The actor who portrayed the Predator in the first two Predator films was considered for the roles of both Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) on Star Trek: The Next Generation. After its initial run in the 1960s, Star Trek: The Original Series developed a passionate fanbase, and many of these fans were wary of a new Star Trek series with different characters. This put a lot of pressure on Gene Roddenberry and the people at Paramount to perfectly cast the crew of the USS Enterprise-D for TNG.

The first Predator film premiered in 1987 and went on to become a classic, despite initially mixed reviews. The commercial success of the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led film spawned an entire Predator franchise which includes five total films, as well as two crossover films with the Alien franchise. In 1987’s Predator, Schwarzenegger’s Dutch Schaefer leads a rescue mission to save hostages in a Central American rainforest. The military men soon find themselves the ones being hunted, as a technologically advanced alien known only as the Predator stalks them. At 7 feet 2 inches tall, actor Kevin Peter Hall cut an intimidating figure as the terrifying Predator.

Predator Actor Kevin Peter Hall Was Considered For Star Trek: TNG’s Geordi & Data

Kevin Peter Hall played the Predator in 1987’s Predator & 1990’s Predator 2.

As seen in a 1987 memo from Paramount (pictured below), Kevin Peter Hall was on the shortlist of actors to play Lt. Geordi La Forge or Lt. Commander Data. While LeVar Burton was also on the list as a possibility for Geordi, alongside Reggie Jackson and Wesley Snipes, Brent Spiner was not even being considered to play Data at this point in the casting process. Patrick Stewart was already a frontrunner for Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but Gene Roddenberry wasn’t a fan of Stewart. Many different actors were considered for the roles of the Enterprise-D crew members, but the final cast choices ended up being a resounding success.

Because of his height, Kevin Peter Hall appeared as numerous movie monsters throughout his career, beginning with several horror films throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. Hall also popped up in episodes of Night Court and The Dukes of Hazzard. Hall played the Bigfoot named Harry in 1987’s Harry and the Hendersons, a role he reprised for the first season of the spin-off sitcom of the same name. Kevin Peter Hall’s life was tragically cut short when he passed away from AIDS-related pneumonia on April 10, 1991, at the age of 35.

Kevin Peter Hall Guest Starred In An Episode Of Star Trek: TNG

Hall portrays a Caldonian named Leyor in TNG season 3, episode 8, “The Price.”

Some of the actors who had been considered for major roles on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but didn’t get the part, were later brought in for guest roles. Kevin Peter Hall didn’t end up portraying Data or Geordi, but he did appear in TNG season 3, episode 8, “The Price.” “The Price” centers on negotiations for the right to control a supposedly stable wormhole that would allow starships to travel a vast distance in a matter of seconds. Hall plays Leyor, a Caldonian diplomat and negotiator.

Leyor eventually withdraws the Caldonians from the negotiations after another negotiator, Devinoni Ral (Matt McCoy), convinces him that maintaining the wormhole would require too much time and resources. Although the Caldonians were mostly intellectuals and academics, Hall’s height helped make Leyor a particularly imposing alien figure. His Star Trek: The Next Generation role may have been a minor one, but Kevin Peter Hall cemented his place in film history by portraying the iconic Predator in the first two Predator films.