Robert O’Reilly’s 4 Star Trek Roles Explained

Robert O’Reilly may be most known for playing the Klingon Chancellor Gowron on Star Trek, but he also appeared as three other characters across the franchise. O’Reilly first appeared as Gowron in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, but the actor had previously made a brief appearance in TNG season 2, episode 19, “Manhunt,” as a gangster character on the holodeck. Gowron went on to become Chancellor of the Klingon High Council, and he appeared in four episodes of TNG and eight episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. O’Reilly also portrayed a human accountant in an episode of DS9 and an alien bounty hunter in Star Trek: Enterprise.

Robert O’Reilly has had a long career in film, television, and theater. Throughout the 1980s and ’90s, he appeared in numerous popular television shows, including CHiPs, The Incredible Hulk, Hill Street Blues, Knight Rider, MacGyver, In the Heat of the Night, and Dallas. O’Reilly often played antagonistic characters and had a distinctive, piercing gaze, he once referred to as “that crazy loon eyeball thing.” O’Reilly was first cast as Gowron by Star Trek actor and director Jonathan Frakes for Star Trek: The Next Generation season 4, episode 7, “Reunion.” Robert O’Reilly has since retired from acting.

4

Scarface

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2, Episode 19 – “Manhunt”

In Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “Manhunt,” the USS Enterprise-D is ordered to transport several dignitaries, including Betazoid Ambassador Lwaxana Troi (Majel Barrett), to an important conference. When Lwaxana makes romantic advances towards Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) informs the captain that her mother has entered a Betazoid stage in life known as “The Phase.” Because of this, her sex drive has drastically increased, and she is searching for a husband among the Enterprise crew.

To avoid Lwaxana Troi, Captain Picard retreats to the holodeck to take on the role of his favorite hardboiled detective, Dixon Hill. Picard struggles to settle on the story he wants to experience, telling the computer: “It’s much too violent. I’m here to relax, not to dodge bullets.” Within this holodeck simulation, Robert O’Reilly plays one of the gangsters, identified only as Scarface, who barges into Dixon Hill’s office to forcefully recruit him for a job.

3

Replacement Accountant

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 7, Episode 15 – “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang”

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s “Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang” is a Star Trek holodeck episode following Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and Chief Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) as they recruit their fellow DS9 crew members to save Vic Fontaine’s (James Darren) Las Vegas lounge. The crew of DS9 have visited Fontaine’s bar on numerous occasions, but this time a mobster named Frankie Eyes (Robert Miano) bursts in and takes over the lounge.

When Bashir and O’Brien realize they cannot delete Frankie Eyes from the holodeck program, they plan a heist to steal from him and hopefully get him removed from the program. As part of the heist, Ezri Dax (Nicole de Boer) poses as a waitress and plans to drug the accountant watching the safe with the money, so he will leave the safe unattended. On the night of the heist, a different accountant is present, played by Robert O’Reilly, which puts a wrinkle in Ezri’s plan, but she still succeeds in getting him to accept the drugged drink.

2

Kago

Star Trek: Enterprise Season 2, Episode 25 – “Bounty”

In his last Star Trek appearance, Robert O’Reilly portrayed Kago, a bounty hunter hired by the Klingon Captain Goroth (Michael Garvey) to bring in Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula). Star Trek: Enterprise’s “Bounty” begins with Captain Archer being kidnapped by a Tellarite bounty hunter named Skalaar (Jordan Lund), who plans to turn him over to the Klingons. Having been promised a hefty reward by Captain Goroth, Kago attacks Skalaar, but Skalaar is able to disable his ship with help from Archer.

Kago is forced to make an emergency landing on a nearby planet. As Kago works to repair his ship, Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) contacts him from the Enterprise NX-01 searching for Archer. Kago informs the Enterprise crew of the bounty on Archer’s head and tells them that he is probably headed toward Klingon space. Meanwhile, Skalaar delivers Archer to the Klingons, but when Goroth short-changes him, Skalaar tells the Enterprise where to locate the Klingon’s ship.

1

Gowron

Star Trek: The Next Generation & Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

First introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “Reunion,” Gowron was initially an outsider when it came to Klingon politics but eventually became Chancellor of the Klingon High Council, with help from Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn). Later, in the TNG two-part episode, “Redemption,” Lursa (Barbara March) and B’Etor (Gwynyth Walsh) Duras challenged Gowron’s authority, leading to a Klingon Civil War. Gowron eventually emerged victorious, thanks to some help from Worf and the Federation.

On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as the Cold War between the Alpha Quadrant and the Dominion began to escalate, Gowron launched an invasion of the Cardassian Union. Gowron had recently appointed Klingon General Martok (J.G. Hertzler) as a military advisor, unaware that Martok had been replaced by a Changeling. Martok’s influence on Gowron led to war with the Cardassians and conflict with the Federation.

When the Dominion War began in earnest, the Klingon forces were driven out of Cardassian space, and Gowron reluctantly assisted Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) in a battle against Dominion forces. The real Martok proved crucial to the war effort and came to be regarded as a hero to the Klingons. Feeling threatened, Gowron attempted to undermine Martok, but Worf later challenged Gowron on Martok’s behalf. Worf killed Gowron in one-on-one combat, and named Martok as the new Chancellor. With his distinct appearance and memorable personality, Gowron remains one of Star Trek’s most famous Klingons.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, & Star Trek: Enterprise are available to stream on Paramount+.