12 Actors Who Hated Being On Star Trek 

Omg omg omg!!

I never can fathom the leap of logic it takes to send death threats to an *actor* for the actions of a *fictional character.*

Many of these actors disliked their roles so much they returned *many* times!

What was even worse for Harry Kim was that Tom Paris was recruited out of prison and immediately given the rank of lieutenant. Later on in the show he is punished with a demotion to ensign, then later gets promoted back to lieutenant. All the while, model officer Harry Kim is still an ensign.

Anyone that thought Brent Spiner could only ever be Data is not old enough to remember Night Court.

Not a true whatculture-list without mispronunciation of names, RIP L'naaaaard Nimoy

Actor on Star Trek: I just wish my character was used a little bit more. What Culture: STAR TREK ACTOR HATES BEING ON STAR TREK!!

Ironic since I honestly believe Harry Kim was one of the better developed characters in Voyager, he went from the shy unsure ensign, to the confident man not afraid to voice his opinion, and in the time travel episode "Timeless" he was that determined angry man who wanted to fix his past errors. I really liked the character of Harry Kim and thought Wang played it well

I met Simon Pegg at my work facility when they shot Into Darkness. He was waiting alone, outside the area where they were filming. I was a building escort. We had a nice little chat, mostly about our facility, filming on location and his film crew. He was a super nice guy and he just seemed so humble and grateful for his career. I mentioned all of the work and activity that went on all night, as the crew transformed our facility into parts of a spaceship. Simon, said something like. "Yeah, the carpenters, electricians, the make-up and set artists, the stunt crew, the catering people... everyone else works so hard. I have the easiest job in the world. I just sit here on this throne (a folding actor's chair) until they call me. Then, I walk out, stand where they tell me to stand, say the same line 50 times, go to the catering truck, eat some amazing food and I'm done for the day and I get to sleep in a posh hotel room. These people will put in 16-18 hours, stay up all night, working and setting up for the next scene and they'll still be here when we shoot it tomorrow. They do all of the real work". He praised our amazing facility and he talked about how nice it was to be at an actual high tech facility, instead of pretending to be someplace, while standing in front of a boring green screen. I can't imagine Simon Pegg ever saying how miserable he was, making a movie. He seemed like he really appreciated what he does for a living and how much harder everyone else was working and how actors on big movies are treated like Kings. What a good dude. I'm almost afraid to ever talk to another actor, because it would probably be a big let down.

12 Actors Who Were Mildly Annoyed With Being On Star Trek is more like it.

Garrett Wang doesn’t just attend conventions, he’s been the Trek Track Coordinator for Dragon Con for something like 10 years now.

Harry Kim: "I didn't see a little box on my chair..." Janeway: "You have a chair? Tuvok, correct that mistake."

Garrett Wang was one of the most underused actors in Voyager. But he was the centrepiece of the best episode of the series, "Timeless"

Although it was SO obvious Jeri Ryan was added for sex appeal to get the nerdy young male audience, Voyager did a good job with her overall story and character arc. She actually grew as a character during her time on the show... at the expense of several other characters, obviously. Glad to see she's returned to the role and it would be fun if she got at least a mini-series to explore the current version of Seven.

You know I did kinda feel that Chakotay was a good character and he didn't get enough to do as Voyager went on...

How did the announcer manage to mispronounce almost ever actor and character name from the various Star Trek series? lol.

Denise Crosby should have waited. In an ensemble show like this, it takes time to develop all the key players. You start with the stars and work your way down. Look how Worf and Geordi, even O'Brien turned their roles into important ones.

Hate seems like a strong word for this list. Frustrations maybe better.

I met Garrett Wang at a convention a few years ago, he's incredible. He was open about how he felt about working on Voyager at the time, but he prefers sharing all of the great stories rather than lingering on the bad stuff. The shit they got away with on set was amazing.

I had the pleasure of meeting Grace Lee Whitney at a convention, she and I hit it off as friends immediately- she and I were both sober, and had once been married to a drummer! When she signed her book, she gave me her phone number. She said she had a lovely ranch and that if I were ever in her area, to call her and she would put my band up. Sadly she passed away before I had that chance. She was one of the kindest people I've ever met.

I loved McDowell as Soran, he wasn't just a 2D villain, he has a motivation and though perhaps his methods were immoral, all he wanted to get back to the place he considered home. Not to mention that since Guinan showed that the "nexus echo" thing is a thing, that soran wanted to reunify with his other-self.

George R. R. Martin once said that Tasha Yar's death was a big influence on his writing as he felt it was quite shocking for a show like TNG.

I found the title misleading. You promised me actors who hated their time on Trek, but instead most of the list was just "Actors who were kind of pissy at some point during the course of their job, but eventually calmed down and now everything is swell."

So, "Leonard" rhymes with "Picard"? Fascinating.

I think the hate for Pulaski came because of her bullying of Data, but her character added an interesting dynamic to Star Trek. IMO, the intercrew storylines of DS9 and Voyager were much more interestig because of the greater amount of tension between characters than what existed on TNG.

#2: Brent also played a role in Enterprise. That was Dr. Noonian Soong's grand father.

Good ol L'nard Nimoy.

Len-aard Neemoy. I know have a new level of appreciation for the “whatculture” formula.

All the characters felt the way Denise Crosby did. They all had doubts about it lasting. She was just the only one who bailed.

I loved the Voyager ending. It was one of my favorite series.

7:40 W H A T ? ? ? I had no idea Siddig was his nephew of all people!?!

Nimoy specifically said that the meaning of the title I Am Not Spock was not intended to imply distaste for Trek or Spock but simply meant that he as a person is very different than his character.

Actually it's Robert Beltran's "wooden" season seven performances that made me like the character a lot more, and they did give him major roles in at least three episodes that season including workforce parts one and two, and then the episode where he is dating seven in holo. Oh yes and the episode when he is trapped with seven in the native American style alien habitat, his performance was very strong in that. And then the episode where voyager is split up across all these different time zones, and he is the only one who can go back-and-forth between the different times. That was excellent.

You mentioned Nimoy's first book, "I am Not Spock." Then later you mention the first Star Trek movies and how Mr. Nimoy refused to return unless they killed off Spock. I think in Nimoy's second book, "I Am Spock," you'll find that Mr. Nimoy says that he did not come up with the idea of killing off Spock. That was something the studio approached him with as a possible idea because they knew he wasn't thrilled with continuing the character. In "I Am Spock," Mr. Nimoy also points out that much of his resistance to playing the character of Spock didn't have as much to do with the character as it did with his overall relationship with the studio. One of the problems he had with the studio was mentioned in this video, that being the fact that they had been using his likeness without his permission and without compensation for quite a few years. At the time, Nimoy had a lawsuit going concerning these issues and that needed to be resolved before he would be willing to enter into another contract with them. Fortunately, they did settle the lawsuit and the rest is history.

Ever since I first saw Voyager in the 90s I've felt Harry Kim got screwed more than any other character I've seen in the franchise. Steve Shives even did a video on it a year or two ago.

The thing about Diana Muldaur in TNG always being billed as a special guest star is that she wanted that billing, to be a "special guest star" despite basically being part of the main cast for the season. She got more money for it, and that billing was more noticeable, seeing as it always ran after the credits and lingered on screen for several seconds as opposed to being part of the opening credits.

I’m surprised to see Brent on this list because I felt like he exhibited the greatest range as an actor, even greater than Patrick. The struggles with his search for humanity, the serious notes when he would take command of the enterprise or the other federation vessel, the countless humorous notes, and the blank total emotionless parts when he had taken over the enterprise when he was corrupted by Lore. It’s a shame that his career didn’t take off outside of Star Trek

A lot of weird emPHAsis on the wrong SylAHbles

I actually loved Wesley Crusher. I didn't care for Wil Wheaton at the time, but I love the character he portrayed.

It's funny that Beltran thought that the introduction of 7 of 9 was a move away from "strong storytelling", when the introduction of her character led to the quality of the show increasing overall. As soon as the writers realised they had some great character dynamics to work with. For me Voyager really kicked into gear with 7.

Brent Spiner: I'm too old to play Data today. CBS: $$$$$$$ Brent Spiner: Lets Do This!!!

This video is bs. He's talking about complaints these actors had since being an actor on these shows were quite challenging. However, most of them appreciated their roles and were more than happy to reprise their roles when asked. This guy is taking stuff out of context and I wouldn't be surprised if he was making some of it up.

As one of the fans that watched Star Trek from the first airings in the late sixties, I consider the Trek series to be the best science fiction that has ever been produced and reruns will be shown as long as television exists.

I always get the impression that Malcolm McDowell hates every role he's in. As if after A Clockwork Orange, everything else is beneath him.

They tried to make Diana Muldar's character into a female version of Dr. McCoy. Didn't work.

Diana Muldaur was offered "proper" billing on the opening credits, but she turned it down.

My favorite Brent spiner role outside of the Star Trek franchise is the character of Bob Wheeler, which was a recurring role in 7 episodes, spanning two seasons of Night Court.

I'm most surprised by Leonard Nimoy being on this list. He was a staple of the show. Star Trek would never have been what it became without Spock. I thought bringing in Seven as a replacement for Kess was brilliant. She was a great character.

Dude, NOT 60 years. Star Trek premiered on my birthday in 1966 and I am not 60 yet.

"the franchise is currently enjoying the glorious return of Seven of Nine in 'Picard'" - I love it when the TrekCulture guys add comedy into their videos 😂

"Shut up, Wesley!!"

From the way the narrator mispronounces most of the names, it's easy to tell they are not a fan of Star Trek.

I didn’t miss Tasha Yar one bit.

Not true about Leonard Nimoy refusing to appear in the Wrath of Khan unless Spock was killed. He clearly denies this in his book "I am Spock".

Star Trek would be different without Leonard Nimoy? Star Trek wouldn’t exist with Leonard Nimoy.

I wonder how many burger flippers at Mickey Dees would have been glad to have traded places and salaries with them

this video gave me an idea. you might do a video about the different actors who played multiple roles throughout the franchise.

Coincidentally, I hated Denise Crosby being on Star Trek also.

I thought Tom Hardy despised his role as Shinzon in Nemesis.

There goes 15 minutes of my life I won’t get back.

My favorite cast members of Star Trek: (In no particular order) Patrick Stewart Brent Spiner Robert Picardo Dwight Schultz Michael Dorn John De Lancie Any episode that focused on them was Gold.

"Well, someone has to be ensign" Shit like this would not have happened with Ronald D. Moore handling Voyager.

Leonard Nimoy came to Belfast to sign copies of his book, “I am Spock.” I have that book with his autograph.

I remember seeing Spiner at a convention, asking him his least favorite part, and him going on a 15 minute rant about how much Spot the cat HATED Brent! Data loved spot. But Brent DESPISED him and I rmember him claiming the worst episode was "Genesis", where Spot played a keys role in the episode.

I believe Wil Wheaton is friends with Rod Roddenberry. As for “someone has to be Ensign” they could have promoted him, and made 7 join starfleet as... and Ensign.

I met Majel Barrett at a Star Trek Convention over 25 years ago. She did her tour with fun and dedication... Great lady. In contrast to some, who probably have no other merit!

Glad Nimoy seemed to come around to accepting or at least tolerating being forever associated with Spock. Most of us will always see James Arness as marshall Matt Dillion. Some actors are just born to play an iconic character.

I wonder if TNG ever considered bringing Muldaur back for the episode Ship In A Bottle. A "fictionalized" version of Pulaski as the love of Moriarty's life would've been a great twist instead of the creation of the role of the Countess (played by Stephanie Beechum).

Denise Crosby hated it so much she came back later as an alternate Tasha, then came back several more times as Sela. Umm...?

I grew up on TNG, as did many of my peers. No one thought that Tasha Yar was just scenery or what not. It was an ensemble cast, and they had to make room for a whole lot of characters in the first season. Some characters didn't really get fleshed out until season 2-3 or even 4. Her death was a pretty big deal at the time, as fans actually liked her character which sort of suggests that she had a fair enough amount of screen time. The episode where she dies is one of the best in the series, Armus was a truly superb villain, and her death had impact. A whole bunch of things happen in that episode, and yet 30 years later all anyone remembers is that Tasha died in it.

At least Star Trek Online gave Harry Kim the promotion he deserves.

When Grace Lee Whitney wrote her memoirs, fans caught on quick who the 'producer' (there 'the executive') was. It was none other then Gene Roddenberry. Makes you wonder if the Zefram Cochran subplot of Star Trek First Contact about admiring the vision not the man is a commentary on that. When Mark Sheppard was on the Voyager set he said it was a strange experience because people just weren't talking to each other like they should, Kate Mulgrew for example deplored what Jeri Ryan represented feeling it at odds with what Janeway and Torres represented and she called Beltran a lazy actor.

I remember Star Trek as an alternative to Lost in Space,in the 60's, was 100* more superior to lost in space, and, Nothing will ever replace the original star trek crew and episodes, I watched them as a kid in the 60's, the old mechanical clock ticking down to "disaster" I still love todays episodes, but, Nothing will replace Spock, Kirk, McCoy, "Scotty" (beam me up) a household word today.

60 years of Star Trek history? I'm 65, and I was not-quite-12 when "Star Trek" first aired on September 8, 1966.

I met Garrett Wang at a convention a couple years ago. When I was talking with Tom Paris, my friend was talking with Garrett and ended up collapsing. Garrett looked over the desk at her on the ground then at me and back at her 4 times then said “I’m not that boring am I?” I assured him he wasn’t. That was my favourite thing about any of the conventions I have ever attended

There's a lot of talk from Trekkies about how DS9 was the most dysfunctional.. .notice not a single DS9 action on that list?

If I recall correctly, there are a few errors here. As I understand things: (1) Diana Muldaur asked to be credited as a “special appearance”. (2) (EDIT: Three years ago I wrote some info here about Kim and Kes and their actors, Garrett Wang and Jennifer Lien, that ultimately turned out to be untrue rumours. Check my comment below for an correction.) (3) Speaking of Wang, he was actually involved in quite a bit of Star Trek fan fiction after Voyager, so I don’t think it was Star Trek that he hated as much as his character specifically. (4) Chief among Brent Spiner’s concerns was-like many actors-the makeup, which was extreme in order to subtract thirty years from his face.

They did Garrett Wang dirty. His character never gets promoted and they wouldn't even let him direct.

They should be grateful!! Many would kill for a part on Star Trek!! Many actors from this franchise are still successful

Maybe Robert Beltran would like to star in a sequel to Night of the Comet?

Hearing actors lament about roles that made them famous (as well as steadily employed) is a drag. If it hadn't been for Star Trek who would have ever heard of Garrett Wang or Robert Beltran? I've watched all five series and each actor had many turns in the spotlight. Here's an idea: Just say thank you.

It sounds like they all wanted to be captain.

I met McDowell at a convention, told him it was great to meet the guy that killed Kirk. He didn't seem too pleased considering I also got him to sign a photo of him in 'A Clockwork Orange.'

Imagine being a famed actor like Denise Crosby was in 1987 and learning that the script lines of other characters were actually going to spoken by other actors on the show.

You forgot Teri Garr who denies ever being on Star Trek TOS.

Having Worf was worth losing Yar. Also, last I Checked Gates didn't get fired, she was pregnant and raising a child

Not including Teri Garr is an oversight. Star Trek is the one subject she refuses to discuss.

Denise Crosby made it clear that she didn't want to spend seven years saying, "Hailing frequencies open, sir." That's why she opted to leave ST:TNG.

Jonathan Harris was listed as special guest star on all 89 episodes of Lost in Space from 1965 thru 1968.

I understood Garrett Wang’s name was pronounced as ‘Garrett Wong’.

Grace lee Whitney Didn't hate being on the star trek, She hated being let go from the show and was very bitter about it for a long time.

Actually Denise Crosby wanted to be the daughter of Tasha and Castillo played by Macdonald. Eventually returning to the show. But they made her a Romulan and gave her guest appearances to placate the fans. But she was never allowed back.

I love you, but what's up with the weird pronunciation of Nimoy's first name? "Luh-NARD"?!? It's LEN-ard, and it's never been anything but.

I'm so glad Susanna Thompson stuck it out. I really love her iteration of the Borg Queen. She maintained an ethereal and feminine quality that wasn't completely overshadowed by her menace.

Nimoy did not demand that he be killed off in Wrath of Khan, rather, while trying to get him to reprise his Spock role, Nicholas Meyer, the director of WoK asked him how he'd like to have a really great death scene. Nimoy said that he couldn't turn down that part.

Funny how in many of these 'top XX' lists, DS9 is largely ignored. Terry Farrell in particular had some choice words about her time on Trek.

Anyone who so mangles the classic Original Star Trek episode title, "Is There In Truth No Beauty?" shouldn't be hosting Star Trek videos. What's your next one, "Battlefield Last Be That Your Let?"

Denise Crosby was lucky Roddenberry let her out of the contract. He was still involved in the show and he understood that she wasn't happy. The character had so much potential.

Why are you saying Leonard like that!? LMAO!

I've been a long time Garrett Wang defender. Garrett is a really capable actor, and the writers failed to give him something to do (excluding a few good Harry Kim episodes). The character Harry Kim came with a built-in arc that the writers forgot about. Garrett Wang and Robert Duncan McNeil have a podcast where they talk about their time on Voyager. It's called the Delta Flyers. They go through each episode and talk about what happened behind the scenes. It's really good.