okona star trek actor

The Outrageous Okona (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 1.7 Log entries
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Cast and characters
• 3.2 Sets and props
• 3.3 Continuity
• 3.4 Reception
• 3.5 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest stars
• 4.4 Special guest stars
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6 Stand-ins
• 4.7.1 Other references
• 4.8 Log entries
• 4.9 External links

Summary [ ]

" Is that a woman's voice I hear? "

The USS Enterprise -D , while traveling in the Omega Sagitta system between two twin planets inhabited by humanoids who have created a pact called the Madena Coalition, stumbles upon a Class 9 starship with one humanoid detected inside. The ship is the cargo carrier Erstwhile commanded by Captain Thadiun Okona , who has problems with the guidance system . The Enterprise offers Captain Okona help repairing his faulty guidance system. Deanna Troi establishes that he displays rogue-like characteristics, making him a suspicious character who should not be taken lightly.

Act One [ ]

" You don't know what a joke is? "

Upon materializing in the transporter room of the Enterprise , Okona meets Riker , Data , Worf , and Crusher and also the transporter chief , Lieutenant Robinson , and begins to display characteristics of a scoundrel and a rake , charming Robinson. While the others observe this, Okona soon leaves the transporter room, and he accompanies Data and Wesley to main engineering to observe the repairs to his guidance system.

In engineering, Okona observes while Lieutenant Geordi La Forge inspects the damage to the guidance system. The system's zelebium contacts are fused so La Forge will be replacing it with tricellite . Okona informs La Forge that there is absolutely no tricellite located in the system, but La Forge assures him that he will not have to replace it anytime in the near future. La Forge also asks Okona why he pushes his vessel so hard, as stress tests have indicated that he has put his ship far past its operational capabilities. Okona tells La Forge that he is often forced to add zeal and flamboyishness to the doldrums of his life.

Later, while walking with Data in a corridor , Okona questions his ability to comprehend humor and other Human characteristics, apparently finding the concept of an emotionless android fascinating. He then goes to spend time with Robinson in her quarters. Data sees the two of them begin to get intimate and then the door to Robinson's quarters closes.

Act Two [ ]

" Well, Okona is an interesting man certainly. "

In engineering, Riker asks La Forge how the repairs to Okona's guidance system are going. La Forge tells him they are still working on it. Wesley Crusher asks Riker while working at the master systems display table what he thinks about Okona. Riker explains to the young man that Okona is an interesting individual who knows how to operate his ship about as well as he knows how to operate people. He further explains that Okona is a man who lives his life by his own rules and does what he does by his own choice. Riker tells Wesley he will one day make his own and the acting ensign tells Riker that he already has.

" That is considered to be funny? "

Data is inspired by Okona's questions and insights about humor and goes to Ten Forward to seek counsel from Guinan regarding his difficulty grasping the concept. Data then travels to the holodeck to view a comedy show by a holographic comedian . Data inquires about a series of comedic acts and performances to further his understanding of comedy. They begin a series of improvisations which include 20th century Jerry Lewis , and continue to list examples of stand-up comedy, which Data views at maximum speed. Data then returns to Guinan to try out his new comedy material, but his first attempt fails miserably. His second attempt is abruptly interrupted by a call to the bridge : an unidentified ship is approaching the Enterprise .

Act Three [ ]

" I'll have Okona now! "

Debin , the captain of the ship, warns the Enterprise that they are entering their territory. He orders the ship to heave to and prepare to be boarded. Debin establishes that Okona is, in fact, a rogue who committed crimes on the planet Atlec . While the entire confrontation is occurring, another ship of similar classification is approaching. This ship is commanded by Captain Kushell from the planet Straleb , who also states similar issues relating to Okona.

Jean-Luc Picard calls Okona up to the bridge to understand what crimes he has committed. After brief deliberation, Okona hedges his response, stating that he isn't aware that he committed any crime on either world. A skeptical Picard asks Debin what crimes has been committed. Debin, infuriated, explains that Okona had impregnated his daughter, Yanar .

Act Four [ ]

" I seem to have a way of using up a place. "

Kushell has claimed that Okona stole the national treasure, the Jewel of Thesia . Picard and Okona discuss the matter at hand. If Okona is handed to Debin, the Thesians will use the slight to declare war, while if Picard gives him to the Thesians, the same result will occur. Picard and Okona agree that the only way to resolve the situation is to let Okona continue on the Erstwhile and find a place of refuge.

After a long talk with Wesley in engineering, in which it's revealed that Okona has become tired of living the nomadic lifestyle and just wants the entire mess surrounding Yanar and the Jewel to be settled, he has made a decision to "take a stand."

Act Five [ ]

Family crisis averted

Okona tells Picard he decided to voluntarily turn himself in. This choice allows Picard to use the Enterprise as a neutral meeting place for both parties to settle their claims. The two families are antagonistic towards each other, both claiming that Okona has infringed their laws and both expressing an equally valid claim on the wayward freighter captain.

The story unfolds when they discover that Kushell's son Benzan has actually impregnated Yanar, rather than Okona, and that Okona was the go-between for Yanar and Benzan's courtship (which was disapproved by both families). The jewel was stolen to be used in the wedding between Yanar and Benzan, who agree to marriage, and their fathers continue their quarrels in a more lighthearted manner (this time about the details of the wedding) as Picard invokes the Prime Directive as an excuse to make a discreet exit from what has now officially become an internal matter of the respective families' governments.

" Being able to make people laugh, or being able to laugh, is not the end all and be all of being Human. "

Data and Guinan participate in a comedy show with the holo-comedian. They resolve the issues of Data's ability to deliver a joke by giving Data an audience. Unfortunately, Data discovers that the holographic audience is programmed to laugh at anything he says or does, regardless of whether or not it's actually humorous, and that his comedic delivery is still very much flawed. Data asks the computer to erase the audience as well as the comic. Guinan assures Data that being able to laugh or to make people laugh is not the final result to becoming Human. Data agrees, but notes that there is nothing more " uniquely Human. "

Later, on the bridge, the crew sees Okona off. Data inadvertently delivers a joke that causes the bridge crew to break into laughter, but later the crew gets annoyed after Data begins to make bad joke after bad joke, and Okona (having resolved his differences with the Thesians and Yanar's father) continues on his way.

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2365

Memorable quotes [ ]

" You spoiled the joke. It could have been your timing. " " My timing is digital. "

" You're a droid and I'm a 'noid. "

" A Klingon security officer? " " Yes. " " No wars available, eh? "

" Wesley, Wesley Crusher. " " Nice to meet you, Acting Ensign Wesley Wesley Crusher. "

" You have the majestic carriage and loveliness that could surely be traced back to the noblest of families. "

" Say goodbye, Data. " " Goodbye Data. "

" Now, that's sex appeal! "

" Captain, they are now locking lasers on us. " " Lasers? " " Yes, sir. " " Lasers can't even penetrate our navigation shields. Don't they know that? " " Regulations do call for yellow alert. " " Hmm, a very old regulation. Well, make it so Number One. And, reduce speed… drop main shields, as well. " " May I ask why, sir? " " In case we decide to surrender to them, Number One… "

" So… if you put funny teeth in your mouth and jump around like an idiot, that is considered funny! "

" Guy walks into the doctor's office. The doctor tells him you need an operation. Guy says, "I want a second opinion." Doc tells him "Okay you're ugly too". Badoom Boom!

" Life is like loading twice your cargo weight on to your spacecraft. If it's canaries and you can keep half of them flying all the time, you're all right. "

" Take my Worf… please! "

Background information [ ]

• Final draft script: 4 October 1988 [1]
• Final day of production: 1 November 1988 . ("Lost & Found", Star Trek Magazine  issue 148 )
• Premiere airdate: 12 December 1988
• First UK airdate: 24 April 1991

Cast and characters [ ]

Joe Piscopo, Whoopi Goldberg, and Brent Spiner

• According to Joe Piscopo , he was allowed to improvise much of his own jokes and dialogue as the holographic comic, including the Jerry Lewis impersonation. [2]
• Jerry Lewis himself was approached to play the comic, but there was a scheduling conflict caused by Lewis' guest role on Wiseguy . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 70))
• This is the first of two second-season episodes in which Dr. Pulaski doesn't appear . The other is " Q Who ".
• Teri Hatcher asked for her name to be removed from the credits, as many of her scenes were cut. ( citation needed • edit )

Sets and props [ ]

Gene Roddenberry visits the set during filming

• The holodeck terminal lists the name of the comic as Ronald B. Moore , a reference to Visual Effects Supervisor Ronald B. Moore , who helped assemble the graphic. ( Star Trek Encyclopedia  (1st ed., p. 54)) He is not to be confused with writer and producer Ronald D. Moore , who had not yet joined the staff.
• The window or display "frame" behind Debin while speaking on the Enterprise viewscreen is a slightly modified re-use of the battle bridge viewscreen of the Enterprise -D.
• Okona's freighter is the Talarian freighter model reused from " Heart of Glory ", which itself was cobbled together from models used in the V miniseries and Captain EO .
• The Atlec vessel is a reuse of the Merchantman spaceship model from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock .

Continuity [ ]

• When Okona asks Data if he's ever been drunk, Data claims "not from alcohol," a reference to " The Naked Now ", in which the polywater intoxication acted on his programming like alcohol would on a Human brain.

Reception [ ]

• A mission report for this episode, by John Sayers, was published in The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 6 , pp. 11-14.
• The damaged prop guidance system from the Erstwhile was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [3]

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 15 , catalog number VHR 2468, 3 June 1991
• US VHS release: 31 May 1995
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment ): Volume 2.2, catalog number VHR 4738, 12 April 1999
• As part of the TNG Season 2 DVD collection
• As part of the TNG Season 2 Blu-ray collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Geordi La Forge
• Michael Dorn as Lt. Worf
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
• Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher

Guest stars [ ]

• William O. Campbell as Thadiun Okona
• Douglas Rowe as Debin
• Albert Stratton as Kushell
• Rosalind Ingledew as Yanar
• Kieran Mulroney as Benzan

Special guest stars [ ]

• Joe Piscopo as the Comic
• Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Arratia as Alfonse Pacelli
• Majel Barrett as USS Enterprise -D computer voice
• James G. Becker as Youngblood
• Juliet Cesario as science division officer
• Dexter Clay as operations division officer
• Jeffrey Deacon as command division officer
• Teri Hatcher as B.G. Robinson
• Tim McCormack as Bennett
• Lorine Mendell as Diana Giddings
• Randy Pflug as Ten Forward waiter
• Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace
• Charnock's Comedy Cabaret audience
• Female science division officer
• Atlec officer 1 and 2
• Straleb officer 1 and 2
• Vulcan science division officer

Stand-ins [ ]

• James G. Becker – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Darrell Burris – stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Dexter Clay – stand-in for Michael Dorn
• Jeffrey Deacon – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Tim McCormack – stand-in for Brent Spiner
• Guy Vardaman – stand-in for Wil Wheaton

References [ ]

20th century ; 1932 ; 2165 ; 23rd century ; 2364 ; accusation ; acting ensign ; advice ; alcohol ; Allen, Gracie ; amphibian ; android ; anger ; annoyance ; arbitration ; arm ; Atlec ; Atlec vessel ; audience ; audio ; authority ; bar ; bastard ; bird call ; bon mot ; bowling ; bow tie ; brazen ; briefcase ; brother ; " brought the house down "; burnout ; Burns, George ; cad ; call sign ; canary ; car ; cargo ; cargo carrier ; cargo hold ; cargo ship ; case ; channel ; charm ; Charnock's Comedy Cabaret ; choice ; cigar ; Class 7 vessel ; Class 9 cargo vessel ; clone ; colloquialism ; comedian ; complaint ; Coalition of Madena ; Coalition of Madena species ; computer ; conference room ; context ; conversation ; course ; craftsman ; crew complement ; crew quarters ; crime ; criminal ; custody ; danger ; daughter ; Denkir II ; dictionary ; dilemma ; doctor ; doctor's office ; dog ; dress ; Earth ; embarrassment ; emergency assistance ; emotion ; engine ; Erstwhile ; evening ; existence ; exploration ; family ; farmhouse ; Federation ; feeling ; Ferengi ; fired ; fish ; fraction ; French language ; friend ; funny ; gag ; Galaxy class decks ; gender ; gesture ; glob fly ; godfather ; grandson ; Greek ; guest ; guilt ; Gulliver's Travels ; hailing frequency ; heir ; " hello "; heritage ; hired ; holodeck ; home ; homeland ; honor ; Human ; Human cannonball ; humanoid ; humor ; idiot ; inertial guidance system ; innocence ; instruction ; intercept course ; investigation ; Irish ; Jew ; Jewel of Thesia ; jewelry ; joke ; judge ; juggling ; juxtaposition ; kidney ; Klingon ; knave ; language ; laser weapons ; laughing ; legal right ; legation ; Legation of Unity ; Lewis, Jerry ; liar ; libido ; life sign ; lion ; love ; main shield ; main viewer ; malevolence ; marriage ; mercy killing ; message ; microphone ; Milky Way Galaxy ; minute ; mister ; monk ; month ; morality ; mosquito ; mouth ; mystery ; name ; navigation shield ; neck ; nephew ; New York City ; night ; nudist colony ; number one ; O'Neill, Tip ; obligation ; office ; Omega Sagitta system ; operation ; operator ; opinion ; order ; owner ; parrot ; performer ; phaser ; pilot ; place ; plan ; planet ; play ; politician ; pork chop ; prestige ; procreation ; problem ; programming ; prop ; quantum mechanics ; quarrel ; race ; rake ; rascal ; reason ; repairs ; reputation ; Riga, Stano ; road ; rogue ; robot ; room ; Roxy Theatre ; rule ; Saint Peter ; seat ; second opinion ; secretary ; sector ; security officer ; sensor ; sentence ; sex appeal ; sexual attraction ; shopkeeper ; show ; size ; sound ; spacecraft ; speed ; Starfleet Regulations ; sector ; shame ; smuggling ; son ; star ; status ; stealing ; sting ; store ; Straleb ; Straleb security vessel ; stress test ; subject ; surrender ; talent ; Teaneck ; teeth ; thief ; thing ; tone ; tool ; towing ; town ; tractor beam ; transporter chief ; transporter room ; traveling salesman ; treasure ; treaty ; tricellite ; truth ; valise ; victimization ; villain ; vision ; voice ; war ; warmth ; weapon ; " whoa "; wife ; wild element ; witticism ; word ; year ; yellow alert ; zelebium ; ZIP code

Other references [ ]

• Erstwhile graphic: fusion propulsion ; gross vehicle mass ; megawatt ; metric ton ; tritanium
• Holodeck programming simulations (original version) : Burt Armus ; Daryl Baskin ; Dan Curry ; Monty de Graff ; Farouk El-Baz ; Sharyl Fickas ; Sam Freedle ; Mike Gray ; Merri Howard ; Maurice Hurley ; Gary Hutzel ; Heidi Julian ; Jon Koslowsky ; David Livingston ; Terri Martinez ; John Mason ; Robert Metoyer ; Ronald B. Moore ; Wendy Neuss ; Ernie Over ; Diane Overdiek ; Gene Roddenberry ; Scott Rubenstein ; Michael Schoenbrun ; Adele Simmons ; Tracy Tormé
• Holodeck programming simulations (remastered version) : Ryan Adams ; Daryl Baskin ; Phil Bishop ; Dan Curry ; Monty de Graff ; Doug Drexler ; Sam Freedle ; David Grant ; Douglas E. Graves ; Mike Gray ; Jim Hardy ; Merri Howard ; Gary Hutzel ; Jon Koslowsky ; David Livingston ; John Mason ; Ronald B. Moore ; Wendy Neuss ; Ken Ross ; Scott Rubenstein ; Wendy Ruiz ; Adele Simmons ; David Takemura ; Tracy Tormé ; Steve Wiener ; Craig Weiss ; Jayme Wing

External links [ ]

• "The Outrageous Okona" at StarTrek.com
• " The Outrageous Okona " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " The Outrageous Okona " at Wikipedia
• " The Outrageous Okona " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

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Watch: Billy Campbell Returns As Okona In ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ Mid-Season First-Look Clip

| September 8, 2022 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 39 comments so far

The sneak peaks kept coming at today’s Star Trek Day event. In the Star Trek: Prodigy conversation with Kate Mulgrew (Hologram Janeway, Admiral Janeway) and Brett Gray (Dal), a clip teasing Prodigy ‘s return was dropped, featuring a new and familiar recurring cast member—and we finally got a premiere date.

This is outrageous!

For some, the most exciting takeaway of the Prodigy panel was the announcement that the lovable Okona will be back, voiced by the original actor, Billy Campbell, who portrayed the fan favorite in the TNG episode “The Outrageous Okona.” Campbell, who was a finalist for the role of Riker, played the “outrageous” Thadiun Okona, a roguish space captain who was constantly outrunning trouble caused by his own shenanigans.

When he runs into the young, impressionable Protostar crew, he’ll soon discover they’re in more hot water than he is. He will spend some time with them, as he is confirmed in a recurring role on the show. Executive producers Kevin and Dan Hageman say they’ve been planning this one for a while:

“From early on in the writers’ room, we knew we wanted Captain Thadiun Okona to return and become a questionable guide to our impressionable crew. It was so much fun to not only explore where Okona’s outrageous life has taken him in his later years, but to also work with Billy Campbell who effortlessly fell back into the role of Okona like he had never left.”

Thadiun Okona returns, voiced by Billy Campbell

Campbell played Okona in the original role in The Next Generation episode “The Outrageous Okona”

Janeway v. Janeway

In the remaining Prodigy season one episodes, our hopeful crew makes their way towards Starfleet, but their dreams are threatened when they discover the U.S.S. Protostar harbors a weapon designed to tear the Federation apart. To make matters worse, the real Vice Admiral Janeway is on the hunt for the Protostar, eager to uncover what happened to her missing former First Officer Chakotay. With these two ships on a collision course and destruction on the horizon, the fate of the Alpha Quadrant hangs in the balance.

Also, we can’t wait to see what’s happening to Murf!

International viewers can watch on StarTrek.com

Season 1 returns October 27th

The second half of season 1 of Star Trek: Prodigy returns to Paramount+ on Thursday, October 27th for subscribers in the U.S., Latin America, Australia, South Korea, and the U.K. It will air later in the year in South Korea, Germany, Italy, France, Austria, and Switzerland.

More Star Trek Day

The “Star Trek Day” celebration is available for fans to live-stream worldwide for free at StarTrek.com/Day and on YouTube ( Paramount+ and Star Trek Official pages), Facebook (@StarTrek), Twitter (@StarTrekonPPlus) and TikTok (@ParamountPlus). It is available to stream for free in the U.S. only on Paramount+’s Twitch page . After the initial airing, the conversation portions of the event will be available on-demand on Paramount+ .

Keep up with all the news about the Star Trek Universe at TrekMovie.com .

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The first ten episodes were a pleasant surprise. I’m strangely looking forward to this more than I expected to.

I look forward to learning more about the Dauntless Class.

Dauntless proportions are looking really weird.

They appear to have made it a lot larger than the original Dauntless that Arturis had.

Dauntless looks a bit like a hair dryer :-)

Yes. That ship is NOT attractive. But whatever, as long as it gets the job done.

Lovable? Fan favorite? It’s one of the few TNG episodes I skip….

Everybody loves a rogue. Think of him as our Han Solo.

Seriously? How can you even compare the two? I’m flabbergasted by this whole thing. Outrageous Okona is one of the worst episodes of Trek ever created and to say the Okona character fell flat is…an understatement of epic proportions.

Clearly others don’t agree with you.

Well, I for one agree with him. It’s a candidate for one of the five worst TNG episodes, and almost certainly on the bottom ten.

Hey, the dude hooked up with Teri Hatcher so…

Stop being melodramatic. These guys know what they are doing, I think we are in safe hands.

I rewatched it recently. It’s not a great episode, but Billy Campbell’s Okuna is just a really fun, light on his feet, character. Of course, his crappy ship is no Millennium Falcon.

I do kinda think Okuna could’ve been a good version of Harry Mudd to TNG if they’d brought him back like other characters that reoccurred.

Tastes will vary, it’s all good. Maybe now that he’s a bit older, he’ll be the Outspoken Okona…… :-)

Let’s hope!

I thought that was Chris Pine lol

I think the intent was to make him a Han Solo-ish dude.

Didn’t quite work out that way.

I don’t think its as bad as all that. I liked the Okona part of the story well enough. I hated the Data/Joe Piscopo part, which is probably the worst Data-subplot of the series.

Too bad they didn’t bring back Teri Hatcher!

She’s real. And she’s spectacular!

I honestly can’t remember him. I know the episode title. I know I’ve seen it five times, but seriously…no actually memories of it. They must think that kids would like him if they’ve included him hear as a funnel to classic Trek.

People blot it out because of the Joe Piscopo stinkfest. The Okona story is nothing to write home about, but it is far from the worst Trek material of the Berman era.

This is outrageous! I’m looking forward to it. :)

Pretty cool to see Okona and can’t wait to see how he ends up on the Protostar!

But Admiral Janeway vs Holographic Janeway sounds like it’s going to be an interesting show down!

The only person who can beat Janeway is Janeway. :-)

I really like how author David Mack used Okona in his TNG Relaunch novel Collateral Damage.

Definitely the hero of his own journey if a force of chaos no matter Starfleet’s best efforts to rein him in.

I’m reluctant to say too much to avoid spoiling either the novel or Prodigy, but given that Mack was a consultant for Prodigy’s entire first season, I am thinking that there’s some possibility that Mack’s ideas about what might have happened with Okona might be coming into onscreen canon.

I expect this to be excellent.

Who voted for the bumbling purple boy to be captain anyway? Why isn’t the smarter albino girl the captain? Seems sexist to me.

Oh Knock that off and stop trying to stir things up.

As much as I think that Gwyn should be the captain, this is a terrible way to spin the issue.

I’m so much looking forward to actually being able to watch Prodigy when P+ becomes available in Austria! And also to see that outrageous meta-murf-osing second set of episodes!

He appeared in Lower Decks as a DJ (already with the eyepatch), about two years before Prodigy. So he had a lot of distance to cover in a short time.

I said this show felt too Star Wars-y, so makes sense they bring in the Han Solo clone lol

Not excited by Campbell’s return. But the news here is October 27 will be when I resubscribe to P+. Or perhaps a few days later. Depending on other news.

I guess now we know why they gave him an eyepatch in Lower Decks.

Which is pretty cool and shows they really do talk to each other and try to keep the canon consistent. They didn’t have to give him one on LDS at all but maybe it will be explained how he lost it and how long it’s been in Prodigy.

Interesting, the combadges on the Dauntless look like those from Endgame etc. ( i.e. the bars are protruding at the top) , not like the modified ones in Picard. Apparently they were already like that in S01E10, I must have missed that detail (or forgotten)

Yes, this is one of those quirks that the showrunners teased will be explained. Something something, timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly…stuff. The Diviner himself is a time traveller who went backwards in time from about 50-67 years into the future of the “present” 2384, trying to prevent Federation first contact with his world. It’s unclear “when” the Protostar is from, but given that Voyager doesn’t return from the Delta Quadrant until 2378, and that Janeway is now a (full?) admiral, whereas she was a vice-admiral in Nemesis (2379), something’s a little off.

The uniforms are similar to Lower Decks, otherwise!

The question is whether the last 10 episodes of the season will air straight through or will it be five episodes and another break before the last five.

To the Video Clip: If they can not have direct Com Link with other Ships, then they must do it the very ancient old way. Video Beam your Image with Subtitles (Space has no Sound) onto some Asteroid or other Screen as Projection. Et Voila

Screen Rant

Star trek: tng cast outrageous actor as riker before jonathan frakes.

Anyone but Jonathan Frakes playing Commander William Riker is unimaginable, but Star Trek: TNG originally cast someone else for the role.

• Rick Berman reveals that Billy Campbell was originally cast as Commander Riker, but John Pike vetoed the choice, citing a lack of command presence.
• Jonathan Frakes was the second choice for the role and turned out to be iconic in the role.
• Billy Campbell's impression on Berman and Paramount executives earned him a guest spot in a season 2 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation as Thadiun Okona.

Star Trek producer Rick Berman reveals that Jonathan Frakes was actually the second choice for Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Number One, with the role of Commander William Riker originally going to a different actor, Billy Campbell. While Campbell didn't become Riker, Campbell's impression on Berman and Paramount studio executives would later earn him a guest spot in TNG season 2, episode 4 "The Outrageous Okona". Campbell stars as the eponymous Thadiun Okona , a roguish cargo captain requesting assistance with his ship's guidance system.

In the Star Trek oral history The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years, by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, Berman ventures a guess as to why Billy Campbell didn't stick as the production's first choice for Commander Riker , attributing the casting change to John Pike, President of Paramount Studios at the time Star Trek: The Next Generation was beginning production. Pike was present for the Star Trek: The Next Generation actors ' auditions, and as studio head, ultimately had veto power when it came to deciding who would land a part on the USS Enterprise-D bridge. Read Berman's thoughts below:

For the role of Riker, we cast an actor named Billy Campbell, who later did a bunch of other good things, and [John] Pike didn’t like him. He didn’t feel he had a sense of command. He wouldn’t follow this guy into battle. I think it was really more that he didn’t audition that well for the part, and that’s when we went to our second choice, who was Jonathan Frakes, who turned out to be a terrific choice.

Star Trek: All The Actors Who Almost Played William T. Riker

Billy campbell's okona returns to star trek, 3 star trek shows acknowledge okona.

Thadiun Okona returned to Star Trek on Paramount+ , appearing as an animated cameo in Star Trek: Lower Decks and an Easter egg in Star Trek: Picard . Okona's most significant return is his appearance in Star Trek: Prodigy for a 2-episode arc that sees Billy Campbell lend his voice to his Star Trek: The Next Generation character. In Prodigy season 1, episode 14 "Crossroads" and episode 13 "Masquerade", Okona is older and still skirting the authorities, but contrary to John Pike's audition notes, this Okona is someone that the young crew of the USS Protostar would, in fact, follow into battle , as their loyalty becomes a source of conflict.

Considering Berman's assessment of John Pike's thoughts, it's not hard to imagine Billy Campbell as the Riker that could have been . Okona shares some of Riker's charm and zest for life, but lacks Riker's morals and conviction as a Starfleet officer, since his face turn at the end of "The Outrageous Okona" comes more from a loophole than a real desire to change his ways. With that in mind, Billy Campbell may well have been at the top of the list when it came time to cast Thadiun Okona for Star Trek: The Next Generation, in a part truly suited for him.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is streaming on Paramount+. Star Trek: Prodigy streams on Netflix on December 25, 2023.

Source: The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams: The Complete, Uncensored, and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Billy Campbell Returns as the Outrageous Okona in 'Star Trek: Prodigy' Season 1

The Outrageous Okona returns!

The second half of Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 is set to return next month and today, during Star Trek Day , Paramount+ revealed that a familiar face (or rather, voice) will be joining the cast of the animated series. Star Trek: Prodigy has already given fans of Star Trek a lot to be excited with, seeing as the series brings Star Trek: Voyager 's Captain Janeway ( Kate Mulgrew ) and Commander Chakotay ( Robert Beltran ) back into the action, but now the series will be reuniting fans with a Star Trek: Next Generation character: Thadiun Okona. Yes, Billy Campbell is returning to voice the outrageous, dashing and trouble-prone captain!

Star Trek: Prodigy 's executive producers Kevin and Dan Hagerman shared their excitement about Campbell's return to Star Trek saying, “From early on in the writers' room, we knew we wanted Captain Thadiun Okona to return and become a questionable guide to our impressionable crew. It was so much fun to not only explore where Okona’s outrageous life has taken him in his later years, but to also work with Billy Campbell who effortlessly fell back into the role of Okona like he had never left.”

Okana's return will see him running into the young and impressionable crew of the Protostar , and he'll quickly discover that they are in more hot water than he is, which is quite impressive considering he's always outrunning self-made trouble. In a new clip that Paramount+ shared today, the crew of the U.S.S. Protostar has already teamed-up with Okona, as Admiral Janeway ( Kate Mulgrew ) is hot pursuit of the crew, which includes Dal ( Brett Gray ), Gwyn ( Ella Purnell ), Rok-Tahk ( Rylee Alazraqui ), Jankom Pog ( Jason Mantazoukas ), Zero ( Angus Imrie ), and Murf ( Dee Bradley Baker ).

RELATED: 'Star Trek: Prodigy' Creators Tease Admiral Janeway as a "Formidable Foe" for the Crew

Campbell first appeared in Season 2 of Star Trek: The Next Generation in the episode aptly entitled "The Outrageous Okona." His return to the role has been teased for a little over a year , and it's exciting to see his official reintroduction to the franchise. The back-half of Season 1 will see the hopeful crew making their way towards Starfleet, as their dreams are threatened when they discover the U.S.S. Protostar harbors a weapon designed to tear the United Federation of Planets apart. To make matters worse, the real Vice Admiral Janeway is on a manhunt for the Protostar , eager to uncover what happened to her missing former First Officer Chakotay. With these two ships on a collision course and destruction on the horizon, the fate of the Alpha Quadrant hangs in the balance.

Additionally, Season 2 will include the vocal talents of Daveed Diggs (Commander Tysess), Jameela Jamil (Ensign Asencia), and Jason Alexander (Doctor Noum).

Tune in to Star Trek: Prodigy on October 27th and check out the brand-new clip below:

Den of Geek

Revisiting Star Trek TNG: The Outrageous Okona

The crew meet a brazen irreverent rogue and Data tries to tell a joke in this week's Star Trek: TNG season 2 look-back...

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This review contains spoilers.

2.4 The Outrageous Okona

The Enterprise is crawling through the Omega Sagitta system (for no apparent reason) when they come across a ship with one only lifeform on it. It’s Captain Okona (pronounced O’Connor. As in Des.), the captain of a small cargo ship and obvious Han Solo fan. His ship is damaged so he asks for help, and although he seems to be a devil-may-care rogue, they let him on board where he proceeds to flatter Wesley and immediately seduce a transporter operator. What a rake!

After Okona mocks Data’s inability to take a joke, Data spends more or less the rest of the episode in the holodeck learning to tell jokes and doing impressions of comedians who were presumably big news in 1980s America but who you’ll struggle to find a reference point for given some 25 years and 3000 miles extra distance. Whoopi Goldberg tries to help, but that mostly involves crapping on his every attempt to tell a joke.  I’m sure she used to have a sense of humour.

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While Data is shirking his duties to hang out in the Holodeck, the Enterprise is approached by two ships. Both captains (Debin and Kushell) are the leaders of their respective colonies, which co-exist under an uneasy alliance. Unfortunately, both want to recover Okona for non-specific crimes he’s committed against them, and it’s up to Picard to decide what to do. Aha, it’s an arbitration episode then!

Picard summons Okona and asks him to explain. He has nothing useful to say, so Picard asks Debin and Kushell, who freely explain: He’s stolen a beloved jewel from one, and impregnated the daughter of the other! Both are outraged and threaten to declare war if they don’t get Okona. Picard and Okona agree that the latter should probably just leave, and he admits that he fancies his chances alone, but a conversation with Wesley shortly after drives him to change his mind, re-complicating the situation (Come on, SHUT UP WESLEY!)

Picard summons everyone to a meeting and Okona announces his intention to marry the woman he impregnated. Suddenly, Kushell’s son (or was it Debin’s?) gets all defensive and admits he was the one who impregnated Debin’s daughter (or was it Kushell’s?). Okona admits helping them meet, in secret, and that he does have the jewel, which he was planning to deliver as a dowry of sorts. The two opposing families come together in peace and resume harmless bickering over where the couple will live.

Back in the holodeck, Data tries to do a set on stage only to discover that the audience laughs at anything he does, even when he’s halfway through a joke. Come on! Someone needs to fix the audience programming (although at least the Holodeck wasn’t trying to kill him this week.) After giving up, Data returns to the bridge as Okona leaves, and accidentally makes a joke. Then deliberately makes several bad ones (“Take my Worf, please!” is genuinely hilarious, though.) And the episode ends in my favourite manner: with the whimsical TNG theme.

TNG WTF:   I have no direct experience of Jerry Lewis or his work, so I’m not sure whether the impersonation of him in this episode is very accurate or completely terrible. But either way, it’s definitely going to leave you thinking “WTF did I just watch? Was that supposed to be comedy?”

TNG LOL: When Picard asks Troi to describe Okona after their first chat, she says “His emotions suggest he’s mischievous, irreverent, and somewhat brazen. The word that seems to best describe him is ‘rogue’.”. These things are instantly obvious to anyone, empathic or otherwise. Well done, Troi, you’re really earning that chair. Picard might as well have just said “Deanna, what can you tell me about this mischievous, irreverent rogue? Is he brazen?”

Who’s that Face: The transporter operator Okona chats up is only Teri Hatcher, the original (cough) and best (double cough) Lois Lane from in the New Adventures of Superman . And latterly, Susan from Desperate Housewives .

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Time Until Meeting: 28:40. Not technically a meeting, but viewscreen conference calls count (“Full Conference mode” as Picard puts it. As opposed to Partial Conference mode?)

Captain’s Log: Ooh, we’re motoring along now. This is an episode I had almost no memory of, although something must’ve been there because I guessed the ending far too early and accurately for it to have been speculation alone.

Aside from the criticism that the B-plot has nothing to do with the A-plot and only ties in very, very tenuously at the start and end, this episode is actually alright. It even has a twist which doesn’t involve the apparently friendly guy turning out to be evil. (Normally, when someone turns up on the Enterprise and seems friendly, they turn out to be concealing something a bit evil. And if they look a bit evil, they turn out to be very evil.) Okona seems a bit dodgy, with his bargain basement Han Solo wardrobe and attitude, but unexpectedly he turns out to be quite a nice guy after all. Misdirection!

And while Data’s subplot might not have anything to do with anything, the idea of Data trying to understand humour is a really compelling one, and it gives Brent Spiner and excuse to do his full range of overacting, which could fill an episode in itself. The moment where Data realises he’s not actually funny on stage is full of pathos, even though he’s being played emotionless. And at the end, he describes the ability to laugh and make other people laugh as a quality that’s “uniquely human”, which is as profound an observation as TNG has managed to make in 29 episodes.

The real problem, if there is one, is that Okona is an a massive Mary Sue in the true sense. The entire cast immediately likes him (except Worf), the story ends up revolving around nothing but him and his decisions, and in the end he’s even more selfless than anyone gives him credit for. Slap the author’s name on the character and it’d be almost textbook. Luckily, a lot of this is in service of well-executed misdirection, so it’s not grating, but this is the second time they’ve done a plot where a zany character turns up to shake up the crew (after Lwaxana Troi’s first appearance) so it’s already feeling a bit familiar…

Watch or Skip? In terms of Trek lore it’s basically skippable, but it’s worth watching for the Data material alone.

Read James’ look-back at the previous episode, Elementary Dear Data, here .

Follow our  Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here . And be our  Facebook chum here .

‘Star Trek: Prodigy’: Why Billy Campbell Was ‘Thrilled’ to Reprise ‘TNG’ Role

Billy Campbell was “thrilled” to be able to step back into Thadiun Okona’s shoes — or at least his voice — when he reprised his Next Generation character on  Star Trek: Prodigy .

Fans first met the “lovable rogue” in “The Outrageous Okona” in 1988, and now, he’ll be crossing paths with the  Prodigy crew in the November 17 episode. Below, Campbell shares why he was happy to take up the role again, what’s going on with Okona now, and more.

How did you returning to a Trek show, especially in this capacity, come about?

Billy Campbell: They reached out. I think they had the notion to include some what they call legacy characters. There may or may not be more in the works, I can’t divulge. But yeah, they reached out and I was absolutely thrilled. I was thrilled to begin with, to be part of the Star Trek universe 30 years ago when I got a chance to play Okona for the first time. But I was never pleased with that performance. I found the dialogue very, very difficult, and it made me terribly self-conscious and so it’s painful for me to watch. And so I was super, super thrilled to be able to come back to it 30 years later, being less self-conscious.

I told them I would love to do it and wouldn’t it be funny if he had lost an eyeball somewhere along the way and maybe had a beer gut and was just rough around the edges as if he’d been chewed up and spat out by the universe? And they thought that was great and off we were.

What was it like to step back into Okona’s shoes, especially in this way where it was just his voice?

Yeah, a little weird. Honestly, I’m not terribly experienced in voice work, just doing voices for cartoons or whatever, and it takes a little getting used to. But I went with an open mind, and I found that the direction I was given actually vastly improved what I’d been doing on my own before I got there, so it worked out.

Who is Okona now? What has he been up to?

Oh, all kinds of no good. I think he’s been probably partying his way through the universe and through the galaxy and having all kinds of fun and sort of grubbing around and trying to make a living maybe not quite so legally. And by the time we meet him… he’s still Okona. When I first played him on Next Generation , he was kind of a lovable rogue. There was like a little bit of a nobility to him, and now he’s just out for himself. I just find that highly amusing.

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What does he think of the kids of Prodigy ?

I don’t know. He’s not with them for very long, and it’s under sort of dire circumstances. I think he thinks of them as an opportunity because that’s the kind of guy he is. He’s just using them every inch of the way, and I just find it highly amusing. So if he thinks anything of them at all, it’s like, how can I use them to get what I want?

Are there any Easter eggs or callbacks to your TNG episode?

I think he’s probably the Easter egg himself, just the way that he is. I think he’s wearing the same outfit that he was wearing 30 years ago, so there’s a callback for you, a slightly stinky one.

What else do you remember about your TNG episode?

Oh my goodness, I loved it. The way that came about is that I was in the running to play Riker and the best man got the job, that’s for sure. It came down to me and Jonathan [Frakes] , and I felt bad because I really kind of blew it for my friend Junie Lowry, who was the casting director. I feel like I really kind of embarrassed her in my final audition for all the studio execs and everything. I felt super bad, but I still wanted to be on Star Trek . So I called her six months later and I was like, “Junie, I’m so sorry that I blew it.” And she was like, “oh honey, don’t even think about it.” She has this wonderful southern voice. “Oh, don’t even think about it. Jonathan is perfect and everybody’s so happy.” I was like, “does that mean maybe I could do an episode?” And she was like, “you wanna do an episode? I’ll call you right back.” She got off the phone and the next day she called back and said, “I have an episode for you.” And that’s how I came to be Okona.

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Have your thoughts about Okona changed at all since reprising the role for Prodigy ?

No, I don’t think so. I really like the direction they took him. He’s even grubbier than he was. He’s even more of a rogue than he was. He’s become more himself. I really like that.

What are the chances of seeing you live-action again? We do know of the TNG reunion coming to Picard …

Well, maybe you can start a petition or something. I would love to pop up again. I would love that. From your mouth to producers’ ears. Please start the rumor. Start the rumor!

Star Trek: Prodigy , Thursdays, Paramount+

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Prodigy's Newest Crew Member Could Give Star Trek a Fresh Direction

The return of Star Trek's resident rogue Thadiun Okona to the latest episode of Prodigy suggests strong possibilities for a spin-off series.

The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1, Episode 14, "Crossroads," now streaming on Paramount+.

Captain Thadiun Okona, who makes his return to the Star Trek franchise in Star Trek: Prodigy feels very much like he came from a different franchise. The character originally appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation as a playful dig at the other big sci-fi property, more akin to a swashbuckling Han Solo than a buttoned-down Starfleet officer.

It was a fun intellectual exercise at a moment when Star Trek was finding its way forward, and the character's reappearance in Prodigy Season 1, Episode 14, "Crossroads" has met with strong approval from the fans. That leaves an opening for a future Star Trek series based around the character. He provides a chance to more closely examine the shadier side of the final frontier in ways that haven't been seen since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . He can even do it from a perspective that's very different from the Starfleet heroes the franchise relies on.

RELATED: Star Trek: Prodigy's Billy Campbell Brings Back the Outrageous Okona

Okona's Star Trek Debut Was Memorable

Thadiun Okona made his first appearance in The Next Generation Season 2, Episode 4, "The Outrageous Okona," when the crew of the Enterprise lends him a hand with his broken ship. Deanna Troi describes him as a rogue, and he leans heavily into romanticized notions of an amoral adventurer. That includes sleeping with one of the Enterprise's junior officers and enduring accusations of theft from a hostile planet. As it turns out, he's acting as the go-between for a pair of star-crossed lovers and his seeming theft was actually part of a complicated effort to foster peace between feuding neighbors.

The Han Solo inspiration is obvious, and indeed his reappearance in "Crossroads" feels similar to Solo's return to the Star Wars franchise in Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. Sporting an eye-patch and a few extra scars, he's still involved in his share of shady activities. His ability to elude pursuit proves useful when the crew of the Protostar need to hide from Admiral Janeway. The episode ends with him onboard and more or less allied with the young crew while they shelter behind a cloaking device in the Romulan Neutral Zone.

RELATED: Star Trek: Prodigy Finally Gives a TOS Redshirt His Due

Okona Makes a Strong Candidate for a Stand-alone Series

The universe of Star Trek extends far beyond Starfleet and the Federation, and while the franchise has been reluctant to venture too far past those boundaries, sooner or later, that will change. There's certainly no shortage of possibilities amid the galaxy's criminal underground, with the likes of the Orions and Ferengi engaged in no end of schemes. Deep Space Nine explored those corners more readily, with Quark and similar figures engaged in various criminal enterprises and power dynamics separate from those in more traditional shows.

Okona allows the franchise to return to that, and yet still maintain the series' upbeat and positive tone. Such a series can involve other previous characters, but also give the opportunity for new ones of a kind the franchise hasn't shown before. It also allows for an exploration of common Trek themes in a new context, such as the impact of The Prime Directive on worlds targeted for criminal activity. Okona's essential decency means he won't stray from the franchise's ethos, and yet he can still approach it all from a unique perspective that Starfleet simply doesn't possess.

That prospect is worthy of further development, if not in a currently existing series, then one of Okona's own. Above and beyond everything else, he's an ideal figure to inject a little Star Wars into Star Trek , and see how such a figure operates in a creative property with vastly different expectations and rules. "Crossroads" is proof of concept, and with Star Trek continuing to branch out in the future, his is an offer well worth considering.

New episodes of Star Trek: prodigy stream every Thursday on Paramount+.

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Star Trek: Prodigy - The Outrageous Okona

Captain Okona at your service.

SPOILER WARNING: This clip may contain spoilers for Star Trek: Prodigy — Season 1, Episode 14 "Crossroads"!

In "Crossroads," as the Prodigy crew search for other means to find Starfleet, without the Protostar , the come across Captain Okona.

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 is available to stream on Netflix outside of markets including Canada where it is available on CTV.ca and the CTV App, France on France Televisions channels and Okoo, in Iceland on Sjonvarp Simans Premium, as well as on SkyShowtime in the Nordics, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Central and Eastern Europe. Star Trek: Prodigy is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.