10 Background Actors In Star Trek Who Got Themselves Noticed

5. Grace Lee Whitney (Janice Rand)

Star Trek Janice Rand
CBS Media Ventures

Grace Lee Whitney only appeared in a handful of episodes of Star Trek the Original Series, before leaving in less than pleasant circumstances. In that short time, however, she stood out so much that, when DeForrest Kelley discovered that she was unemployed ahead of Star Trek The Motion Picture, he arranged for her to return to the franchise.

Janice Rand returned to the Enterprise, this time as the transporter operative who is forced to witness the horrific death of two officers due to an accident.

She returned again in Star Trek III and Star Trek VI - though with a big promotion this time. Commander Rand served aboard the bridge of the USS Excelsior under Captain Sulu. They would both return for Star Trek: Voyager's tribute episode, Flashback.

Though never a starring character, Grace Lee Whitney is remembered years later as a key player in Star Trek, an essential part of the Original line-up.

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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"