this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2026
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[–] AnchoriteMagus@sh.itjust.works 73 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Walter Koenig was a great Chekov, but his role as Bester the PsyCop from Babylon 5 was a more nuanced role that gave him way more to do.

Bester was so great. Great vilain

[–] astronaut_sloth@mander.xyz 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I came here to say this. I first saw Walter Koenig as Chekov, but I really loved him as Bester. I've heard that he lights up when people bring up Bester at conventions and such.

[–] AnchoriteMagus@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 weeks ago

Can confirm. I was an avid 90s Star Trek convention attendee, and got to hear a couple quick Bab5 anecdotes from him years ago.

[–] i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca 13 points 3 weeks ago

Bester still gives me the creeps.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago

Best character in the entire series. Never before would have imagined Walter making my skin crawl.

[–] gasgiant@lemmy.ml 33 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

For me Colm Meaney wins this hands down. Good in Star Trek but great in other things.

Layer Cake, It's always sunny in Philadelphia and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa are the 3 that come to mind first.

[–] nullPointer@programming.dev 10 points 3 weeks ago

pretty good in the "Hell on Wheels" series. It also features Anson Mount.

[–] mactan@lemmy.ml 9 points 3 weeks ago

great villain in stargate atlantis

The Commitments.

[–] SharkWeek@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 3 weeks ago

Con Air, as the baddie.

The Man Who Went Up A Hill And Came Down A Mountain, as a goodie.

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[–] Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world 31 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Karl Urban was an okay Dr. McCoy, but the 157 different roles he played on Xena Warrior Princess was where he really shined the brightest.

[–] Enkrod@feddit.org 12 points 3 weeks ago

I honestly enjoyed him more in Dredd (where he had to do more with less) than in Star Trek.

[–] okwhateverdude@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

TIL!

Really only a handful, but that hilarious he had a few characters

[–] cybervseas@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

Jeffrey Combs must have been busy.

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[–] ValueSubtracted@startrek.website 30 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Bakula on "Quantum Leap"

Eve Harlow on "Agents of SHIELD"

[–] FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

There’s an episode of Scrubs where Bakula plays a janitor and secretly wants to leap back as a little Easter egg

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[–] dohpaz42@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago

Bakula on “Men of a Certain Age”.

[–] Kojichan@lemmy.world 22 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Definitely Scott Bakula.

At the same time, I'm getting the feeling they weren't given the greatest scripts or directors to work with on Enterprise.

I was excited to see where Archer and Malcom would go with their characters, but now they've been distilled too far into an angry little men.

I get the reasoning, but come on. Malcom's a complete wanker past season 3, and Archer's face never changes beyond "It's all about the mission!"

Conversely, I believe Robert Picardo nails his hammy characterization of The Doctor perfectly.

[–] FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world 12 points 3 weeks ago

I love the fact that even still with shows like Prodigy or Academy, he’s still willing to show up with that trademark EMH snark

[–] mercano@lemmy.world 22 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Andreas Katsulas had a recurring role as Commander Tomalak on TNG, but he absolutely shone as G’Kar on Babylon 5, especially in later seasons.

[–] crimson_iris@piefed.social 6 points 3 weeks ago

He gave me goosebumps in several scenes, especially this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJmuHNDcXLQ

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[–] nullPointer@programming.dev 19 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Jeff Combs was excellent in "The Frighteners"

[–] Zorque@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Jeff Combs was excellent in everything, though.

[–] lividweasel@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago

Jeff Combs was ~~excellent~~ in everything, though.

[–] i_stole_ur_taco@lemmy.ca 7 points 3 weeks ago

How many roles did he play?

[–] SiliconAvatar@startrek.website 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

And Re-animator, and Castle freak. He has a very good track record in a certain subset of horror movies!

[–] Soupbreaker@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Ayy, +1 for Castle Freak. Isn't that the one where the freak rips off his own ding-dong?

[–] SiliconAvatar@startrek.website 4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I honestly don't recall. You'd think that sort of thing would be etched onto your memory 😬

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[–] ruuster13@lemmy.zip 19 points 3 weeks ago

Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act II

[–] SiliconAvatar@startrek.website 17 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

It would be easy to just gesture vaguely at all of Sir Patrick Stewart's career. But your question was about better performances than in Trek, and I actually think he did an excellent Picard during the original TNG run. Not quite a hot take, I know.

However, for a double off-Trek billing, I suggest Green room (2015) where he plays against Anton Yelchin among others. It's a pretty taut little thriller about a punk band on the road that realise to their horror that their gig for the night is at a neonazi club out in the sticks. It goes downhill from there.

[–] Mediocre_Bard_Redeux@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Oh fuck yeah. That movie was wild and Sir Patrick Stewart delivered a truly evil performance.

[–] SiliconAvatar@startrek.website 5 points 3 weeks ago

It's jarring if you only know him for his cool-headed leader or mentor roles like Picard or professor Xavier... He really lets rip as this extremist POS.

[–] SteleTrovilo@beehaw.org 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock

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[–] Zephorah@discuss.online 15 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Mulgrew. Flemeth. (Kidding).

Levar Burton will always be reading rainbow guy, no matter what he does.

Zachary Quinto. Silar. One of the better villains, until the writers went on strike and the show fell off the rails. Granted, this likely just marks the man’s range as an actor.

John Cho. The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.

Koenig. Bester.

You could argue that everything Stewart does is equally well done. Scrooge. X. Gurney.

[–] SteleTrovilo@beehaw.org 13 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 19 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Any of his roles are awesome, but I'd hold McCoy up there with the rest. I believed he was the doctor. Criticize the script for lines and actions, but Karl nailed the mannerisms. As he always does. He's got a Gary Oldman ability to become something different every time.

[–] astronaut_sloth@mander.xyz 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

100% agree. Of all of the Kelvin cast, he felt like Bones. Karl Urban was a fantastic casting decision.

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[–] SteleTrovilo@beehaw.org 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Zephorah@discuss.online 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

She participated in the greatest movie fight scene ever. Crouching Tiger.

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)
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[–] SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 weeks ago

There's a an admiral in Star Trek Beyond that looked familiar, I had to look it up and it's Shohreh Aghdashloo. A forgettable role, only noteworthy because I recognized the actor.

She plays Avasarala in The Expanse. Total powerhouse performance.

[–] MalikMuaddibSoong@startrek.website 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Anthony Montgomery (Travis Mayweather) as Postmaster P in Leprechaun in the Hood

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[–] Zorque@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I think Patrick Stewart was pretty great in that episode of Extras.

[–] sanzky@beehaw.org 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (5 children)

Whoopi Goldberg for The Color Purple.

Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

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[–] Dippy@beehaw.org 7 points 3 weeks ago

Brent Spiner was brilliant in Master of Disguise, a phenomenal movie

[–] thebardingreen@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Armin Shimmerman was just as good as Principal Snyder as he was as Quark.

I met him at a convention once and got him sign a letter as Principal Snyder, suspending my friend (who's a huge Buffy fan) from Sunnydale High and threatening to expel her. He read it and thought it was hilarious.

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[–] Enkrod@feddit.org 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Damn, nearly did not recognize Keating, his performance in that gif gives heavy David Tennant to me.

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[–] sanzky@beehaw.org 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

curiously, the podcast "the incomparable" made an episode exactly about this topic (more specifically, performances before their trek appearances ) https://www.theincomparable.com/theincomparable/823/

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