The wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, created “a sense of family” for Star Trek actors, according to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Quark actor Armin Shimerman. Majel Barrett-Roddenberry has been part of the Star Trek legacy ever since Star Trek: The Original Series, where she originated the roles of Number One and Nurse Christine Chapel, now played on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds by Rebecca Romjin and Jess Bush, respectively. Barrett-Roddenberry voiced nearly all Starfleet computers from TOS to J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek in 2009, and portrayed Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi in 9 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
The premiere of Star Trek: Voyager in 1995 brought the total number of live-action Star Trek shows up to four, and inducted a brand-new cast of actors into the Star Trek family, many of whom had never before been part of a franchise as beloved as Star Trek. With Voyager taking place across the galaxy from the primary action on Deep Space Nine, there were few, if any, opportunities for crossovers between the shows, but Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, the “First Lady of Star Trek”, found ways to connect Voyager and DS9‘s cast not only to each other, but to the larger Star Trek legacy as well.
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Star Trek: All 4 Roles (& Voiceovers) Played By Majel Barrett
Majel Barrett-Roddenberry was the First Lady of Star Trek, who appeared in TOS, TNG, DS9, and also lent her voice to nearly every series and movie.
Majel Barrett-Roddenberry Brought Different Star Trek Shows Together As A Family
The “den mother” of Star Trek looked after new actors.
On the podcast The Delta Flyers, Quark actor Armin Shimerman joins Star Trek: Voyager actors Robert Duncan McNeill and Garrett Wang for a discussion about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 17, “The Forsaken”, which features Majel Barrett-Roddenberry’s first DS9 appearance as Ambassador Lwaxana Troi. At one point, McNeill asks if Shimerman had ever attended one of Barrett-Roddenberry’s parties, and receives a resounding yes, along with praise for Majel’s hospitality. Read their quotes below and listen to The Delta Flyers, starting at the 22:27 timestamp.
Armin Shimerman: “[Majel Barrett’s parties] were always fun. What she was always trying to do was bring the various shows together. She would invite the actors from the various [Star Trek] shows together, so that there was a sense of family amongst the shows, not just one show, but all the shows. I was very grateful for her doing that. Majel was a terrific lady. When we did conventions together, or cruises together, she was always the den mother.”
Robert Duncan McNeill: “I went to one party at her house. It was a Super Bowl party, and it was so much fun. … She brought all the shows together to create that unity, and that sense of family, and I forgot about that, but you’re absolutely right. It’s where I got to meet a lot of the other actors from the other shows.”
Harry Kim Actor Regrets Not Attending Majel Barrett’s Parties
Garrett Wang missed several once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.
A little later, in the same episode of The Delta Flyers, Voyager‘s Ensign Harry Kim actor, Garrett Wang, is quick to confess that, unlike his Voyager co-star, Robert Duncan McNeill, Wang never actually went to any of the parties that Barrett-Roddenberry invited Wang to. Read his quote below, from the 23:37 timestamp.
Garrett Wang: “There’s a couple regrets I have from the old days of filming. Regret number one was not taking up Bill Shatner on his offer of coming to his horse show, which he offered every single year, and I never did it. And second was not taking up Majel’s offer of coming to one of her parties. She invited me to every single one that she had, and I did not go.“
This isn’t the first time that Wang expresses regret over not participating in social activities arranged by senior members of the Star Trek family. Garrett Wang missed Jennifer Lien’s farewell party thrown by Kate Mulgrew, held when the Kes actress departed Star Trek: Voyager in its fourth season. Although it’s unusual that Wang makes a point of his absence again, it’s possible Wang recognizes that he didn’t have the perspective then that he does now. Attending Star Trek cast functions might have put the Ensign Harry Kim actor in the good graces of Mulgrew, Barrett-Roddenberry, and Shatner.
After all, Star Trek: Voyager‘s Lt. Tom Paris actor Robert Duncan McNeill benefited from attending one of Majel Barrett-Roddenberry’s parties, because McNeill met other actors from throughout the Star Trek franchise thanks to Barrett-Roddenberry’s hospitality. DS9‘s Armin Shimerman, who was a friend of Barrett-Roddenberry’s even before Majel’s DS9 appearance, attended several. Through the testimony of these Star Trek actors, it’s clear that Majel Barrett-Roddenberry was dedicated to building connections among all the Star Trek casts that worked during her lifetime, which helped to foster the sense of community that remains an essential part of the Star Trek family today.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager are streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Cast
-
Avery Brooks
, Rene Auberjonois
, Cirroc Lofton
, Colm Meaney
, Armin Shimerman
, Alexander Siddig
, Nana Visitor
, Michael Dorn
, Nicole de Boer
, Terry Farrell
, Andrew Robinson - Writers
-
Michael Piller
, Ira Steven Behr
, Ronald D. Moore - Showrunner
-
Michael Piller
, Ira Steven Behr
Star Trek: Voyager
- Cast
-
Kate Mulgrew
, Robert Beltran
, Roxann Dawson
, Jennifer Lien
, Robert Duncan McNeill
, Ethan Phillips
, Robert Picardo
, Tim Russ
, Garrett Wang
, Jeri Ryan - Writers
-
Michael Piller
, Jeri Taylor
, Brannon Braga
, Kenneth Biller - Showrunner
-
Michael Piller
, Jeri Taylor
, Brannon Braga
, Kenneth Biller
