WhenStar Trek: Voyagerfirst aired in 1996, it was standing on the shoulders of giants in theStar Trekuniverse. Captain Kathryn Janeway’s (Kate Mulgrew) first on-screen mission sent her after a group of Maquis rebels, whose cause was first established inStar Trek: The Next GenerationandStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. The beginning ofVoyagerserved to connect a new show to theStar Trekclassics that came before, but more than just storylines started on otherStar Trekshowsbefore shining onVoyager.
Severalstars fromVoyager’s castfirst appeared on otherStar Trekproperties. Indeed, it is not at all uncommon forStar Trekactors to appear as guest stars before becoming permanent cast members. For example,Colm Meaney first appeared in theTNGpilot, “Encounter at Farpoint” as an unnamed bridge officer, before becoming Chief Miles Edward O’Brien. And Jeffrey Combs has famously played moreStar Trekcharacters than any other actor. It should come as no surprise, then, thatthreeVoyagerstars have dopplegangers hidden throughout the rest ofStar Trek.
3Lt. Commander Tuvok Has Clones Across Time And Space
Tim Russ Appears In Star Trek: Generations And TNG
Undeniably, Tim Russ’s most famous role is that of the stern Vulcan chief of security on Voyager, Lt. Commander Tuvok.Tuvok is undeniably one of the most iconic characters inStar Trek: Voyager, with his close friendships with Captain Janeway andSeven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), and all the wisdom he has gained over more than a century of life. Tuvok served under Captain Hikaru Sulu as a young man, taught at Starfleet Academy, and was vital to Voyager’s survival in the Delta Quadrant. But Tuvok was not the only role Tim Russ has ever played onStar Trek.
Tim Russ made his firstStar Trekappearance as a human mercenary named Devor in theTNGepisode “Starship Mine.” In this case,he appeared human and was killed during a Baryon Sweep of the USS Enterprise.Russ then appeared as an unnamed Lieutenant on the bridge of the USS Enterprise-B inStar Trek: Generations. SinceGenerationswas set in 2293, and Tuvok probably served under Captain Sulu during the events ofStar Trek VI, these two nearly identical Starfleet lieutenants served on the bridges of two of the most prominent starships of the late 23rd century.
Tim Russ has appeared in several otherStar Trekshows as well, although these appearances did not translate to additional identical Starfleet officers. Russ played the Klingon mercenary T’Kar in theDeep Space Nineepisode “Invasive Procedures,” but the Klingon forehead ridges keep him from looking too much like Tuvok. Also onDS9,Tim Russ appeared as the Mirror Universe version of Tuvok in “Through the Looking Glass.“So, although he will always be best known as Tuvok, Tim Russ has played his fair share ofStar Trekcharacters.
2Lt. Tom Paris Has An Evil Twin
And Lower Decks Knows It
InStar Trek: Voyagerseason 1, Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) was the undeniable bad boy of the ship. Captain Janeway pulled him out of a literal prison camp to serve as Voyager’s pilot for a single mission where his flight expertise was required, and only getting stranded in Delta Quadrant turned his life around. ButRobert Duncan McNeill played more than oneStar Trekbad boy, and his role as Tom Paris was originally envisioned as a continuation of his earlier story as Cadet Nicholas Locarno.
Nicholas Locarno was the ringleader of a group of disgraced Starfleet cadets, who engaged in dangerous flight maneuvers leading to the death of another cadet, and lied to cover it up. And the fact that Nicholas Locarno and Tom Paris were physically indistinguishable was directly acknowledged byStar Trek: Lower Decks. InLower Decksseason 4, Locarno returned as an antagonist, and his resemblance to the roguish Lt. Paris was mined for jokes constantly. At least in this case, it is clear thatthe resemblance between McNiell’s two characters is more than just coincidental; it is narrative.
1There Are Multiple Emergency Medical Holograms
And Dr. Louis Zimmerman Was On DS9
It is no secret that Voyager’s Emergency Medical Hologram, known simply as the Doctor (Robert Picardo), is modeled after his creator, Dr. Lewis Zimmerman. As such, the antisocial Starfleet engineer is an obvious visual match for the Doctor. Dr. Zimmerman and the Doctor interact directly in theVoyagerseason 6episode, “Lifeline.” Picardo also made a guest appearance as Dr. Zimmerman in an episode ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine, where he wanted to model a new line of EMHs off of Dr Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig).
Nearly 700 Emergency Medical Holograms were created by Dr. Zimmerman…
But there’s more than one identical copy of the Doctor inStar Trek. Nearly 700 Emergency Medical Holograms were created by Dr. Zimmerman, and they all not only look like the Doctor, but also share his core personality. One such EMH is visible inStar Trek: First Contact,assisting Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFaddon) in the Enterprise’s Sickbay. Now,Star Trek: Starfleet Academypromises to bring back Robert Picardo as the Doctor. It is yet to be seen whether this iteration of the EMH will be the same Doctor as seen onStar Trek: Voyager, or yet another identical copy.
