who plays shran on star trek enterprise

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Sep 9, 2023

Every Star Trek Character Played by Jeffrey Combs, Ranked

The character actor is one of the few to play multiple roles across multiple Trek series. From Weyoun to 'holosuite guest', here's how they all stack up.

StarTrek.com

When Jeffrey Combs first broke out as the electrifying Dr. Herbert West in Stuart Gordon’s classic cult horror movie Re-Animator in 1985, it began a journey that would turn the actor into a staple of genre cinema. After numerous adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft’s work in the late '80s and early '90s, Combs would eventually join the ranks of fellow character actors who took guest roles on Star Trek . For most actors, this was a one-and-done deal; a week’s work on one of the most-beloved franchises of all time.

For Combs, it would become a decade — nine roles across numerous Star Trek -related projects, many of which were under heavy makeup, and several that were much, much more than one-time guest roles. With so many roles (and prosthetics) to choose from, Combs is the perfect subject for a good old-fashioned ranking.

From Weyoun to a background Holosuite Guest, here's how they all stack up.

9. Holosuite Guest

"What You Leave Behind"

At the bottom of our list is an appearance so fleeting that most viewers probably don’t realize it’s Combs!

In the series finale of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , our main cast speaks about their plans for the future now that the Dominion War is over, and enjoys one final performance from their favorite holographic lounge singer, Vic Fontaine. Among the many other guests at Vic’s club is one conspicuously placed Combs sans makeup, but looking snazzy in a 1960s style suit and tie. Is he a hologram? Is he another Starfleet officer who felt like dressing up that night? He doesn’t speak and remains in the background, so we’ll never know for sure! Let the fan fiction begin!

Star Trek: Elite Force II

Combs has only had a handful of appearances in Star Trek video games, and usually appears as two characters we’ll see further down this list. In 2003’s Star Trek: Elite Force II , Combs assumed the role of main villain Suldok, a Romulan commander responsible for planning a military coup against the Romulan Star Empire using — what else? — an ancient race of genetically-engineered bugs. It’s unfortunate that the Elite Force games are somewhat lost to time — the original Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force featured some of the most faithful, fun to explore recreations of Star Trek ships.

"Tsunkatse"

Combs’ work is so closely associated with Deep Space Nine that it’s easy to forget that he appeared (along with DS9 alum J.G. Hertzler) in the sixth season Star Trek: Voyager episode “Tsunkatse” as Penk, who kidnaps Seven of Nine and forces her to compete in a popular bloodsport.

What makes it even easier to forget that Combs (or anyone else) appeared in this episode is that it also features Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at the height of the WWE’s Attitude Era. He’s the most electrifying man in sports entertainment no matter what quadrant you’re in.

"Meridian"

In the Deep Space Nine episode “Meridian,” Tiron is a super-creep, but it says a lot about Combs as a performer that even when he’s doing something so weird and off-putting, you can’t help but watch just to see what’s going to happen next. Tiron probably has the most in common with Combs’ breakout role in Re-Animator ; he’s myopically focused on one (gross) thing, doesn’t care what he has to do or who he has to run through to achieve his goals, and ultimately falls victim to his own hubris. All the while, Combs gives us a totally dialed in, one-off performance that perfectly captures everything we like about him as an actor. It’s his work in this episode that would lead to him getting called back again, and again, and again.

5. Kevin Mulkahey

"Far Beyond the Stars"

Part of the fun of an episode like “Far Beyond the Stars” is that, along with its still-relevant social commentary and stellar storytelling, it’s one of those classic Star Trek scenarios that allows the entire cast to play completely different characters.

In Benny Russell’s 1953 Harlem, all of Sisko’s friends and enemies have a direct analogue. The DS9 crew are fellow writers and artists at Incredible Tales, while Gul Dukat and Combs’ Weyoun appear as (most definitely racist) detectives Burt Ryan and Kevin Mulkahey, who antagonize Russell about his suit and space station drawings. Things get worse (and the chilling parallels to real life become clearer) after Mulkahey and Ryan shoot and kill Jake Sisko stand-in Jimmy, and then proceed to beat Russell nearly to death in the middle of the street. Mulkahey never appears again in the series, but Ben Sisko carries these events with him all the way to his ascension to the celestial temple.

"Acquisition"

Just shortly after Deep Space Nine ’s conclusion in 1999, Combs was cast for the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “Acquisition” as the Ferengi Krem, who along with his pirate crew attempt to sabotage and steal the Enterprise .

As part of a standout crew of guest performers including Star Trek vets Ethan Phillips ( Voyager ’s Neelix) and Clint Howard (The Original Series’ Balok), Krem offers a contrasting performance to his previous work as Brunt by showcasing a Ferengi capable of seeing the flaws in his hyper-capitalist culture, especially when he sees how his cousin Ulis has been exploiting his easy-going nature and forcing him to doing menial jobs for less pay on their raids. In many ways, he could possibly be an ancestor to Deep Space Nine ’s future union leader, Rom!

"The Magnificent Ferengi"

Of course, the Ferengi we most closely associate with Combs is Liquidator Brunt. Brunt first appears in the third season episode “Family Business,” and for a time, largely serves as an antagonist to Quark, who can’t help but continually fall under the scrutiny the Ferengi version of the SEC.

As the series progresses, Brunt becomes our window into the inner workings of Ferenginar. He is the true believer in the Ferengi way of life, and perhaps the best example of how, even in a future that is striving towards utopia, meddling middle-managers and bureaucrats are still waiting in the shadows to take a cut of your wages and credit for your work.

"Treachery, Faith and the Great River"

Weyoun is Combs’ own pick for his favorite performance in all of Star Trek , and it’s easy to see why! Weyoun started off as merely the third unique character the actor played in Season 3 of Deep Space Nine , and he even perished at the hands of his own Jem’Hadar soldiers at the end of “To the Death.”

It is soon revealed, however, that that the Vorta was merely the fourth in a line of clones, all created to serve at the discretion of the Founders. Combs would go on to perform as five different variations of Weyoun all the way to the DS9 series finale. Each version was masterfully performed by Combs with their own little quirks and insecurities, giving audiences enough variation that one could easily do a ranking of Weyouns on their own!

Combs plays Weyoun 5 for much of the middle seasons of Deep Space Nine when the Dominion finally takes the stage as the true antagonists for Sisko and the crew. Special attention, however, must be paid to Weyoun 6, who is considered “defective” for daring to question the motivations behind the Dominion War. “Treachery, Faith, and the Great River” is an important episode not just for Weyoun but Deep Space Nine as a whole, as it furthers the idea that not everything can be simply broken down into “good” and “evil.” Even the shades of grey have shades of grey — clones bred for diplomacy included.

When Combs portrayed both Weyoun and Brunt in the episode “Dogs of War,” he became the first Star Trek actor to portray two different, completely unrelated recurring characters in the same episode.

It would take nearly 40 years after the end of The Original Series for an Andorian character to appear as anything other than a background extra of a one-off guest appearance, so when Combs first appeared as Thy’lek Shran in Enterprise it was, needless to say, a big deal. Not only was this classic alien race finally getting a true representative in the Star Trek canon, the character of Shran radically reinvented what we had mostly acknowledged as “those blue aliens with the things on their heads.” Enterprise ’s Andorians were pissed off, leather-clad commandos with a serious bone to pick with the Vulcans, setting up a lot of questions about how these people are going to become one of the founding members of the Federation by Enterprise ’s end.

After nearly a decade playing various degrees of villains on Star Trek , it’s with Shran that we get to see Combs in a new light as an honorable anti-hero with a serious chip on his shoulder. He’s passionate, cunning, and tough as nails when it comes to defending his people from harm. He undergoes a lot of growth over four seasons, and, according to producer Manny Coto, had Enterprise gone to a fifth, he likely would have found himself stationed on the bridge of the titular ship with Archer and the crew having come to peace with the Vulcans and opened up himself and his civilization to the idea of the Federation. He is, in many ways, the living example of what Enterprise was all about from the beginning.

Every Star Trek Character Played By Jeffrey Combs, Ranked

Get Updates By Email

This article was originally published on May 29, 2019.

Andy Webb (he/him) is a social media producer from Brooklyn whose work has been seen on CollegeHumor, Dorkly, Big Think and beyond. His passion for all things pop culture has been channeled into live comedy shows at the Alamo Drafthouse, live music video riffing for New York Comic Con, and placing 7th in the last season of the New York Trivia League on team Otrivia de Havilland. Follow him on Twitter at @Webbslinger for pictures of his cat, Odo.

Stay tuned to StarTrek.com for more details! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on TikTok , Instagram , Facebook , YouTube , and Twitter .

Den of Geek

Star Trek’s Jeffrey Combs On Why Enterprise Deserves More Love

Jeffrey Combs, the man behind Shran, Weyoun, and several other Star Trek favorites, is back as an evil computer on Lower Decks.

• Share on Facebook (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Twitter (opens in a new tab)
• Share on Linkedin (opens in a new tab)
• Share on email (opens in a new tab)

Mild spoilers ahead for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 2, Episode 7, “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie.” 

Jeffrey Combs is Star Trek royalty. There’s just no other way to say it. Prior to 2021, Combs played eight distinct characters across three different series. But now, after his turn in the latest Star Trek: Lower Decks episode — “Where Pleasant Fountains Lie” — Combs has now played nine characters across four shows. If you loved Combs as Shran in Enterprise or Weyoun in DS9 , you’re gonna love him as the voice of an evil and hilarious A.I. in Lower Decks . Den of Geek had a chance to chat with Combs about returning to the Trek universe, why he’s glad he didn’t get the role of Will Riker in 1987, and his firm belief that the prequel series Enterprise contains some of the best of Trek ever. 

In the latest episode of Lower Decks , Boimler and Mariner have to transport a rogue A.I. via shuttlecraft, to a secret Starfleet storage facility where, apparently, little evil computers are all stored. The twist is, that along the way, their shuttle crashes on an inhospitable planet — very reminiscent of Ceti Alpha V from The Wrath of Khan — leaving Boimler and Mariner stuck with the evil computer, who is trying to get in their head.

“I’m constantly just trying to get someone to plug me in,” Combs explains. “I cajole. I threaten. I charm. Just help me get off this planet! I’m the solution! It’s just a delicious note to play. I just keep trying to get them to do it. Then I can take over the multiverse.”

Ad – content continues below

Star Trek: How Dr. Pulaski Helped The Next Generation Find Its Feet

Star Trek Canon Wants Justice For Tasha Yar

Before playing the voice of this little evil computer, It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Jeffrey Combs in the Trek universe. His last appearance was in the Enterprise season finale in 2005, playing the cranky Andorian Shran, a role which Discovery’s most recent Andorian, Noah Averbach-Katz, said was his “template for the Über-Andorian.” Depending on your favorite era of Trek , you might have a different image of Combs in your mind. In Deep Space Nine , although he played the Ferengi Brunt his most affecting role was probably Weyoun, the duplicitous and scheming Vorta clone.

“With Weayoun, everyone was a snarling gravelly-voiced villain,” Combs says. “And I thought: ‘hmm maybe I do something different and play a different note.’ I always try and find that. It’s not always there. Shran was a little more of a serious take. But even he can get a dark joke in there, every once in a while.” 

When asked, Combs jumped at the chance to do Lower Decks , saying “After I hear the word ‘Star’ followed by the word ‘Trek,’ I’m completely enamored of the idea and eager to be a part of it.” That said, Combs admits that the tone of Lower Decks was, at first, tricky.

“My biggest challenge was meeting the tone of the script,” he says. “I hadn’t seen much of Lower Decks , so, at first,  I didn’t have much of a frame of reference.  It was a completely different kind of tone from what I’m used to with Star Treks. It’s a little sassy. A little irreverent. But it does have some honesty about it and some issues that people are dealing with. But I just kind of like the fast-paced sort of wry humor that’s mixed in. I think I hit their music. I tried to keep up with the very talented pack of actors.”

In 1986, when Lower Decks actors Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid were still young kids, Jeffrey Combs was in a “crowded room,” waiting to audition for the role of Commander Will Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Combs laughs off the memory, saying “ Everybody auditioned for Riker. It was a cattle call. It was a room with a ton of guys and in a corner, in this big room, they would call you up and you’d read for 20 seconds. When my agent called me with an audition for a new Star Trek series and described the role, I said, ‘I am not right for that role. There must be something else in there I can do.’ It was described as a tall, leading man — hey hello! So I showed up in my cowboy boots, trying to get as much height as I could. Futile. I have to say… they chose the right person: Mr Frakes!” 

Of course, Combs reunited with Jonathan Frakes several times throughout his various appearances on Star Trek , starting with the DS9 episode, “Meridian,” which was directed by Frakes. And of course, Combs appeared onscreen with Frakes in the Enterprise series finale, “These Are the Voyages…” These days, the most misunderstood Trek series of them all is having something of a renaissance . 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Enterprise , reasserting the enduring power of the series that was supposedly the one that fans liked the least. When I ask Combs what he thinks of the newfound adoration of Enterprise , his love of the series is unequivocal.

“Well, it should be praised. People were ambivalent about it at first. I really don’t know why. Let’s not forget The Original Series was canceled after three seasons,” Combs says. “I feel like Enterprise’s sea legs, and its voice, were just starting to happen when it was canceled. It did hit its stride in that last season. And I think the same thing can be said for DS9 , Voyager , and maybe Next Generation. These things take some time to find their music. They pulled the trigger too fast. I feel strongly about this.”

Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

The notion of a fifth season of Enterprise in the year 2006, would have certainly created an alternate universe of Trek production history. Had Enterprise lasted seven seasons, like its three predecessors, it would have gone off the air in 2008 or 2009, which certainly changes the trajectory of the reboot films. It’s a tough world to imagine, but if you love Star Trek , Combs does have a point. The third and fourth seasons of Enterprise are utterly re-watchable, and some of the episodes in those seasons, like “Demons” and “Terra Prime,” represent just how powerful and intelligent Star Trek can be. 

“I think it holds up quite nicely,” affirms Combs. “There’s no marked difference in any of them, and in fact, some of the best episodes of Star Trek are on Enterprise .” 

Ryan Britt is a longtime contributor to Den of Geek! He is also the author of three non-fiction books: the Star Trek pop history book PHASERS…

• May 10, 2024 | Podcast: All Access Breens Out On “Erigah” With Commentary From Elias Toufexis Of ‘Star Trek: Discovery’
• May 9, 2024 | Star Trek Franchise Wins Peabody Award
• May 9, 2024 | Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Gets Cool Under Pressure In “Erigah”
• May 8, 2024 | Chris Pine Talks “Big F-ing Deal” Landing Kirk Role; Surprised ‘Star Trek 4’ Has Another New Screenwriter
• May 8, 2024 | Star Trek’s Michelle Yeoh To Star In ‘Blade Runner 2099’ Series

Interview: Jeffrey Combs On The Serendipity Of Playing Multiple Characters In ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’

| May 11, 2019 | By: Anthony Pascale 38 comments so far

On Monday May 13th, the documentary What We Left Behind  about Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will hit US and Canadian theaters in a one-night event. TrekMovie has spoken to members of the cast and producers about what we can expect from the documentary and about their time on DS9.

Today we present our interview with Jeffrey Combs, who appeared in 31 episodes of Deep Space Nine playing a number of characters, including the recurring charaters Brunt (a Ferengi) and the Weyoun, a Vorta who was the primary representative of the Dominion, the main antagonist of the series. Combs went on to appear in Voyager as well as the fan-favorite Shran the Andorian, a recurring character on  Star Trek: Enterprise. He is one of a small handful of actors who have appeared as eight or more characters in the franchise.

One of the themes of What We Left Behind is how DS9 was a different kind of show. You had the opportunity to work on Voyager and especially Enterprise . How would you say your experience was different on Deep Space Nine ?

Good question. To answer, I will use a metaphor. Let’s say I work on the line at Ford making cars and a new model comes along. Well, the assembly line is modified and there are different people, but the same basic assembly concepts and apparatus and infrastructure are in place, even philosophy. So, even though they were quite different in tone and in personnel, it was also very comfortable to me. I knew that each show had more similarities than differences, in terms of the daily schedule, what to expect, and the level of quality of every department, including many of the same people. Like for instance, for all of the shows, Robert Blackman was the costume designer. So, that is a consistency that was comforting. So, the basic running philosophy was the same, it wasn’t an Earth-shattering difference for me at all. And that is good because most of the time actors like myself that recur it is a bit like going to a new school. You walk and things are humming along and you just don’t know the ins and outs of everything. So, any kind of reassurance you have around yourself that things are familiar, that really helps you. Actors deal with a lot of anxiety and trepidation when they walk onto a set they aren’t familiar with.

Jeffrey Combs as Tiron in “Meridian,” his first appearance on DS9

As a recurring actor, you appeared on DS9 over 30 times, playing a number of different characters. Why do you think they kept calling you back so many times, especially for different roles?

That is a really good one. It all happened in a really unorthodox way. It started out fairly benign. I had auditioned for a couple of episodes of Deep Space Nine and not gotten the gig. So when I went in for “Meridian”—which was my very first—it was an alien who only showed up once. It was a “oner.” I auditioned and was in the batter’s box again and I got that job, and I never imaged it would be any more than a guest star for one episode of Star Trek, a show that as a kid I absolutely adored. I love the original series, so just getting on a Star Trek series was a bit of a milestone for me. And Jonathan Frakes was the director of that episode, so he got me on the dance floor and I appreciate that.

As I was on set, I reconnected with my dear friend Rene Auberjonois. I had done theater with Rene, and it just so happened that Rene was prepping to direct a Ferengi episode [“Family Business”] and he suggested me for Brunt. There was a little bit of natural resistance for that because “wait, he is on an episode, why would we double dip like that?” But Rene went to bat for me and said: “who is going to know? He is a Ferengi.” And they said yes, and that turned into a recurring role. So, I thought that was it. The lovely thing was I didn’t have to audition for Brunt, in fact, I didn’t have to audition for Star Trek ever again after that. I am forever grateful for that as I am a dreadful auditioner.

So, I started doing Brunt and [showrunner] Ira Steven Behr walked up to me on set one moment and said: “We really like your work and we want to bring you back in something people will recognize your face in.” And little did I know that Weyoun would blossom into surpassing Brunt in recurring and become more and more integral to the storyline of Deep Space Nine . I still pinch myself every single day at my great good fortune. And of course,  Enterprise called and asked if I would play Shran, which I was very grateful for because I loved that character and enjoyed every moment with that and Scott [Bakula] and the crew.

Jeffrey Combs as Brunt in DS9’s “Family Business”

Were there ever episodes that you had to turn down? Could there have been even more of you in Deep Space Nine ?

That’s a really good question because I had other things going on besides Star Trek. I have a sort of foot in the horror world – Re- Animator , Frighteners , From Beyond – the list goes on and on. You would think there would be some sort of collision at some point. I do remember Frighteners interfering with Deep Space Nine , but it all worked out. Deep Space Nine was very accommodating with dates. They could be somewhat flexible, if you couldn’t make it this time you could make it another. Remarkably, there was never a collision like that in all those years I did Star Trek. I probably turned some things down that weren’t quite as interesting to me as Deep Space Nine.

Through the process of being interviewed for the documentary – or maybe by watching it – did you learn anything new about Deep Space Nine,  or about you or your characters?

The thing is when you are shooting these things, they don’t really tell actors very much, at least recurring roles. You are always kind of on the bubble. You never know how many episodes you are going to do because the writers don’t know. I even knew at the time that they might have a general idea of an arc for a season or a group of episodes or kernels of ideas to explore, but a lot of the time the writers were much like you see in the documentary fleshing out an imaginary first episode of an eight season. They are winging it. They are riffing in a lovely way. And that is one of the reasons why I was lucky enough do as many episodes is that what they would do is watch dailies and watch performances and this would spark some inspiration or a story that they hadn’t thought of before and off to the races. That was sort of an eye-opener. It is not a bible with: now we do this and now we do that. They are literally – to a big degree – just dealing with what is right in front of them.

One of the themes I love about the documentary is everybody’s memory of the same event is very – as I think Armin [Shimerman] said – is very Rashomon-ic . Everyone has a different memory of things, and that is very human. I love the specificity and the ambiguity that the documentary brings to everybody.

For Weyoun, how did the character evolve for you, and did you approach the different Weyouns differently? It started also as another oner but became this major character, which is a bit of a weird process.

It was a weird process. Like I said before with them finding inspiration with what they are looking at, okay. They never dreamed of Weyoun being a recurring role, and I didn’t. All I knew is that they came through with how they wanted to see my face in a new character and the character dies at the end of the episode. When a character dies, that’s it. It’s a oner, not to return. It is just serendipitous.

It is a bit of a collaboration, but not necessarily in the way you would think where we’re all sitting around riffing about it. They put something down on paper. I walk in at 4:00 a.m. not knowing how I am going to look. I would have an idea of what I am going to be wearing because I had a wardrobe fitting, but I don’t know what I am going to look like when they are done with my makeup. And I have about fifteen to twenty minutes once I am in my getup to look in the mirror and make some very quick and definitive, a gut, instinctual decision about who this guy is based on the words on the page but also on what I am wearing and how I look. And when I was done and the episode was done and I was killed, it was the writers who were looking at dailies and saying, “Why did we kill this very interesting character?” And they had the flexibility to say they don’t have to kill him, he can be cloned. And I am forever grateful to whoever came up with that suggestion, as I so relish playing Weyoun.

In answer to the second question, I did not try to play each Weyoun any differently. I viewed it as a clone that comes back completely intact, not a beat missed. Now, maybe the situation is different and the tension is rising or something. But I never tried to play the character differently with each iteration. What I may be facing is different and therefore my reactions would be different. But I never thought, “How do I make this guy different?” Other than the one that was supposedly defective.  

Jeffrey Combs as Weyoun 8 in the series finale of DS9 “What You Leave Behind”

Have you been watching the new show  Star Trek: Discovery ?

I wish I could say I have seen more of it, but I am not a CBS All Access subscriber. I did watch the shows that they had gratis at the very beginning and I really enjoyed it. In the spirit of Star Trek, I like that they are choosing to go where no one has gone before and go another way and not try to imitate any other series.

I don’t suppose there were any characters you spotted and thought to yourself that was a role you could do? As an actor can you resist watching anything without that?

Every movie I see, I go: “why didn’t I go up on that?” I think: “I could have done that.” Are you kidding? Not just Star Trek. But, Discovery is shot in Canada, and that is a fact affects decisions. So, it’s just the nature of the beast.

Actor Jeffrey Combs remembers his varied performances across Star Trek in the documentary “What We Left Behind’ (Shout! Studios)

What We Left Behind in theaters Monday

As  previously announced ,  What We Left Behind  makes its one-day-only theatrical debut on May 13 in the US and Canada. Tickets are still available  through Fathom Events .

What We Left Behind theatrical event poster

Keep up with all the updates and news on the DS9 documentary in our  What We Left Behind  category here at TrekMovie.com.

Related Articles

Celebrity , Conventions/Events/Attractions

Star Trek Team Was Top Fundraiser For Pancreatic Cancer Action Network 2024 Charity Walk

Comics , DS9

See Alexander, Nog, And Jake Deal With Q Jr’s Time Loop Shenanigans In ‘Sons Of Star Trek’ #2 Preview

DS9 , Lower Decks , Star Trek: Picard

Michael Dorn Wanted Armin Shimerman To Play The Ferengi That Worf Killed In Star Trek Picard

Comics , DS9 , TNG , VOY

The Fight Against The Space Parasites Isn’t Going Well For B’Elanna In Preview Of ‘Star Trek: Defiant’ #14

One of the sad things about Enterprise shutting down early was that Shran was not able to become a regular character as was planned for season 5 according to the show runner Manny Coto. Jeffrey Combs was a great asset to Star Trek. The new Trek powers that be would be wise to put him back on the field in one of the new series (or more than one, as was the previous case).

Would have loved to have seen an expansion of his Andorian role in Star Trek Enterprise Season 5 !

Shran was one of a very few Enterprise characters that riveted me.

I was so very grateful that Enterprise seriously took on the Andorians, and Jeffrey Combs sold the character and the culture right out of the gate.

I hope they can find a guest starring role for him in the Picard show…

And if Pike’s Enterprise ever happens, I’d love to see him play another Andorian.

SECOND! And as Andorians live a pretty long time [per Memory Alpha], perhaps he could even play Shran, or son of Shran in a Pike series ….

I really miss not having a Season 5 of ENT. I enjoyed how they were developing the Andorians, and I always enjoyed Combs as Shran.

He was such a great character. I’ve always liked Andorian characters, going back to Journey to Babel, and Commander Shran was absolutely the greatest!

Loved him as Shran.

I’m not big on live performance and theater, but he did a one-man show as Edgar Allan Poe that Harlan Ellison raved about. REally wish I had seen that, as I’ve always enjoyed the guy’s work (especially as elfman clone), even in the cheesy 80s movies.

Great Actor whose abilities go way beyond just the Star Trek Franchise . Would hope to see him in Marc Zicree’s coming Space Command Series or Bruce Boxleitner’s new Lantern City Series !

For my latinum, Jeffrey Combs and Andy Robinson are unquestionably the co-MVPs of Deep Space Nine guest stars, and with the broad and deep recurring cast of DS9 that’s saying something.

God I miss that show.

Yes , two good actors who could project their characters very well !

I love Weyoun and Shran. Brunt was cool too.

Combs brought a lot to what could have been a one-note, subservient character. Somehow he infused Weyoun with a dignity and duplicity one would not expect from seeing the character’s words on a page of script.

I feel in love with Combs’s acting style when he played Dr. West in Re-Animator. He brought that wacky, just-short-of-psychopath thing he has to his Trek roles as well. Would love it if they could hire him for something Trek-related in the near future.

They need to get him and some of the older character actors on Discovery. I would so love to see J.G Hertzler, Marc Alaimo and him in the show or perhaps in one of the other developing shows.

Discovery being shot in Canada seems to have an impact on casting. They have a lot more local acting talent in the smaller roles. Could be that it is mainly to get some Canadian tax incentives but could also be that California-based actors are less eager to travel up north for a guest spot.

Yeah, I think they might be less eager to travel there. Wasn’t that a big problem for Anson Mount as well? I heard that was one of the reasons he didn’t want to commit to a full time show if it was shot in Canada.

GOD they had such good “guest” actors on DS9! Marc Alaimo, Louise Fletcher, Andrew Robinson, JG Hertzler …. the list could go on, but these, with Jeffrey Combs, are the tops!

They really did. The character actors on DS9 carry the show, IMO. The actors who played Odo, Quark, Rom and Nog, also, in addition to those you listed. In that respect (and others), DS9 is different from the other 4 Trek TV series.

Surprising that he was only in 31 episodes. I think of him as almost a regular cast member. Kind of amazing that he developed the Weyoon character from intuition in 15 minutes while looking at himself in dress for the first time. That’s a pro.

Another great Trek character actor that I’d like to see get more attention is Randy Oglesby, best known as “Degra” in ENT, but he also played 6 other Trek characters. One of his most memorable is the man with half of his face burned, inspired by Red Dragon ‘s Francis Dollarhyde, in DS9’s “The Darkness and the Light.” I didn’t recognize him in that role even after being familiar with him from watching ENT several times through. Degra is my favorite, though. I really like that character a lot. Oglesby’s performance makes “Stratagem” in particular a very compelling episode.

Enterprise got a bad wrap. I really enjoyed the exploratory vibe it captured so well. Without a doubt, Shran was a bright spot and it is a shame we didn’t get to see where that character would go with more time. I’m a big fan of his brilliant deep space nine work too!

The Deities of Disco should hire Combs for a regular guest role in season 3 (distant Andorian descendant of Shran?) So he can show the kiddos how mature acting in a drama series is done! Then again, Mount & Peck did exactly that in season two but they couldn’t stay, nor have their own series apparently (thanks to “beloved” Space Hitler taking up slot #3) . The differential to the old guard would be too obvious. Can’t have adults in the room for too long ;)

I’m on a DS9 rewatch in honor of the documentary and now in season 6. And Weyoun is one of the characters you just smile every time he shows up because you know its going to be a really fun and engrossing scene. The character is so appealing to watch and I love how quirky he comes off in one moment but then dead serious in the next. Combs acting ability is just on another level the way he perfects these characters. Weyoun and Shran are some of the most popular characters in the franchise and set the bar on memorable side characters. We need more characters like this in future Star Trek shows.

“We need more characters like this in future Star Trek shows.”

Hell, we need more ACTORS like this in future Star Trek shows! :)

Jeffrey Combs as Shran was probably the best thing about Enterprise. Wonderful character in a fairly tedious series

ENT is unique as a Trek TV show in that it got cancelled after it had turned the corner and substantially improved. So, revisiting ENT with fresh eyes, one wouldn’t know why it got cancelled. I’m one of the viewers who gave up on ENT somewhere in Season 2. There have been several popular reasons given for why ENT failed, and I think that topic would make for a good TrekMovie podcast or article. For my part, I believe it was a combination of the oft-cited causes that ultimately led to ENT’s cancellation. Looking back on ENT now, I appreciate the exploratory vibe, too.

But, by the end of ENT Season 4, Berman-produced Trek had been on TV for 13 straight years, with two series airing simultaneously for nine years straight. When you have that much supply of a certain type of entertainment, the audience’s standards and expectations tend to increase, in accordance with the economic laws of supply and demand. Whereas when that type of entertainment is in more limited supply, people are more happy with whatever they can get, as can be seen with the rise of Trek fan films in the years following ENT’s cancellation, when there was no TV-format Trek for over a decade. So, Trek fatigue, I believe, was real, and it was one cause of ENT’s downfall, but not the only cause.

Another cause, I believe, was ENT’s traditionally (for Trek) slow start. The two seasons that ENT took to get good is normal in retrospect, but by 2003, with a glut of Trek on TV for nine years, viewers wanted quicker progress. ENT’s normal rate of progress was just too slow by that time. Another cause is that Berman — and he has admitted as much, himself — had become fatigued as an executive producer of five Trek TV shows over the course of 11 years. Berman’s showrunners were all promoted from within his organization. And by the time of ENT, the writing and creative vision for Trek TV had likewise become fatigued and stale. (continued below)

(continued from above) Yet another cause, which I haven’t seen mentioned much, if at all, is that Scott Bakula, as the star of ENT, was playing more of a cowboy-type captain than any of his Berman-Trek predecessors had. It was the G.W. Bush years and, at the time, I got the distinct impression that ENT was trying to appeal to more of a red-state sensibility than Trek had done since TOS. Captain Archer was introduced as a guy who lost his temper quickly, used coarse, aggressive language, spent his down time on spectator sports, and didn’t have time for overly cerebral bureaucrats. Archer, to pinch a term from Capt. Ramius in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, was more of a buckaroo protagonist than Trek fans were used to. And with as much resentment and animosity as there was toward G.W. Bush, who had lost the popular vote and only won the election by suing for it in court, I suspect that Archer’s buckaroo temperament and personality put some fans off the show. At least I can say that it bothered me at the time.

I liked Archer , and his buddy Trip . I thought he was a more old world /human type of Captain with flaws and a good heart .

I like them now, too. I find them refreshingly different from other Trek characters. Bakula’s portrayal of Archer changed a bit over the course of the series. I’d say he’s markedly less buckaroo by Season 4. And I really like and appreciate how he plays the excruciating decisions to torture, murder and steal as the Season 3 Xindi War arc progresses. Those episodes hold up well on repeat viewings. I can really feel how difficult it is for him to deal with his moral conundrums, as he slowly loses his innocence, one decision at a time. That’s part of what it means to be human — having to choose between two unacceptable options.

Well said , Cygnus ! Like all humans who would get excited about exploring space , but then must face the realities and dangers of space travel , this is the character he represented along with his space cowboy buddy , Trip . Both became extremely disillusioned by the dangers and hardships they were confronted with . Probably the reason , the producers decided to finish by the end of Season 4 . But there is a series of post-Enterprise novels that enlighten us to their future , which I found to be an exciting continuation of the tv show .

Yeah count me as an Archer fan too! I never had a single issue with him like a lot of fans did. I just loved how laid back and patient he could be in one moment but then become stern and hot tempered in the next. I love the fact he wasn’t as ‘enlighted’ as the other captains and had an ax to grind with the Vulcans. I loved him and T’pol’s relationship. It felt a bit like Sisko and Kira’s at the beginning, a little confrontational that evolved into a real friendship and trust by the time the show ended.

And I liked his turn in the Xindi war arc as well. The good nature and wholesomeness was basically gone by then but it reflected a reality he was no longer just going planet to planet to make friends but now saw upfront the dangers of what it meant to be in a universe teeming with life and consequences that could bring when start to be part of that community. By the time Kirk and the others showed up, the Federation had been through many wars and conflicts so they had a more balanced view of space travel. With Archer’s crew, until the Xindi, Starfleet didn’t have any real conflicts with aliens with the exception of the Suliban and that was never major like the others.

I still think they should’ve focused third season on the Romulan war. Its what fans really wanted to see and probably could’ve turned the ratings around faster.

It would be interesting to see how the Xindi War themes work with the enemy changed to the Romulans. I think many of them could translate well. The biggest problem, however, would be that the Romulans don’t live in a strange and mysterious expanse of space. The adventure of the Enterprise setting out alone to traverse the mysterious Delphic Expanse is a major part of Season 3’s appeal, for me. The strange people that Archer & co. meet along the way… the aliens who steal from the Enterprise, presenting Archer with his first lesson in the Delphic Expanse… the captured alien prophetically telling Archer that he won’t make it in the expanse unless he loses his morality, the morality that prevents him from torturing the alien. I don’t see how that could apply to a war with the Romulans, who live much closer to the Federation and other known civilizations. On the other hand, the downside was that it didn’t make sense for an enemy as important as the Xindi (they nearly blew up the Earth!) to have never before been mentioned in any of the Trek series prior to ENT, whcih made the Xindi seem somewhat contrived.

“And with as much resentment and animosity as there was toward G.W. Bush, who had lost the popular vote and only won the election by suing for it in court, I suspect that Archer’s buckaroo temperament and personality put some fans off the show”

And you are damn right about that! Archer (and his misportrayal/miscasting by Scott Bakula) is everything that is wrong with Enterprise in a microcosm.

He and some other pathfinder characters on the show foreshadowed the hostility towards the portrayal of scientific and military professionalism on the screen that became a public gripe with Prometheus and reached its sad zenith (or should I say, nadir) with Discovery: It’s as if we are supposed to buy that 150 years hence the descendants of NASA, Earth’s best and brightest, are a bunch of whiny, bigoted amateurs who forgot why we have rules, hierarchy and a supposed meritocracy (Archer being where he was as an act of nepotism was, of course, another perfect match for Bush).

The crass racism and sexism of crybaby Archer against Vulcans in general and TPol in general which made the show reactionary even by then-contemporary standards (and extremist in the opposite way of Discobery, where political sensitivities are concerned) always seemed inexplicable to me, but finally I understood Archer’s and the others’ behaviour was a mere function of the plot of “Vulcans having held us back and being a PITA for 100 years”, a vague and abstract background concept the show never viscerally sold to us, and which I never bought. On the contrary, as portrayed the Vulcans and TPol seemed to be the only reasonable and rational adults in the room, victims of the overemotional and self-centered teenaged human bullies who claimed to know better at any instance without knowing anything about outer space community standards (again, the lack of professionalism), and being proven right by Enterprise away times mucking things up really badly time and time again.

Had the show actually bothered to SHOW how exactly Vulcans held back humans and what were the dire consequences, the disasters and strife of humanity as a visible result of it (rather than a petty millennial feeling of not being the parents’ favorite child and not being allowed to freeload on alimony anymore but having to work hard themselves for all the good stuff) , then maybe Archers cowboyisms and hostility, not to forget his permanent grumpiness, would have been a TAD more believable!

I think your critique is too harsh on the characters , Vulcan Soul , since the show is mainly made for general viewing . But I agree , given an ideal series , there would be more time spent in explanation of circumstances in the show .

Darfyn, to my mind the portrayal of Archer was way too extremist to fly for “general viewing” (and apparently, it didn’t, given the show was cancelled due to low ratings). That line from the pilot “You don’t know how much I’m restraining myself from knocking you on your a$$” alone was so bizarre in its crudeness it is strange how it could survive rewritings even in 2001. My impression is that people are viewing Enterprise and its characters through the rose-colored glasses of their hazy memories and forget how much society (and themselves) have shifted since that time.

There is something comical about the hypocrisy of people who now can’t even have a male character even look at a female one in a queer way without crying scandal would defend the obviously chauvinist and racist ways of Archer (is it because even as a Vulcan, T’Pol is not “of color”?) But I get it, humans are not self-consistent rational creatures…

The Andorian Mining Consortium runs from NOBODY!

Wouldn’t that more aesthetically pleasing in blue?

He was also a great choice as the voice of The Question – the character that inspired Watchmen’s Rorschach – on the Justice League Unlimited animated series. That character has a blank face – not even spots like Rorschach – so all of the acting comes through Jeffrey’s voice. He did a great job.

Heroes Wiki

-Welcome to the Hero/Protagonist wiki! If you can help us with this wiki please sign up and help us! Thanks! -M-NUva

• Live Action Heroes
• Book Heroes
• Hope Bringers
• Chaotic Good
• Redeemed Villains
• Determinators
• View history

Thy'lek Shran , also known as Hravishran th'Zoarhi or simply Shran was an Andorian character first introduced in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode The Andorian Incident .

Shran was portrayed by Jeffrey Combs , who also portrayed Weyoun 6 , all the other Weyoun clones, and Brunt, F.C.A.

• 1.1 Pre-Federation
• 1.2 Federation
• 4 Navigation

History [ ]

Pre-federation [ ].

Born in the early 22nd century, Shran was a thaan , which was one of two male genders that the Andorians have. Shran grew up in the underground cities of Andoria, and did not see the sun firsthand until he was 15 years old. As a young man he entered the military and by 2151 had risen to the command of the warship Kumari . Shran first encountered Jonathan Archer , T'Pol , and the crew of the Enterprise during a raid on a Vulcan monastery to seek out a listening post they believed was hidden there. At first he held Archer and the other humans, which he called "pink skins," prisoner. When Archer escaped and found there was a listening post, he had T'Pol take scans of the post and give them to Shran.

Shran later rescued Archer and Commander Tucker from rebels on Coridian in payment of his debt to Archer. He began to trust Archer, and asked him to mediate a dispute between Andorians and Vulcans over the planet Weytahn.

During the Xindi crisis, Shran attempted to take possession of a prototype Xindi superweapon in order to use against the Vulcans if needed, but Archer destroyed the weapon before Shran could capture the weapon. Despite this Shran still shared data with Archer to be used against the Xindi, and came to Earth's defense when the Xindi superweapon was heading towards Earth.

The following year Vulcan Ambassador Soval and the Enterprise crew sought out Shran to alert him to a planned Vulcan invasion of Andoria. Shran realized Soval was telling the truth after Soval refused to tell him what he wanted to hear even while under severe emotional duress. The Andorian fleet was deployed to stop the Vulcans. The Vulcans attacked them and the Enterprise , but Shran prevented them from destroying the Enterprise . Meanwhile Archer and T'Pau recovered the Kir'shara containing Suraks original writings and presented them to the high command. At that Minister Kuvak stepped in and stunned the corrupt Vulcan leader V'Las , and order the fleet to stop their attack on the Andorians. The Vulcan Reformation had begun, and led to an improvement in relations between Vulcan and Andoria.

In 2154 the Kumari was destroyed by a Romulan drone ship disguised as a Tellarite vessel. Shran, his lover Talas, and 18 others made it to escape pods that the Enterprise recovered. Working with Archer and the Aenar Jhamel they were able to expose the Romulan and stop the drone attacks. Shran returned to Andoria but was forced to resign due to the loss of his ship.

After leaving the guard Archer helped Shran rescue Aenar that the Romulans had the Orions kidnap for their drone ships. Afterwards Shran joined Jhamel,Shenar, and Vishri in a shelthreth bond group, taking the place of another thaan named Theras who had died. A daughter named Talla was born to the shelthreth .

During the Romulan War Shran rejoined the Imperial Guard and was made a General. He was given command of the starship Weytahn , and fought in several key battles in the war. Shran left the Andorian military again when it decided to not join Earth in fighting the Romulans. In 2160 he led a group of armed freighters in providing assistance to Archer at the Battle of Cheron. While most of his ships were destroyed Shran bought enough time for a combined fleet to arrive and deal a devastating defeat to the Romulans. The Romulans then retreated behind their borders for another 100 years.

Federation [ ]

After the Earth-Romulan war was over Andoria joined Vulan, Tellar, and Earth in becoming one of the five founding states of the United Federation of Planets . Shran was commissioned as an Admiral in the new combined Federation Starfleet , becoming the joint chief representing the Andorian component of Starfleet in its initial years as the Vulcan, Andorian, and Tellarite components began to integrate into one combined fleet.

During his time at Starfleet Command he renewed his friendship with Jonathan Archer, and relied on him heavily for assistance. He did not, however, hesitate to stand up for himself when he felt Archer was overstepping his bounds. The friendship would be severely tested after the Ware crisis, when Archer said that he was going to insist on a directive of non-interference that would eventually become the Prime Directive. The two men were scheduled to hold a debate in front of the Federation Council over the issue, but when Shran learned that Archer's beagle Porthos was dying Shran told him to forget the debate and be with the dog as he passed on. Shran accompanied Archer to provide emotional support.

In his later years Shran would represent Andoria on the Federation Council. In the Andorian year 6180 Shran published his Memoirs via the Andorian High Command Press.

Shran would be remembered well by both the Andorian people and by the wider Federation. By the 2256 Starfleet had a starship named after Shran in service. The USS Shran fought against the Klingons at the Battle of the Binary Stars. A statute of Shran was also erected in the capital city of Laibok where it remained until the Borg destroyed the city in 2381.

• Prior to the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise , producers reportedly had explored the idea of having Shran as a regular character in the fifth season who would join the Enterprise crew as an adviser or auxiliary officer.
• Jeffrey Combs has stated that out of all the characters he played, he liked the Shran character the best and most wanted to play him again.

Navigation [ ]

• 1 Star and Stripe
• 2 Caine (The Amazing Digital Circus)
• 3 Charlie Morningstar

6508 in-depth character profiles from comics, games, movies

Commander Shran

• 2000s debut
• Master Schemer

Jump to the game stats

Shran is a Star Trek character. Specifically he was featured in the Enterprise TV series that ran from 2001 to 2005. Shran is a fan favorite and hero of the Federation!

For more information about the Star Trek: Enterprise setting, see our Captain Archer profile.

Advertisement

• Real Name: Thy’lek Shran (in Aenar), Hravishran th’Zoarhi (in Andorian).
• Other Aliases: Commander Shran, later General Shran (it’s unclear why he goes by his Aenar name).
• Marital Status: Married.
• Known Relatives: J’hamel (wife), Talla (daughter), unnamed older brother (deceased?), unnamed second future daughter.
• Group Affiliation: Andorian Imperial Guard.
• Base Of Operations: Andoria and interstellar mobile.
• Height: 5’9” Weight: 170 lbs (more than the actor).
• Eyes: Black Hair: Yellow
• Other Distinguishing Features: Blue skin and antennae.

Powers & Abilities

Commander Shran is a well-trained and tough-as-nails military man with a multitude of skills.

He particularly excels at leadership, tactics, subterfuge, space navigation, communications, armed and unarmed combat and, surprisingly enough, diplomacy.

Andoria and Andorians

Andoria is an icy moon, circulating the planet Andor, naturally inhabited by the Andorians and the subspecies called the Aenar, a race of blind telepathic pacifists. They all live in ice caves.

The Andorians employ the code of honor called the Ushaan, which regulates conflicts of interest through a melee duel to the death, and which has hundreds of pages of strict rules and exceptions. The Andorians have a higher than human metabolism making them very energetic but fast tiring.

The following descriptions are hypotheticals as found in various other Star Trek -related sources, but could be adopted by any Andorian appearances in a game as the GM sees fit.

• In certain sources Andorians wear a limited exoskeleton. In DC Heroes terms, their heightened BODY scores and Cold Immunity could partly be due to such an exoskeleton, even though such abilities would also be logical out of an evolutionary perspective. Such an exoskeleton, if existing, could also provide a limited Blunting effect, powerful enough to break hypodermic needles.
• Other sources suggest that Andorians in general are resistant towards all environmental effects, in which case they would also have at least 01 AP of Flame Immunity. They are supposedly comfortable dealing with temperatures ranging from those in cold ice caves up to heat levels approaching that of boiling water. This would be contrary to logic which suggest that an ice-adapted species would be extra susceptible towards heat, but a general resistance towards all environmental effects could have other unrevealed causes. Again, these effects could perhaps be attributed to an external exoskeleton.
• In one novel the Andorian antennas could detect fluctuations in gravity fields, while in another they provide directional hearing and in yet another improved balance. The last suggestion goes well in hand with what we saw in the Enterprise -series, plus they appear to be dormant telepathic receptors, as seen in active form in their “cousins” the Aenar.
• Some sources suggest that their increased metabolism would provide regenerative abilities; they would process foods and medicine faster, but be extra susceptible towards poisons. Endurance would be superb in a sprint, but very poor in a marathon, in comparison to humans.

Shaky beginnings

Commander Shran, the Andorian, hails from a military family. His older brother joined a forward surveillance unit and Shran entered the military after school. In 2142 Shran eventually got promoted to commander of the Andorian warship Kumari as part of the Imperial Guard.

The Andorians had earlier been at war with the Vulcans and suspected a Vulcan outpost, a monastery, of actually being a spying station. Thus, Shran led a commando team in 2151 to raid the monastery of P‘Jem, but no evidence was found. During his third raid they also happened upon Captain Archer and Sub Commander T’Pol of the Earth ship Enterprise, mistaking them for enemies. Shran proceeded to interrogate the two, but to no avail.

Upon his escape, Archer accidentally uncovered an advanced subspace sensor array in the monastery – it had really been a listening post. Archer, disillusioned with the Vulcans showed Shran the evidence, who now considered himself in debt to Archer ( Enterprise S01E07: The Andorian Incidence).

Later that same year Shran went undercover operative in support of an uprising on the planet Coridan, which was allied with their old enemies the Vulcans. When Shran found out that a shuttlepod with Captain Archer and Sub Commander T’Pol had been shot down by rebels on that same planet he went to the rescue.

Shran repaid his debt by negotiating their release, actions which also stopped a renewed war between the Andorians and the Vulcans ( Enterprise S01E13: Shadows of P‘Jem).

In 2152 Shran was commanding forces on Weytahn, a planetoid strategically located between Andoria and Vulcan. As tensions were rising Shran requested a truce with ambassador Soval of the Vulcans with Archer (whom Shran felt he could trust to be objective) as negotiator. After difficult negotiations a final cease-fire could be signed ( Enterprise S02E15: Ceasefire).

Forming alliances

Later on in 2153, as the Andorians heard about the Xindi attack on Earth, the Kumari was sent to the Delphic Expanse to capture a prototype of the Xindi superweapon to use as leverage against the Vulcans should further negotiations fail.

The Kumari and Shran caught up with the Enterprise on their quest to save the Earth from destruction. They offered them tactical and engineering assistance. However, Shran, under orders, reluctantly betrayed Archer as their ships attacked the Xindi testing facility and the Kumari stole the weapon instead of destroying it.

Archer, wishing to protect the Earth’s allies the Vulcans, chose immediately to activate the superweapon for a countdown onboard the Kumari by remote. The Kumari was forced to release it into space before it detonated.

Before returning home Shran, as a matter of honor, secretly sent the Enterprise all technical and sensor readings they had taken from the weapon, which would provide valuable aid to the Earthlings in their quest ( Enterprise S03E13: Proving Ground).

A short 3 months later the Kumari returned to the Delphic Expanse to help the Enterprise in destroying the main Xindi superweapon before it was launched towards Earth. Providing a diversion, Archer’s team was able to board the Xindi-Reptilian ship escorting the weapon.

The weapon was destroyed which postponed the Xindi threat after which Shran had the enemy ship destroyed. According to Shran, Archer was instead now in his debt ( Enterprise S03E24: Zero Hour).

On the war front

The next year, in 2154, the Vulcan High Command was planning an actual invasion of Andoria. Vulcan ambassador Soval, finding such plans disastrous, personally went to Andoria to warn Shran of the impeding surprise attack.

Believing it all to be a trick, Shran captured him and tortured him for the real information using an advanced mental machine, not really wishing to physically injure him. When the Enterprise crew found out about Soval’s kidnapping they promptly liberated him.

Finding out about the plot Archer and crew managed to stop an all-out war between Vulcan and Andoria. Warmongering elements in the Vulcan High Command were arrested while the Kumari saved Enterprise from certain destruction. Archer now owed Shran twice ( Enterprise S04E09: Kir’shara).

Soon thereafter Shran became romantically involved with his tactical officer Talas ( Enterprise S04E12: Babel One). Some time later the Kumari was destroyed by a Romulan  warship in a surprise attack while posing as a Tellarite vessel. Some of the Kumari crew got away including Shran and Talas. They were rescued by the Enterprise who happened to be transporting Tellarites at the moment.

Shran attempted to force a confession out of the Tellarite ambassador Gral onboard the Enterprise but Gral’s aide Naarg lethally shot Talas in self defence. With her dying words Talas asked Shran to avenge her. Thus Shran challenged Naarg to lethal duel by the Ushaan tradition.

Archer, realizing the importance of the Earth-Tellarite-Andorian alliance, went in as Naarg’s substitute in melee combat. As combat started Shran appeared to be superior, but Archer eventually got the upper hand and cut off one of Shran’s antennae causing him to loose all balance and thus was forced to admit defeat ( Enterprise S04E13: United).

Soon thereafter evidence was found that showing the suspected enemy ship being controlled by telepresence by a member of the Aenar, an Andorian telepathic subspecies. After finding that an Aenar had gone missing, Archer and Shran received the help of J‘hamel, the missing Aenar’s sister.

They managed to contact the lost Aenar telepathically which eventually stopped the ship and any future attacks using telepresence control ( Enterprise S04E14: The Aenar).

Family life

Soon thereafter Shran married J‘hamel and in 2156 J‘hamel gave birth to their daughter Talla. In 2158 Shran quit the Imperial Guard getting a hero’s farewell.

Civilian life did not agree with him and he got involved in questionable business. Believed to having stolen the Teneebian amethyst Shran was forced into hiding and reappeared only in 2161 just prior to the signing of the Federation charter.

His daughter had been kidnapped and Shran had to request Archer’s help in the matter. The daughter was rescued and Archer returned to Earth just in time to hold a speech at the inauguration of the United Federation of Planets ( Enterprise S04E22: These are the voyages…).

Hero of the Federation

A bit later he rejoined the Imperial Guard and was then promoted to the rank of General in 2164. For services rendered the Andorian Empire, he also promoted Captain Archer to a honorary member of the Andorian Guard ( Enterprise S04E19: In mirror, mirror darkly, Part II).

In an alternate timeline where Earth had been destroyed by the Xindi superweapon, Shran was a General before 2165 and helped out the Enterprise protecting the last human colony of Ceti Alpha V ( Enterprise S03E08: Twilight).

Shran also featured in a few of the Star Trek novels. In the end, much due to Shran’s actions, Andorians and Earth both had become allies and founding members of the Federation of Planets (along Vulcans, Tellar Prime and the Independent Alpha Centauri Colony), which would come to encompass hundreds of planets over the centuries.

It has been stated that had there been a fifth season of Enterprise Shran would have joined the Enterprise as an auxiliary or advisor.

Description

Commander Shran has blue skin, yellow hair and a pair of antennas. He is in very good shape, usually clad in an uniform and appears confident, strong and resolute in all matters.

Personality

Xenophobia (or those d-mn aliens).

Shran is a xenophobic, emotional hothead whose keyword is honor. He refers to humans as “pinkskins” whenever he is upset or dissatisfied with them. He distrusts the Vulcans very much, but will work even with them when necessary.

He was in love with fellow officer Talas, who sadly died by a Tellarite – fueling a hatred towards all Tellarites. He went as far as proclaiming the Ushaan lethal duel against the Tellarite that had killed her in self-defense, and he even refused to back down as Captain Archer himself chose to fight Shran as a substitute (in order to keep the alliance between the Andorians, the Tellarites, the Vulcans and Earth together).

However, when Archer surprisingly emerged the victor Shran accepted his defeat and forgot the matter completely, considering honor restored.

Shran overcame most of his xenophobia as he and the human Captain Archer, whom he initially viewed with suspicion, helped each other out time and time again. In time they became allies and friends.

Eventually Shran became instrumental in the creation of the Federation where he joined forces with the Tellarites and the Vulcans, both his old enemies, as he could see that there was strength, honor, wisdom and a future in such a powerful alliance.

Honorable leader

While he can be a ruthless paranoiac he is also a nationalist. While appearing unprincipled and overly aggressive (although he is no Klingon  ) all concepts of honor are always in the foreground. He always honors a debt and will therefore be a reluctant ally at times until that has been settled.

He also cares for ethics, but is not beyond torturing people for the security of Andoria. As such, he will primarily follow orders before acting on honor — strongly believing in the chain of command — which sometimes puts him in a very difficult situation when dealing with temporary honorable enemies or old friends.

He later married the Andorian Aenar woman J‘hamel and together they had a daughter, Talla, both of them being very important aspects in his life. Shran is also greatly respected by other Andorians, being practically considered a great hero, and was therefore granted the title of General later on, a great honor for the militaristic Andorians, and in particular Shran.

“If we back down now everything we believe in is meaningless… remember that !”

“I am here for one reason only… I need a good night’s sleep. My debt is [now] repaid.”

“The Vulcans want to discuss terms for cease-fire.” (second in command points out that Vulcans always lie). ”There is another option. Someone I’ve dealt with… a pinkskin. He has proven to be quite even-handed when dealing with Vulcans. His name is Archer.”

(Back on Andoria) “Taste that air. Really gets the blood running.”

“You should be impressed that we tracked you through the vortex. We are here to provide some help.”

“You better keep them away from us. Or there will be bloodshed.”

Archer: “We keep doing each other favors.” Shran: “Isn’t that how alliances are formed ?” [raises his glass of Andorian ale]

• share  
• save  

Related articles on Writeups.org

Game stats — dc heroes rpg.

Tell me more about the game stats

Powers: Cold Immunity 01

Skills: Charisma (Interrogation): 06, Martial Artist: 05, Military Science (Demolition, Electronic Countermeasures, Tactics): 06, Thief (Stealth): 04, Weaponry (Firearms, Melee): 05, Vehicles (Space): 06

Advantages Languages (Andorian, Aenar), Leadership, Rank (Commander in 2142-2163; General in 2164 and onwards).

Connections: Andorian High Command (Low, later High), Captain Jonathan Archer of Starfleet (Low).

By Dr. Peter S. Piispanen.

Source of Character: Star Trek: Enterprise S01E07 (The Andorian Incident), S01E15 (Shadows of P‘Jem), S02E15 (Ceasefire), S03E13 (Proving Ground), S03E24 (Zero Hour), S04E09 (Kir’shara), S04E12 (Babel One), S04E13 (United), S04E14 (The Aenar), S04E22 (These are the voyages…); character played by Jeffrey Combs

Helper(s): zoomjunkie, Memory Alpha  .

• Random post

• View history

Lieutenant Talas was a female Andorian in the service of the Andorian Imperial Guard during the 2150s .

Talas acted as tactical officer aboard the Imperial warship Kumari , under Andorian Commander Shran , until her death in 2154 .

Descended from an independently-wealthy family , Talas chose a life of military service out of a sense of duty and military tradition. Her mother had a higher security clearance than she, commanding an Imperial Infantry Unit . The last four generations of her family joined the Imperial Guard. ( ENT : " Proving Ground ")

During the year 2153 , Talas was aboard the Kumari when it was sent to track Enterprise NX-01 inside a region then known as the Delphic Expanse . As part of that mission, Talas worked closely with her Enterprise counterpart, armory officer Lieutenant Malcolm Reed , both to aid in the ongoing repairs being made to that ship and to secretly further the Andorian Imperial Guard's agenda to obtain a prototype Xindi weapon . ( ENT : " Proving Ground ")

In 2154 , Talas initiated a romantic relationship with her superior officer, Shran. The relationship was still a recent development in November of that year, when the Kumari was destroyed by a Romulan vessel disguised as a Tellarite cruiser. Talas, Shran, and eighteen other crew members were rescued by Enterprise , coincidentally ferrying Tellarite Ambassador Gral and his party to the planet Babel . Despite being confined to quarters , Shran and Talas managed to confront the Tellarites and, in an ensuing scuffle, Talas was fatally wounded when the Tellarite Naarg fired a MACO phase-pistol at point blank range. Dr. Phlox did his best to treat her. Shran joked with her that the ship's doctor was secretly in love with her and wanted to keep her to himself; hence his keeping her in sickbay. She later died of phase-pulse infection in the Enterprise sickbay . ( ENT : " Babel One ")

As she lay dying, Talas asked Shran to avenge her. Shran challenged her killer to the Ushaan , a ritualistic fight to the death. However, Captain Archer substituted himself in Naarg's place to avoid destroying the uneasy Andorian , Human , and Tellarite alliance . ( ENT : " United ")

Background information [ ]

Talas was played by actress Molly Brink .

In the final draft script of "Proving Ground", Talas was initially described as " a striking Andorian woman […] Her long white hair falls over the shoulders of her form-fitting uniform. " A later-added teaser scene referred to her simply as "a striking female officer".

As depicted in the episode " These Are the Voyages... ", Shran went on to have a daughter with the Aenar Jhamel , whom he named Talla , possibly after his former love.

Apocrypha [ ]

Talas' mirror universe counterpart appeared in the novella " Age of the Empress ".

External link [ ]

• Talas at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 3 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Star Trek Has Finally Revealed the Evil Enterprise's Weird Fate

Watch out for any goatees.

Today, everyone knows what a multiverse is. But back in 1967, parallel universe stories weren’t nearly as common as they are now, even within the sci-fi genre. A classic Star Trek episode, Jerome Bixby’s “Mirror, Mirror,” helped popularize the alternate universe trope, complete with meaner versions of yourself who may rock an evil little goatee like Mirror Spock.

Star Trek’s Mirror Universe also gave us an alternate version of the USS Enterprise in the ISS Enterprise , a ship that served the Imperial Terran Empire, not the United Federation of Planets. Now, in the Discovery Season 5 episode “Mirrors,” the evil ISS Enterprise is back... as a force for good. Here’s what it all means. Spoilers ahead.

The ISS Enterprise returns

Captain Burnham watches the ISS Enterprise warp to Federation HQ.

While pursuing the thieves Moll and L’ak, Book and Burnham take a shuttlecraft into an unstable wormhole and discover the floating, pseudo-derelict ISS Enterprise . One of the clues to the Progenitor’s tech has been hidden on it, but for Burnham, it’s kind of like a bizzaro universe homecoming. Burnham spent a decent amount of time in the Mirror Universe in Discovery Season 1 , and in Season 2 she found herself on the Enterprise with her brother Spock just before jumping from the 23rd century to the 32nd century.

In “Mirrors,” Burnham notes that “crossing between universes has been impossible for centuries,” which means the ISS Enterprise must have crossed over into the Prime Universe well before the 32nd century. Burnham is referencing the events of Discovery Season 3, when we learned that Philippa Georgiou, a resident of the Mirror Universe, couldn’t go back to her home universe because those dimensions had drifted apart. But the ISS Enterprise , which was previously captained by an evil Kirk, crossed over into the Prime Universe well before that moment, and Discovery has now added details connecting The Original Series, Deep Space Nine , and Discovery Season 3.

How evil Spock became good

Spock talking with Kirk in “Mirror, Mirror.”

In the Deep Space Nine episode “Crossover” we learn that after Kirk talked to Mirror Spock and encouraged him to try making the Terran Empire a peaceful power, Mirror Spock did just that. But as Mirror Kira explained, Mirror Spock’s idealism didn’t work out the way he’d hoped:

“Spock rose to Commander in Chief of the Empire by preaching reforms, disarmament, peace. It was quite a remarkable turnabout for his people. Unfortunately for them, when Spock had completed all these reforms, his empire was no longer in any position to defend itself against us [the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance].”

Discovery appears to be referencing this exact event, even if Spock isn’t named outright. When Book learns the ISS Enterprise became a refugee ship for people who’d turned against the Empire, he says, “The Terran High Chancellor was killed for trying to make reforms.”

This likely references Spock, but adds the twist that he was perhaps betrayed by other people within the Terran Empire, even if Earth adopted his reforms. Now, by the end of “Mirrors,” the 23rd-century ISS Enterprise has been moved to the Prime Universe and the 32nd century. It’s an antique by modern standards, but it’s a contemporary of the USS Discovery, so it’s still serviceable. This means that by the end of Discovery Season 5 there will still be a version of the classic Enterprise floating around Federation headquarters, so when the Starfleet Academy series debuts, 32nd-century Starfleet cadets will have access to the classic version of the most famous Enterprise. It may technically be an evil twin, but its historic adventures aren’t over just yet.

Star Trek: Discovery and The Original Series stream on Paramount+.

• Science Fiction

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

William shatner willing to return to ‘star trek’ as de-aged captain kirk.

The 93-year-old actor says he's down to return as James T. Kirk for a new movie, and has an idea about how to make it work.

By James Hibberd

James Hibberd

Writer-at-Large

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Email
• Show additional share options
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Pinit
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Print
• Share this article on Comment

“Mr. Scott, set the de-ager for 40 years!”

William Shatner says he’s down to play Captain James T. Kirk in a movie again, and has an idea for how it might work.

The 93-year-old sci-fi legend told the Canadian Press that he’d be willing to return to the Starship Enterprise under certain conditions.

Related Stories

William shatner on living boldly throughout acting career: "the future is unheralded", 'star trek: lower decks' to end with season 5.

Shatner suggested he could play a younger version of his iconic character, thanks to a company he’s working with that specializes in de-aging technology that “takes years off your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are.”

While Kirk was, of course, killed off in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations (photo above), Shatner suggested that Kirk’s body and brain might have been frozen for posterity, and then he could be revived years later.

“‘We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here,'” he mused. “There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper [in his hair]. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!'”

The prospect of this happening seems rather unlikely, of course. But filmmakers have been getting rather bold with de-aging technology, so it’s hardly impossible that a future Trek film might take Shatner up on his offer and at least try for a de-aged Kirk flashback or cameo of some kind.

Shatner was doing this interview to promote his biographical documentary You Can Call Me Bill , which is being released On Demand.

The actor famously journeyed into space in 2021 as a member of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin craft, becoming the oldest person to ever go into orbit.

Shatner has managed to remain quite sharp, energetic and hearty despite his years. The actor credits both genetic luck and taking care of himself.

“I eat well, I exercise, I ride horses a lot,” he said. “My wife cooks noninflammatory foods extremely well.”

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

‘kingdom of the planet of the apes’ star freya allan talks trailer spoilers and the original ending , warners allows fan-made ‘lord of the rings’ movie to stay on youtube, filmmakers back cannes workers in strike action, box office: ‘kingdom of the planet of the apes’ swings to promising $6.6m in previews, sam claflin, rupert friend join wwii actioner ‘perdition’, ‘mother of the bride’ duo brooke shields, miranda cosgrove on navigating child stardom, finding their voices on set and rom-coms.

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)

Full cast & crew.

Series Directed by 

Series writing credits  , series cast verified as complete  , series produced by , series music by , series cinematography by , series editing by , series casting by , series production design by , series art direction by , series set decoration by , series costume design by , series makeup department , series production management , series second unit director or assistant director , series art department , series sound department , series special effects by , series visual effects by , series stunts , series camera and electrical department , series casting department , series costume and wardrobe department , series editorial department , series location management , series music department , series script and continuity department , series transportation department , series additional crew , series thanks .

Release Dates | Official Sites | Company Credits | Filming & Production | Technical Specs

Contribute to This Page

• Full Cast and Crew
• Release Dates
• Official Sites
• Company Credits
• Filming & Production
• Technical Specs
• Plot Summary
• Plot Keywords
• Parents Guide

Did You Know?

• Crazy Credits
• Alternate Versions
• Connections
• Soundtracks

Photo & Video

• Photo Gallery
• Trailers and Videos
• User Reviews
• User Ratings
• External Reviews
• Metacritic Reviews
• Episode List

Related Items

• External Sites

Related lists from IMDb users

Recently Viewed

Screen Rant

Glenn morshower's 5 star trek roles explained.

Your changes have been saved

Email Is sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Every Star Trek Series, Ranked Worst To Best

Every star trek movie in chronological order, you season 5 set photos confirm return of fan-favorite character.

• Glenn Morshower portrayed five characters across multiple Star Trek series & films, showcasing his versatility as a character actor.
• Morshower's roles ranged from a junior officer to a sneaky alien, displaying his talent for embodying different personas effectively.
• Known for playing military and law enforcement roles, Morshower's commanding presence shines through in each of his Star Trek performances.

Character actor Glenn Morshower has portrayed five different characters across three Star Trek series and one feature film. Morshower's first Star Trek appearance came near the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, when he portrayed ensign Burke in "Peak Performance." He later appeared as an alien named Mr. Orton in the TNG season 6 episode, "Starship Mine." Morshower briefly appeared as the navigator on the USS Enterprise-B in Star Trek Generations before popping up in episodes of Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise .

Glenn Morshower has appeared in numerous films and television shows, often portraying military men or law enforcement officers. He is best known for playing Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce in 24 and Colonel Sharp in the Transformers films. Morshower has also appeared in episodes of The X-Files, CSI, The West Wing, Friday Night Lights, and Agents of SHIELD. More recently Morshower played Marshall Winthrop in 25 episodes of The Resident and President Andrew Johnson in the Apple TV+ series Manhunt . Morshower has also done voice-over work for several popular video game franchises, including Call of Duty and Wolfenstein.

There are 11 Star Trek TV series (and counting) over 58 years. From The Original Series to TNG to Strange New Worlds and Prodigy, we rank them all.

5 Ensign Burke

Star trek: the next generation season 2, episode 21 - "peak performance".

In Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "Peak Performance," the USS Enterprise-D participates in war games exercises, as Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) faces off against Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) in command of the USS Hathaway. Glenn Morshower portrays Ensign Burke, who serves as a junior operations and tactical officer aboard the Enterprise. When Riker chooses Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) to be a part of his crew on the Hathaway, Burke takes the Klingon's place at the tactical station.

A Ferengi ship commanded by DaiMon Bractor (Armin Shimerman) arrives and attacks, unaware that the two Federation ships are participating in practice exercises. The two Federation ships and their crews are able to outsmart the Ferengi, and bring an end to the wargames. Ensign Burke then serves as a mediator during a game of Strategema between master strategist Sirna Kolrami (Roy Brocksmith) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner).

4 Mr. Orton

Star trek: the next generation season 6, episode 18 - "starship mine".

In Star Trek's version of Die Hard , Captain Picard must singlehandedly thwart a group of thieves aboard the USS Enterprise-D. When the Enterprise docks at the Remmler Array to undergo a decontamination process, Captain Picard ends up stuck on the ship when the rest of the crew beams down to the station to attend a party. The party is quickly interrupted when the station administrator, an Arkarian named Mr. Orton, takes the senior officers captive, while his accomplices board the Enterprise.

With his alien appearance and prosthetics, Glenn Morshower is unrecognizable as Orton, who is eventually captured after the captive Enterprise crew members escape. Data and the other crew members had rigged the VISOR of Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) to emit a hypersonic pulse that rendered everyone other than Data unconscious. Orton initially played nice with the Enterprise crew members at the party, before revealing his part in the plot to steal trilithium from the Enterprise.

Tim Russ portrayed the first of the marauders taken out by Captain Picard on the Enterprise. Russ is most known for portraying Vulcan Chief of Security Tuvok in all 7 seasons of Star Trek: Voyager , but he also appeared briefly as a lieutenant aboard the Enterprise-B in Star Trek Generations.

3 USS Enterprise-B Navigator

Star trek generations.

Glenn Morshower's unnamed navigator only appears in the opening sequence of Star Trek Generations as a crewmember aboard the USS Enterprise-B, under the command of Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck) . Setting out on its maiden voyage, the Enterprise-B soon gets pulled into a rescue mission to save two El-Aurian refugee ships. Morshower's navigator informs Harriman that the Enterprise is the only ship in range of the El-Aurian ships , and he later releases plasma from the warp nacelles as part of the rescue attempt.

When the Enterprise gets trapped in the same energy ribbon that damaged the El-Aurian ships, the navigator is hit by an explosion and presumably killed. From this point forward, Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) takes over the navigator's station and helps the Enterprise escape. Having gone down to the deflector control room to modify the main deflector, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) gets caught in a hull breach and is presumed dead. In reality, he ends up in the mysterious Nexus, where Captain Picard later finds him.

With 13 entries in the Star Trek movie series from 1979-2006, there are a couple of ways to watch the films chronologically.

2 Mokra Order Guard

Star trek: voyager season 2, episode 12 - "resistance".

As Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Lt. Tuvok, and Lt. B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) try to buy tellerium for the USS Voyager, they are targeted by the planet's ruling body, the Mokra Order. Tuvok and B'Elanna are captured, while an injured Janeway is saved by a local man named Caylem (Joel Grey). Caylem believes Janeway to be his daughter, Ralkana, who was killed years ago trying to rescue her mother from prison.

Glenn Morshower only appears briefly as one of the Mokra Order guards stationed at the prison where Tuvok and B'Elanna were being held. When Janeway and Caylem mount their rescue attempt, Janeway lures this guard away from his post so that Caylem can knock him out. With distinct ridges at the tops of their noses, the Mokra Order soldiers were brutal members of the Alsaurian species opposed by the Alsaurian resistance movement.

1 Sheriff MacReady

Star trek: enterprise season 3, episode 9 - "north star".

As the Enterprise NX-01 explores the Delphic Expanse, they discover a planet inhabited by humans living in a civilization modeled after the 1860s American frontier. Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) , Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) and Sub-Commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) visit the planet to investigate and soon meet Glenn Morshower's Sheriff MacReady. MacReady is immediately suspicious of Archer, and orders his deputy to keep an eye on him.

Archer and his crew eventually learn that the humans were originally brought from Earth by a species called the Skagarans. The humans later overthrew their Skagaran masters and subjugated them, creating laws preventing them from getting an education or owning property. Archer later tells MacReady about modern Earth and emphasizes that humans of the 22nd century have moved past subjugating sentient species. With his penchant for playing law enforcement officers, Glenn Morshower brought a commanding presence to all five of his Star Trek roles.

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

Star Trek Generations is available to stream on Max.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star trek voyager, star trek: enterprise.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

93-Year-Old William Shatner ‘Might Consider’ Returning as Captain Kirk in New ‘Star Trek’ Project Through De-Aging: ‘It Takes Years Off of Your Face’

By Zack Sharf

Digital News Director

• Joel Edgerton Failed His ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Audition Because He Didn’t ‘Understand the Tone,’ Says ‘The World Is a Much Better Place That I’m Not Star Lord’ 2 hours ago
• Chris Pine’s ‘Poolman’ Got ‘F—ing Panned’ So Much That He Thought ‘Maybe I Did Make a Pile of S—‘; But He Refuses to Accept That: ‘I Love This Film’ 18 hours ago
• Jerry Seinfeld Asked Chris Rock to Parody the Will Smith Oscars Slap in ‘Unfrosted,’ but Rock ‘Was A Little Shook’ From It and ‘Wasn’t Up to Perform’ 19 hours ago

William Shatner recently told Canadian Press that he wouldn’t rule out returning as Captain Kirk in a new “ Star Trek ” project if the script impressed him. While the actor’s age might pose an issue as Shatner turned 93 years old in March, that’s nothing a bit of de-aging technology couldn’t fix.

“It’s an intriguing idea,” Shatner said about returning as Kirk. “It’s almost impossible. But if was a great role and so well-written and if there were a reason to be there not just to make a cameo appearance, but if there were a genuine reason for the character appearing, I might consider it.”

Popular on Variety

“[It] takes years off of your face, so that in a film you can look 10, 20, 30, 50 years younger than you are,” Shatner said.

Another issue around Shatner’s “Star Trek” return is Kirk’s death in the 1994 film “Star Trek Generations,” which is the last time Shatner appeared in the iconic franchise. He’s already brainstormed a plot device that could serve as a workaround and have his version of Kirk come back to life.

“A company that wants to freeze my body and my brain for the future might be a way of going about it,” Shatner said. “‘We’ve got Captain Kirk’s brain frozen here.’ There’s a scenario. ‘Let’s see if we can bring back a little bit of this, a little salt, a little pepper. Oh, look at that. Here comes Captain Kirk!’”

Variety exclusively reported in March that Steve Yockey, creator of the Max series “The Flight Attendant,” had signed on to write the script for “Star Trek 4.” The movie is being designed as the final installment for Pine and the cast. Several attempts to get a fourth “Star Trek” movie off the ground with this cast have failed over the years. One version of the project was to be directed by Matt Shakman (“WandaVision”) and written by Lindsey Beer (“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser”) and Geneva Robertson-Dworet (“Captain Marvel”). Shakman left the project to direct Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four” instead.

Other “Star Trek” projects remain in development at Paramount as well. The studio is working with screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith (“Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”) and director by Toby Haynes (“Black Mirror: USS Callister”) on an origin story movie, while a project with screenwriter Kalinda Vazquez (“Fear the Walking Dead”) that was first announced in 2021 also remains in development.

More From Our Brands

Julia fox takes mothering to new heights in ‘down the drain’ music video, exclusive: pacaso just unveiled a new collection of co-owned luxury vacation homes  , college title ix gender equity compliance is a failure, feds say, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, the conners to end with short season 7 at abc, verify it's you, please log in.

Chris Pine got his movie-star education from Denzel Washington

The director, cowriter, and star of "Poolman" reflects on his rise through Hollywood's ranks, from his rom-com days to playing Captain Kirk.

"Is this on camera?" Chris Pine asks me as we stare at each other through the magic of Zoom.

Sporting a graying beard, perfectly combed shoulder-length hair, and a loose-fitting yellow and white cardigan, Pine certainly appears camera-ready. But once I tell him that video won't be recorded, he slouches back in his chair, seemingly pleased that he can keep a toothpick dangling from his mouth during our conversation.

Whether he's playing the handsome leading man in a rom-com or an intensely focused franchise star, Pine has the uncanny ability to adapt into the movie star that's needed at any particular moment. And right now, with the cameras not technically rolling, he doesn't have to be one at all.

Pine didn't want to be a movie star growing up, either. A third-generation actor, he first avoided going into the family business. As a die-hard Yankees fan thanks to his East Coast-raised father, a teenage Pine dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player like his idol, Yankee great Don Mattingly.

When that phase passed ("Kids were starting to pitch faster," he said), he dabbled in theater. But it wasn't until he returned home from a stint studying abroad in the UK during college that he decided to pursue acting in earnest.

"It wasn't a passion," Pine says. "It's something that I found."

But the childhood memories of both his parents struggling to find work as actors stayed with him. His mother, Gwynne Gilford, eventually gave up acting to become a therapist. Though his father, Robert Pine, is still working as a veteran character actor best known for playing Sergeant Getraer on the late-1970s hit series "CHiPs," he was keeping the family afloat gig by gig during Pine's childhood.

Those Hollywood anxieties are present in Pine's directorial debut, "Poolman," in theaters Friday. Though the film is hardly autobiographical — Pine stars as a burnout pool cleaner in LA who's trying to uncover a city scandal — his character gets support from two parental figures in his life, who are struggling showbiz types played by Danny DeVito and Annette Bening.

"There's a scene at the end when Danny's character, Jack, says that his agent finally called back and offered him a sitcom for $75,000 an episode, and he turned it down," Pine says. He looks down in his lap, almost reliving what he's describing. "And Annette's character has a conniption fit."

Pine finally looks up.

"That's my childhood," he continues. "The dream was for my father to get a television show that paid $70,000 an episode, and that would finally get us out of financial distress."

With a filmography that charts an impressive ascension from heartthrob to the face of IP-fueled blockbusters to prestige fare, it's safe to say that distress is now behind him.

In Business Insider's latest Role Play interview , Pine discusses why he refuses to watch some of his rom-coms, learning how to be a movie star via Denzel Washington, and the untimely end of the "Wonder Woman" franchise.

On hating working at restaurants and refusing to watch his old rom-coms

Early Chris Pine is a trip to watch. You played a hard partier in an episode of "E.R." You cried in front of David Caruso in "CSI: Miami." At that time in your life, were you just going after anything?

Fuck yeah! Don't be a waiter. Actually, I was a host at a restaurant and just hated it. Could not have hated it anymore. I was not a people person. It was all about just getting work.

You started getting noticed thanks to romantic comedies — "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," "Just My Luck," "Blind Dating" — would you watch any of those titles now? Like, if you're in a hotel room flipping through the channels and it comes on.

I mean, not a chance. And that's for most of my films. It's too difficult because then you're thinking, "God, why did I fucking do that?" Or "Why did they pick that take?"

What I will say, though, is I get more people coming up to me about "Princess Diaries 2," and I think that's because it's played for so many generations of young girls now. So that's a trip.

On being comfortable playing Captain Kirk — by movie No. 3

Playing Captain Kirk in the "Star Trek" movies must have been daunting — not only were you taking on an iconic IP, but the actor who originated the character, William Shatner, is still so synonymous with Kirk. Were you ever comfortable in that role?

It's interesting. Karl Urban decided to go head first into McCoy because Karl loved "Star Trek." With Spock, you have to do Spock-like things, plus Zach [Quinto] kind of looked like Leonard [Nimoy]. And then Kirk is a tricky one. You are the lead of the band of characters, so you don't want to occupy too much space. It's fine if they are doing a thing, but you don't want to. And J.J. [Abrams] never asked me to do a thing, though I did do little nods to Shatner because it was fun.

But I would say I felt most in his shoes in the third movie. By that point, I think I mellowed into it and didn't feel like I was trying too hard.

Has the ship sailed to do Kirk again?

I honestly don't know. There was something in the news of a new writer coming on board. I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it's always been with "Trek," I just wait and see.

On getting a crash course in being a movie star from Denzel Washington and playing a 'non-charming' leading man

"Unstoppable" is the moment, I feel, where you're not fucking around anymore. Tony Scott, working across from Denzel Washington —

Youth really is wasted on the young [ laughs ]. It's such an awesome moment. It's one of the biggest films of the year; all the lights are shining on you, all the possibility of you being able to do whatever you want. I really wish I took more effort to enjoy that moment. 

I was reading a lot of scripts at the time, and I was on a plane when I read this one. And I didn't want to like it because it's a train. It's like, what is my job in this fucking film? The train is going to explode and then it's not. You know exactly what is going to happen.

But Mark Bomback wrote this incredible script, and I was on the plane, and I couldn't stop reading it. I would push it away — No. Buuut. No, nope. Buuut. I just could not turn away from it. Plus, Tony Scott was a god to me. He'd done "Days of Thunder" and "Top Gun," and then you add into that mix Denzel, plus that it's a two-hander that takes place in one location. From an acting class standpoint, I'm getting paid a lot of money to learn at the feet of one of the best who has ever done it. It was out of control cool. I learned more from that set about what it means to be a movie star than probably anything else. 

Before "Hell or High Water," you'd worked with Ben Foster in "The Finest Hours." How much of the praise you received for that movie do you attribute to the comfort you two had in working together?

I think it's more than that. Taylor [Sheridan] wrote a banger script. That script is one of the five best scripts I've ever read in my entire life. So you have the writing. Then you have David [Mackenzie] coming off of making "Starred Up," which is an incredible film, and then you have the Jeff Bridges of it all.

I think I held my own there, but you have these two incredibly dynamic actors: Jeff is the legend, and Ben is a caged animal of an actor. I had a lot of fun because up until that point, I hadn't played a closed-off, non-talkative, non-charming leading man. So I was really stoked to take that on. I think it was all the pieces coming together, not just one thing.

On turning down 'Wonder Woman' twice before director Patty Jenkins convinced him by bringing up 'Casablanca'

By the time you did the "Wonder Woman" franchise, you had done your fair share of blockbusters. Was there a moment in filming the first movie when you realized this one was different than the others?

I got pitched the film and didn't want to do it. Patty came on board and I still didn't want to do it. I had no interest in playing the boyfriend, and it sounded like second fiddle. Then, in talking to Patty, the way she described it was, "Forget the superhero of it all, this is a romance, this is "Casablanca," that's the movie I want to make." And I was like, oh, now that is very cool, because when had you seen a superhero film that was a love story, ultimately? That had nothing to do with blowing shit up.

For me, the pivotal moment is the scene on the tarmac; it's "Casablanca" by a different name. So when I saw that film, man. Film is not an actor's medium, it's a director's and editor's medium, and shit can go wrong really fast, and that was a movie where you're in the theater and you get lost in it. You forget you're in it. That's when you know it's gold.

Do you or Gal Gadot or Patty feel that there's unfinished business with the franchise not doing a third movie?

Me? No. Homie is dead. Steve is gonzo. It would be ridiculous to try to bring me back.

I'm stunned that they said no to a billion-dollar franchise and decided to pivot elsewhere. I don't know what the reasoning was behind that; it's above my pay grade, but Wonder Woman is an incredible character, and Patty is such a thoughtful director. Even think of "Wonder Woman 1984" — that's a blockbuster movie that is a hero's journey not about revenge. I mean, wow. People poo-pooed it, but wow!

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

"Poolman" is in theaters May 10.

Related stories

More from Entertainment

Most popular

• Main content

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds could benefit from using J.J. Abrams' Star Trek idea

S tar Trek (2009) brought back Leonard Nimoy in his iconic role, using him as Spock Prime in the Kelvin Timeline. His character came face to face with Zachary Quinto's Spock in a way that worked surprisingly well, both for the movie and for Nimoy, who said he "found a certain peace with the character." And Star Trek: Strange New Worlds could now have that same opportunity, just with different characters.

Recently, William Shatner has expressed a willingness to return as a de-aged Captain James T. Kirk if the story idea was good enough. He made it clear he won't do cameos so it would have to be a strong storyline with more than just a few minutes of screen time for the acting legend. One way to bring Shatner back would be to have his Captain Kirk face off with Paul Wesley who plays the current Lt. Kirk on Strange New Worlds. If done properly, this could be an incredible piece of work.

Other than the fact that he has aged, Shatner is still Kirk. And perhaps bringing him in to either confront Wesley's Kirk over an important decision or to walk the entire Enterprise crew through a tricky situation if Captain Pike (Anson Mount) wasn't available would be a definite boon for the series. The use of time travel would make this a breeze.

Strange New Worlds doesn't need any help with ratings as it's one of Trek's best series; however, Kirk facing Kirk much like Spock faced Spock would be a pivotal moment in Star Trek history, especially since it would, most likely, be the last time we would see Shatner as Kirk.

This could also work without the use of de-aging if Shatner were amenable, with Lt. Kirk seeing himself in the future much like Pike saw his own future. This could also serve as a retcon for Kirk's death in Star Trek: Generations, which wouldn't upset any fan in the Trek community. Otherwise, having a sixty-something Kirk meeting a younger version of himself aboard the Enterprise would be a perfect way to say a final goodbye to the beloved captain.

This article was originally published on redshirtsalwaysdie.com as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds could benefit from using J.J. Abrams' Star Trek idea .