10 Best Star Trek Characters In One Scene Only

4. Captain Morgan Bateson

Star Trek Morgan Bateson
CBS Media Ventures

Cause and Effect is one of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which is a funny thing - as it is effectively a collection of five or six scenes, told over and over from different angles. Not only is it a clever play on the time loop trope, but it is also a fine way to save some money for a week.

The USS Bozeman appears out of a time vortex and collides with the Enterprise-D, causing a massive explosion that traps both ships in the loop. Thanks to time-fun, the Bozeman has been trapped in the loop for almost 100 years.

Captain Morgan Bateson, played by guest Kelsey Grammar, appears for only a few moments but in that short time, he is very much an upstanding Starfleet officer - the first thing he does is ask if he can lend any assistance to the Enterprise. Captain Picard is forced to, with a heavy heart, inform the captain and crew that they are out of time.

It is a great scene, short and punchy, remaining one of the fun guest appearances on the Next Generations.

Contributor
Contributor

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"