Crew Members
Sonequa Martin-Green
Sonequa Martin-Green
Sonequa Martin-Green is a versatile actress who continues to evolve her impressive body of work with ground-breaking, complex roles and memorable performances across TV, film and stage.
Sonequa stars as Captain Michael Burnham in Star Trek: Discovery. In addition to receiving rave reviews for her role, she is making entertainment history as the first black female lead in the series. The USS Discovery uncovers new worlds and lifeforms as one Starfleet officer and her crew learn to understand all things alien.
Sonequa is widely known for her turn on AMC's critically acclaimed, award-winning series, The Walking Dead, where she captivated audiences in the role of the fierce and loyal Sasha Williams, across five seasons. Additionally, Sonequa has taken many guest and reoccurring roles in fan favorite TV series, including FOX's New Girl, ABC's Once Upon a Time and CBS's The Good Wife.
On the big screen, Sonequa received rave reviews for her starring role in Emily Abt's Sundance hit Toe To Toe in which she played Tosha Spinner, a highly driven inner-city high school teenager. She was also featured in Victoria Mahoney's film Yelling to the Sky alongside Gabourey Sidibe and Zoe Kravitz.
Walter Koenig
Walter Koenig
Actor, director, screenwriter, novelist, acting professor and comic book creator, Walter Koenig entered the Star Trek universe as Ensign Pavel Chekov in Season 2 of The Original Series. Walter recreated the character of the Russian navigator for the first seven Star Trek films. His first book, "Chekov's Enterprise" which recounts the making of the first Star Trek movie, was published in 1979, and he also wrote one of the episodes of the Star Trek animated series, "The Infinite Vulcan." Walter has dozens of stage and screen credits outside of Star Trek as well, including the recurring role of the quintessential scoundrel Bester on the television series Babylon 5 and the spin-off series Crusade. Walter 's autobiography, "Warped Factors - A Neurotic's Guide to the Universe" was released in 1998.
Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton loves to tell stories. He has been doing it his whole life. By age ten, he had already been acting for three years. In 1986, at age 12, he earned critical acclaim as Gordie Lachance in Rob Reiner's ecl; at 14, he began his four-year turn as Wesley Crusher on the hit TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Since then, Wil has appeared in dozens of films and TV series, with recurring roles on TNT's Leverage, SyFy's Eureka, and the hit web series The Guild. He is the creator, producer, and host of the wildly successful web series Tabletop, credited with reigniting national interest in tabletop gaming. Most recently, he played a fictionalized version of himself on CBS's The Big Bang Theory, one of the most highly rated and watched sitcoms of the last decade.
An accomplished voice actor, Wil has lent his talents to animated series including Family Guy, Teen Titans, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. His video game credits include four installments each of the Grand Theft Auto and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon series, as well as Fallout: New Vegas, DC Universe Online, and Broken Age.
His audiobook narration of Ernest Cline's Ready Player One debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and was one of Goodreads' 10 Best Narrator and Audiobook Pairings of All Time. He has also lent his voice to titles by John Scalzi, Randall Monroe, and Joe Hill.
When he isn't acting, narrating, or podcasting, Wil Wheaton is writing. A lot.
He is the author of "Just A Geek," "Dancing Barefoot," "The Happiest Days of Our Lives," "Hunter," and "Dead Trees Give No Shelter," plus a forthcoming novel, "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything." He has contributed columns to Salon.com, The A.V. Club, LA Weekly, Playboy, The Washington Post, and the Suicide Girls Newswire.
In recent years, Wil has earned recognition as an outspoken mental health advocate, chronicling his own journey in his blog and as a public speaker for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. His powerful, candid essay about his struggle with chronic depression and anxiety garnered national attention.
Wil lives in Los Angeles with his badass, irrepressible wife Anne, two rescued dogs, one cat, and two vintage arcade cabinets.
Brent Spiner
Brent Spiner
Brent Spiner was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He first began pursuing his interest in acting while in high school. There his inspirational drama teacher, Cecil Pickett, ignited a fire under his students and started the careers of a remarkable group of aspiring young actors and directors including Spiner, Randy Quaid, Dennis Quaid, Thomas Schlamme, Trey Wilson and Cindy Pickett, all of whom later attained success in Hollywood.
After graduation, Spiner followed his mentor to the University of Houston and other local colleges, while also launching his professional acting career in theater at The Houston Music Theater and in the TV film My Sweet Charlie, which was shot on location in Texas.
Spiner then made his way to New York, appearing in several Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, such as A History of the American Film, Sunday in the Park with George, Big River, The Three Musketeers, and The Seagull at the New York Shakespeare Festival. While in New York, he had a big part in Woody Allen's Stardust Memories, starred in an independent feature, Rent Control and had a featured role in the mini-series The Dain Curse.
After several character parts in television movies such as Robert Kennedy and His Times, Crime of Innocence, Manhunt for Claude Dallas, Family Sins, and guest shots on such shows as Hill Street Blues, Night Court and Cheers, Spiner landed the role for which he is most identified, Data the android on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Following a seven-year run on television, he appeared in four Star Trek feature films: Generations, First Contact, Insurrection and Nemesis for which he co-wrote the story.
He returned to Broadway playing the role of John Adams in the Roundabout revival of 1776 for which he was nominated for a Drama Desk award as Best Actor in a Musical and later co-starred in Yasmina Riza's play, Life x 3 at the Circle in the Square Theater.
On television, he co-starred in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge for which he was nominated for a Golden Satellite Award as Best Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries. Other television credits include Geppetto, Friends, Frasier, Mad About You, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and The Ponder Heart on PBS. His subsequent film credits have included Independence Day, Out to Sea, Dude Where's My Car?, The Master of Disguise, South Park: The Movie, Phenomenon, I Am Sam, and Martin Scorsese's The Aviator.
Gates McFadden
Gates McFadden
Cheryl Gates McFadden portrayed Beverly Crusher, MD, in most episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and in four Star Trek films. McFadden also directed the TNG episode "Genesis" and choreographed the dance routine in "Data's Day."
The character of Beverly Crusher was originally designed as a love interest of sorts for Captain Picard. The fact that Dr. Crusher would have to balance her personal feelings, her duty to Starfleet, and the responsibility of being a widowed single parent are among the many factors that attracted McFadden to the role. McFadden left the series at the end of the first season and was replaced by Diana Muldaur as Doctor Katherine Pulaski in the second season. But thanks to a letter-writing campaign, support from Patrick Stewart, and a personal invitation from Rick Berman, McFadden was brought back to the TNG cast for the third and subsequent seasons.
McFadden became pregnant with her son during the fourth season of TNG; Brent Spiner is his godfather. McFadden has been quoted as saying her son grew up on the bridge of the USS Enterprise-D, and he was upset when the sets were torn down following Star Trek Generations.
Other notable roles include Taking Care of Business in 1990 with James Belushi and fellow TNG star John de Lancie, and a 1992 stage production of Every Good Boy Deserves a Favour alongside her fellow shipmates Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, and Colm Meany. Additional television roles include the role of Paul Reiser's boss Allison Rourke in the hit sitcom Mad About You.
Gates McFadden is an accomplished dancer and puppeteer; she worked on several Jim Henson productions as a choreographer, most notably in the film Labyrinth. She prefers stage roles to television, and has been seen in countless productions over her career. She has also taught at several universities including Harvard, Brandeis, Purdue, and the University of Pittsburgh, and as the Artistic Director of Ensemble Studio Theatre of Los Angeles.
LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton
LeVar Burton is an actor, director, educator & cofounder of the award-winning Skybrary App; former host and executive producer of PBS's Reading Rainbow; and a lifelong children's literacy advocate. He hosts his own podcast, LeVar Burton Reads sharing the best short fiction and handpicked by the best voice in podcasting. LeVar also has a new YouTube Series This Is My Story which highlights racism in America. During Covid-19 lockdown, Twitter Live hosted livestream short story readings presented by LeVar to millions of his fans and avid readers.
LeVar starred as Kunta Kinte in the acclaimed mini-series Roots. He also starred as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation television series and in feature films. LeVar has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards along with 27 Daytime Emmy nominations, culminating in 21 wins. During its 26-year run from 1983 to 2009, Reading Rainbow was not only one of the longest running children's television shows in history but won more that 25 awards including 10 for outstanding series and the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. LeVar has also been nominated twice for the Spoken Word Grammy Award and won in 1999, for narrating "The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr." On June 11, 2019, South Sacramento's Meadowview City leaders honored LeVar with the Official Renaming and Dedication of Richfield Park to LeVar Burton Park.
John de Lancie
John de Lancie
An acclaimed stage and screen actor as well as an accomplished voice-over artist, John de Lancie is best known as the mysterious and godlike Q, appearing in The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. While only appearing 9 times in 10 years, the cult popularity of Q is so widespread that John's likeness has appeared in countless merchandising and promotional products. He's been named "Best Villain," "Best Recurring," and "Best Loved" character. He's also made appearances on such hit dramas as Breaking Bad, The West Wing, Law & Order, The Mentalist, and CSI.
Denise Crosby
Denise Crosby
Denise Crosby was cast as Tasha Yar in 1987 for The Next Generation, after first being picked to play Deanna Troi. Tasha Yar was initially among the top-billed characters and was featured prominently in "The Naked Now" and "Code of Honor." Crosby left the show after 22 episodes when her character was killed by the alien creature Armus. In the documentary Trekkies, Crosby said her Tasha Yar character had to die in order to get "the best episodes." She reprised her role as Tasha Yar in Season 3's "Yesterday's Enterprise," in which an alternate timeline was created.
Nana Visitor
Nana Visitor
Nana Visitor appeared in Broadway plays, had regular roles on TV and starred in the title role of Working Girl before joining Deep Space Nine as Bajoran Major Kira Nerys. The role piqued her curiosity because Kira Nerys wasn't "a mother, or a wife, or a prostitute, or a killer. [Kira] is fully realized." She also voiced the character in the video games Harbinger and The Fallen. Following Deep Space Nine, she starred on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning musical Chicago and later appeared in the series Dark Angel and Wildfire.
Armin Shimerman
Armin Shimerman
Armin Shimerman is an actor and writer, a veteran of stage and screen widely known for his role as Quark for seven seasons on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), as well as Principal Snyder on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the films The Hitcher (1986) and BioShock (2007). Shimerman was the first actor to ever play a Ferengi on Star Trek, as Letek on the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Last Outpost." Five years later, he was offered the role of Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the first Ferengi character in the main cast of any Star Trek series and a role that he would play for seven years. He is one of only five Star Trek actors to appear in three different Star Trek series. He has a myriad of acting, voiceover and teaching credits and has been married to actress Kitty Swink since May 16, 1981.
Max Grodénchik
Max Grodénchik
Max Grodénchik is best known for his portrayal of Rom on Deep Space Nine over the course of 37 episodes. Before getting the role of Rom, he auditioned for the role of Rom's brother, Quark, and played two other Ferengi characters on The Next Generation -- Sovak in "Captain's Holiday" and Par Lenor in "The Perfect Mate." He wrote and performed "Rom's Song" and performed the song "The Lady is a Tramp" in the Deep Space Nine episode "The Siege of AR-558." He also played a NASA flight dynamics officer in Apollo 13.
Chase Masterson
Chase Masterson
Chase Masterson is best known for her 5-year breakout role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, reprising her roles of Leeta and Mirror Leeta in Star Trek Online. She has the title role in the Doctor Who Big Finish spinoff VIENNA.
Among a myriad of other roles, Chase has guest starred on The Flash, hosted Sci-Fi Entertainment and starred opposite Bruce Campbell in Terminal Invasion for SyFy, played opposite Jerry O'Connell in Sliders, and co-hosted NBC Sunday Night at the Movies with Ryan Seacrest. Guest star credits include an episode of the Emmy-winning ER and Presidio Med, and a recurring role on General Hospital. Chase played opposite Richard Lewis in a cameo role Mel Brooks wrote for her in Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Feature film leads include a mysterious jazz singer in eOne's acclaimed sci-fi noir, Yesterday Was a Lie and a lead in the recently released Unbelievable!!!!!. She has had lead roles in the feature films Manipulated, Skipping Stones, and Je Suis Auto.
Chase was named in AOL's 10 Sexiest Aliens in Television History, Screen Rant's 15 Most Stunning Aliens in Star Trek, Femme Fatales' 50 Sexiest Women, Film Fetish's Hot Leading Ladies of Film, and TV Guide Online readers' poll's Favorite Sci-Fi Actress on TV during the run of DS9. She is a singer who has headlined at Las Vegas' Voodoo Lounge, Universal City Walk, and the Sofiensaal in Vienna, Austria. She was an Artist-In-Residence at the Vienna MuseumsQuartier in November 2019.
Chase has mentored kids coming out of gangs since 2008 at Homeboy Industries. She is the Founder/CEO of PopCultureHero.org, teaching mental health skills and working to end bullying, racism, misogyny, LGBTQI-bullying, and cyberbullying by using relatable pop culture stories in schools. The Coalition also works in comic-cons and children's hospitals. Chase has spoken at the United Nations, Google, UNESCO, TEDxVienna, the International Bullying Prevention Association, the World Anti-Bullying Forum, YMCA USA forums, on CBS News, and at the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.
Robert Picardo
Robert Picardo
Robert Picardo enrolled at Yale as a pre-med student, not knowing that he would someday portray doctors in three separate productions: Dr. Dick Richard on China Beach, then as Dr. McCaskill in The Waiting Room, and, most famously, as the Holographic Doctor for all 7 seasons of Voyager. One of the two Voyager episodes Bob also directed, "One Small Step," was a moving tribute to the pioneers of space exploration. Combining his 40-plus-year acting career with a lifelong interest in science, Bob served for over 15 years on the advisory board of The Planetary Society.
Garrett Wang
Garrett Wang
Born in California, Garrett Wang spent his formative years on the move, living in Indiana, Bermuda, and Tennessee before moving back to California to attend UCLA to major in East Asian Studies and minor in theater. Garrett signed with his first talent agent in 1993 and within a year he landed his first speaking role, guest starring on All American Girl. Three months later, Wang was cast in the role of Harry Kim on Voyager. Garrett was named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People as well as one of E! Channel's "20 Coolest Bachelors."
John Billingsley
John Billingsley
Known for his role as Doctor Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise for four years, John Billingsley has carved out a distinct niche for himself with unique character roles in more than 150 film and television appearances. “Dear Doctor” was the first Phlox-heavy Enterprise episode, and in a 2013 interview with StarTrek.com, Billingsley explained that he appreciated the fact that a Phlox hour followed the Trek tradition of tackling an issue with a lot of gray area. In 2001, Billingsley also played himself in an episode of Roswell that used the Enterprise set. In 2002, he was a guest star in an episode of Stargate SG-1, playing a scientist who is also a Trekkie. One of Billingsley’s earliest roles was in the TV comedy-drama Northern Exposure, then in the cult phenomenon The X-Files.
Connor Trinneer
Connor Trinneer
Connor Trinneer is most known for playing Charles "Trip" Tucker III on Star Trek: Enterprise and Michael Kenmore on Stargate Atlantis. Originally from Washington state, Connor discovered acting in college, went to drama school and found himself in New York upon graduation. Regional theater work quickly followed, and his career went on to span film and television as well. His big break came with Enterprise, which led to dozens of extraordinary roles and his epic appearances on Star Trek: The Cruise! Connor has also appeared in American Made, The Resident, NCIS, The Mentalist, Suits, Pretty Little Liars and was in all of season 2 of The Purge.
Anthony Montgomery
Anthony Montgomery
Anthony Montgomery landed the series-regular role of Ensign Travis Mayweather on Star Trek: Enterprise in 2001. For the next four years, Anthony piloted Enterprise's NXO1 into many adventures and into the hearts of loyal Star Trek fans around the world. Star Trek: Enterprise ended in 2005 and Anthony was with the series until the very end. Early in his career, Anthony guest starred on such shows as J.A.G., Charmed, Frasier, and Resurrection Blvd. His big break came with a recurring role as George Auston on the WB television series, Popular. In October 2008, Anthony pursued a different artistic interest and released his debut Hip Hop music album, A.T. The album made Anthony the first actor in the Star Trek franchise to release music in the Hip Hop genre. In 2013, Anthony added producer to his list of credits and launched his own sci-fi franchise called Miles Away, beginning with a graphic novel that toured the world and is slated to be developed into an animated series.
Dominic Keating
Dominic Keating
Dominic Keating is a British actor born on July 1, 1962, in Leicester, England. He is best known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Malcolm Reed on the popular science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, which aired from 2001 to 2005. Dominic's performance as the British armory officer earned him recognition and a dedicated fan following within the Star Trek community.
Before his role in Star Trek, Dominic had already established himself as a versatile actor with appearances in various television shows and films. He began his acting career on the stage, performing in theatrical productions in London's West End. Dominic then transitioned to on-screen work.
In addition to his sci-fi endeavors, Dominic has contributed to a range of projects across different genres. His filmography includes roles in movies like Beowulf, Jungle 2 Jungle, and Species: The Awakening. On the small screen, he has appeared in shows such as Heroes, and Sons of Anarchy.
Dominic's talent and dedication to his craft have earned him a respected place in the entertainment industry. Beyond his acting career, he has engaged with fans at conventions and events, further solidifying his place in the hearts of science fiction enthusiasts.
Doug Jones
Doug Jones
Doug Jones is perhaps one of the most brilliant actors of our time. Some say he is this generations "Boris Karloff"!
Doug’s career spans numerous years in television and on film, currently Doug can be seen as Captain Saru in CBS’ Star Trek: Discovery (perhaps one of the best Trek series to hit airwaves)! He can also be seen in the Oscar winning film The Shape of Water in which Doug teams up again to bring an original story to life by director Guillermo del Toro! He is also set to star as Count Orlok in the highly anticipated remake of Nosferatu!
Fans will long remember Doug for his work as The Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He's also the life and soul of Abe Sapien in Hellboy and Helboy II: The Golden Army (based on the popular Dark Horse comic book, returning to his role of Abe Sapien as well a taking on 2 other roles, that of The Chamberlain and The Angel of Death for director Guillermo del Toro.
In the film he wants to be remembered for, Doug portrays 2 characters in the Oscar winning film Pan’s Labyrinth (in the native tongue of Spanish "El Laberinto del Fauo"). He plays both Pan (the faun creature) and The Pale Man. Another fan favorite is the Halloween classic, Hocus Pocus, in which Doug plays the goofy zombie, ex-boyfriend of Bette Midler, Billy Butcherson. And his earliest comic book movie appearance was alongside Danny De Vito as a faded circus clown in Batman Returns.
In addition to these very popular films, you can also find Doug as the very smart alien, Cochise on TNT's critically acclaimed series, Steven Spielberg produced Falling Skies, season 3 (Summer 2013) and season 4 (Summer 2014). Other notable TV guest roles for Doug include William Barrow on Teen Wolf, Grady Edlund on Fear Itself, Dominique Wilkins on The Neighbors, and the lead Gentleman on Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Emmy-nominated "Hush" episode!
Anthony Rapp
Anthony Rapp
As Lt. Paul Stamets on Star Trek: Discovery, Anthony Rapp has been front and center in Star Trek action sequences and science conversations as well as loving and heartbreaking moments. An original cast member in the Tony Award-winning rock opera Rent, Anthony later reprised the role in the film version and the Broadway Tour. Additional Broadway credits include You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown; Six Degrees of Separation; and most recently, If/Then. He is also the author of the memoir "Without You," which he adapted into a one-man show that toured the United States and London. His film and television credits include Adventures in Babysitting, School Ties, Dazed and Confused, A Beautiful Mind, The Knick, The Good Fight, 13 Reasons Why, and Star Trek: Discovery.
David Ajala
David Ajala
In an interview for Interview Magazine David Ajala said "When I was in secondary school, my math teacher said I had way too much energy and was too mischievous. He tried to convince me that if I did acting, I'd be popular amongst my peers."
Ajala trained at the Anna Scher Theatre and Courtyard Theatre drama school, then began his career performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company at in Stratford-upon-Avon where he performed in productions of "Hamlet," and "A Midsummer Night's Dream," among others. David has also worked at The Almeida Theatre, Donmar Warehouse and Royal Court Theatre.
Ajala's Film credits include the independent feature Starred Up alongside Jack O'Connell and Rupert Friend; the Wachowski feature Jupiter Ascending with Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum and Fast & Furious 6 alongside the late Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.
Ajala was nominated "Best Acting Performance" by the Royal Television Society in 2009. On TV he has appeared in many TV shows with major roles in Black Box, Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, Nightflyers, Falling Water and Supergirl. In addition, Ajala has also had major guest roles in award winning shows including Law & Order: UK, Death in Paradise, Silent Witness, and the wildly popular Dr. Who.
In October 2019, he joined the regular cast of season three of Star Trek: Discovery.
Mary Chieffo
Mary Chieffo
Mary Chieffo is a queer actor/producer known internationally for her role as Klingon Commander turned Chancellor L'Rell on the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Discovery. She has also appeared in guest roles on NCIS and Girls5eva, and has starred in staged readings of several plays, including Heretics, Analogue, Lady Face, and Systems.
Chieffo is a graduate of Juilliard, where she received her BFA in acting and the prestigious Elizabeth Smith Voice and Speech Prize and the Saint-Denis Prize for "Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Drama." She is a member of SAG-AFTRA and AEA, and is a frequent collaborator with The Road Theatre Company, Impro Theatre LAB Ensemble, and Ripley Improv.
In addition to her acting work, Chieffo is also a producer. She produced, wrote, and starred in Operation Othello, a feminist, gender, and color-conscious VR adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. She also co-created and starred in Iago: The Green-Eyed Monster, a Musical AR Experience that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022.
Chieffo is also the star of the short film Every Morning, a queer sci-fi love story written by and co-starring her partner Madi Goff. She served as executive and creative producer on the film in partnership with Dr. Erin Macdonald's LGBTQ+ owned Spacetime Productions.
Eve Harlow
Eve Harlow
Eve Harlow’s career began in Canada, where her love for film and theatre was encouraged by a mother who herself had been an actor in the Moscow theatre. She actively pursued acting, and by the age of 19, Eve had won a Leo award and been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Dramatic Series at the Canadian Screen Awards (formerly known as the Geminis).
Eve has built up an impressive and diverse resume - she was a fragile, torn-between-loyalties love interest on the CW series The 100; a rebellious secret agent in the NBC series Heroes: Reborn; in Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, a renegade desperately trying to survive in a morbid dystopia; and a tormented recovering drug addict in Paramount’s Instant Family.
Most recently, Eve starred as Ellen, the sadistic hitwoman in Shawn Ryan’s thriller series The Night Agent for Netflix, and she can next be seen starring in the final season of CBS’ Star Trek: Discovery as Moll, a highly intelligent - and dangerous - outlaw.
She also likes podcasts.
Michelle Hurd
Michelle Hurd
Michelle Hurd can currently be seen starring opposite Patrick Stewart in Paramount Plus' smash hit Star Trek series Picard.
Hurd can be seen in Justin Simien's Bad Hair, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
In addition to her explosive performance as Shepherd on NBC's hit drama Blindspot, Hurd is also known for and her recurring role on Hawaii Five-O, Starz's hit horror comedy Ash Vs. Evil Dead, the Marvel Universe series Daredevil and Jessica Jones ("DA Samantha Reyes"), and the A&E summer series The Glades ("Colleen Manus"). Other television credits include: Younger, Devious Maids, 90210, Witches of East End, How To Get Away With Murder, Bosch, Mysteries of Laura, Pretty Little Liars, Raising Hope, The Good Wife, Law & Order: SVU ("Det. Jeffries"), Gossip Girl, ER, Bones, According To Jim, Law & Order, Smith, Skin, Leap Years, Charmed, The O.C., Kevin Hill, The Practice, and Another World.
Other film credits include Being Frank opposite Jim Gaffigan, Be Afraid, We Don't Belong Here (alongside Catherine Keener and Maya Rudolph), Search Engines, Within The Dark, Girl Most Likely (with Kristen Wiig), Random Hearts, Personals, Double Parked, Wolf, and King of New York.
Hurd is a proud alumnus of NYC's premiere artist community at Westbeth.
Ed Speleers
Ed Speleers
Ed Speleers can be seen on the upcoming season of Star Trek: Picard for Paramount+ and You for Netflix. He is also known for his portrayal of villain 'Stephen Bonnet' in the Starz! series Outlander as well as playing 'Footman Jimmy' for two seasons on Downton Abbey (SAG Award winner, Best Ensemble). Other television credits include starring as "Slean" in Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands for ITV, "Edward Seymour" in the critically acclaimed Golden Globe and Bafta winning Wolf Hall alongside Mark Rylance and Damien Lewis, and Agatha Christie's Partners In Crime. Ed's feature credits include Breathe opposite Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy, Disney's fantasy film Alice Through the Looking Glass, and Lars von Trier's The House That Jack Built (Cannes Premiere) opposite Uma Thurman and Matt Dillon. Ed made his film debut as the titular role in the 20th Century Fox action fantasy film Eragon. He was selected by director Stefen Fangmeier from a worldwide casting search.
Todd Stashwick
Todd Stashwick
Todd Stashwick is an actor and writer based in Los Angeles. A Chicago native, he is an alumnus of the famed Second City Comedy Theater. On television, he is known for the role of Deacon on Syfy's hit show 12 Monkeys and Dale Malloy on the critically acclaimed FX drama The Riches. His work also includes notable roles on the shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Heroes, Supernatural, The Originals and Gotham. He can also be seen in the live action Kim Possible film as the villain Dr. Drakken on Disney+ and will soon be seen in pivotal roles in the series The Last Thing He Told Me and Star Trek: Picard.
Recent films include the independent films Think Like A Dog, Violet and The Way Back. Other favorites are Mockingbird (Universal) and Surfer, Dude.
As a writer Todd is the co-creator of the web-comic Devil Inside with collaborator comic artist Dennis Calero. Todd co-wrote Clandestine, an original space adventure pilot for the Syfy Channel. He also co-wrote a Star Wars video game for Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm, with Uncharted creator Amy Hennig and co-wrote a draft of Suicide Squad 2, the sequel to the hit DC comics film from Warner Brothers with writer/director Gavin O'Connor. He recently completed co-writing the video game Forspoken for Square Ennix and is currently working with a group of writers for an upcoming Marvel project with Skydance New Media. Todd continues to develop Television, Film and comic book properties.
Todd is deeply immersed in the Dungeons and Dragons community, a passion that started for him as a child in the late 70s. He regularly hosts games for his friends in his Nerd Lair. He has streamed many games online for notable charities for Jasper's Game Day and DnDBeyond. He created a retro merchandise online store, to celebrate his love of the game, called Todd Stashwick's Nerd Circus where he sells Dice, Dice Boxes, t-shirts and more. He co-created a D&D inspired tiki cocktail book, with former Imagineer Brandon Kleyla, called Mystic Libations all available at www.thenerdcircus.com. He most recently collaborated with Mike Jimenez, of the Weathered Dragon, on a premium "The Stashwick Signature gaming table" now available online.
Peyton List
Peyton List
Peyton List is an American actress and professional model, known for roles on Mad Men, FlashForward, The Tomorrow People and Frequency. She began her career on daytime television, playing Lucy Montgomery on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns from 2001 to 2005, before she went to primetime with regular roles on the short-lived dramas Windfall and Big Shots.
From 2008 to 2013, List had a recurring role as Jane Siegel in the AMC period drama Mad Men. In film, she has appeared in The Greatest Game Ever Played, Shuttle and Meeting Evil. List also starred in the short-lived science fiction dramas FlashForward, and The Tomorrow People. During the 2016–17 television season, she starred as the lead character in The CW drama series Frequency. In 2018, she had a recurring role in season 3 of the science fiction series Colony. She also starred on a recurring basis as Poison Ivy in the Fox crime drama series Gotham and voiced the character in the 2019 animated film Batman: Hush.
Most recently, she joined the Star Trek universe and played Narissa in the first season of Star Trek: Picard.
Tawny Newsome
Tawny Newsome
Tawny Newsome voices the lead character of Ensign Beckett Mariner on the Star Trek animated series, Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount Plus. She stars in Netflix's live-action series Space Force opposite Steve Carrell and John Malkovich. She starred in the Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes limited series True Story for Netflix. Additional credits include IFC's Brockmire, Sherman's Showcase and Documentary Now!, the Seeso Original Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, BET's The Comedy Get Down, and NBC's Perfect Harmony and The Carmichael Show. Newsome is the co-host of the comedy-meets-culture podcast Yo, Is This Racist? She's also the host of the official Star Trek podcast, Star Trek: The Pod Directive.
Eugene Cordero
Eugene Cordero
Eugene Cordero can currently be seen on the Disney+ Marvel series Loki on its second season as a series regular. He also has a fantastic lead role in Amblin Partners/Rideback's family comedy feature film Easter Sunday. Other notable recent spots include a role as villager 'Stoke' in The Mandalorian and appearances in Focus Features' dramedy The High Note, starring Dakota Johnson and directed by Nisha Ganatra, the SXSW film Golden Arm, in which he had a leading role, and The Mule, a Warner Bros. film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Bradley Cooper.
Previously, Eugene appeared in Legendary Pictures' Kong: Skull Island opposite Tom Hiddleston and Samuel Jackson. Additional credits include Ghostbusters, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and Other Space, Paul Feig's Yahoo series.
Eugene is currently a series regular in the TruTV series Tacoma FD and recurred on NBC's hit series The Good Place as Jason Mendoza (Manny Jacinto)'s endearingly incompetent best friend 'Pill Boi.' He has also recurred in Black Monday and Wrecked, along with the animated musical series Central Park as Kristen Bell's boyfriend (in which he sings) and Star Trek: Lower Decks. Other TV credits include Grace & Frankie, Veep, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Making History, Parks and Recreation, Key and Peele, House of Lies, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Drunk History. Eugene starred alongside Alison Brie and Nick Offerman in Kings of Summer, which premiered at Sundance and was released by CBS Films. Eugene is a regular performer and veteran at UCB.
Gabrielle Ruiz
Gabrielle Ruiz
Gabrielle Ruiz is an American actress, philanthropist, producer, activist and champion for the arts. She is known for the iconic musical comedy, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, where she received rave reviews as Valencia Perez. Her role as the "out of control" Vulcan T'Lyn in the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks was an immediate fan favorite sensation and continues into current seasons. She starred as the beloved villain Karen and choreographed the film Dance Dads, which won the Audience Award for Comedy Feature at Austin Film Festival.
You can also catch Gabrielle on Xbox's biggest video game Starfield, Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Ridley Jones, Mr. Mayor, Modern Family, Better Things, Alone Together, Orange Is The New Black, Sesame Street, and Law & Order: SVU. She enjoys visiting TV game shows Pictionary and 25 Words or Less playing alongside fellow celebrities like Raven-Symoné, Carson Kressley, and Greg Grunberg. Gabrielle launched her career performing on Broadway in If/Then with Idina Menzel, Evita with Ricky Martin, In The Heights with Lin-Manuel Miranda, and in the 1st National Tour of A Chorus Line, as Diana Morales.
Gabrielle hails from Edinburg, Texas, known locally as the Rio Grande Valley, where she produces many musical theatre projects and workshops for the public school educational systems. She was the 2023 Master of Ceremonies at the State of The City Address for Pharr, TX to rave reviews. Her vocal training is a product of public school education and studied dance at Melba's Dance School in McAllen, TX. She is a BFA graduate of Oklahoma City University.
Gabrielle has addressed Members of Congress in support of Arts Education Week, has been the keynote speaker for the Human Rights Campaign San Diego Gala, and has hosted many fundraisers for non-profit organizations, most of which focus on arts education and dance. She was presented the Ursa Major Award from Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity in 2019. She continues to mentor, career coach, and choreograph in New York and Los Angeles in addition to producing the podcast What Are Friends For with her best friend, Pallavi Sastry.
Federation Advisors
Michael and Denise Okuda
Guest Speakers
Michael and Denise Okuda
Michael Okuda
As the lead graphic designer on Star Trek for many years, Michael Okuda has earned screen credit on more Star Trek productions than anyone except Gene Roddenberry. Michael was responsible for the control panels, computer readouts, alien written languages, and other cool stuff in Star Trek: The Next Generation through Enterprise, on Star Trek movies 4-10, and he recently served as graphic designer on Star Trek: Picard. Other projects include graphics for the Netflix comedy, Space Force, as well as The West Wing, Flight of the Intruder, and The Bourne Legacy. He also did motion graphics for several recent films directed by Clint Eastwood, including Sully and Richard Jewell, and consulted on graphics for the docu-series Greatest Geek Year Ever: 1982, and Pandora, a sci-fi series, both on the CW. Michael currently serves as a technical advisor on the Apple TV+ space drama, For All Mankind, on which he works with the writers, cast, and directors to help maintain consistency in the show's technical scenes. Michael's life-long fascination with the real space program led him to design the crew patch for the STS-125 space shuttle mission, worn by the astronauts on Space Shuttle Atlantis on the final servicing flight to the Hubble Space Telescope. His NASA work also includes the emblem for NASA's Flight Operations Division, worn by the astronauts on the shoulder of their flight suits, the project logo for the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle, the Planetary Defense Office logo, and the Spaceflight Memorial Patch (with Bill Foster), which hangs on the wall of Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Other space-related work includes designs for the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, The Planetary Society, Space Center Houston, and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Michael has been recognized with the Art Directors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as with three primetime Emmy nominations for Best Visual Effects, and NASA's Exceptional Public Service Medal. He served as a technical consultant to Star Trek's writing staff, wrote the text for Star Trek: Ships of the Line, and with Rick Sternbach is coauthor of the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual. Michael graduated from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa with a bachelor's degree in communications and is a member of the Art Directors Guild, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Visual Effects Society, and is an affiliate member of the Manned Spaceflight Operations Association, an organization of real-life NASA flight controllers and flight directors. Mike thinks science is the coolest thing ever and he really wants to be the first graphic artist in space.Denise Okuda
Denise Okuda served as video/computer playback supervisor and graphic artist for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise, as well as for four Star Trek movies, where she was responsible for organizing the computer screen image content in the control room sets. Her other credits include pilots for Threshold, Star Patrol!, The Flash, and The Osiris Chronicles. She cowrote the catalog for the Christie's auction of Star Trek costumes and props in 2006, has helped to curate and been a writer for several Star Trek museum exhibitions, and did promotional work for 20th-Century Fox's cult classic, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension. Denise even appeared on screen as an extra in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, where she was part of the Enterprise crew assembled on the ship's recreation deck (if you look VERY carefully, she's a Vulcan crew member), as well as a background Starfleet officer in a few digitally-remastered effects scenes of the original Star Trek series in 2006. Denise was an artistic consultant, along with her husband Michael, for CBS Home Entertainment's remastered version of Star Trek: The Next Generation. They were creative producers for new visual effects for the HD remastered version of the original Star Trek series. They have done voice and text commentaries for numerous CBS and Paramount Star Trek DVDs and Blu-ray releases, and even did a comedic in-universe text commentary for the Blu-ray of Galaxy Quest. Denise and Michael wrote several editions of The Star Trek Encyclopedia, (in both print and digital formats), two editions of The Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future, and On Board the U.S.S. Enterprise. Denise and Michael currently serve as advisors for the Gene Roddenberry Archive project, working to preserve the legacy of Star Trek's creator. They were co-producers on The Roddenberry Vault for CBS Home Entertainment, and on the feature-length documentary, Star Trek: Journey to the Silver Screen for Paramount Home Entertainment. They served on the Smithsonian Institution's special advisory committee on the Starship Enterprise filming model. Denise currently works as a technical advisor on the Apple TV+ space drama, For All Mankind, on which she works with the writers, cast, and directors to help maintain consistency in the show's technical scenes. Drawing on her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, Denise has also served as a medical consultant to the writing staff of Star Trek. She is an ardent fan of the National Football League. Denise is the recipient of the Art Directors Guild's Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the Spectrum Award, presented by the Cal State Los Angeles Eagle Con. She wishes she could live in Yosemite National Park, but actually lives happily in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and their dog, Scooter T. Rocketboy.
Lolita Fatjo
Guest Speaker
Lolita Fatjo
Lolita Fatjo worked for 14 years as Assistant to the Executive Producer and later as Script Coordinator on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: First Contact. Throughout the years, she has built good working relationships with many of the stars, soon transitioning to the role of manager for many Star Trek actors.
Her reputation for being fan-friendly along with her first-hand knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes has made her a fan-favorite on the convention circuit.
She served as talent coordinator on the hit DS9 documentary What We Left Behind and is currently a producer and talent coordinator on the Voyager Documentary To the Journey which was shot partly on Star Trek: The Cruise in 2020.
Dr. Erin Macdonald
Guest Lecturer
Dr. Erin Macdonald
Dr. Erin Macdonald ("Dr. Erin") is the science advisor for the entire Star Trek franchise and works as a writer and producer in Los Angeles, CA. She is an internationally sought-after public speaker, educator, STEAM advocate, writer, and technical consultant. Erin wrote and narrated The Great Courses' Audible Original, The Science of Sci-Fi which was an Audible Top 10 best seller in March 2020. She also wrote Star Trek: My First Book of Space, a baby board book in conjunction with Robb Pearlman's Star Trek: My First Book of Colors released in late 2022.
Dr. Mohamed Noor
Guest Lecturer
Dr. Mohamed Noor
Dr. Mohamed Noor is professor of biology and currently serves as Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University. He is also a contracted science consultant for the Star Trek universe, with current credits in seasons 3-4 of Star Trek: Discovery and more to come. He merges his passions of genetics and evolution with science-fiction by teaching biology concepts using depictions from Star Trek in the classroom, in online videos, and in presentations at conventions. Additionally, Dr. Noor published a book via Princeton University Press that uses examples from Star Trek to teach real-world principles in genetics and evolution, called Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us About Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds.
Robb Pearlman
Guest Author
Robb Pearlman
Robb Pearlman is a pop culturalist, Trekspert, publishing professional, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 60 books including Fun with Kirk and Spock, Trek the Halls, The Wit and Wisdom of Star Trek, Star Trek: My First Book of Colors, Star Trek: The Girl Who Made the Stars, The Star Trek Book of Friendship, Starfleet Is…, The Book of Grudge, Search for Spock, Body by Starfleet, Redshirt’s Little Book of Doom, Live Like a Vulcan, Love Like a Wookiee, Laugh Like a Hobbit, books tied into such pop culture properties as The Office, Parks and Recreation, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Rick and Morty, Bob's Burgers, The Smurfs, and iconic personalities including Bob Ross and Richard Simmons. He has appeared at pop culture events and conventions across the country, lives in New Jersey, and summers on Vulcan.
Thomas Surprenant
Makeup Artist
Thomas Surprenant
Thomas Surprenant is a makeup artist whose career has spanned over 30 years, to include such credits as How The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Surprenant was nominated for two Emmys for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1995 for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Distant Voices."
His work has spanned from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and two Star Trek feature films.
Band 47
Our Very Own Party Band
Band 47
Band 47 is a Los Angeles-based 60s, 70s and 80s classic rock R&B group, consisting of Steel Rod and DW3. The classic rock, R&B, and blues trio with the soulful vocals of Eric, Billy and David of DW3 create a perfect combination. Together, this explosive powerhouse band adds an incredible musical dimension to Star Trek: The Cruise. You will find them around the ship, laying the extraordinary soundtrack to The Un-Conventional Voyage.
DJ Lira
DJ Lira
DJ Lira was born in Ukraine, raised in Hungary, and is now settled in sunny Florida. Her love for DJing started over 10 years ago and she now specializes in special events, sporting events and the nightlife industry. Her ability to blend songs from any genre, style, and year seamlessly, gets the party started and keeps it that way until the end of the night. For DJ Lira it's all about mood and deep, hypnotic groove - playing those tracks that get you tapping your feet and nodding your head without you realizing it.
Curtis Institute of Music
Special Musical Guest