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‘buck rogers’ star erin gray: how i turned comic-con (and other conventions) into a second career.

"I felt weird in the beginning about charging money [$30 per autograph]," she tells THR. "But then I realized actors are entertainers. And we tell stories."

By As told to Borys Kit

As told to Borys Kit

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Buck Rogers Erin Gray - P 2014

A version of this story first appeared in the Aug. 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

Erin Gray begat many a fanboy dream with her portrayal of tough but sexy starfighter pilot Wilma Deering on NBC’s 1979 sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century , and since the early 1990s she’s been regular on the convention autograph circuit. Gray eventually started a business booking actors for conventions and engagements, and today her Heroes for Hire reps around 150 clients, including Arrow star Stephen Amell , Torchwood star John Barrowman and fan favorite Bruce Campbell.

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On how she discovered a second career after life on television:

“I came to a crossroads in my life. I was going through a divorce and bankruptcy, and had a child in private school. I went to a seminar at the Chicago Museum of Broadcast Communication; [ Batman actress] Julie Newmar and [ Star Trek actress]  BarBara Luna were there, and they started talking about conventions. I have never heard of anything like that, and when they told me about them, my reaction was, ‘Oh nobody would remember me and the show. It was over 10 years ago.’ This was about ’91 or ’92. A year later, BarBara called me and said, ‘Erin, you’re going to this place at this time, and you’re going to call me after and thank me.’

“So I went. I saw there was a line around the building and I asked the promoter who that was for, and he said, ‘You.’ And I went ‘What? Really?’ So I spent the day reeling in stories of people’s memories of watching the show. And I was like, ‘Wow, who knew?’

“I felt weird in the beginning about charging money. But then I realized actors are entertainers. And we tell stories. I wanted to make sure that everyone who came to me got a story and was inspired by something in some way. And I listened to women come up to me and say, ‘You’re the reason why I became an Air Force pilot.’ “

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“I had no idea what impact I had. Going to these conventions made me realize that I influenced an entire generation of men to appreciate strong women and still find them sexy, and women to be police and military officers.

On how she started her convention-booking business:

“One day [her Buck Rogers co-star] Gil Gerard called and asked what I was doing, and I said I was going to Ohio to a sci-fi convention. And he was like, ‘What is that about?’ And when I told him, he was like, ‘Can I go?’

“Then Gil played golf with Marc Singer , who was in V and Beastmaster , and Marc called me up and said he wanted to go too.

“Gil said, ‘I’ll pay you 10 percent,’ and I was like, ‘No, I’m your friend.’ ‘Oh I’ll make you work for it.’ And sure enough he did. ( Laughs. ) Booking his flights, his car service. And when Marc called, I said, ‘OK, 10 percent.’ But I wasn’t thinking about it as a business at the time. It started as me helping out my friends go through this.

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“After I had done enough shows, booking them, and feeling responsible for them — that was the mother in me — I realized that if the promoters wanted to grow their business, they needed to be able to call a WME or any other agency. And I knew how to do that, I could get that call answered.

On the autograph circuit:

“I will likely do only about four signings this year, but I’ll appear at [a lot more conventions] in my capacity as an agent. I probably do 30 to 40 shows a year. It slows down in November, December and picks back up in March. But that’s starting to change because it’s becoming more international. For example, there are now shows in Brazil in December.”

On paying for autographs:

“Prices are getting higher. I don’t think they should. I think there’s a point where it’s not about money but about the relationships with the fans. I don’t like seeing fans walk away feeling they’ve been fleeced out of their life savings. The good shows are where the fans get a lot of out of it and the actors get something out of it.”

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On agent snobbery:

“The actors that do this are mostly TV actors — and I don’t know if that’ll change. There’s a snobbery from the film actors and their representatives. And there is a certain negative connotation of doing these things in certain agents’ minds. I think it’s wrong.

“There’s a star of a new series, and I was talking to his agent and he said, ‘I don’t think he’s going to be doing any of those.’ And I said, ‘He’s agreed to play a famous comic book character and you’re going to tell him to shun the fans? Are you nuts?’ He’s agreed to come into this comic book world. He needs to embrace it and the fans.”

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Den of Geek

The Den of Geek interview: Erin Gray

Erin Gray, the legendarily Spandex-clad sci-fi icon behind Buck Rogers' Wilma Deering meets DoG in London for a quick chat. Bidi bidi bidi!

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Erin Gray rocked many a young – and not so young – boy’s world in the 70s and 80s as the authoritative but sexy Wilma Deering in Glen A. Larson’s reboot of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century , since starring in a string of TV series, films and situation comedies.

Active in TV and films, Erin is a favourite at conventions, and also runs Heroes For Hire, a company that arranges convention meets for actors. The germ of the company took hold when fellow Buck Rogers star Gil Gerard insisted that she take 10% for booking him into his first convention, and the company now has hundreds of clients.

We met up with Erin and her charming daughter in London to chat about…well, Spandex, amongst many other things…

Thistle Hotel, London, January 2008

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Have you had to go back and study Buck Rogers in order to answer fans’ questions at conventions?

No I haven’t. Actually my daughter hasn’t seen them either, which has been kind of amusing to me. I feel like…there are times when I’ll say to her ‘You really don’t know your mother at all!’. [ laughs ] First of all, I was raised in the sixties so believe me, ‘You don’t know your mother at all!’. She’s never really seen most of my work. My son, who’s 30, he grew up while I was starring in various series, so he was always on set that way, but my daughter just knows that her mom occasionally goes out and does a movie; but she’s not really aware of it.

Are your male fans very shy when they come up to you at conventions?

It’s interesting; I’ve learned to recognise that there’s a certain age group of gentlemen between about 36 and 43 – we’re walking down the street and all of a sudden you see the lights go on behind the eyes. What I’ve found from going to the events is that obviously I helped a lot of young teenage boys go through puberty! But I also had a very strong effect on young girls, so it was a nice balance. So I kind of had my wish that if I was a spirit coming into this world thinking ‘what kind of a job would I like to have?’, I think that affecting young men and young women on an equal basis would be pretty incredible.

A lot of women will come up and say to me that I’m their first strong female role-model, and I didn’t realise at the time that that’s what I was doing. The character of the Colonel was the first strong woman in a strong position…the young women would come up and say ‘You’re the reason I joined the air-force, because I wanted to fly fighter jets’. I’ve had a woman tell me that, and I was dumbfounded, I got chills! Policewomen too…how nice. How cool, and what an effortless way to influence a whole generation.

What do you think of the new generation of strong women in sci-fi TV, like The Bionic Woman , and Katee Sackhoff in Galactica ?

Goodness, it’s about time. It’s interesting when I watch them and their interpretation and performances of women in power compared to mine…mine was a blend, in many ways. I look at my character, and the ‘bible’ that I had, Wilma’s back-story, was that she was trained by computers. So you’re dealing with a holocaust situation where you have a certain number of surviving people on the planet, so it’s about survival and who is the best person for the job, and it just so happens that in this case it was a woman. At the same time, I wasn’t allowed to grow up emotionally in that setting, and there wasn’t time for relationships and boyfriends – it was about getting the job done, because the planet had to survive.

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That was my back story. So I was this strong woman, but the first time I meet Buck, it’s the first time I’m allowed to have these female feelings, so there was this interesting blend of vulnerability in a young girl who was also very strong. It was a very interesting and unique combination – you don’t usually have characters who have that dichotomy: on the one hand very female and very soft and not understanding what makes her knees go weak with all these funny feelings that are going through her, and at the same time very commanding and ‘You will do what I tell you to do!’ [ laughs ].

Was the chemistry between you and Gil a deal-breaker? Who was actually onboard first?

Oh Gil was definitely onboard first! I had just finished doing a four-hour mini-series called Evening In Byzantium , which was actually quite a prediction of 9/11. It was about terrorists attacking the United States with planes carrying bombs – the only difference was that in the movie they were carrying nuclear bombs in brief-cases. The story was about a Hollywood producer writing a script that becomes a map, a model for the attack. So when 9/11 happened I was in my kitchen with a cup of coffee going ‘Oh my God, did these terrorists watch Evening In Byzantium as young boys?’. With the influence of film on people, you never know how it’s going to affect someone. So it was a chilling moment.

Anyway the last day I finished shooting on Evening In Byzantium , I got a call from the studio saying did I want to come in and test for Buck Rogers ? I was so tired! I just wanted to go home, I’d been working all night, and it was six o’clock in the morning, and they wanted me to come in in a couple of hours. And I think it was a happy accident. You never know what circumstances are right leading up to a fortuitous event. I was so tired and I couldn’t care less about this screen test. I had no anxiety. I’d been working six-weeks non-stop and I just walked in there and just played off of Gil, who was quite the charmer…but the fact that all I wanted to do was go home and go to bed, that was probably the right attitude. All the other young girls were practising their lines and wanting the part. So I think that’s what got me the job – I was so calm and assured. Did you see the costume at that time?

No I didn’t. when I did the screen test they asked me to wear white Levis and a white top. The flight-costume.

Yeah. They wanted it very form-fitting and tight. That’s all I knew. I didn’t know…it’s interesting, because I came from the world of modelling and fashion, so I wasn’t really shocked or uncomfortable about wearing the costume. I’d been one of the original Sports Illustrated models, so my sexuality, showing my body, I was comfortable with that. The thing was, I didn’t mind being on-camera that way, but I couldn’t walk around the studio with my spandex – I always had to wear a bathrobe over it [ laughs ]!

I’ll never forget, one time I was at home and looking at an episode of Buck Rogers , and there was a moment when I walked away from the camera, so I’m seeing myself from behind – and I blushed. I was thinking that was quite – ahem! [ laughs ]

Olivia Newton-John had to be sewn into her spandex for Grease . Was it that bad for you?

Mine was like wearing a girdle from head to toe. It was very uncomfortable. After two years of wearing them, I remember at the end of the series, the costumer said ‘Would you like to keep these costumes?’ and I went ‘God, no! Burn them!’ Please, get rid of them. Of course I found out that later on they brought in a lot of money at an auction. I could have paid for my daughter’s college education with what they sold for! There was a lovely story at the beginning of the book you co-wrote on acting, about how your mum helped set you on the path to an acting career…?

Oh yes, and the moment I knew I would be an actress. I was five years old and I was in a school play and I remember my mother was a working mom and I was a latch-key kid, so my mother very rarely could come to school events. And it was very important to me that she show up, so I kept looking from behind the curtains, ‘Where is she?’. Suddenly it was my cue and I had to go on stage. In the play I pick up the phone, and I remember that the moment I picked up the phone I saw my mother, and in that moment tears just came up into my eyes.

My line in the play was ‘Doctor, come quick quick quick, my baby is sick sick sick!’. And I remember at that point tears just pouring down my face, and I remember the audience going [ gasping sound ], and I went ‘Wow! I got their attention!’. They were enrapt, and I thought This is powerful, I like this! I don’t remember actually thinking that I was going to be an actress after that, but that was an incredibly powerful and life-changing moment. There are times in your life where you remember everything about that day – the colour of the room, the smell of the fields, whatever. And I’ll always remember those lines – I’ve done a lot of movies where I don’t remember the lines like that!

Did your success as a model make it easier or harder to be taken seriously when you moved into acting?

A combination: being a model opens the door easier but then you really have to prove yourself a lot. All the executives want to meet the girl from the Virginia Slims ad, or the Bloomingdales girl, or the Sports Illustrated model…they’re willing to take the meeting, but once you’re in the door, it’s harder to prove yourself because you have no credits or legitimate scenes behind you. I wasn’t trained at the Royal Academy and I didn’t go to Julliard and I didn’t get a degree from Yale in drama and I don’t have five years of Summer Stock experience, something like that…I’d spent the last ten years of my life travelling around as ‘a model’, so that part was a challenge. But it was easier in other ways, because a) I know my lighting [laughs] and b) I’m very aware of the camera. But that can be good and bad – there are some models that I’ve seen have trouble disconnecting from that awareness. It’s a very intimate relationship with the camera, and wherever it is I know from the point-of-view of the camera exactly how I look.

If I’m conscious of the camera, then the audience is conscious of me being conscious of it, and you have to be able to create that fourth wall and completely disconnect from that and be in your own world. So it’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, I know what I look like, but I have to be able to completely let that go and lose myself and enter that moment.

Interestingly, I had a situation recently where I went back to doing a modelling interview for a commercial, and I found it difficult to go back into that. I didn’t want to be a model. I found it difficult to strut and turn like a model, although I can…but in the inner view, I found myself wanting to be a real person, and not do the model thing . I didn’t get the job, because the wanted an older-woman model kind of thing. I find it interesting that I’m now so removed from it that I really have to think about how I’m approaching that moment. It’s been a long time!

Going back to your other 80s sci-fi work, there seems to be a tremendous fan-base for the Starman TV series, which I’m not sure was ever shown here…?

Oh, a huge and very loyal fan base. I still go to their fan club meetings once a year. I read that there’s a movement to get it remade or otherwise continued.

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Oh God, they’ve been trying for so long. Such a pity [ laughs ]! I don’t think it’s going to happen – we’ve all gone on. They are just die hard fans though, and lovely people. That was actually one of my favourite characters. I remember I worked with a director called Claudio Guzmán, who’d been the art director for Orson Welles, and if you see Starman, the episode I’m in with all the oil paintings, where I play an artist, those are al the director. He did them in an afternoon, just whipped them up and threw them out in the background.

How I got the job was interesting. I was a contract player at Universal, so you don’t really have a lot of power when you’re a contract player, but after Buck Rogers I had a little more say about what I did. So the studio called me up wanting me to do this double two-parter episode, but I said that before I do it I want to make sure that the director and I are on the same page. So I asked for a phone call and they kept putting me off, and I couldn’t figure out why. Eventually I found out when the director called me on the phone to say that he’d had encephalitis, and it was like a palsy and he had no use of his vocal abilities!

I wanted to focus the character based on a vision of a very famous artist called Georgia O’Keefe. I’d just finished reading her biography and she was an artist who’d lived in the South, and I wanted to bring the essence of her into the character. So I’m on the phone to this director and not making any sense, and finally he just says ‘Georgia!’. I said ‘O’Keefe?’. ‘Yes!’. That’s it! Sign me up! One word and we knew we were on the same page.

I’ve read about your practice of Tai Chi and Qui Gung. You look absolutely wonderful –

— is it down to your practice of these martial arts?

I hope so – that was sort of the intent! I was looking for the fountain of youth and a way to stay healthy, and stay strong as I got older. Although I appreciate Western medicine and I know that there are times one needs antibiotics or surgery or something, but I prefer to stay away from hospitals and pills and any kind of medication. A lot of people rely on pills to solve their problems and I’m not that kind of person. I’m very much a naturalist; don’t like any chemicals in my body at all.

I became fascinated with oriental medicine in the early 70s, shortly after Nixon returned from China. There was an article about a journalist who travelled to China with Nixon, who had an appendicitis attack and had surgery using acupuncture as anaesthetic. He was just amazed that after this anaesthesia he could be cut open painlessly and how quickly he healed after the surgery because he had no drugs in his system whatsoever.

Later on when I was working with James Garner in The Rockford Files , he kept disappearing every day and I kept thinking ‘I want to have lunch with my leading man – how often am I going to get to work with the James Garner’. So I just cornered him and asked him if wouldn’t mind telling me where he goes everyday, and couldn’t we at least have one lunch at the commissary?

He said ‘I’m terribly sorry, I have to go for my acupuncture, I have a bum knee that I hurt during stunts, and as an action figure the role in The Rockford Files requires leaping on cars and running and chasing the bad guy’, and he said that he really had a horrible limp and was in a lot of pain, but couldn’t take pain medication because then he’d be hooked on pain drugs. He said that the only way he could survive was to go his acupuncturist and get rid of the pain. I thought ‘Wow, that’s quite a testimony’. So I went to his acupuncturist for years and the acupuncturist said to me ‘You know, acting is very injurious to your health’.

You can read John Moore’s love letter to Erin Gray here …

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As ‘Buck Rogers in the 25th Century’ Turns 40, We Catch Up With Erin Gray — Colonel Wilma Deering Herself

For the past 40 years we’ve kind of suspected actress Erin Gray has been saving the universe. Oh, sure, she had a solid stint as Kate Summers-Stratton on the ‘80s Ricky Schroder sitcom Silver Spoons (now part of the Antenna TV line-up) , but it was as Colonel Wilma Deering on the 1979 sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25 th Century (airing on the MeTV Network ) that she has continued to capture the imaginations of a couple of generations of fans. In fact, it ’s that coupled with an appearance — that is, in many ways, a throwback to Buck — on the CW’s series Pandora which hardly makes it surprising that she answers her phone, “Heroes for Hire.”

Now, before anyone thinks Erin’s lost her senses and is donning Wilma’s uniform and running around California with a fake blaster looking for alien evildoers, she’s actually CEO of said Heroes for Hire , which is a company that books actors and actresses on the comic book/convention circuit around the world.

“ I chose the name because I wanted something a little whimsical,” Erin, 69, explains with a laugh. “I didn’t want to take myself too seriously. We are, after all, dealing with comic books. Or at least my company is.”

Which makes one wonder what the journey was from model and actress to CEO. “I find divorce sometimes propels you in a direction you didn’t know you were ready to go into,” she notes without missing a beat. “When I got a divorce from my first husband, I found out that I was bankrupt, which was quite a shock. So I thought, ‘Well, what am I qualified for?’ The answer came back: ‘Nothing.’ I was a model at 15 and then moved into television commercials and then acting and that was it. So I’m looking around to see how I’ve gotten where I was and how I could change things around. I wanted to keep my daughter in private school and keep the house that I love and adore. So I found myself, quite honestly, at one point going to an employment agency to fill out forms — but they didn’t know what to do with me either.”

Please scroll down for more from our exclusive chat with Erin Gray.

Be sure to check out and subscribe to our Classic TV & Film Podcast for interviews with your favorite stars! 

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Luna Eclipse

Erin knew she could do something , but needed to wrap her head around what it could be. Then an opportunity quite literally presented itself in the form of actress BarBara Luna , who has appeared on dozens of TV shows — though is likely best remembered as Lt. Marlena Moreau in the original Star Trek TV series episode “Mirror, Mirror.” She was the one who gradually introduced Erin to the convention world. Recalls Erin, “BarBara called me and said, ‘You’re going to go to this place and you’re going to show up with 600 photos, you’re going to sign them for a lot of fans [for a fee] and you’re going to call me up and say thank you.'” So I went to my first convention center and there was this big line around the building. I found the promoter, introduced myself and asked, ‘By the way, what is that line for?’ He said, ‘Oh, that’s for you .’ So I entered this whole new world and had a great time. I enjoyed meeting the fans and being told that I’m the reason they went into the Marines and became a fighter pilot and that sort of thing. I really didn’t know how the character had connected with so many young women and so many men as well.”

Shutterstock

The Business Grows

Before her next convention, she was talking to her Buck Rogers costar, Gil Gerard , who, upon hearing about her experience, wanted to get involved and promised her 10% of his take. She tried to refuse, but he insisted. “He said, ‘I’m going to make you work for it,’ and he did. Then Marc Singer from the movie Beastmaster and the TV series V — I’d worked with his sister, Lori, and we knew each other — called me up and said, ‘I want to go to the next convention.’ I said, ‘OK. And it’s 10%.’ Suddenly the business is off and running.”

Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

The Original Goal

“When I started the company,” she continues, “I wanted to be of service to people who wanted to inspire others. It didn’t quite work out that way, but in a way it did. What I find is that actors are great storytellers and these conventions are a chance for them to go out and share their knowledge and dreams and inspire people. One of the actors the company represents, Neal McDonough , says, ‘I live for the Q and As with the fans. If I can get off that stage and know I’ve inspired somebody in the audience to make the right choices in their lives, I feel like I’ve done my job.’”

Antonio Di Filippo/Shutterstock

Erin was born January 7, 1950 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Interestingly, she clearly remembers the things that would draw her to both acting and modeling. “When I was 5 years old, I was in the kindergarten play. My mom was never able to come to school or see whatever program I was in even though I begged her to. But I went on stage and all I remember is I had this line, ‘Doctor, doctor, come quick, quick, quick. My baby is sick, sick sick,’ and right when I got halfway through that, my mother walked in the door at the back of the auditorium and I proceeded to cry. The audience was just amazed and I thought, ‘What did I do? Oh , I think I got everybody’s attention in this room.’ So that was one thing that happened.”

“The other thing, to be very honest, is I became aware at a young age that my look brought with it a certain power,” Erin continues, not with arrogance but as a matter of fact explanation. “I say power, because it can also be used as a threat against you. In other words, I experienced at a young age stalkers that really had an impact.”

A Turn to Modeling

Although Erin’s mother wanted her to attend college — which she did do, briefly, at UCLA — in her early teens she recognized that the academic life was not for her. “The modeling world opened up for me at a very young age,” says Erin, who got her first modeling assignment in St. Louis when she was 14, and progressed from there. “It became this other way of making a living, where I could be more in control of my life in terms of where I worked. I could travel around the world, I could get a great education by just going through the various countries that I could have learned about in the classroom. So I could actually go there and make a living at the same time, and that really appealed to me. I guess you could say I liked being on my own. I was fortunate to go off on my own at a time — which was the ‘60s — when we were all breaking the rules. I wanted to explore the world, and modeling gave me the opportunity.”

AP/Shutterstock

Modeling also led her to Los Angeles and TV Commercials, but, she explains, “Once I started with a modeling agency, I had visions of myself as being a high fashion model, which I wasn’t. I eventually learned that you need to be yourself. They want to see the real you; somebody else can be exotic. So at one point I went into a print job for Teen magazine, which I thought was a print job. They said, ‘Can you dance?’ I said, ‘Sure, what do you want to see?’ And I went into The Monkey, The Swim … whatever was popular in ’65 or ’66. Then I go home and my agent calls me up going, ‘Erin, what did you do? You’re now one of the dancers on Ricky Nelson’s Malibu U .’” That series featured pop star Ricky Nelson as the dean of a fictional college, where music stars of the time would perform once a week. Erin found herself billed as a “Malibeauty Dancer.” A summer replacement series, it lasted seven episodes.

“But that,” she points out, “is what propelled me into this career, because there’s a part of me that’s fearless, innocent and stupid and doesn’t know what I’m doing. But another part of me that just kept taking chance. Why not? You want to see me dance? Sure, let’s dance.”

Embracing Acting

By the mid-1970s, Erin was reportedly one of the top models working television commercials, pulling in $100,000 a year. While modeling in Los Angeles, she also began auditioning for acting roles. In 1978 she guest-starred in an episode of Police Story . That same year she played reporter Gail McKinnon in the four-hour miniseries Evening in Byzantium . “The doors would open because I was a model, but the mental thought behind everyone was, ‘Can you act?’” she explains. “So you went to acting classes. There was always a question of whether I had acting abilities or not, but part of me inside is screaming, ‘I have 30 minutes of commercials on TV every day. There must be something the public likes, so give me a chance.’ But I had no credits, which is why I ended up going under contract to Universal Studios, because I needed credits. I was 28 years old and in the modeling world I’m getting too old and need to start transitioning out. I could see that train ending. It’s extended much longer now, but at the time it was something I needed to think about, like if I was an athlete where you only get so many years.”

The Road to ‘Buck Rogers’

The contract with Universal wasn’t necessarily all that she thought it would be. For starters, she was being paid $600 a week, meaning that she had to continue modeling to supplement it. On top of that, she found that she had little control over her life. “When I was shooting Evening in Byzantium , on my last night, which went from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m., the studio called me and said, ‘We’d like you to come in at 10:00 a.m. for screen tests for Buck Rogers .’ ‘I’m sorry, I just finished a four-to-six week shoot and this is my last night and you want me screen test for Buck Rogers ? I haven’t read a script. I know nothing about this project. Please let me go home and we can do this another day.’ ‘Nope.’ I came in with such an attitude. And I got the part.”

What’s it All About, Buck?

The character of Buck Rogers was originally created in 1928 by Philip Francis Nowlan in comic strips, novellas, radio, television and movie serials. Buck Rogers in the 25 th Century seemed to have two influences from its era: Star Wars and disco (which isn’t as strange a description as it sounds if you watch a few episodes). The focus is on 20 th Century NASA/USAF pilot Captain William Anthony “Buck” Rogers, who is plunged into suspended animation for 504 years, awakening in 2491 where he ultimately works with the Earth Defense Directorate alongside Erin’s Wilma Deering. For Erin, working in sci-fi was probably as strange as the world that Buck found himself in.

What Language Is This?

“I was scared to death on the one hand,” says Erin. “You know, ‘Oh, this is science fiction, which means that everything I’m dealing with isn’t real.’ There’s no normal telephone, I’m saying words that are a little Greek and a little Latin put together to make something new. The only way I thought I could get through it was just try to make it as real as I possibly could. I think it was Barbara Stanwyck who said, ‘Speak the truth and the character will play itself.’ That was kind of my guiding force. So it’s like, ‘OK, just make it real. Just commit to the realness of this.’ You know, use my memory training to create the reality and sort of commit to it.”

Moviestore/Shutterstock

Living Fearlessly

“Again, I throw myself into things that are scary and hope for the best,” Erin continues. “The other thing is that there’s a part of my personality that is fearless, but there’s also a part of my personality that has dealt with a certain amount of abuse in my life. So there’s a very fragile part, right? There’s a part that is not used to speaking up for herself. I was raised as an only child in that old situation where children are to be seen and not heard. I never felt the freedom to speak up or argue or discuss certain things. My mom was a single mom and working long hours and had to fend for herself. Going in to Colonel Wilma Deering, I had to think, ‘How does a colonel act? How does a colonel posture themselves, how do they hold themselves, how do they speak, how do they react?’ I’ve never been a colonel in my life or a commanding officer or anything like that, so it was like putting on a cloak of strength. I got to pretend to be strong, and it was a really wonderful exploration to bring that within myself. It was an opportunity for me to work that muscle and see how it felt. That absolutely had an impact on my life.”

Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock

Playing it Straight

Gil Gerard was well known as a cut-up on the set; the jokester and the guy always looking to lighten things up. Erin … not so much. “My family knows that I am and always will be the straight man,” she admits. “It’s just how my brain works. On Buck Rogers , I’m still the new kid and still trying to learn things. Everyday at lunchtime they would look at the dailies from the day before in a theater. So I would go in there and sort of huddle down in the first row, so the director, editor and producers didn’t know I was there. I’d just watch and listen, and every day I would watch myself when they said “action” and clapped the slate. Well during that period while they were setting up the shot and the camera was still rolling for a few seconds, there was Gil always cutting up, always telling a joke, never stopped, and then there was me, Miss Serious. Not a good image I wanted to project. I mean, I take my job seriously and I didn’t have Gil’s witty, charming personality. I have my own, but it’s different. So I decided to play a joke. I came in one day and said to the cameraman, ‘When the scene is over and they say ‘cut,’ please keep the camera rolling.’ He was very nice to accommodate me. I think it was ‘Planet of the Slave Girls’ and we’re shooting this scene where we’re being thrown into this volcano and definitely going to die. They go ‘cut,’ and I turn around and say, ‘You know, it’s really tough being an egg. You only get laid once, eaten once and it takes 10 minutes to get hard.’

Erin the Jokester

“Well,” she elaborates, “first there was dead silence and then you saw the ladder with the guys holding the lights starting to shake, just dying of laughter. Nobody expected that out of me. From that point on it became, like, who’s going to get the joke on camera this week? Gil, of course, had to top me, so it was a constant back and forth. Gil is very funny and there would be times when I would say to him, ‘Just shut the f–k up. Just stop. I’ve got a stitch in my side and I can’t remember my lines anymore.’ But that’s just his natural way.”

Looking Back at ‘Buck Rogers’

Buck Rogers in the 25 th Century ran for two seasons (which is surprising when one considers how well-remembered the show is by so many), and it ended up being an experience that was … alien … to Erin in a lot of ways. “There were episodes that I like more than others,” she reflects. “It was a little out there for me in terms of sci-fi. I’m the girl who likes all the cop procedural shows. My first book was, like, Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie and I go from there. I wasn’t into sci-fi except for things like Fahrenheit 451 or The Twilight Zone . So I didn’t really know Buck Rogers. One of the biggest things about the show for me was meeting some of the actors that I looked up to, like Anne Jeffreys from Topper — she was my favorite actress growing up. Or Jack Palance , who brought this energy in life to the set.”

The Impact of Wilma Deering

Her biggest takeaway from the series is no doubt the character of Wilma Deering, and its impact on both her and, as previously noted, the audience. “I wanted to be her,” Erin points out. “I didn’t want to take crap from anybody, you know? That helped that part of me to grow and, as it’s turned out, I inspired other women to be strong. I don’t feel responsible in one way because I didn’t go out there and lead the way or something — it just happened. But I’m very grateful for it. It’s a certain legacy that I have that I’m honored to have been part of.”

Mixed Blessing

When the show was over, Erin found the experience to be something of a mixed blessing. “When I got Buck Rogers , it was like getting the golden ring. I worked hard, I studied all those years in acting class, I traveled to Los Angeles and stuck it out. At the same time, I had a baby, so the timing was not really optimal. Also, I was on the set for so long, for so many hours, and sometimes sleeping in my dressing room over night, because there was no point in driving an hour to your home and then driving an hour back to the studio. I might as well just stay in my dressing room kind of thing. But that pulled me away from my responsibilities as a mother and it just killed me. I ended up moving so that I could be close to the studio so I could just drive home at lunchtime and just hug and feed my baby. Then head back to the studio.”

Nbc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock

‘Silver Spoons’

Following Buck Rogers , Erin appeared in several TV series as a guest star, including Fantasy Island, Magnum P.I., The Fall Guy and Simon & Simon . In 1982, she returned to regular TV playing Kate Summers-Stratton in Ricky Schroder’s sitcom Silver Spoons. “That was great ,” Erin enthuses, “because I had the best schedule an actress could ever hope for. You didn’t have table reads on Monday until noon, and then the chances are maybe we put it on its feet for about an hour or two and then head home. So I could pick up my son from school every day, I could take him to school every day. I find driving kids to school is the best time to find out everything that’s going on in their head. So that’s a precious time for me as a mom. I loved being a mom and being a wife. I loved cooking and doing wifey things. And because Ricky went to school in the mornings, that meant we didn’t go to work until noon.

The Joy of Sitcoms

“I loved Silver Spoons ,” she elaborates. “It wasn’t Shakespeare, but it was a family drama in a sitcom format that dealt with family ethics. Some of the messages could be corny, but I was proud of the work there. It was a different muscle for me to use. Like I said, I was always a straight man and didn’t know anything about comedy. Even when I was working with Ricky Nelson and playing the airhead ‘dumb blonde’ on the beach in my polka-dot bikini, but for me, here I am 17 years old and they’re giving me these really stupid jokes to say and I didn’t know how to act them. So I’d say them with an absolute deadpan face and it was hysterical. But I didn’t know what I was doing, they just happened to like it. So later on with Silver Spoons , Joel Higgins was brilliant at comedy and a great teacher. Working with Ricky and the rest of the cast was great — and Jason Bateman was a pleasure. Even at 15 we all knew he was going to be a star.”

Lennox Mclendon/AP/Shutterstock

A Career Derailed

Silver Spoons finished its run in 1987, not long before the Writers Guild of America went on a 153 day strike (the longest in history), which essentially shut down Hollywood. Erin feels that her career definitely took a hit as a result. “You quickly learn that this business is so strange,” she says. “One minute you’re a star, the next you’re nobody. The next you’re back to being a star again and it’s back and forth. It’s an interesting ride. For example, I remembering being on Buck Rogers and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and I’m parking in Johnny’s place and all that. Then Buck Rogers gets canceled and seven days later I go to the same lot and couldn’t get on. I had an audition and had to park six blocks own and walk back for this audition in the heat of the valley. Guess I’m not a star anymore.”

Courtesy Erin Gray and Lesley Bohm Photography

Regime Changes

“After I finished Silver Spoons , every studio wanted to work with me and I was taking meetings with everyone. But I wasn’t ready to make a decision just yet and thought I had time. Now had I agreed to do one of those shows that were offered to me, and the strike happened, I would have still been paid. But I didn’t and over the course of the strike the money was draining. Then, strike ends and all new studio regimes came in with a whole different agenda. Enough time had gone by where the bloom was off. I was able to guest star, but getting another series at that time didn’t happen. At the same time, I ended up getting a divorce.”

Heroes for Hire

Which, essentially, brings things back to Heroes for Hire and this new stage in her life — which is going just fine, thank you very much. “I truly believe that wherever you place your focus, that’s what grows,” Erin muses. “I had to focus on my company and my company then demanded I spend time with it if I was going to keep it going. So it’s been this dance of, ‘I’d love to work, but I am working.’ I’ve never worked harder as owner of my own company than I ever have in my life. There’s no doubt.”

Erin continues to act and, in fact, makes a September 10 guest appearance on the CW’s summer sci-fi hit, Pandora . The series focuses on the title character (played by Priscilla Quintana ) who, in the year 2199, has lost everything but finds a new life at Earth’s Space Training Academy — where she learns to defend the galaxy from a variety of threats (one of which could actually be herself). Erin guest stars as a ship captain (she finally gets a promotion from colonel!) who finds herself involved in the unfolding mystery of the series. “When I read the script,” Erin recalls, “I remember going, ‘Oh, my God, it’s a Buck Rogers script. I haven’t read one of these in a long time.’ That’s how I felt. Then I’d read through it and say, ‘That kind of reminds me of that movie … I wonder if they’re referencing that movie.’ Then I get on the set in Bulgaria an I find out that everything is making a reference to something sci-fi, whether it be my costar’s uniform or even my uniform, which is a take on Buck Rogers . I’m realizing I’m working with a bunch of sci-fi boys — the producers and director — who are having fun, which is great . So there’s that sense of play, and it was fun to delve into that.”

Peter Brooker/Shutterstock

Tai Chi for Life

But nothing — not Pandora, not Heroes for Hire — compares to her passion for tai chi, an internal Chinese martial art that is practice for its defensive training health benefits and meditation. “I teach tai chi and, if I had my druthers, I would be teaching it all the time, every day to everybody on the planet,” Erin reflects. “To me, it is the ultimate exercise and I’ve done everything from training marathons to aerobic classes, jumping rope to climbing mountains to you name it. It’s the one exercise for everybody for the rest of their lives. It’s a way to strengthen your immune system, calm your mind and give you great tools to survive. Flexibility is the key to good health and longevity — and not only flexibility of the body, but of the mind and the spirit.”

Erin Gray and Leslie Bohm Photography

Final Thoughts

With all of that in mind — and the journey she’s been on from 15-year-old girl who decided to become a model, saving the galaxy as part of Buck Rogers and, now, Pandora; creating her own company and truly living a tai chi life — how does she view her personal journey? “I feel very blessed,” Erin replies simply. “There’s no doubt I’ve had people come into my life without whom I don’t think I’d be the person I am today. I feel very blessed for the genes my parents gave me and their acumen. I’m glad I did it my way, even though I made some mistakes. I’ve been very blessed with beautiful children and an incredible husband — my second husband — who I’ve been married to for 27 years. I pinch myself every day. I’m glad I took chances. I’m glad I took risks.”

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What If? Erin Gray had played Janeway

Discussion in ' Star Trek: Voyager ' started by voss749 , Aug 12, 2007 .

voss749 Commander Red Shirt

Erin Gray of buck rogers fame was one of the 5 finalists for Janeway, how do you think Voyager would have been different if she had been picked as Janeway.  

Ezri Captain Captain

It would have been better with Erin Gray  

Aragorn Fleet Admiral Admiral

The scripts would be the same, but the lead actress would've been much easier on the eyes to watch. Unless there was an actor on the show with some sort of creative clout, Voyager was doomed to be what it was.  

Admiral Buzzkill Fleet Admiral Admiral

They'd have had to replace her with Genevieve Bujold in a week, much to their relief.  

With all the women of Voyager, Janeway was the problem.  

nx1701g Admiral Admiral

Linda Hamilton was also up for the role. Wasn't Sigourney Weaver also on the short list?  

Shatmandu Vice Admiral Admiral

voss749 said: Erin Gray of buck rogers fame was one of the 5 finalists for Janeway, how do you think Voyager would have been different if she had been picked as Janeway. Click to expand...

DarKush Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

Even though the stories would've probably been as lackluster I think I would've given Voyager more of a chance simply because I had fond memories of Gray on Buck Rogers and Silver Spoons.  

Wicca who Wonta Vice Admiral Admiral

I think Mulgrew was great as Janeway and I wouldn't want to see anyone else in that role.  

od0_ital Admiral Admiral

Well, if Erin Gray had been on VOY, I'd have gotten her autograph at Realms Con a couple of years ago, and from what I learned from Marina Sirtis at lunch that day, she'd have probably shown up as a guest star a lot more often (she was a big fan of Gray's).  

Sec31Mike Commander Red Shirt

I think Erin gray would have made a fine Janeway. VOY would have had a nice ratings bump by going with a well known actress for the role. Maybe Janeway would have come off a little less bitchy and condescending.  

david g Commodore Commodore

God, I cant imagine VOY being nearly as breakthrough or dramatic with an actress like Gray in the role. Mulgrew's performances in DEADLOCK, YOH, and ENGAME, among so many others, are so powerful that I doubt any other performer could rival them. That having been said, I do always wonder what Lindsay Wagner, another finalist, would have brought to the role, but she simply would have created such a different Janeway that the show would have been a completely different one as well.  

NathanielM Captain Captain

i believe it would have been a better pick thatn the broad major from Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. I really did not like her very much... -------------------------------------------------------- <Generals in unison> "Off Think! Off think!" <belt flies off Col Derring's uniform> "Off Think! Off Think!" <An other button opens> Buck Rogers ----------------------------------------------------------  

Malcom Vice Admiral Admiral

Ripley said: I think Mulgrew was great as Janeway and I wouldn't want to see anyone else in that role. Click to expand...

Vic Sixx Commodore Commodore

I think it would have been alot better, the Erin Gray Janeway/7 of 9 moments would have been alot more erotic  

McCoy Commodore Commodore

Gray would have been too lightweight. I couldn't imagine the crew being willing to follow her through Hell, like I can with Mulgrew.  

Orac Zen Mischief Manager Super Moderator

Kieran Commodore Commodore

I'd have been okay with Gray as Janeway.  

OldManDax Captain Captain

Candice Bergen, Meredith Baxter or Kate Jackson - i'd have taken any of them in the Janeway role. Erin Gray? Not so much. Btw, Kate Mulgrew WAS Janeway.  

Corran Horn Vice Admiral Admiral

I think she would have been great. More feminine. Sometimes Mulgrew sounds like she's smoked 3 packs a day.  

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The Untold Truth Of Star Trek: Voyager

Part of the problem with exploring the final frontier? There's just  so much  of it. That's the challenge the crew of the USS  Voyager  had to contend with in  Star Trek: Voyager 's two-part premiere "Caretaker," when the ship was tossed so deep into the distant Delta Quadrant that the crew believed it would take them the better part of a century to get home. Cut off from Starfleet and the Federation, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) — the first female captain to lead a  Trek  series — struggled to get her crew home while at the same time upholding the Federation's values and even using the opportunity to expand their knowledge of unexplored space.

Voyager  followed the adventures of its crew for seven seasons until they finally made their way home in the two-part finale "Endgame." And through all the space battles, the romance, and the debates between  Voyager 's principled officers, there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than you know. Resentments ran high between certain cast members, some characters were created to pay tribute to fallen heroes, and other characters were revealed to have surprising connections to other series.  Voyager also   helped to launch the blockbuster career of one actor while proving a singular triumph for a young network. 

To learn about all these things and more, keep reading for the untold truth of  Star Trek: Voyager .

Star Trek: Voyager was the jewel of UPN's crown

Paramount used  Star Trek: Voyager  to help launch its new mini-network UPN (United Paramount Network) in January 1995. UPN only had a small number of shows when it launched and only aired programming Monday and Tuesday nights between 8 PM and 10 PM. That same month,  Voyager  was joined by the sitcom  Pig Sty , comedian Richard Jeni's  Platypus Man , the Richard Grieco-led drama  Marker , and the sci-fi/Western series  Legend . 

Voyager 's "Caretaker" was UPN's first telecast on January 16, 1995, and it had 21.3 million viewers tuning in. Of the network's five inaugural series,  Voyager was the only program to survive its first year . Yes, believe it or not, even a show with a name like Platypus Man  got the ax. Voyager  went on to outlive other early UPN series like  The Sentinel , the sci-fi drama  Nowhere Man , and the hit teen sitcom  Moesha . Although, to be fair, its final episode aired only a week after  Moesha 's . However, Voyager  was the only of UPN's early series to last as long as seven seasons. 

Kate Mulgrew almost wasn't Janeway

When it came time to cast Janeway,  Voyager 's casting team looked at a lot of actresses. Among the candidates was Linda Hamilton of the  Terminator  films , Susan Gibney who'd played the recurring role of Dr. Leah Brahms on  Star Trek: The Next Generation  ( TNG ), and the  Buck Rogers  alum Erin Gray. Of course, as we all know, eventually Kate Mulgrew auditioned for the role, and the part went to ... Canadian actress Geneviève Bujold .

That's right. In her 2015 memoir  Born with Teeth , Mulgrew wrote that her first audition for the role went so poorly that she actually apologized for her subpar performance. She explained that she was distracted by having just fallen in love with a man — Tim Hagan, who she married in 1999 — and that she was meeting him later. Instead of Mulgrew, Bujold was cast in the role of the character who was then named Elizabeth Janeway. 

However, Bujold didn't last much of the voyage. She quit after a day and a half of filming.  Voyager  co-creator Rick Berman said of Bujold's departure, "This was a woman who, in no way, was going to be able to deal with the rigors of episodic television." Considering  Star Trek  documentaries like What We Left Behind  and  The Captains  include cast and crew talking about 16-hour work days, it's tough to blame Bujold too much for leaving the crew to deal with the Delta Quadrant without her.

Star Trek: Voyager helped launch Dwayne Johnson's acting career

Star Trek  has helped launch plenty of acting careers, and  Voyager  gave an early role to someone known today for leading blockbuster action flicks. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson  — still mostly known as a WWF wrestler in those days — made one of his first non-wrestling television appearances in the  Voyager  season six episode "Tsunkatse."

While the rest of the crew is enjoying shore leave, Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) take a shuttle to examine a nearby nebula. While out on their own, they're attacked and captured by aliens running a popular fighting arena. Tuvok is badly injured, and the arena's owner uses the injured Vulcan as leverage to make Seven fight for him. Her first opponent is the Rock, who plays an unnamed Pendari champion. In a fun fourth wall-breaking moment, the Rock gives his signature eyebrow raise to the crowd before defeating Seven in the ring. 

Speaking to  StarTrek.com  in 2018, Rick Berman expressed a lot of pride for his part in building the foundation for Johnson's acting career, saying, "It makes me feel terrific ... that there are some actors that we gave a first job to that have become successful. People like Dwayne Johnson, whose first acting job I think was on Voyager , and he's a world-renowned movie star now." Technically, Berman wasn't right about that. Johnson showed up on  That '70s Show  a year before "Tsunkatse," but we're guessing the appearance on  Voyager  didn't hurt his resume.

On Netflix, Voyager is the Trek champion

Most  Trek  fans have their own pick for their favorite  Trek  series. So if a  Trek  fan ever tells you "everyone hates this series" or "everyone loves this one," never believe them. For every fan who loves  Deep Space Nine , there are plenty who can't stand it. For every Trekkie   who wishes  Discovery  had never been made, there are old school fans and new who love it. So we're not trying to tell you  Voyager  is the best  Star Trek  show, but some numbers have revealed something interesting about the series' 21st-century popularity. 

In 2017, Netflix reviewed data (via Business Insider ) from over 100 million subscribers in close to 200 countries to figure which episodes of  Star Trek were watched more than any others. At the time, Netflix carried all the franchise's series produced between  Star Trek: The Original Series  and the 2005 finale of  Star Trek: Enterprise . And during its research, Netflix didn't count first or second episodes of series, because those generally have more views than others. 

Voyager  and  The Next Generation  were the only two series with episodes in the top ten most watched, and of those ten episodes,  six  belong to  Voyager . Those six episodes help to prove the enduring popularity of both the Borg and  Voyager 's season four newcomer, Seven of Nine . Most of the six episodes are very Seven and Borg-centric. They include the series finale "Endgame," the two-parters "Scorpion" and "Dark Frontiers," and "The Gift," which is the episode immediately following Seven's first appearance.

Behind the camera, Janeway and Seven didn't assimilate well

Behind the scenes of Voyager , Mulgrew resented the addition of Seven of Nine, whose sex appeal helped to boost Voyager 's ratings. And on 2013's Girl on Gu y podcast (via TrekCore ), Ryan talked about feeling physically ill at the thought of doing scenes with a particular Voyager  co-star. She didn't name Mulgrew, but she mentioned details making it clear it could be no one other than the lead actress.

While researching his book  The Fifty-Year Mission , co-writer Ed Gross looked into the feud and got more answers than he expected. One unnamed cast member claimed Mulgrew tried to enforce a rule that Ryan wouldn't be allowed to use the bathroom during work because it took "too much time" to get her in and out of costume. Harry Kim actor Garrett Wang said Mulgrew's anger wasn't initially directed toward Ryan, but once it was, "it became horrible." Chakotay actor Robert Beltran told Gross, "If ... it was me being insulted and Kate was a man, I probably would have taken a swipe at the guy." 

To her credit, the  Voyager  captain owned up her behavior toward Ryan. Mulgrew told Gross, "This is on me , not Jeri [Ryan]. . ..  I'd hoped against hope that Janeway would be sufficient. That we didn't have to bring a beautiful, sexy girl in." She went on to say she regretted her treatment of Ryan. "I probably should have comported myself better. I should have been more philosophical about it, but in the moment, it was difficult."

Ensign Wildman paid tribute to a young hero

One of the more prominent recurring characters on  Voyager  was Ensign Samantha Wildman (Nancy Hower).  Voyager 's unexpected journey to the Delta Quadrant separated the pregnant Ensign Wildman from her husband by about 70,000 light years. But on the bright side, her half-alien daughter, Naomi, eventually turned into another favorite recurring figure on  Voyager , becoming close friends with Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and even the usually socially resistant Seven of Nine. 

Interestingly, Samantha Wildman's name has a special meaning. Wildman first appeared in the second season episode "Elogium," co-written by Jimmy Diggs. The same year he sold the script, Diggs' wife almost died. A kidney transplant saved her life, and Diggs learned the donor was a seven-year-old girl. He wrote a letter to  Voyager 's producers, asking them to name the episode's new character "Samantha" after the little girl whose kidney saved his wife. "The ancient Greeks believed the gods would reward heroic mortals by placing them in the stars," Diggs wrote. "By honoring the memory of this child, the producers of Star Trek  will accomplish the same thing."   Because the young girl adored animals, Ensign Wildman was not only given her name but made part of the ship's xenobiology department. 

The Doctor channeled Bones without knowing it

One of the more popular characters on  Voyager  was also its best source of comic relief — the Doctor played by Robert Picardo. The Doctor is an Emergency Medical Hologram meant only for short-term use, but his job gets much more involved when  Voyager 's human doctor dies after the ship is thrown into the Delta Quadrant. Often cranky and arrogant, the Doctor also told some powerful stories in his attempts to be recognized as deserving equal rights with the rest of the crew. 

Speaking to  StarTrek.com  in January 2020, Picardo said he used a unique tactic in his audition for the role of the Doctor without even knowing he was using it. After reading the last scripted line, "I believe someone has failed to terminate my program," Picardo improvised with, "I'm a doctor, not a nightlight." Picardo said the line "got a big laugh, and [he] was hired the next day."

Of course, what makes the ad-libbed line funny is the play on Dr. McCoy's (DeForest Kelley) penchant for saying, "I'm a doctor, not a _____." But apparently, Picardo had no idea about Kelley's famous catchphrase. He said, "I faked my way through the audition and ad-libbed a DeForest Kelley joke without knowing it was a DeForest Kelley joke." Apparently, the gods of cranky  Star Trek  physicians were with him that day.

Tuvok came close to being a TNG regular

Tim Russ actually had a few  Trek one-off   gigs before landing the role of Security Chief Tuvok on  Voyager . On  DS9 , he was a Klingon mercenary who helps take the station hostage in "Invasive Procedures," and in  TNG 's "Starship Mine," he's one of a group of criminals trying to steal trilithium resin from the  Enterprise . In 1994's  Star Trek: Generations , Russ plays a lieutenant on the bridge of the  Enterprise- B in the film's opening. 

But before he did any of that work, he auditioned for the part of Geordi La Forge on  TNG . Speaking to  TrekMovie.com  in 2018, Russ said he was ultimately relieved to have lost the Geordi role to Levar Burton. Why? The dialogue. "The role [of Tuvok] was somewhat more organic and much easier in terms of dialogue," Russ said . "I am glad I didn't get stuck with all that engineering tech talk. ... That kind of dialogue doesn't do anything for me."

Russ also had the distinction of getting to appear in one of the few episodes in which  Voyager  characters could cross over into other series. Tuvok shows up in the  DS9  season three episode "Through the Looking Glass," though it's not quite the same Tuvok. The episode takes place in the mirror universe first made famous by  Star Trek: The Original Series ' "Mirror, Mirror." That universe's version of Tuvok appears as a member of the Terran resistance fighting against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.

Vorik may have a brother on the Enterprise

One of  Voyager 's recurring characters was Ensign Vorik, played by Alexander Enberg. Vorik is a Vulcan engineer who often worked closely with B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson). And Vorik developed a romantic interest in B'Elanna with violent consequences. In perhaps Vorik's most memorable appearance — in season three's "Blood Fever" — Vorik experiences the Vulcan mating period of pon farr and chooses B'Elanna as his mate. He forms a telepathic connection with B'Elanna, causing her violent Klingon mating instincts to emerge. The situation ends in a duel between B'Elanna and Vorik, which both thankfully survive. 

Between 1997 and 2001, Enberg appears in nine episodes of  Voyager as Vorik, but it wasn't the first time he appeared in a  Trek  show or even the first time he appeared as a Vulcan. Enberg was cast as a Vulcan named Taurik in "The Lower Decks," an episode in the middle of  TNG 's final season focusing on the rank and file aboard the  Enterprise . 

With Enberg not only playing Vulcans on both shows but with both Vulcans sharing rhyming names, some fans have wondered if there could be a connection between Vorik and Taurik. According to  Voyager  co-creator Jeri Taylor — who also happens to be Enberg's mother — there could be. In the 2012 book  Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , Taylor implies Taurik and Vorik may very well be twin brothers. And since she's their mother, we guess she would know.

Chakotay spoke his mind both on and off Star Trek: Voyager

As  Voyager 's first officer, Commander Chakotay is often forced to tell Captain Janeway things she doesn't want to hear. Fittingly, actor Robert Beltran is known for speaking his mind on what he likes and doesn't like about  Voyager , regardless of the consequences, even when the show was still on the air. By 2000, Beltran had aired enough dirty laundry in public that producer Kenneth Biller told  SFX Magazine  (via  TrekToday ) that he thought the actor "should stop whining and do his job."

Speaking to  StarTrek.com  in 2012, Beltran talked about not feeling fulfilled on  Voyager . "You're doing the same thing every week, with a new variation," the actor said , later adding, "I didn't like some of the things that were going towards the last three years, and I risked being fired because I wasn't happy creatively."   According to Beltran , Chakotay didn't have a lot of interesting relationships after the departure of Seska (Martha Hackett), his former lover who's eventually revealed to be a Cardassian. "After Seska left, it was only that relationship with the captain that had depth to it. ... Chakotay and the other characters, there wasn't much of a relationship there."

And Beltran has one problem with  Trek  a lot of fans may consider downright sacrilegious. Beltran hates the Prime Directive. In 2016, he told CNET , "The idea of leaving any species to die in its own filth when you have the ability to help them ... it's a bunch of fascist crap."

All these years after Star Trek: Voyager, Janeway is still making an impact

Decades after Captain Janeway was sent to the Delta Quadrant with the rest of  Voyager 's crew, it can be easy to forget how big of a deal it was in 1995 for a woman to be leading a  Star Trek  series as its ship's captain. While there's sadly still resistance to the idea, we're getting used to female-led action films and series , including  Star Wars  epics and superhero blockbusters. But in the mid-90's, for a woman to not only be the lead in a science fiction adventure series but playing a character regularly giving men orders, it was a big deal. Mulgrew left an important mark on our culture, and it's felt far beyond the world of television.

Speaking to  TrekMovie  in 2019 about the 25th anniversary of  Voyager , Mulgrew was asked about highly visible female politicians like Stacey Abrams and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who'd named Captain Janeway as an early influence. Mulgrew said she made a surprise appearance at one of Ocasio-Cortez's rallies, and that when they announced Mulgrew, "[Ocasio-Cortez] gasped, she turned. And when I approached her, I think she kind of fell." Mulgrew said Ocasio-Cortez related stories of watching  Voyager  as a child and that "when they lost their screen — they had bad reception in their house, and often the television was just black and white — she'd listen to it, like a radio show. "

Performers considered for VOY roles

• View history

This is a list of performers who were considered for Star Trek: Voyager roles , but ultimately did not appear in the role in the final episode or film. Performers listed here have been verified as having been considered by Star Trek personnel for a particular role on Trek in which they ultimately did not appear.

• 1 Karen Austin
• 2 Brenda Bakke
• 3 Kristin Bauer
• 4 Joanna Cassidy
• 5 Claudia Christian
• 6 Alicia Coppola
• 7 Lindsay Crouse
• 8 Blythe Danner
• 9 Susan Diol
• 10 Patty Duke
• 11 Chelsea Field
• 12 Jennifer Gatti
• 13 Susan Gibney
• 14 Gary Graham
• 15 Erin Gray
• 16 Stacy Haiduk
• 17 Linda Hamilton
• 18 Nigel Havers
• 19 Kate Jackson
• 20 Dominic Keating
• 21 Patsy Kensit
• 22 Hudson Leick
• 23 Brian Markinson
• 24.1 External links
• 25 Dina Meyer
• 26 Carrie Anne Moss
• 27.1 External link
• 28 Amanda Peet
• 29 Robert Picardo
• 30 Rene Rivera
• 31 Alan Scarfe
• 32 Tracy Scoggins
• 33 Helen Shaver
• 34 Eric Steinberg
• 35 Beth Toussaint
• 36 Kate Vernon
• 37 Lindsay Wagner
• 38 Ming-Na Wen

Karen Austin [ ]

Karen Austin is an actress who was according to a January 1995 article by Daniel Howard Cerone of the LA Times one of three actresses who were considered for the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager . According to Voyager co-creator and executive producer Jeri Taylor , Kate Mulgrew was finally chosen for the role because she " simply had an ineffable quality that put her ahead of the pack ". Austin ultimately went on to play Miral , the mother of B'Elanna Torres , in the Voyager episode " Barge of the Dead " as well as Kalandra in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Nor the Battle to the Strong ".

Brenda Bakke [ ]

Brenda Bakke was considered for the role of Seven of Nine . [1] Bakke had previously appeared as Rivan in TNG : " Justice ".

Kristin Bauer [ ]

Kristin Bauer was considered for the role of Seven of Nine . [2] She had previously appeared as a blonde fantasy woman in DS9 : " If Wishes Were Horses ", and later went on to play Lieutenant Laneth in ENT : " Divergence ".

Joanna Cassidy [ ]

Joanna Cassidy is an actress who was considered for the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager , according to the TV Guide issue dated October 8-14, 1994. Cassidy went on to play T'Pol 's mother, T'Les , in two fourth season episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise : " Home " and " Awakening ".

Claudia Christian [ ]

• See : Claudia Christian

Alicia Coppola [ ]

Alicia Coppola was considered for the role of Seven of Nine , however, she turned the offer down. [3] Coppola had previously played Stadi in " Caretaker ".

Lindsay Crouse [ ]

Lindsay Crouse is an actress who was considered for the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager , according to the TV Guide issue dated October 8-14, 1994.

She was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress in a Supporting role for the 1984 drama Places in the Heart . Her other film credits have included All the President's Men (1976), Slap Shot (1977), The Verdict (1982), House of Games (1987), Desperate Hours (1990), Bye Bye Love (1995), The Juror (1996), The Insider (1999), and Mr. Brooks (2007). She is also known for her recurring role as Professor Maggie Walsh on the cult television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer .

Blythe Danner [ ]

Blythe Danner was considered for the role of Captain Janeway. ( Science Fiction Television Series, 1990-2004: Histories, Casts and Credits for 58 Shows , p.291)

Blythe Danner is a two-time Prime-Time Emmy Award Winner and Tony Award winner. Danner is best known for her roles as Martha Jefferson in the film 1776 (1972), and as Dina Byrnes in Meet the Parents (2000) and its sequels Meet the Fockers (2004) and Little Fockers (2010). She has also appeared in the films The Great Santini (1979), Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990), The Prince of Tides (1991), Husbands and Wives (1992), and I'll See You in My Dreams (2015).

Susan Diol [ ]

• See : Susan Diol

Patty Duke [ ]

Patty Duke was an actress who was considered for the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager , according to the TV Guide issue dated October 8-14, 1994.

She is best known for her Academy Award-winning role as Helen Keller in 1962's The Miracle Worker , reprising her role from the original Broadway production. From 1963 through 1966 she was given her own sitcom series, The Patty Duke Show , co-starring William Schallert . She earned an Emmy Award nomination for her performance in this series. She has since won three Emmy Awards and has received an additional four Emmy nominations. She has also starred in such films as Valley of the Dolls (1967), Me, Natalie (1969), The Swarm (1978), Prelude to a Kiss (1992), and Bigger Than the Sky (2005), in addition to a respectable career in television and on the stage.

Duke passed away on 29 March 2016. [4]

Chelsea Field [ ]

• See : Chelsea Field

Jennifer Gatti [ ]

Jennifer Gatti was a runner up for the role of Kes before it was won by Jennifer Lien . ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 156) Gatti previously appeared as Ba'el in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes " Birthright, Part I " and " Birthright, Part II ", and later played Libby , Harry Kim 's girlfriend in the Voyager episode " Non Sequitur ".

Susan Gibney [ ]

Susan Gibney was an early favorite of Rick Berman for the role of Kathryn Janeway , and is best known for playing Dr. Leah Brahms in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes " Booby Trap " and " Galaxy's Child " and Benteen in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes " Homefront " and " Paradise Lost ". She filmed test scenes in full uniform on the mostly completed bridge set with some of the main cast members who had already been hired. Even with makeup to give her an older appearance Paramount felt she was too young for the part. Berman tried a second time when he brought her back for another screen test after Geneviève Bujold didn't work out. But, she was rejected again by Paramount on the same grounds. ( citation needed • edit ) She also tested for Seven of Nine and the Borg Queen . ( citation needed • edit )

Gary Graham [ ]

• See : Gary Graham

Erin Gray [ ]

Erin Gray has stated at science fiction convention appearances and in interviews that she read for the part of Janeway. ( citation needed • edit ) Gray is best known for her roles as Colonel Wilma Deering in the 1970s series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century , with Tim O'Connor and Michael Ansara . Mark Lenard and Frank Gorshin made a guest appearance on the series. She also starred as Kate Summers in the 1980s sitcom Silver Spoons and Diana Kimble in the 1993 horror film Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday . In 2009, she and her onetime co-star Gil Gerard participated in a test film for a James Cawley -produced reimagining of Buck Rogers .

Stacy Haiduk [ ]

Stacy Haiduk was considered for the role of Seven of Nine . [5]

Linda Hamilton [ ]

Linda Hamilton is an actress who was considered for the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager , according to the TV Guide issue dated October 8-14, 1994.

She is best known for her Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated role as Catherine Chandler opposite Ron Perlman on the television series Beauty and the Beast and for her role as Sarah Connor in the first two Terminator films. She also starred in such films as Children of the Corn (1984), Black Moon Rising (1986), King Kong Lives (1986), Mr. Destiny (1990), Silent Fall (1994), Separate Lives (1995), Dante's Peak (1997), Wholey Moses (2003), and The Kid & I (2005).

Nigel Havers [ ]

Nigel Havers is an English actor, who was a likely contender for a male version of Captain Janeway by the producers had Geneviève Bujold not expressed interest. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 1 , p. 29)

Kate Jackson [ ]

Kate Jackson is the actress, director and producer who was considered for the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager , according to the TV Guide issue dated October 8-14, 1994.

She is best known for her Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated role as Sabrina Duncan in the action television series Charlie's Angels . She later starred as Mrs. Amanda King on the CBS series Scarecrow & Mrs. King , earning another Golden Globe nomination. Her film credits include the 1989 comedy Loverboy with Kirstie Alley , Robert Picardo , and Victor Tayback .

Dominic Keating [ ]

Dominic Keating auditioned for a guest role on Star Trek: Voyager but was never called back. Eighteen months later he auditioned for the regular part of Malcolm Reed on Star Trek: Enterprise and was cast. ( ENT Season 1 DVD )

Patsy Kensit [ ]

Patsy Kensit is an English actress and singer who was considered for the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager , according to the TV Guide issue dated October 8-14, 1994.

She has starred in such films as Absolute Beginners (1986), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Twenty-One (1991), Blame It On the Bellboy (1992), Angels and Insects (1995), and The One and Only (2002). She was also the lead singer of the 1980s British pop band Eighth Wonder. She more recently starred in the long-running British television series Emmerdale and is currently a regular on the popular medical drama Holby City .

Hudson Leick [ ]

Hudson Leick auditioned for the role of Seven of Nine . ( Beyond the Final Frontier , p. 308)

Leick is best known for her performance as Callisto in the television series Xena, Warrior Princess (1996-2000) and The Legendary Journeys of Hercules (1997-1999). She has also performed in television series such as Law & Order , University Hospital , Melrose Place , Tru Calling , and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and has played in films such as Knight Rider 2010 (1994), Hijacked: Flight 285 (1996, with David Graf ), Denial (1998, with Jason Alexander ), Chill Factor (1999, where she was doubled by Patricia Tallman ), A.I. Assault (2006, starring several Star Trek performers such as George Takei , Michael Dorn , Robert Picardo , Bill Mumy , and Joe Lando ), and the comedy One, Two, Many (2008, with Azalea Davila ).

Brian Markinson [ ]

Brian Markinson originally auditioned for the role of The Doctor , however the part went to Robert Picardo . [6] He had previously played the role of Vorin in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode " Homeward ". He would subsequently appear on Voyager as Pete Durst in " Cathexis " and " Faces ", as well as Sulan in the latter episode. He would also appear as Dr. Elias Giger in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " In the Cards ".

Tania Metia [ ]

Tania Metia is the listed name of actress Tania Mejia who was scheduled to appear as the female kissing crewmember in the Voyager second season episode " Elogium ". According to the call sheet for the first day of filming on this episode, Wednesday 12 April 1995 , Metia is listed as "Female Crewmember Scenes 2,3,4" with a call time at 5:45 am. However, this scene was finally filmed during second unit on Thursday 4 May 1995 and Metia was replaced by actress Lora Zuckerman . Gary O'Brien remained in his role.

According to her resume at ActorsAccess.com, Mejia was featured in this episode.

Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Mejia appeared in featured roles in episodes of Veronica Clare (1991, with Clifton Collins, Jr. , Kaitlin Hopkins , Stephen Markle , and Lavelle Roby ) and Soldiers of Fortune, Inc. (1998, with Melinda Clarke , Mark A. Sheppard , and Marshall Teague ), the horror film Alligator II: The Mutation (1991, with Richard Lynch , Brock Peters , Elkanah J. Burns , Dorothy Ching-Davis , Linda Fetters , Evelyn Guerrero , Kane Hodder , Alan Marcus , and Gene LeBell ), the comedy $40,000 (1996), and the thriller Deadlock: A Passion for Murder (1997, with Shauna O'Brien ).

More recent acting work includes the television mini-series Struggles (2017), the short film Skin in the Game (2018), the drama Icarus (2018, with Charlie Newhart ), the war drama Indivisible (2018), and episodes of Banshee (2015, with Panuvat Anthony Nanakornpanom ), Homeland (2018), Queen of the South (2019, with David Andrews , Ted Barba , Perry Barndt , John Dixon , Tony Donno , and Allen Robinson ), and Messiah (2020, with Melinda Page Hamilton and Barbara Eve Harris ).

External links [ ]

• Tania Mejia at the Internet Movie Database
• Tania Mejia at ActorsAccess.com
• Tania Mejia  at Instagram

Dina Meyer [ ]

Dina Meyer was considered for the role of Seven of Nine . [7] Meyer later appeared as Commander Donatra in Star Trek Nemesis .

Carrie Anne Moss [ ]

Carrie Anne Moss was considered for the role of Seven of Nine . [8]

Moss is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Trinity in the The Matrix film series (1999-2003). She is also known for her portrayal of Aria T'Loak in the video games Mass Effect 2 (2010) and Mass Effect 3 (2012), which also featured the voices of Jennifer Hale , Raphael Sbarge , Kimberly Brooks , Robin Sachs , D.C. Douglas , Keith Szarabajka , Michael Dorn , Armin Shimerman , Dwight Schultz , Sumalee Montano and Brian George .

Audrianne Norwood [ ]

Audrianne Norwood is an actress who is listed on one of the original call sheets as appearing as farm folk in the pilot episode " Caretaker ". She was up to film her scenes on Monday 3 October 1994 on Paramount Stage 16 . On the revised call sheet, she was replaced by Eva Larson .

Norwood had a silent bit role as one of the players wives along with Debra Dilley in the comedy The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988).

External link [ ]

• Audrianne Norwood at the Internet Movie Database

Amanda Peet [ ]

Amanda Peet was considered for the role of Seven of Nine , however she was not interested. [9]

Robert Picardo [ ]

Robert Picardo originally auditioned for the role of Neelix , however the part went to Ethan Phillips . The producers saw potential in Picardo and invited him to read for the part of The Doctor , which he eventually got. [10] He also guest starred as Hieronymus Hawks in an episode of the anthology TV series Femme Fatales .

Rene Rivera [ ]

Rivera during his audition in 1993

Rene Rivera is an actor from San Antonio, Texas, who was considered for the role of Captain Janeway before the decision was made that the character was to be a woman. He was briefly seen in the VOY Season 1 DVD special feature The First Captain: Bujold .

Rivera had guest roles in television series such as Miami Vice (1989, with Robert Beltran and Sherman Howard ), Law & Order (1993), Soldiers of Fortune, Inc. (1997, with Melinda Clarke and Mark A. Sheppard ), Profiler (1999, with Timothy Carhart , Michelle C. Bonilla , Dennis Christopher , and Mark Rolston ), Nash Bridges (2001), The X-Files (2002), NYPD Blue (2002), Monk (2003, with Tony Plana , Jorge Cervera, Jr. , and Marcelo Tubert ), Shark (2007, with Jeri Ryan ), Prison Break (2008), and Rizzoli & Isles (2013, with Bruce McGill ).

He also appeared in films including the comedy Suffering Bastards (1989), the romance It Could Happen to You (1994), the drama Basquiat (1996), the drama Desert Blue (1998), the crime drama The Salton Sea (2002), the sport drama Lords of Dogtown (2005), the thriller Disturbia (2007), and the drama Smashed (2012).

Alan Scarfe [ ]

Alan Scarfe is an actor who was the first actor cast for the role of Kazon-Ogla First maje Jabin in the Star Trek: Voyager pilot episode " Caretaker ". He filmed his scenes on Tuesday 13 September 1994 on Paramount Stage 9 , representing the Kazon bridge set. The role was later re-cast with actor Gavan O'Herlihy who also re-filmed Scarfe's scenes.

Scarfe previously guest-starred as Admiral Mendak and Tokath on the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes " Data's Day " and " Birthright, Part II " and later portrayed Augris in the Voyager second season episode " Resistance ".

Tracy Scoggins [ ]

Tracy Scoggins is the actress who was considered for the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager , according to the TV Guide issue dated October 8-14, 1994. Later, she went on to play Gilora Rejal in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Destiny ". She went on to play another captain, Elizabeth Lochley, on the final season of the sci-fi series Babylon 5 as well as in two television movies and the spin-off series Crusade . She is also well known for her role as Cat Grant during the first season of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman .

Helen Shaver [ ]

Helen Shaver is an award-winning actress and director. According to a January 1995 article by Daniel Howard Cerone of the LA Times , Shaver was among the three final actresses considered for the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager .

She starred in the 1985 romantic drama Desert Hearts , co-starring TNG actress Denise Crosby , and had supporting roles in films such as The Amityville Horror (1979), The Color of Money (1986), and The Craft (1996). She also starred in the series Poltergeist: The Legacy . In addition, she has directed several episodes of the 1990s version of The Outer Limits and the 2001-05 series Judging Amy , which she also produced. Other shows she directed include The O.C. , The 4400 , Close to Home , Medium , and The Unit .

Eric Steinberg [ ]

Eric Steinberg was was reportedly the runner-up in auditions for the role of Harry Kim , as noted by Garrett Wang in The Delta Flyers podcast episode for VOY : " Equinox, Part II ". [11] Steinberg later played Paul Porter in Star Trek: First Contact and the Ankari captain in "Equinox, Part II".

Beth Toussaint [ ]

Beth Toussaint was considered for the role of Seven of Nine , but turned the offer down. [12] Toussaint had previously appeared as Ishara Yar in TNG : " Legacy ".

Kate Vernon [ ]

Kate Vernon was considered for the role of Seven of Nine . [13] Vernon later appeared as Valerie Archer in " In the Flesh ".

Lindsay Wagner [ ]

Lindsay Wagner is the actress who was considered for the role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager , according to the TV Guide issue dated October 8-14, 1994.

Wagner is best known for her Emmy Award-winning role as Jaime Sommers in the 1970s television series The Bionic Woman . She also received two Golden Globe nominations for the role, which she originated on The Six Million Dollar Man . Her other credits include the films The Paper Chase (1973), Two People (1974, directed by Robert Wise ), Nighthawks (1981), and Ricochet (1991) and appearances on such television shows as Marcus Welby, M.D. , The Fall Guy , and Alfred Hitchcock Presents . She was once married to stuntman Henry Kingi, Sr. and was thus the stepmother of Henry Kingi, Jr.

Ming-Na Wen [ ]

Ming-Na Wen was considered for the role of Seven of Nine , however, she was busy filming the series The Single Guy at the time. [14]

• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)