10 Actors You Didn't Know Were In Star Trek

5. Famke Janssen

From its genesis, Star Trek was often used to discuss societal issues of the day. And while they were often able to tackle tricky matters with courage and finesse, it’s fair to say they dropped the ball in 1992’s “The Perfect Mate”, featuring the second acting appearance by the future Jean Grey, Famke Janssen.

Starting with the positives, Janssen’s performance was universally praised. A Dutch model breaking into acting, she later stated that her English was far from perfect at this time, but she does a great job all the same, and has chemistry with her X Men co-star Patrick Stewart. Janssen plays Kamala, a beautiful shape shifter whose arranged marriage is set to bring peace to warring clans, but the episode is far more interested in Picard’s ongoing loneliness than the female characters’ plight. Kamala is a pliable figure who can rearrange herself to fit with men’s desires - an attribute which is portrayed as entirely positive and unproblematic.

Sci fi - and Star Trek - can be enormously progressive, but that kind of insight was sadly lacking from this encounter. Still, it did no harm to Janssen’s career.