10 Background Actors In Star Trek Who Got Themselves Noticed

4. Majel Barrett

Star Trek Majel Barrett
CBS

For an actor who was fired after their first episode, Majel Barrett sure did find a way to keep coming back to Star Trek!

The story of her introduction (on-screen, that is) to Star Trek is fairly well documented. She appeared as Number One, the first officer in the original pilot The Cage. When the network executives demanded a rewrite and change up to the show, her character was cut.

This could have been the end of her career in Star Trek, yet the role of Nurse Christine Chapel was written for her. She would stand out so much in this part that she would appear many more times as the character, coming back for the films (promoted to Doctor Chapel) and would of course become Lwaxana Troi in The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.

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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"