15 Star Trek Actors Who Directed Episodes
4. Andrew Robinson - Elim Garak
Robinson played the role of Garak, a Cardassian resident of DS9 who despite his claim to be a 'simple tailor' was actually a former member of the Cardassian equivalent to the CIA, the Obsidian Order, and was a skilled assassin and intelligence agent. Robinson directed one episode of DS9 and two episodes of VOY.
Robinson has been involved in show business since the 1960s, including stage, film, and television work. He first came to prominence as the psychotic "Scorpio Killer" in Dirty Harry, before guest starring on virtually every popular drama and action show of the seventies and eighties. Robinson was already the founder of a theatre company when he began playing Garak in 1992, giving him substantial directing experience.
Robinson's favourite directed episode is 'Blood Fever', from Season 3 of Voyager. The episode revolves around the Vulcan phenomenon of pon farr (basically, a time of intense emotion and heightened sex drive). Robinson states that although the shoot was challenging (mostly taking place in a system of artificial caves with poor lighting), it pushed him as a director and confirmed for him that he was comfortable directing for TV.