10 Background Actors In Star Trek Who Got Themselves Noticed

by Sean Ferrick

1. Tarik Ergin (Lt. Ayala)

Star Trek Ayala
CBS

Former Maquis member Lt. Ayala has appeared in almost every episode of Star Trek: Voyager, becoming easily one of the most recognizable background actors in the franchise. Though he never managed to get up to a properly speaking role, save for a few words here and there, he was extremely popular behind the scenes.

He appeared on the Enterprise-D in Star Trek: Generations, though as an unspeaking medical technician in Sickbay. He provided the body for Satan's Robot in the Captain Proton adventures, as, according to the callsheet for Enterprise's Fortunate Son, he stands at a lofty 6ft4".

He did the motion capture for the Xindi Insectoid Race in Enterprise, while appearing as a slew of other aliens and characters along the way. Though, due to his strong and silent standing in Voyager, Tarik Ergin will almost definitely be forever known to fans as Lt. Ayala for the rest of time!

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"