of a doubt. He's played like a billion different roles. We put on a short Star Trek themed Christmas skit when I was back in school and he played three separate roles in that.
I stan Jeffrey Combs. Since I watched "Enterprise" before "Deep Space Nine", Shran is absolutely my favorite. Brunt (FCA) is a fairly close second, followed by Weyoun. I know that mentioning "Axanar" can stir up a lot of feelings, but I do feel that Tony Todd's performance as Admiral Ramirez is worthy of a mention.
Totally agree about Ramirez. In just the short bits we saw, he very much portrayed a tough and strong character like many of his more well known roles, but one that was clearly emotional and caring like his older Jake. Often both in the same scene.
I met David Warner. I don't do photos or autographs, so I just approached him, told him how much I enjoyed his work and shook his hand. That was enough for me. He was a genuinely lovely man who portrayed some great characters. If you haven't heard of it, I recommend the BBC Radio 2 series, Nebulous. He plays Dr. Clench. And you are right, you can tell it's David Warner just from his voice. Awesome 👌
Sad you didn't mention Hertzler, Combs and Cromwell all appearing in Lower Decks, both as their older characters and new ones! But also... who is going to read my Tiron fan fiction nowwwwwwww
Honourary mentions for James Sloyan, who's been brilliant in his every Trek appearance, but really shined bright as Admiral Jarok, and Brian Thompson. Thompson in particular always gets dismissed as just "the dumb brute" guy, but his turn as Admiral Valdore on Enterprise was subtle, confident and with surprising depth. There has been some fantastic acting talent on Star Trek. And also Majel Barrett.
Saw James Sloyan in an x files episode very recently. And of course his small but memorable role in The Sting. That guys voice man, it’s half soothing calm and half diabolical threat.
Another good one is Peter Weller, who played Admiral Marcus in Star Trek Into Darkness and previously appeared as John Frederick Paxton in Enterprise's Demons and Terra Prime.
Great video, but you left out Suzie Plakson, who played Dr. Selar and K'Ehleyr on Next Gen, Lady Q on Voyager, and Tarah in Enterprise. K'Ehleyr was a terrific character who made a real impression in only two episodes.
First off, brilliant installment, Steve. I would like to mention Brock Peters. The list of characters he played may not be long, but his portrayal of Joseph Sisko is one of my favorites. And yes, Tony Todd as the older adult Jake Sisko in The Visitor leaves me in tears consistently. Thank you for this video.
A whole list of Trek's most versatile actors feels incomplete without at least mentioning the lovely and talented Ms. Suzie Plakson, who played 4 different aliens in 3 different Treks. Most notably as K'Ehleyr, Worf's baby momma on TNG and the Female Q, Q's baby momma on Voyager.
Jeffrey Combs is brilliant! Whenever he made an appearance in any Star Trek episode, I settled in for a wonderful episode, as his appearance seemed to elevate what could have been flat dialogue, as well as the acting of the other performers who shared scenes with him. HONORABLE MENTION Kenneth Mitchell who appears in Discovery as the Klingons Kol in multiple episodes, Kol-Sha in "Point of Light", and Tenavik in "Through the Valley of Shadows", as well as the human scientist Tenavik in season 3, and voiced the Lower Decks characters Tweerk captain, the Black Ops operative 2, and Romulan guard 1 in episode 1x08 "Veritas."
David Warner is so awesome that an entire Transformers character was rewritten based on his actor doing a David Warner impersonation for him. Shockwave.
How did you forget Suzie Plakson? Four different species across three series. Perhaps she wasn't versatile enough to count because she was too consistently badass.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeffrey Combs along with my Caustic Soda podcast cohosts at the 2015 HPL Film Festival. He talks about voice acting with Harlan Ellison, accidents he had on set, and of course, Star Trek. Genuinely a nice guy.
Hey Steve! Love the video and all the folks you mentioned, especially happy to see so much love for David Warner! I do think you missed the man himself though, Marc Alaimo. Who as we all know played the magnificently reprehensible but charming Gul Dukat. But also played Badar N'D'D, the Antican ambassador in TNG's episode 7 of season 1, Lonely Among Us. Tebok, the commander of the first Romulan Warbird in TNG's first season finale. Gul Macet, the first ever Cardassian we've seen on screen in The Wounded in season 4 of TNG, Frederick La Rouque, the smooth and cocky Louisianan gentleman playing poker with Data and a bunch of stereotypes in Time's Arrow and Burt Ryan, aka just the human version of Dukat from DS9's Far Beyond the Stars. Granted, I don't think these characters are what you'd call Versitile, they're all sort of different levels of the sort of smug and slimy personality Marc Alaimo gives to Dukat, but I just figured I'd give some love to him since you missed him out on this video. but good work on it regardless!
I want to give a shout out for Nana Visitor. Obviously she only played one character, three if you count mirror universes and possessions, but think we've seen a wider range from her role as Major Kira than any other main character.
Suzie Plakson. Played Vulcan doctor Dr Solar in TNG’s The Schizoid Man, Worf’s half human half Klingon love interest Ambassador K’Ehleyr in various TNG episodes, Mrs Q in the Q and The aGrey, Star z trek Voyager, and an Andorian officer, Tarah in the Star Trek Enterprise episode Cease Fire.
Honourable mention to Salome Jens, whose appearance in TNG's "The Chase" proves that the changlings' ancestors are also the ancestors of all humanoids in the galaxy.
Wow. Great analysis, and agree with your assessments: Combs hands down. BUT, while you did specify you weren't doing everyone, I MUST bring up Suzy Plakson. (I'm not saying anything you don't know, I'm fairly sure. . .). I get how she didn't make the list: two fairly simple appearences, one recurring and important (K'Eleyhr). But I had to go there: Worf's first true love, Alezander's mother, and the reason Worf kills Duras. Plus, she was also Dr. Selar and a Q. There's a valid case to not include her in a lengthy video, but I had to mention her. That's what comments sections are for.
An honorable mention might be given for Babara Babcock, who has 7 roles in TOS, including 2 voice roles in "Assignment: Earth". She was hired only to play the Beta 5 computer, but when they could not get ANY of the 6 or 7 specialty cats to purr and meow on cue, she volunteered, "oh, I can do a good cat", and performed the cat sounds at no extra charge, just because she was a trooper. Speaking of the cat; they had 6 or 7 specialty cats, a cat wrangler, Babcock's voice, and April Tatro to play Isis in human form. Since Tatro was a professional contortionist, and a very extreme one at that, I always wonder what they had in mind for Isis if that backdoor pilot had been picked up as a series. I also think about what a team player and how useful Babcock was in TOS.
Great video, although I was hoping you'd mention Suzie Plakson. She played the Vulcan Doctor Selar, the human/Klingon K'Ehleyr, a female Q, and the Andorian Tarah. I think that's at least as impressive as Susan Gibney who you did mention. Nothing against Gibney, though: I love her, too.
Thank you for another enjoyable video. One actor I always enjoyed that you didn't mention is Carolyn Seymour. A lot of really memorable roles for me. The scientist in TNG's First Contact. The Romulan Commander in TNG Face of the Enemy. And as the governess in Janeway's holonovel on Voyager. She probably has a few more roles I don't remember as well.
Tony Todd is another. He really shows such versatility in his roles through the series. I knew him originally from the Candy Man series. Acting as Jake he was great portraying a more sensitive character and it threw me for a loop because so many character actors are very one note but Tony was brilliant in that episode as the complete opposite knowing earlier he portrayed a bloodthirsty Klingon as Whorf's brother. A lot of his memorable roles are very sinister but the contrast of the characters I've known him from originally and older Jake was a really great and an exhibition of his range.
Gotta say Steve, I love most if not all of your videos and watch them religiously. This one though, this one tugged at my heartstrings and I love it so much . Thank you star trek space guru , may the great bird of the galaxy lead your way and may your pah be ever strong
So many brightly shining stars, so many amazing performances for us to delight in. Great video, Steve - and I enthusiastically agree with every single word you said - and gesture you made - about "The Visitor."
Both Jeffrey Combs and Vaughan Armstrong will be on the Star Trek cruise in January, and will presumably repeat their performance in the fantastic Rat Pack show with Casey Biggs, Max Grodenchik, and whoever else is available (both Ethan Phillips and Armin Shimerman have participated in the past). This will be our fourth ST cruise, and it is such a great time. If you can scrape together the cash (it ain't cheap) it's so worth it. (JG Hertzler is on board this year as well, among many others.)
Whatever the price The star trek cruise is much better than what Disney has put together for Star Wars and that crap show that they created Of what Star Wars experience
I was waiting for you to mention Susie Plakson. "The only actress to appear as 4 different aliens in 3 different "Star Trek" series: Vulcan Lieutenant Selar and Klingon K'Ehleyr on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), the female Q on Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and Tarah, the first female Andorian on Star Trek: Enterprise (2001). "
I think Brian Thompson also deserves to be on this list. While he never really got a “signature” roll, I was always delighted to see his incredibly distinct jawline and deep voice. He was most know in his recurring role as Romulus admiral Valdore in Enterprise, but played 5 characters overall.
I'm always glad to see Enterprise get some moments in the spotlight! That said, one notable actor from that was omitted, John Fleck! He played the recurring Suliban Silik, a couple Romulans, and a handful of other prosthetic-covered aliens.
Hi Steve, great video. I agree that Jeffery Combs is a great actor. Weyoun, Brunt, abs Shran are some of the best recurring characters in DS9 and Enterprise. However I think you missed one of his roles on DS9. He plays one of the cops that hassle Benny in the episode Far Beyond The Stars.
If Jeffrey Combs had only played Weyoun, that would have been enough to earn my admiration. The fact that he played so many other characters to boot, well that's just gravy.
Love this so much. I knew Combs played Brunt and Wayoun but I never realized that he was playing them *both* in the same episode. Like intellectually I had those two facts but he put so much personality and character into both performances my brain did not register That Is The Same Person Twice until watching this. Speaks not just to the actor, Combs being freakin brilliant, but also to the editing and compositing team for DS9. Theres a lot of technical knowhow that goes into such seemlessness. Thank you for making all these discussion videos and deep dives.
Loved this, Steve. It's fun to realize some of your favorite characters were brought to life by the same actor, even if you didn't "realize" it. Shran, will always be one of my favorites :D
Oh I'm a bit surprised Brent Spiner didn't get a mention for his versatility for his performance in the TNG episode "Brothers". He plays all 3 main characters in the episode, often sharing the same scene, and all with distinctly different personalities. In fact the twist towards the end is revealed just by Spiner's portrayal of Lore's personality distinctly different than Data.
As always Steve I really enjoy your channel. I particularly like one of your more recent indulgence of Star Trek on the subject: “ Who Is Star Trek’s Most Versatile Actor?” I thought you were pretty thorough over all. I really wished you mentioned the actors Phil Morris and Suzie Plakson. They both did diverse and memorable roles. All in all,good job! 😀👍🏽
THANK YOU for the shout out to Mandy Patinkin as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on Chicago Hope. (I always rather liked Cromwell as Bill on Hot L Baltimore, but all right, I bow to Stretch Cunningham.) Combs must be a blessed name, as not only is Jeffrey Combs great everywhere he goes, but I've always enjoyed Holly Marie Combs (no relation) from Picket Fences and Charmed. I was holding out for Eddie Paskey, but oh well. Tremendous job, Steve, thank you.
In addition to the comments many have made about Plakson, Spiner, Alaimo, and Fleck going unmentioned, there's also the character count for all the actors you listed who appeared in Far Beyond the Stars to consider. Maybe you're plotting a part two? Re the creative team and Weyoun: They not only created the clone concept to keep Combs around, they designed the entire look of the Vorta around the idea of "Can we not hide Combs' face for once?"
Tim Russ is a good guy to the fans. Always willing to talk and, listen. Just genuinely someone who likes Star Trek. I’d say they’re all amazing and versatile actors. Thanks for this great vid
Odd you didn' t mention the actors who played humans in "Far Beyond the Stars" which adds at least one more character for each one. You might also include Brent Spiner. Data, Lore, Dr. Soong, all the different personalities in "Masks" and also in "A Fistfull of Datas"
Channels like yours have a direct effect on the newest generation of Star Trek and it's continuing popularity. It would be super cool if the show runners would include UA-cam personalities as extras. Personally I feel you would be most deserving for many reasons. Thank you for your videos. Star Trek thanks you as well.
I agree with the qualifiers you'd have, and for the same reasons.. in addition to the fact that there's no way I'd be able to just sit there perfectly still for 3+ hours as they apply the makeup.. I think Armin Shimerman said it took 3 or more hours every morning.. I wouldn't want to do that even once.. not to mention every day for years, as he and many other trek actors had to do... I (as most of us, like you said) freaking LOVE Jeffrey combs!
Since this video is honoring people who played multiple roles in Star Trek let's also take a minute to honor Marc Alaimo, who in addition to playing the best villain in all of Trek: Gul Dukat, also played another Cardassian Gul Macet in The Wounded as well as the first Romulan character we ever see in TNG.
Another actor who has played many background characters but is always left out of these lists is Bill Blair who has a Guinness record for most special effect makeup characters in his career.
OK, how did I miss this? I'm subscribed and yet this never showed up in my alerts; I'm lucky it just randomly popped up as a related video after watching the latest Star Trek INtakes. Ha! Doohan didn't even occur to me until you brought up TAS, but as soon as you mentioned it I realized that he had _obviously_ played the most characters considering all of his voice-over work. And adding voice-over in addition to his classic live acting role wasn't even the final extent of his extracurricular contributions to _Star Trek,_ with his _language_ work creating the first Klingonese words ever uttered in _Star Trek._ I fully agree that Jeffrey Combs exhibited the greatest range and versatility as an actor with all of his varied _Star Trek_ roles (and his portrayal of The Question on Justice League Unlimited just shows it off even more) but I think James Doohan just might have exhibited the widest range of contributions _alongside_ acting. 😄
Wait... Susie Plakson deserves at least a mention here. You cannot get further apart than K'ehleyr and Lietuenant Selar, and that was on the same show, TNG. While her role in Enterprise as Tarah was not quite memorable, her turn as Q in Voyager is *chef's kiss* perfect.
Another honorable mention should go to Brian Thompson, a man with a most recognizable jawline. He played 5 different characters across three different Star Trek series and 1 Trek movie. He played the Klingon who ended up befriending Riker in "A Matter of Honor" and he played Inglatu in DS9, as the red-faced alien Quark was charged to buy vats of Tulaberry wine from (to secretly learn about the Dominion).
Tony Todd as Jake was absolutely amazing. His skill was unsurpassed, I really don't think they could have found a better actor for that. Also Old Jake Sisko ended billions of people by ensuring they were possibly never born so he could save his dad.
Great review of all of those talented actors. At the end of the day it’s an embarrassment of riches. So many to keep track of. I remember two more to throw into the mix: James Sloyan he played Admiral Jarok, the adult Alexander, the bejoran Mora Pol in DS9, and Jetrel in Voyager. Also Gregory Itzen on DS9, Voyager and Enterprise.
I think it's also worth mentioning Robert Picardo who played both the Doctor and his creator, Dr. Zimmerman, where he puts the same voice but with minor differences, but not so different that you'd think the character he were playing was an entirely different person. And also Jeri Ryan's role as the Doctor 'possessing' Seven's body, while he has to hide from some aliens who hate hologram life. Where she gets to do Seven's voice but with the inflections or speech patterns of the Doctor.
Plus, being a little pedantic perhaps, every member of the main cast in TNG playing holodeck characters in addition to their own characters in Hollow Pursuits where Reginald Barclay suffers from holo-addiction.
I feel like Brent Spiner should get a shout-out for "Most characters played who are related". Data, Lore, B-4, Noonien Soong, Arik Soong, Adam Soong, and Altan Soong. Not to mention the various characters that possessed Data in "Masks" - Not a fantastic episode, but he did have to embody Masaka, Ihat, the old man and the child, all of which had to be distinct and different from Data.
David Warner was also the voice of the main antagonist in the acclaimed 2000s computer RPG Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and that performance illustrates nicely the features you've highlighted here, particularly the deceptively broad emotional range, communicated using *only* his voice.
Did you forget Marc Alaimo? Playing a Romulan. multiple Cardassians and even a French card player in Time's Arrow.
And one of the frozen people in TNGs The Neutral Zone. I'm surprised he wasn't mention, its Marc Bloody Alamo!
His best role is Dukat, but I also liked him in his other roles, especially the French Card player.
Seconded! Not one mention of Marc Alaimo? Gul Ducat, Gul Macet, the Romulan commander in the season one finale of TNG, the cars player in Time's Arrow, and an Antican in TNG's season one episode Lonely Among Us.
@@jack1701e He was in that episode, but as the Romulan commander.
Commander Tebok (Romulan) l Selay Ambassador Frederick LeRoque (Human) Gul Macet (Cardassian) Gul Dukat (Cardassian) You missed two, Strataseeker!
If you ask me you missed Suzie Plakson, playing 4 different caracters: Doctor Selar, Tarah, Female Q and K'Ehleyr!
Yes! I kept waiting for Suzie Plakson's mention. She is one of my absolute favorite Star Trek repeat actors, especially for the roles of Tarah and K'Ehleyr. She is fabulous, and has tremendous screen presence. She is funny, strong, and charismatic. She holds her own in scenes with some of Star Trek's favorites--John De Lancie, Michael Dorn, and Jeffrey Combs.
This is the one I was waiting for and she got no mention. I think it was a pretty good spread of acting chops.
This is what I came here to say. Suzie Plakson!
Steve, is your gender bias showing? 😮
I think she also play an Andorian in Enterprise. 🤔
Yup. Was likewise waiting for her
Biggest one missing here is Brent Spiner. Both as unique distinct characters as well as one-liner other characters.
Androids: Data (including his one-off future self), Lore, B4
Soongs: Adam, Noonian (young/dream version as well as old man), Arik, Altan
Possessions: Ira Graves, Nanites, Ghost Criminal, Masaka and another half-dozen D'arsay ghosts,
Holograms: Musketeer Data, Fake Future Data, the entire population of the Deadwood program (at least 5 there alone)
I'm sure I missed a few too.
THANK YOU!😀
Nobody ever seems to count "possessed Data" as separate characters. I count them all. :D
Yeah, what is that? Like… 22 characters? All with different voices and physicalities.
Damn good catch. Brent Spiner also has quite an acting range and deserved to be mentioned here.
I can't believe he missed it, I was shouting at the screen by the end!
Also: Data with emotions chip
Jeffrey Combs. Hands down. Weyoun, Brunt, Shran and multiple single episode characters. Every character distinct. An acting pro who gets his teeth into every character no matter how much screen time it will have.
"Every character distinct." Except they're not. You can tell it's him in literally all of his roles. They have the SAME mannerisms, cadence, speech patterns, pauses. The literal only difference is the writers giving him the lines. He just doesn't have any acting talent, he delivers the lines the same way no matter what role he places. There's a sci-fi 80s movie he's in that you can instantly tell it's him and he's playing the same character as all his other Star Trek roles. There are other actors that you LITERALLY cannot figure out who they are until their names are in the credits and you're astounded because they owned the role so well compared to HIM. I got so sick of his face and voice I stopped watching Enterprise when he popped up.
Weyoun was one of my favorite characters.
No love for Andreas Katsulas? Both the outstanding Tomalak in TNG and the fine Vissian in ENT.
*SPOILER* (In case some new fan hasn't watched all of DS9 yet)
I watched the finale back when it first aired in my country, and when Garak shot Weyoun, I actually blurted out "Hey! I liked that guy!" like I was talking to a roommate that ate my leftovers.
totally agree.
Jeri Ryan is underrated in this category! She plays over half a dozen totally different characters in "Infinite Regress" and nails it every time.
I must see that episode again - my memory is failing me lately, with all the Star Trek I've consumed. But I remember how brilliantly she did that 'personality swap' with the Doctor! I'm such a big fan of Jeri Ryan, another truly gifted actor!
she also does a fantastic performance of the doctor when he is living in her implants -playing a new role is easy compared to copying an existing performance
Yes, now that you mention it, that was a huge oversight by Steve. None of them were fully realized characters but you can't deny the versatility of the acting. She was *at least* worthy of an Honorable Mention.
That episode was* my go-to example that Jeri Ryan wasn't just eye candy, but was just as strong if not stronger of an actor as anyone else on that cast.
*Before Picard. Everyone is welcome to their own opinion on that show, but you can't deny she turned in a phenomenal performance.
Indeed. If you'd told me, when she first arrived on the show, that she'd end up not only playing a Ferengi, but being great at it, I wouldn't have believed you.
I still think it's a damn shame Enterprise got canceled before a fifth season. Not only because I liked the show but also because Shran would have joined the Enterprise crew and we finally would have gotten Jeffrey Combs a main starring role which is what he God damn deserved.
- and still does!
We really missed out on something there. Anyone seen Doug Drexler's refit design with the engineering hull under the saucer? Bridging the gap to the familiar later design. And obviously more of Shran and Jeffrey Combs is always a treat.
I'm kinda surprised no one has mentioned Suzie Plakson, who played most famously K'Ehleyr in TNG, as well as the Vulcan doctor Lt. Selar also in TNG, the female "Q" in Voyager, and the Andorian Tarah (opposite Jeffrey Combs' Shran) in Enterprise.
I'll watch the video later (I promise!) but I would just like to pre-emtively congratulate Jeffrey Combs on being named number one ☺️
Shran in particular was absolutely superb and Weyoun and Brunt were brilliant characters on DS9, a show already overflowing with great characters.
Speaking of Combs, he was also on lower decks as a homicidal sentient computer, as a voice actor
With the Light Switch of Death!!!!
Defeated by Bradward. Or, in his words:
"Ya been Boim'd."
I totally agree. But Steve’s not gonna mention Lower Decks
@@welbow "You dare mock AGAMUS? I will blind you!" *Sad light flickering*
Perfect, thanks Lower Decks
@@PeacefulJuggernaughtwhy? It’s great
Tony Todd's performance as Jake in The Visitor isn't just one of the best performances Trek gave us, it's one of the best performances we've gotten on American TV, period.
I like him as Kurn......Worf's younger brother. 🤔
He played Kurn in TNG, Old-Jake in DS9, and a Hirogen in Voyager. All 3 portrayals were completely and distinctly different from each other.
I did love him as Jake, but it had nothing (for me) on his absolutely heart breaking appearance as Kurn in DS9.
@@commanderbracey7501 People love Worf or Martok, but in my opinion the best Klingon is Kurn.
A fun little fact: Tony Todd is also in the next episode, playing a background Starfleet officer at Quark's.
I love it because it's a perfect summation summation of his work on Trek. Sometimes he's Old Jake, sometimes he's Bar Patron #3, but he's around a lot more often than you'd expect.
Tony Todd is one of my favourites, the episode where he plays Jake absolutely broke my heart and I love all his roles. I saw recently that he was cast as Venom in the upcoming Spider-man 2 game and I am very excited to hear his performance.
That should be legendary,even if the game is not.
That was such a good episode. He also has his own horror franchise called "Candyman."
Definitely appreciate Todd but Combs just did so much.
The way Tony got me in the heart was when he (as Kurn) lamented his single regret in "Sons of Mogh" to Worf:
"We were not raised together-- whether in the empire, or on Earth would not have mattered but the sons of Mogh should never have been separated"
That hit me right where I live
How could you forget about Suzie Plakson? She played a Vulcan, a Kligon/Human, an Andorian, and a Q!
Honorable Mention I feel should go to Salome Jens who, in addition to playing the Female Changeling in DS9, also had a one-off role as the Humanoid Progenitor in The Chase from TNG.
Also Robin Curtis who, in addition to taking over the role of Lt. Saavik, also played Tallera in the Gambit 2 parter from TNG
My head cannon is that both of the characters by Salome Jens are actually one in the same. I could go into my reasoning. They both are experts at genetic manipulation. The changelings say they used to be solids long ago, and we don;t know just how old they are but they seem to be able to live a long time.
@@BenjaminWirtz My sister came up with a whole theory about that as well! She explained it to me and I was like, whoa, that makes so much sense it almost seems intentional (I don't think it was though). The ancient humanoids said they seeded plantets because they had searched far and wide without finding any life-forms like themselves (which is really sad???). It makes sense they might have eventually traveled all the way to the Gamma Quadrant and settled on a planet where they evolved over the eons into the Changelings, forgetting some of their history after so much time. That would explain why the "default" humanoid form they usually take looks very similar to the ancient humanoid in The Chase. It could be a sort of old vestigial instinct or genetic memory. They Changelings even said they were once humanoid solids. It also means the whole time Odo thought he just "couldn't do faces", he was actually doing a quite passable version of the face he was genetically predisposed to.
Good grief; I never realized that Brunt was Combes! That's versatility! I feel that Commander Shran is my favourite Star Trek character. Enterprise did a lot to flesh out the Andorians.
It is amazing how the series keeps returning to the same actors over and again. I guess that is an advantage of the heavy prosthetic make-up
Talking about versatility, I also would include Jerry Ryan. Her acting in "infinite regress" (Season 5) where she played a variety of characters (involuntarily) was incredible, and also her take on the doctor in "Body & Soul" (Season 7) was very good.
You missed Combs as a Ferengi in the Acquisition episode as well. And an actor I’m surprised you missed was Clint Howard. He also appeared in Acquisition but is also Balok (Baby’s lover) from TOS, Grady in Past Tense Part 2 and the Orion guy who gives Tilly drugs in Discovery. The sheer fact he was in TOS and also Disco has to count for something.
He supposedly got the Balok part because he was hanging out at Desilu and wandered off the Andy Griffith show set where his brother Ron was working.
Thank you for mentioning Combs as the Ferengi in Enterprise "Acquisition"...I was just about to do that when I thought to check if anyone had already.
What about Brent Spiner? He played 6 characters in addition to Data.
In TNG, he played Lore and Dr. Noonian Soong at various ages. Then he went on to play a whole bunch of other Soongs in the dynasty as well.
If you count all the one line characters that Doohan voiced you HAVE to count all the characters in TNG’s Masks, AND A Fistful of Datas. If you define versatility as being able to hand an actor a dozen parts and have them dive in head first to each and every one of them, Brent Spiner defines that!
I think we have to put an asterisk when it comes to actors playing members of the same family.
@@GregorBarclay I think he deserves more credit than you're giving him. While there is obviously lots of commonality between his characters, there are consistent differences to be appreciated, too. He doesn't just play Data and Lore with specific patterns, he plays Lore impersonating Data and manages a unique blend. TNG's "Masks" is actually one of my favorite episodes, though, so gauge my bias accordingly.
Don't forget basically everyone who isn't Worf or Alexander in "Fist Full of Data's"
@@GregorBarclay - I have to agree on that one; not detracting from Spiner’s roles, but playing six different people in the family isn’t unlike watching Eddie Murphy in Nutty Professor. 😂
Brent Spiner actually gets my vote. His versatility wasn't used much, but if you watch fistful of data and think he isn't wildly versatile you aren't paying attention.
Edit: I can't believe he wasn't even mentioned in the main video but especially not even a nod in the end section?!
One omission if I may note: in the Squire Of Gothos, James Doohan also provided the voice of the father of the Squire!
I'm kind of offended that Majel Barrett was in the "and the rest" section. She deserved a full section to herself, if only so you had time to mention that she took the time to record a phonetic alphabet so that her voice could be used for the ship's computer after her death. That didn't end up happening, but that kind of dedication deserves a shout out.
I was eagerly waiting to see how you'd handle Doohan. I got the chance to see him speak once, and as part of that, he mentioned that when he was auditioning for Roddenberry, they talked about different ways they could play the character, and he ran through something like a dozen voices in half a dozen distinct accents. Futurama's Welshie is very much a thing that could have happened.
I'm looking forward to the "Not Actually Trek, Actually: Comment Response" video with the list of every Soong and Soong-type android that Brent Spiner played (plus the Data holograms that tried to kill Cowboy Worf)
David Warner featured in a recently released Doctor Who audio drama, which I believe was his last role before he died. He's appeared in Doctor Who audios several times playing the 'Unbound Doctor', an alternate version of the Third Doctor from another universe. He also appeared in the Series 7 episode 'Cold War', playing Professor Grisenko, a Soviet scientist stationed aboard a nuclear submarine who enjoys Western pop music. The guy is a legend, he brings great gravitas to these roles but also warmth and humour. May he rest in peace knowing that he'll be remembered for years to come by passionate fans of Star Trek and Doctor Who.
Vaughan Armstrong. Without a shadow of a doubt.
He's played like a billion different roles.
We put on a short Star Trek themed Christmas skit when I was back in school and he played three separate roles in that.
Vaughan was also on Babylon 5 as a night watch officer
@@reginaldbrown1073 Funnily enough I literally just reached the episodes he was in and was like, “Wait, I know that guy….”
Thank you for your effort, your work is appreciated
I stan Jeffrey Combs. Since I watched "Enterprise" before "Deep Space Nine", Shran is absolutely my favorite. Brunt (FCA) is a fairly close second, followed by Weyoun.
I know that mentioning "Axanar" can stir up a lot of feelings, but I do feel that Tony Todd's performance as Admiral Ramirez is worthy of a mention.
Totally agree about Ramirez. In just the short bits we saw, he very much portrayed a tough and strong character like many of his more well known roles, but one that was clearly emotional and caring like his older Jake. Often both in the same scene.
J. G. Hertzler was also in Prelude to Axanar.
@@auntof6 good point; I appreciate the reminder.
@@auntof6 And Gary Graham reprised his role as Soval.
I think he likes you pink skin. 🤨
I met David Warner. I don't do photos or autographs, so I just approached him, told him how much I enjoyed his work and shook his hand. That was enough for me. He was a genuinely lovely man who portrayed some great characters. If you haven't heard of it, I recommend the BBC Radio 2 series, Nebulous. He plays Dr. Clench. And you are right, you can tell it's David Warner just from his voice. Awesome 👌
Sad you didn't mention Hertzler, Combs and Cromwell all appearing in Lower Decks, both as their older characters and new ones! But also... who is going to read my Tiron fan fiction nowwwwwwww
Honourary mentions for James Sloyan, who's been brilliant in his every Trek appearance, but really shined bright as Admiral Jarok, and Brian Thompson. Thompson in particular always gets dismissed as just "the dumb brute" guy, but his turn as Admiral Valdore on Enterprise was subtle, confident and with surprising depth.
There has been some fantastic acting talent on Star Trek. And also Majel Barrett.
Saw James Sloyan in an x files episode very recently. And of course his small but memorable role in The Sting. That guys voice man, it’s half soothing calm and half diabolical threat.
Another good one is Peter Weller, who played Admiral Marcus in Star Trek Into Darkness and previously appeared as John Frederick Paxton in Enterprise's Demons and Terra Prime.
Great video, but you left out Suzie Plakson, who played Dr. Selar and K'Ehleyr on Next Gen, Lady Q on Voyager, and Tarah in Enterprise. K'Ehleyr was a terrific character who made a real impression in only two episodes.
First off, brilliant installment, Steve. I would like to mention Brock Peters. The list of characters he played may not be long, but his portrayal of Joseph Sisko is one of my favorites. And yes, Tony Todd as the older adult Jake Sisko in The Visitor leaves me in tears consistently. Thank you for this video.
A whole list of Trek's most versatile actors feels incomplete without at least mentioning the lovely and talented Ms. Suzie Plakson, who played 4 different aliens in 3 different Treks. Most notably as K'Ehleyr, Worf's baby momma on TNG and the Female Q, Q's baby momma on Voyager.
Jeffrey Combs is brilliant! Whenever he made an appearance in any Star Trek episode, I settled in for a wonderful episode, as his appearance seemed to elevate what could have been flat dialogue, as well as the acting of the other performers who shared scenes with him.
HONORABLE MENTION
Kenneth Mitchell who appears in Discovery as the Klingons Kol in multiple episodes, Kol-Sha in "Point of Light", and Tenavik in "Through the Valley of Shadows", as well as the human scientist Tenavik in season 3, and voiced the Lower Decks characters Tweerk captain, the Black Ops operative 2, and Romulan guard 1 in episode 1x08 "Veritas."
David Warner is so awesome that an entire Transformers character was rewritten based on his actor doing a David Warner impersonation for him. Shockwave.
I love seeing David Warner in both Star Trek but also in that delightfully awful MST3K movie/episode Quest of the Delta Knights! 😂
How did you forget Suzie Plakson? Four different species across three series. Perhaps she wasn't versatile enough to count because she was too consistently badass.
She's definitely the biggest omission.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Jeffrey Combs along with my Caustic Soda podcast cohosts at the 2015 HPL Film Festival. He talks about voice acting with Harlan Ellison, accidents he had on set, and of course, Star Trek. Genuinely a nice guy.
May I by chance get a link to this please?
Hey Steve! Love the video and all the folks you mentioned, especially happy to see so much love for David Warner! I do think you missed the man himself though, Marc Alaimo. Who as we all know played the magnificently reprehensible but charming Gul Dukat.
But also played Badar N'D'D, the Antican ambassador in TNG's episode 7 of season 1, Lonely Among Us. Tebok, the commander of the first Romulan Warbird in TNG's first season finale. Gul Macet, the first ever Cardassian we've seen on screen in The Wounded in season 4 of TNG, Frederick La Rouque, the smooth and cocky Louisianan gentleman playing poker with Data and a bunch of stereotypes in Time's Arrow and Burt Ryan, aka just the human version of Dukat from DS9's Far Beyond the Stars.
Granted, I don't think these characters are what you'd call Versitile, they're all sort of different levels of the sort of smug and slimy personality Marc Alaimo gives to Dukat, but I just figured I'd give some love to him since you missed him out on this video. but good work on it regardless!
I want to give a shout out for Nana Visitor. Obviously she only played one character, three if you count mirror universes and possessions, but think we've seen a wider range from her role as Major Kira than any other main character.
Suzie Plakson. Played Vulcan doctor Dr Solar in TNG’s The Schizoid Man, Worf’s half human half Klingon love interest Ambassador K’Ehleyr in various TNG episodes, Mrs Q in the Q and The aGrey, Star z trek Voyager, and an Andorian officer, Tarah in the Star Trek Enterprise episode Cease Fire.
Honourable mention to Salome Jens, whose appearance in TNG's "The Chase" proves that the changlings' ancestors are also the ancestors of all humanoids in the galaxy.
Wow. Great analysis, and agree with your assessments: Combs hands down. BUT, while you did specify you weren't doing everyone, I MUST bring up Suzy Plakson. (I'm not saying anything you don't know, I'm fairly sure. . .). I get how she didn't make the list: two fairly simple appearences, one recurring and important (K'Eleyhr). But I had to go there: Worf's first true love, Alezander's mother, and the reason Worf kills Duras. Plus, she was also Dr. Selar and a Q. There's a valid case to not include her in a lengthy video, but I had to mention her. That's what comments sections are for.
omfg that loud as a whisper insert of that moment, that's brutal XD.
This is a fantastic episode, thank you for producing it!
An honorable mention might be given for Babara Babcock, who has 7 roles in TOS, including 2 voice roles in "Assignment: Earth". She was hired only to play the Beta 5 computer, but when they could not get ANY of the 6 or 7 specialty cats to purr and meow on cue, she volunteered, "oh, I can do a good cat", and performed the cat sounds at no extra charge, just because she was a trooper. Speaking of the cat; they had 6 or 7 specialty cats, a cat wrangler, Babcock's voice, and April Tatro to play Isis in human form. Since Tatro was a professional contortionist, and a very extreme one at that, I always wonder what they had in mind for Isis if that backdoor pilot had been picked up as a series. I also think about what a team player and how useful Babcock was in TOS.
Brent Spiner played more than one character in the same episode. He played Soong, Data and Lore in the same episode I believe.
That's why he specifies unrelated
Great video, although I was hoping you'd mention Suzie Plakson. She played the Vulcan Doctor Selar, the human/Klingon K'Ehleyr, a female Q, and the Andorian Tarah. I think that's at least as impressive as Susan Gibney who you did mention. Nothing against Gibney, though: I love her, too.
Lots of great stuff here. I loved watching William Campbell and William Shatner chew scenery together in The Squire of Gothos episode.
Thank you for another enjoyable video. One actor I always enjoyed that you didn't mention is Carolyn Seymour. A lot of really memorable roles for me. The scientist in TNG's First Contact. The Romulan Commander in TNG Face of the Enemy. And as the governess in Janeway's holonovel on Voyager. She probably has a few more roles I don't remember as well.
She also played the Commander of the Romulan Warbird that was infected, along with the Enterprise, by the Iconian probe in "Contagion"!
Tony Todd is another. He really shows such versatility in his roles through the series. I knew him originally from the Candy Man series. Acting as Jake he was great portraying a more sensitive character and it threw me for a loop because so many character actors are very one note but Tony was brilliant in that episode as the complete opposite knowing earlier he portrayed a bloodthirsty Klingon as Whorf's brother. A lot of his memorable roles are very sinister but the contrast of the characters I've known him from originally and older Jake was a really great and an exhibition of his range.
Tim Russ was also one of the guys who "combs the dessert" with huge combs in spaceballs. "We ain't found shit" xD
He also played the Principal in iCarly.
Gotta say Steve, I love most if not all of your videos and watch them religiously. This one though, this one tugged at my heartstrings and I love it so much . Thank you star trek space guru , may the great bird of the galaxy lead your way and may your pah be ever strong
So many brightly shining stars, so many amazing performances for us to delight in. Great video, Steve - and I enthusiastically agree with every single word you said - and gesture you made - about "The Visitor."
Both Jeffrey Combs and Vaughan Armstrong will be on the Star Trek cruise in January, and will presumably repeat their performance in the fantastic Rat Pack show with Casey Biggs, Max Grodenchik, and whoever else is available (both Ethan Phillips and Armin Shimerman have participated in the past). This will be our fourth ST cruise, and it is such a great time. If you can scrape together the cash (it ain't cheap) it's so worth it. (JG Hertzler is on board this year as well, among many others.)
Whatever the price The star trek cruise is much better than what Disney has put together for Star Wars and that crap show that they created Of what Star Wars experience
I was waiting for you to mention Susie Plakson. "The only actress to appear as 4 different aliens in 3 different "Star Trek" series: Vulcan Lieutenant Selar and Klingon K'Ehleyr on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), the female Q on Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and Tarah, the first female Andorian on Star Trek: Enterprise (2001). "
I think Brian Thompson also deserves to be on this list. While he never really got a “signature” roll, I was always delighted to see his incredibly distinct jawline and deep voice. He was most know in his recurring role as Romulus admiral Valdore in Enterprise, but played 5 characters overall.
Leland Orser always delivers an appropriately unsettling performance, too.
He was also the antagonist to Jeffrey Combs in the Dr. Strange knock-off, Doctor Mordrid, which I believe Steve mentioned here.
I'm always glad to see Enterprise get some moments in the spotlight! That said, one notable actor from that was omitted, John Fleck! He played the recurring Suliban Silik, a couple Romulans, and a handful of other prosthetic-covered aliens.
David Warner was also in the Star Trek Game Klingon Academy, the games with FMV items are interesting and should also be considered for a video.
Hi Steve, great video. I agree that Jeffery Combs is a great actor. Weyoun, Brunt, abs Shran are some of the best recurring characters in DS9 and Enterprise.
However I think you missed one of his roles on DS9. He plays one of the cops that hassle Benny in the episode Far Beyond The Stars.
If Jeffrey Combs had only played Weyoun, that would have been enough to earn my admiration. The fact that he played so many other characters to boot, well that's just gravy.
Love this so much. I knew Combs played Brunt and Wayoun but I never realized that he was playing them *both* in the same episode. Like intellectually I had those two facts but he put so much personality and character into both performances my brain did not register That Is The Same Person Twice until watching this.
Speaks not just to the actor, Combs being freakin brilliant, but also to the editing and compositing team for DS9. Theres a lot of technical knowhow that goes into such seemlessness.
Thank you for making all these discussion videos and deep dives.
Loved this, Steve. It's fun to realize some of your favorite characters were brought to life by the same actor, even if you didn't "realize" it. Shran, will always be one of my favorites :D
Agreed on Jeffrey Combs.
I know you couldn't possibly mention everyone, but I'm surprised Clint Howard didn't get a mention!
Clint Howard also played a few varied characters, starting with Balok in TOS.
A role so amazingly bad (yet cute) that he reprised it for the roast of William Shatner. :)
and the crazy loner in “Past Tense Part II”
I was really hoping Suzie Plakson would get a mention.
Brilliant video. Thank you, Steve.
Also Suzie Plakson. she was Dr. Selar AND K'ehylar, Worf's mate in TNG. Then returned as Shran's Andorian mate in Enterprise.
Shran is my No1 for Combs. :)
Thanks for an awesome video.
Oh I'm a bit surprised Brent Spiner didn't get a mention for his versatility for his performance in the TNG episode "Brothers". He plays all 3 main characters in the episode, often sharing the same scene, and all with distinctly different personalities. In fact the twist towards the end is revealed just by Spiner's portrayal of Lore's personality distinctly different than Data.
As always Steve I really enjoy your channel. I particularly like one of your more recent indulgence of Star Trek on the subject: “ Who Is Star Trek’s Most Versatile Actor?” I thought you were pretty thorough over all. I really wished you mentioned the actors Phil Morris and Suzie Plakson. They both did diverse and memorable roles. All in all,good job! 😀👍🏽
THANK YOU for the shout out to Mandy Patinkin as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on Chicago Hope. (I always rather liked Cromwell as Bill on Hot L Baltimore, but all right, I bow to Stretch Cunningham.) Combs must be a blessed name, as not only is Jeffrey Combs great everywhere he goes, but I've always enjoyed Holly Marie Combs (no relation) from Picket Fences and Charmed. I was holding out for Eddie Paskey, but oh well. Tremendous job, Steve, thank you.
In addition to the comments many have made about Plakson, Spiner, Alaimo, and Fleck going unmentioned, there's also the character count for all the actors you listed who appeared in Far Beyond the Stars to consider. Maybe you're plotting a part two?
Re the creative team and Weyoun: They not only created the clone concept to keep Combs around, they designed the entire look of the Vorta around the idea of "Can we not hide Combs' face for once?"
Tim Russ is a good guy to the fans. Always willing to talk and, listen. Just genuinely someone who likes Star Trek.
I’d say they’re all amazing and versatile actors. Thanks for this great vid
25:30 great googly moogly I just realized the person who plays Deanna Troy's mother was wearing contacts the whole time. Mind blown 🤔🤔🤔🤔
That pantomime of you ripping your heart out has to be one of the funniest things I've ever seen you do. I laughed way too hard.
Ted Cassidy is the one you missed. The giant played three characters in TOS. The android Ruk, The Gorn Kirk fights, and Balok's Puppet.
Odd you didn' t mention the actors who played humans in "Far Beyond the Stars" which adds at least one more character for each one. You might also include Brent Spiner. Data, Lore, Dr. Soong, all the different personalities in "Masks" and also in "A Fistfull of Datas"
Channels like yours have a direct effect on the newest generation of Star Trek and it's continuing popularity. It would be super cool if the show runners would include UA-cam personalities as extras. Personally I feel you would be most deserving for many reasons. Thank you for your videos. Star Trek thanks you as well.
Another honorable mention: Suzie Plakson as Dr. Selar (TNG), K'Ehleyr (TNG), Lady Q (VOY), and Tarah (ENT)
I agree with the qualifiers you'd have, and for the same reasons.. in addition to the fact that there's no way I'd be able to just sit there perfectly still for 3+ hours as they apply the makeup.. I think Armin Shimerman said it took 3 or more hours every morning.. I wouldn't want to do that even once.. not to mention every day for years, as he and many other trek actors had to do... I (as most of us, like you said) freaking LOVE Jeffrey combs!
There was only one possible answer, but your beginning/end setup did a good job of faking me out from realizing that's where you were going.
I think Tony Todd's Kurn was the best depiction of a Klingon. If he said "good morning" it would sound like a threat!
Or “Please” or “Thank You”.😁
this might be my favorite video you have made thanks :)
Great episode! Many thanks.
Since this video is honoring people who played multiple roles in Star Trek let's also take a minute to honor Marc Alaimo, who in addition to playing the best villain in all of Trek: Gul Dukat, also played another Cardassian Gul Macet in The Wounded as well as the first Romulan character we ever see in TNG.
Another actor who has played many background characters but is always left out of these lists is Bill Blair who has a Guinness record for most special effect makeup characters in his career.
Jimmy Doohan's work in narrating Star Trek audiobooks was fantastic.
I'd give a mention to James Sloyan. He only had four roles (spread across TNG, DS9, and Voyager), but each of them was pretty iconic and memorable.
I'm surprised you didn't include Susan Plaskin in the list. She did at least four very different characters across 3(?) series.
Excellent video. Thank you.
OK, how did I miss this? I'm subscribed and yet this never showed up in my alerts; I'm lucky it just randomly popped up as a related video after watching the latest Star Trek INtakes.
Ha! Doohan didn't even occur to me until you brought up TAS, but as soon as you mentioned it I realized that he had _obviously_ played the most characters considering all of his voice-over work. And adding voice-over in addition to his classic live acting role wasn't even the final extent of his extracurricular contributions to _Star Trek,_ with his _language_ work creating the first Klingonese words ever uttered in _Star Trek._
I fully agree that Jeffrey Combs exhibited the greatest range and versatility as an actor with all of his varied _Star Trek_ roles (and his portrayal of The Question on Justice League Unlimited just shows it off even more) but I think James Doohan just might have exhibited the widest range of contributions _alongside_ acting. 😄
Wait... Susie Plakson deserves at least a mention here. You cannot get further apart than K'ehleyr and Lietuenant Selar, and that was on the same show, TNG. While her role in Enterprise as Tarah was not quite memorable, her turn as Q in Voyager is *chef's kiss* perfect.
Another honorable mention should go to Brian Thompson, a man with a most recognizable jawline. He played 5 different characters across three different Star Trek series and 1 Trek movie. He played the Klingon who ended up befriending Riker in "A Matter of Honor" and he played Inglatu in DS9, as the red-faced alien Quark was charged to buy vats of Tulaberry wine from (to secretly learn about the Dominion).
Majel Barrett also played the Enterprise computer in TOS.
"Working"
Tony Todd as Jake was absolutely amazing. His skill was unsurpassed, I really don't think they could have found a better actor for that. Also Old Jake Sisko ended billions of people by ensuring they were possibly never born so he could save his dad.
Great review of all of those talented actors. At the end of the day it’s an embarrassment of riches. So many to keep track of. I remember two more to throw into the mix: James Sloyan he played Admiral Jarok, the adult Alexander, the bejoran Mora Pol in DS9, and Jetrel in Voyager. Also Gregory Itzen on DS9, Voyager and Enterprise.
I think it's also worth mentioning Robert Picardo who played both the Doctor and his creator, Dr. Zimmerman, where he puts the same voice but with minor differences, but not so different that you'd think the character he were playing was an entirely different person.
And also Jeri Ryan's role as the Doctor 'possessing' Seven's body, while he has to hide from some aliens who hate hologram life. Where she gets to do Seven's voice but with the inflections or speech patterns of the Doctor.
Then you got Marc Alaimo
The man whose weird alien neck defined cardassian makeup for all time.
Plus, being a little pedantic perhaps, every member of the main cast in TNG playing holodeck characters in addition to their own characters in Hollow Pursuits where Reginald Barclay suffers from holo-addiction.
I feel like Brent Spiner should get a shout-out for "Most characters played who are related". Data, Lore, B-4, Noonien Soong, Arik Soong, Adam Soong, and Altan Soong. Not to mention the various characters that possessed Data in "Masks" - Not a fantastic episode, but he did have to embody Masaka, Ihat, the old man and the child, all of which had to be distinct and different from Data.
James Cromwell as the Angosian prime minister was great. Loved the art design for that episode
David Warner was also the voice of the main antagonist in the acclaimed 2000s computer RPG Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and that performance illustrates nicely the features you've highlighted here, particularly the deceptively broad emotional range, communicated using *only* his voice.