This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe. An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we profile Ensign Brooks, one of the more prolific background characters in Voyager.
(Some resemblance to the Captain is definitely present, courtesy memory-alpha.org)
If there's one thing that stands out about Voyager, it's the lack of regular secondary characters outside a few major villains because the ship is always moving and changing the setting. That means whenever it's time for Voyager to come up in the rotation, we often cover a role that is rarely credited.
Brooks falls right into this mix, as she is a command division officer who shows up as assistance on certain missions or as a regular "face in the crowd" at big events like Neelix's goodbye party. For example, she appears in the pilot Caretaker and receives orders from the Captain to help scan the region on that occasion.
But she does not have many appearances in the first 2 and a half seasons of the show because the actress was also a stand in for Captain Janeway in some episodes because of her general similar appearance to Kate Mulgrew. That makes this character somewhat unique, in that instead of remaining just a complete background actor and stand in, Brooks does graduate to a speaking role on a handful of occasions. That also means this role is credited in a couple appearances, but only a small number of her 18 overall.
She almost became a victim of a malfunctioning doctor hologram in the episode Darkling. After greeting the doctor, he follows her into the turbolift and is about to make a move to do something maleficent to her when Tom Paris enters the turbolift and "saves the day." Enter heavily edited dramatic music, stage left:
Brooks: Doctor.
(both enter turbolift)
Brooks: Deck 10
EMH: How are you this evening, ensign?
Brooks: Fine Sir.
EMH: Deck...14 (ominous looks)
(Tom Paris enters turbolift)
Paris: Ensign, Doctor...Deck 10
That may be the crowning achievement of background character drama and quotes, right there. If nothing else, it's Brooks' most notable appearance on Voyager.
Her other notable moment came in an alternative timeline seen in the two-part episode Year of Hell, as she was supposed to share a room in this timeline with Seven of Nine. It didn't work out because Seven thought Brooks to be too untidy. It's tough living with a neat freak Borg roommate.
As mentioned with similar characters, Brooks is a necessary recurring component on a show with this type of premise, e.g., a limited crew stranded together for years. However, she doesn't add much more than the status quo, unfortunately.
Sue Henley played Brooks, and she also appeared as a command division officer on two early seasons of Deep Space Nine. Outside Star Trek, Henley had limited roles in the movies Hairspray, and The Long Kiss Goodnight alongside Samuel L. Jackson, you know, that guy who assembles the Avengers and wields a purple lightsaber.
Until next time, don't let creepy malfunctioning holograms get to you, modern redshirts.
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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...
This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe. An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we profile Admiral William Ross from the latter seasons of Deep Space Nine.
(An admiral worth fighting for, quite literally, courtesy memory-alpha.org)
Admiral Ross is first seen after the Dominion War begins, as he is assigned to be the head of Starfleet forces in the war. Sisko and his crew first encounter him when the Defiant is used to run regular missions like attacking a ketracel-white facility. However, Sisko impresses the Admiral so much that when his adjutant is promoted to wing commander, Ross replaces that person with Captain Sisko.That causes Sisko to become even more important to the Dominion War effort, as he along with Klingon General Martok are the closest advisers to Admiral Ross before and during the many battles fought with the Founders and the Jem'Hadar. The relationship was not without its bumps, however, as Sisko had trouble wavering between loyalty to his DS9 and Defiant crew as well as to Bajor and loyalty to Ross's war efforts.
At one point, this forces Ross to say (in Tears of the Prophets):
"That's the problem, isn't it? For the past six years you've tried to be both, and up to now I've been patient. I've indulged you, I've gone out on a limb for you many times, but this is it. You've got to make a decision. You are either the Emissary or a Starfleet captain. You can't be both."
Sisko decided to follow Ross's orders on that occasion, and that mission against the Breen was just as successful as the previous bold re-taking of Deep Space Nine from the Cardassians because of Sisko's involvement. Ross likely gets along so well with Sisko because both men have strong family ties and both parallel one another when it comes to putting duty first (both even cross some lines not normally crossed by high level Starfleet officers in the name of succeeding at the war). This relationship is profitable all the way to the Battle of Cardassia, which Sisko planned out and in which the Dominion was finally defeated and the Starfleet-Klingon-Romulan alliance won the day.
Ross also had to deal with Kira Nerys extensively when she came into command of Deep Space Nine following Sisko's promotion to the adjutant position. Ross and Kira clashed over Romulans being posted on the station, as well as over Romulans placing plasma weapon launchers on a Bajoran moon. Kira enacted a blockade around the moon, causing Ross to back her and force the Romulans to remove those weapons.
After losing against Kira's incredible resolve in this Bajoran matter, Ross quips (in Shadows and Symbols):
"Remind me never to play poker with you".
Ross fills a role that had really not been seen out of Admiral characters on any Trek series and especially not on Deep Space Nine, that being a good person overall. The show producers believe it was mostly due to actor Barry Jenner bringing some backstory and actual character to the role rather than just being a bland or gruff authoritarian figure. The writers loved how this actor fit the mold of what they always wanted in admiral characters, and that led to his becoming a significant character in many episodes of the final two seasons of this show.
Indeed, when Admiral Ross quotes Douglas MacArthur after signing the peace treaty to end the war, he just feels like a natural and important member of the Starfleet contingent of this show. Jenner is to be commended for that, as this may still very well be the only truly successful portrayal of an Admiral over a high number of recurring appearances in Star Trek history.
When not playing Admiral Ross, Barry Jenner can be seen in many other television shows, including long recurring runs on Family Matters and the original Dallas. (Insert theme)Until next time, keep hoping for more actual good Admiral characters in the future!
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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...
This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe. An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we profile the large pale man who stands behind Lwaxana Troi from TNG, her attendant Mr. Homn.
(Lurch and Mr. Homn are not all that different, if you think about it, courtesy memory-alpha.org)
Mr. Homn arrives with Lwaxana during most of her early appearances on board the Enterprise. As her attendant, he helps her with everything from tailoring a wedding dress, to planning a picnic for Riker and Deanna, to trying to find a husband. Perhaps making up for the overabundance of volume that comes out of her mouth, this character speaks only with sign language for the most part.
The one exception to this came in his first appearance, in the episode Haven. Following a dinner with Captain Picard, he says:
"Thank you for the drinks"
And that's all you get as far as quotes. Speaking of drinks, we know that Mr. Homn frequently consumes large amounts of alcohol without experiencing apparent effects. Of course, when your boss continuously leaves half-full wine glasses at the dinner table and when you have no qualms finishing those off, it's easy to get a belly full of alcohol.
His best moment likely came in the episode Dark Page, where he helps Deanna figure out why her mother has gone into a coma. When it is realized that she is in a coma to suppress the memory of a dead daughter Kestra who died as an infant, he reveals a saved picture of the child from 40 years ago which helps Lwaxana come to grips finally with her grief.
Just like she says about Captain Picard, Lwaxana says Mr. Homn harbors outrageously lustful thoughts, but it's hard to know how believable she is. After all, Mr. Homn stays around as attendant while the person he replaced in the role was Mr. Xelo, who was fired for lusting after Lwaxana too much. It must be a real hoot to have your boss read your mind all the time.
Lurch, I mean Mr. Homn, is an interesting background character who provides a nice contrast to Deanna's boisterous mother whenever she is around. While she is one of the more loathed characters in Star Trek, he generally seems to have positive reviews. But I guess when you stand next to Jar Jar Binks all the time, me se thinks you look super good.
Carey Struycken played Mr. Homn, and he of course played Lurch in the Addams Family movies around the same time as TNG. He's also known for his roles as the Giant on Twin Peaks, and as an alien on Men In Black.
Until next time, bang that gong Mr. Homn. (insert gong sound)
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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...
This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe. An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
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Welcome back to Character Insight! This week, we honor the memory of actress Grace Lee Whitney, who passed away at the age of 85 this week. This is the "Best Of" her character Yeoman Janice Rand from TOS.
(Janice Rand as she appeared in the latter movies and in Voyager, courtesy memory-alpha.org)
Grace Lee Whitney grew up as an adopted child in Michigan and she found rapid success as an actress, first on Broadway and then with several guest appearances on well-known television series of the 50s and 60s like Bewitched, Batman, and Cimmaron Strip. She was slated to be a regular main character as the captain's yeoman on TOS, but her role was cut just 8 episodes into the first season.
Although the specific reason for her dismissal from the cast is not clear, it has been rumored that her problems with alcohol and diet pills was part of the problem, as was the need to avoid a regular love interest for the Captain Kirk character. Those problems with alcohol abuse unfortunately worsened significantly for Whitney following her pain from being sacked from this popular television show.
However, this story does end much better, as Star Trek become the bookends on a tumultuous decade in her life. She began her recovery from alcohol addiction in 1980, following an invite back to appear in the first Star Trek movie. She would go on to appear in three other TOS films, and then an episode of Voyager as well as a couple of independent Star Trek episodes produced in 2007.
So while the disappointment of what happened on TOS almost killed her, Star Trek also became a big part of what saved her and allowed her to enjoy life and engaging with fans for 35 more years.
As yeoman on TOS, Whitney delivered many highly quotable lines in her limited run of 8 episodes. One good example is from The Corbomite Maneuver:
Dr. McCoy: [Rand enters the bridge carrying a tray] I thought the power was off in the galley?
Yeoman Rand: I used a hand phaser, and zap! Hot coffee.
In the Voyager episode Flashback, we learn about Tuvok's past on the USS Excelsior while seeing a future version of Janice Rand serving as second-in-command and night duty manager, while still being quotable as ever:
Commander Janice Rand: All right, gamma shift. Time to defend the Federation against gaseous anomalies.
In the sixth TOS movie The Undiscovered Country, we again see Rand serving on the Excelsior, although this time as a communications officer:
Captain Hikaru Sulu: An *incident*?
Commander Janice Rand: Do we report this, sir?
Captain Hikaru Sulu: [turning to Rand] Are you kidding?
Although it is sad that we did not get to see more of Grace Whitney and Yeoman Rand in the TOS series, her appearances in the movies and on Voyager was a nice touch of nostalgia and a great move to bring Whitney back into the fold. Let her struggles and success be a lesson to you, if you are struggling with alcohol addiction or anything else, please talk to your family, friends, or even just random podcasters on the internet. We can listen and help others get through the tough times, much like Star Trek helped Whitney get back on track.
Rest in peace, Grace. You, like Leonard Nimoy, did Live Long and Prosper.
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Feedback can be sent to me with future segment suggestions on Twitter @BuckeyeFitzy. Until next time, live long and prosper...
