10 Ways Babylon 5 & Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Are Basically The Same Show
8. Shared Actors
Actors are a huge part of what sets a series apart, so when you have common performers between two shows that are in opposition to each other it does impact the perception of those series. It's hard to argue the differences when the faces are the same. To give you an idea of how prevalent this is, an estimated 46 actors have appeared on various Star Trek series and on Babylon 5.
One of the big ones was Bill Mumy who played the fan favorite Babylon 5 character Lennier. The diplomatic aide to Minbari Ambassador Delenn was a key part of the series, and the subject of some of its best stories. He played a Starfleet officer in a DS9 episode. Patricia Tallman who played Lyta on Babylon 5 also popped up on DS9 as a Bajoran.
From Deep Space Nine, Jeffery Combs also appeared on Babylon 5. He was quite a prolific actor on DS9, playing three different aliens including Ferengi Commerce Authority agent Brunt and frequent Dominion representative Weyoun. On Babylon 5, he played a Psi Corps telepath named Harriman Gray.
The biggest one was the late Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. The wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry appeared in The Original Series, then played the recurring character of Lwaxana Troi on both The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. She was also the Federation computer voice in several series and movies. Majel, an actor clearly associated with Star Trek, appeared in one Babylon 5 episode as Lady Morella.