Summary
StargateandStar Trekare two of the most iconic science fiction franchises of all time. As such, they’ve both endured for decades, spawning multiple spin-offs and relaunch series, making it no surprise that a few actors have appeared in both.
BetweenSG-1,Atlantis, andUniverse, theStargatefranchise was a staple throughout the 90s and 2000s.Star Trekfilled a similar role withNext Generation,Voyager,Deep Space Nine, andEnterprise. With hundreds of combined episodes between them, there were ample opportunities for main and otherwise notableStar Trekactors to appear onStargate, including some all-time fan-favorites.
10Rene Auberjonois
Stargate SG-1 Season 4, Episode 2 “The Other Side”
Fans ofDeep Space Ninewill know Rene Auberjonois as the stoic, enigmatic ChangelingOdo, head of security for the eponymous space station. Throughout the series, Odo remains an almost constant curmudgeon, but always in service to his duty and the safety of those around him.
In theSG-1episode “The Other Side,” all the trademark curmudgeonliness remains, but Alar’s motivations couldn’t be further from Odo’s. In the role of Alar, Auberjonois plays a despicable, Nazi-esque politician whose primary goal is to ensure the genetic “purity” of his people. Luckily, theSG-1crew is able to end his reign in a swift and decisive way.
9Colm Meaney
Stargate Atlantis - Multiple Episodes
ForStar Trekfans in the 90s, Colm Meaney is an instantly recognizable face. Like Michael Dorn’s Worf, Meaney’s character Miles O’Brien is a main cast member on both TheNext GenerationandDeep Space Nine. Unlike Dorn, however, Meaney also appears in multiple episodes of Stargate Atlantis.
InStargate, Meaney plays Cowen, leader of one of the non-Earth human groups, the Genii.Star Trekfans will know Meaney’s O’Brien character as a sweet, loving family man and loyal friend, but Cowen is anything but. His deathly stares and blatant threats to the Atlantis team let Meaney finally showcase his darker side as an actor.
8Connor Trinneer
Connor Trineer plays Chief Engineer Trip Tucker throughoutStar Trek: Enterprise, portraying the character as a respectable genius hiding behind the guise of a simple, small-town boy. HisAtlantischaracter, Michael, is night-and-day different from Trip, and thankfully gets a meaty 10 episodes over which to develop.
Unlike most otherStar Trekactors appearing onStargate, Trinneer gets to play a recurring villain over multiple seasons. Michael is an excellent villain forAtlantis. After a dubiously successful attempt to cure him of his Wraith DNA, which the team then hid from him, Michael becomes a lifelong enemy and leaves some fans feeling like he’s at least partially justified.
7John de Lancie
Stargate SG-1 - Multiple Episodes
Actor John de Lancie has a unique role in the combined universe ofStar TrekandStargate. He appears in multiple episodes ofThe Next Generationas the whimsical space god Q and multiple episodes ofSG-1as the ambitious, self-serving Colonel Simmons, both of which serve similar functions.
Of course, Simmons does not stop time and alter reality like Q is wont to do, but he nonetheless serves the same plot purpose for theSG-1team. In both incarnations, he recurs season to season in order to present a roadblock to our heroes from on high. The biggest difference is that, instead of being omnipotent and full of riddles like Q, Simmons is merely a bureaucrat willing to screw anyone over to further his career.
6Nicole de Boer
Stargate Atlantis Season 5, Episode 7 “Whispers”
Nicole de Boer has an interesting position amongDeep Space Nineactors, in that she is one of two to play the character of Dax. Terry Farrell played her first incarnation, Jadzia Dax, and de Boer her second incarnation, Ezri Dax. The last main cast member added toDeep Space Nine, she is also one of the last to cameo onStargate, appearing in season five ofAtlantis.
In the episode, de Boer plays a member of another Atlantis team that assists the usual group with a classic monster hunt. De Boer plays Alison Porter similarly to Ezri Dax, but thedisturbing, horror-like themeof the episode makes that trademark innocence stand out in contrast, to good dramatic effect.
5Jolene Blalock
A fan-favorite character fromEnterprise,T’Polis portrayed by Jolene Blalock, who helped establish the character’s surprisingly dimensionalized personality. Blalock played T’Pol true to her Vulcan nature, keeping her emotions subtle and only emoting when truly earned.
Blalock’sSG-1character, Ishta, is a very different role from T’Pol, outwardly and overtly portrayed as a fierce but passionate warrior. Introduced as a love interest and character foil forTeal’c, Ishta is also a Jaffa, though thankfully for Blalock, one capable of more humor and fun than Teal’c.
4John Billingsley
Stargate SG-1 Season 6, Episode 8 “The Other Guys”
John Billingsley plays the lovably upbeat physician Phlox onEnterprise,and in many ways, his short-livedSG-1character is much the same. Phlox maintains a fascination with Starfleet and humanity in general, delighting simply in supporting them as needed.
Billingsley’s character inSG-1, Simon Coombs, is also a supporting character, and that is his central purpose. His episode, “The Other Guys,” is afun ideafor the series, sidelining the main team for much of its length and letting the otherwise faceless supporting crew save the day for once, including the likable underdog Coombs.
3Armin Shimerman
Stargate SG-1 Season 1, Episode 8 “The Nox”
Though his appearance in theStargateuniverse is limited to one early episode ofSG-1, fans will no doubt recognize Armin Shimerman quickly, if not for his face, then certainly his voice. Throughout all seven seasons ofDeep Space Nine, Shimerman plays Quark, the greedy but endearing Ferengi bartender, a role he has reprised on multiple other occasions.
OnSG-1, Shimerman plays Anteus, the wise leader of a seemingly primitive tribe. It’s later revealed that the tribe’s apparent lack of sophistication is actually a deliberate and cunning ruse, but it still gives Shimerman the chance to showcase his acting chops in the most un-Ferengi way possible.
2Marina Sirtis
Stargate SG-1 Season 4, Episode 7 “Watergate”
Though it will forever be debated with intense fervor, the majority opinion holds that, other than perhaps the original series,The Next Generationis the best of all theStar Trekseries. A major part of its enduring love is its main cast, which includes Marina Sirtis as counselor Deanna Troi.
Sirtis appears in theSG-1episode “Watergate” as Dr. Markov. In contrast to her role as Troi, Markov is a fiercely intelligent, assertive scientist. Sirtis is as good as ever in the role, and it helps show off her more serious side, all in a very fun episode that focuses on analien speciesthat appears to be living underwater.
1Robert Picardo
Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis - Multiple Episodes
Robert Picardo has the honorable distinction of being the only main cast member of a Star Trek series to become a series regular onStargate. After debuting inSG-1, Picardo’s character Richard Woolsey became a regular onAtlantis, and even appeared in the recentStargate Universe.
Picardo’s role inStar Trek: Voyagerwas outstanding but monotonous, due to the character’s existence as a service hologram. Woolsey is anything but, as the initially unassuming, stock cameo grows into a delightfully fleshed-out, moral character who ultimately becomes the leader of the Atlantis expedition.
