Summary

• Star Trek and Babylon 5 had multiple crossovers of actors like Walter Koenig, Tracy Scoggins, and Majel Barrett Roddenberry.
• Despite accusations of plagiarism, DS9 and B5 shared similar serialized space station themes with unique stories and characters.
• Actors like Bill Mumy, Jeffrey Combs, and Robin Curtis appeared in both Star Trek and Babylon 5, showcasing a collaborative spirit in sci-fi.

Despite the apparent rivalry between them, multiple actors from Star Trek have crossed over into Babylon 5, and vice versa. Created by J. Michael Straczynski, Babylon 5 premiered in 1994, and ran for five seasons. A much-loved series from the 1990s heyday of science fiction drama on network television, Babylon 5 was never quite as big as their contemporary Star Trek TV shows, but B5 had major crossover appeal for fans, not least among the various Trek alumni connected with the show. For example, Star Trek: The Original Series writers D.C. Fontana, David Gerrold, and Harlan Ellison all wrote episodes of Babylon 5.

While it may be exaggerated, the rivalry between the two sci-fi properties was rooted in accusations that Star Trek: Deep Space Nine plagiarized Babylon 5. However, J. Michael Straczynski, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller all concede that the similarities between DS9 and Babylon 5 were likely an unfortunate coincidence. Still, the similarities between the two heavily serialized space station shows are inescapable, but DS9 and B5 each have their own unique stories and characters. Even if they do occasionally share the odd guest star in common.

10 Star Trek’s Walter Koenig in Babylon 5

Playing Alfred Bester

Walter Koenig is best known for playing Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series and seven Star Trek movies. While less globally famous than Chekov, Alfred Bester was one of Babylon 5‘s best-loved recurring characters. Walter Koenig’s notorious Psi Cop first appeared in Babylon 5, season 1, episode 6, “Mind War”, in which he boarded the station to track down a fugitive telepath. Koenig went on to appear in 12 episodes of Babylon 5, his final episode being the Bester-centric, “The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father”.

Walter Koenig was supposed to appear in the
Babylon 5
spin-off
Crusade
, but the series was canceled before his episode was filmed.

J. Michael Straczynski specifically wrote the character of Alfred Bester for Star Trek‘s Walter Koenig, after the actor was unable to play Knight Two in Babylon 5, season 1, episode 8, “And the Sky Full of Stars”. It worked out great for Koenig, who got to become the recurring character that the regulars, and the audience, loved to hate. Interestingly, the role of Knight Two went to Christopher Neame, who went on to play Unferth in Star Trek: Voyager season 1, episode 11, “Heroes and Demons”, and the German General in Star Trek: Enterprise season 4, episodes 1 & 2, “Storm Front”.

9 Babylon 5’s Tracy Scoggins in Star Trek: DS9

Playing Gilora Rejal

Tracy Scoggins is best known for playing Captain Elizabeth Lochley in both Babylon 5 and Crusade. However, in the years before she debuted in Babylon 5 season 5, Tracy Scoggins played a Cardassian scientist in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 15, “Destiny”. Gilora Rijal was a memorable DS9 character because she became attracted to Chief Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney), challenging the characters’ anti-Cardassian prejudice, and his commitment to his wife Keiko (Rosalind Chao).

While playing Gilora Rijal, Tracy Scoggins walked the Paramount lot in her Cardassian make-up, trying to frighten the school kids who would pass by on buses.

Tracy Scoggins’ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine role was also notable because she appeared alongside Twin Peaks‘ Wendy Robie as fellow scientist Ulani Belor. “Destiny” was also the second of Erick Avari’s three Star Trek appearances. Avari went on to star in Babylon 5 before Scoggins signed on, guesting as Rabbi Leo Mayers in season 3, episode 20, “And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place”. Scoggins recently reprised the role of Elizabeth Lochley for the Babylon 5 animated movie, The Road Home.

8 Star Trek’s Majel Barrett Roddenberry in Babylon 5

Playing Lady Morella

Dubbed the “First Lady of Star Trek“, Majel Barrett Roddenberry appeared in Babylon 5 season 3, episode 9, “Point of No Return”. At this stage in her career, Majel Barrett was best known for playing the flamboyant Betazoid diplomat, Ambassador Lwaxana Troi in both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. In Babylon 5, Barrett played Lady Morello, the wife of the late Emperor Turhan. Much like Lwaxana Troi in TNG, Morello also had telepathic gifts, seeing into the mind of Londo Moralli (Peter Jurasik) and delivering a prophecy about his rise to Emperor.

Majel Barrett’s appearance in Babylon 5 was heralded by a press release (via Midwinter) declaring that “The First Lady of Star Trek Makes A Royal Visit To Babylon 5“. While the rivalry between Star Trek and B5 was likely exaggerated in the entertainment press back in the 1990s, it did add a suitable degree of drama to her casting as Lady Morello. In the 1996 press release, J. Michael Straczynski highlighted how her appearance should bring the rival fans together. Read Straczynski’s quote below:

“We’re very pleased to have Majel appearing on ‘Babylon 5.’ Because as the wife of ‘Star Trek’ creator Gene Roddenberry, her appearance on our show will help dispel the notion — held by some — that one cannot be a fan of both series. “Majel and I discussed this between us, and we both view this rivalry as unproductive. We are both extending our hands across our respective fictional universes in a show of solidarity. So we’re very happy that she has chosen to endorse ‘Babylon 5’ in this way, and hope that science fiction viewers of all stripes will check out the series.”

7 Babylon 5’s Bill Mumy in Star Trek: DS9

Playing Crewman Kellin

Although still probably best known for playing Will Robinson in Lost in Space, Bill Mumy played the regular character of Lennier in Babylon 5. Nobody really knows what happened to Lennier after he went rogue in Babylon 5 season 5, episode 21, “Objects at Rest”. However, Lennier actor, Bill Mumy went on to appear in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7, episode 8, “The Siege of AR-558” as Crewman Kellin. Mumy was a friend of DS9 showrunner Ira Steven Behr, and the two men had wanted to work together for quite some time. The end of Babylon 5 finally allowed them to fulfill this ambition.

Bill Mumy had previously co-written a
Star Trek
comic book with Peter David, in which the USS Enterprise-A encountered aliens resembling the cast of
Lost in Space
.

Bill Mumy’s only stipulation for appearing in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was that he play a human character, having spent years in the heavy Minbari head dress and alien prosthetics on Babylon 5. Mumy’s appearance in DS9 is hugely memorable, as “The Siege of AR-558” is perhaps the bleakest hour of Star Trek ever made. A harrowing depiction of warfare, the classic DS9 episode pushed Star Trek into new territory, and Bill Mumy’s likable Kellin, and his tragic fate helped to emphasize the devastation.

6 Star Trek’s Jeffrey Combs in Babylon 5

Playing Harriman Gray

Jeffrey Combs is one of Star Trek‘s most prolific guest stars, playing the iconic recurring characters Brunt, Weyoun, and Shran. However, before Jonathan Frakes cast Jeffrey Combs in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the star played the telepathic Harriman Gray in Babylon 5 season 1, episode 16, “Eyes”. Gray was a Psi Corps liaison with Earthforce, who arrived at Babylon 5 to test the loyalty of Commander Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O’Hare) and his crew. However, Gray realized that his mission was driven by the petty motivations of his superior, and ultimately helped the Babylon 5 crew to turn the tables.

5 Star Trek’s Robin Curtis in Babylon 5

Playing Ambassador Kalika

The second of Star Trek‘s two Saavik actors, Robin Curtis, appeared as Ambassador Kalika in Babylon 5 season 1, episode 9, “Deathwalker”. Curtis’ character was the spokesperson for the League of Non-Allied Worlds, who wished to have the war criminal Jha’dur (Sarah Douglas) executed for their crimes. Kalika butted heads with Commander Sinclair over the suitable punishment for the Deathwalker’s crimes, eventually winning out when the Vorlons destroy Jha’dur’s ship.

4 Star Trek’s Vaughn Armstrong in Babylon 5

Playing Security Guard #1

Vaughn Armstrong played Klingons, Romulans, Humans, Cardassians and many more across multiple Star Trek shows between 1988 and 2005. However, Armstrong also played Security Guard #1 in Babylon 5 season 3, episode 8, “Messages from Earth”, and episode 9, “Point of No Return”. Although Vaughn Armstrong’s Babylon 5 character didn’t have a name, he played a pivotal role in the episodes as a high-ranking member of Nightwatch. This team took over Babylon 5’s security from Chief of Security, Michael Garibaldi (Jerry Doyle), until Captain John Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) led a coup and shipped them all back to Earth.

3 Babylon 5’s Tamlyn Tomita in Star Trek

Playing Commodore Oh

Tamlyn Tomita played Lt. Cmdr. Laurel Takashima in the Babylon 5 pilot movie, The Gathering. When the pilot led to a full series order from the network, Tomita declined to return as Takashima. Tamlyn Tomita’s Babylon 5 character was subsequently adapted into Lieutenant Susan Ivanova, played by Claudia Christian. More recently, Tamlyn Tomita played the villainous Commodore Oh in Star Trek: Picard season 1. Interestingly, had Tomita stayed on Babylon 5, her character – much like Oh in Picard – would have been revealed to be a traitor.

Babylon 5
‘s Susan Ivanova actress, Claudia Christian, was one of several actresses who auditioned to play Jadzia Dax in
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
.

2 Star Trek’s Dwight Schultz in Babylon 5

Playing Amis

Still best known as “Howling Mad” Murdock in The A-Team, and Lt. Reginald Barclay in Star Trek, Dwight Schultz played Amis in Babylon 5 season 2, episode 5, “The Long Dark”. Amis was a traumatized veteran of the Earth-Minbari war, who had been left mentally scarred by his interactions with a terrifying creature. Schultz gave an affecting performance as Amis, bringing the vulnerability and heightened mania that he had previously brought to the character of Barclay in TNG.

1 Babylon 5’s Andreas Katsulas in Star Trek

Playing Tomalak

Andreas Katsulas is best known for playing G’Kar in Babylon 5, but he also appeared in four episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In Babylon 5, G’Kar and Londo were arch-rivals, and Katsulas’ TNG character had a similar relationship with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Andreas Katsulas played the Romulan commander, Tomalak, who faced off against the crew of the USS Enterprise-D twice, both times threatening to destroy Picard and his crew. Katsulas’ last appearance as Tomalak was in TNG‘s series finale, “All Good Things…” which aired in 1994, the same year that Babylon 5 premiered.

Andreas Katsulas returned to the Star Trek universe in 2003, playing Drennik in Star Trek: Enterprise season 2, episode 22, “Cogenitor”. Drennik was a Vissian, whose species had a third gender, Cogenitor, many of whom were poorly treated. Sadly, Andreas Katsulas’ last Star Trek role was one of his TV appearances, as he died from lung cancer in 2005. With Babylon 5‘s G’Kar, TNG‘s Tomalak, and the One-Armed Man in The Fugitive, Katsulas left behind an acting legacy that will be enjoyed for generations to come.

• 

  Babylon 5

  Babylon 5 is a sci-fi television series that revolves around a group of humans and aliens that work together on a space station known as Babylon 5 during the twenty-third century. The show explores intergalactic relations, conflict, and the relationships of the crew as they try to help their respective species thrive and survive.

• 

  Star Trek: The Original Series

  Star Trek: The Original Series follows the exploits of the crew of the USS Enterprise. On a five-year mission to explore uncharted space, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) must trust his crew – Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (Forest DeKelley), Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan), Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Chekov (Walter Koenig) and Sulu (George Takei) – with his life. Facing previously undiscovered life forms and civilizations and representing humanity among the stars on behalf of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, the Enterprise regularly comes up against impossible odds and diplomatic dilemmas.

• 

  Star Trek: The Next Generation

  Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

• 

  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

  Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

• 

  Star Trek: Enterprise

  Star Trek: Enterprise acts as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, detailing the voyages of the original crew of the Starship Enterprise in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk commanded the ship. Enterprise was the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise overall, and the final series before a twelve-year hiatus until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series stars Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, with an ensemble cast that includes John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer.

• 

  Star Trek: Picard

  After starring in Star Trek: The Next Generation for seven seasons and various other Star Trek projects, Patrick Stewart is back as Jean-Luc Picard. Star Trek: Picard focuses on a retired Picard who is living on his family vineyard as he struggles to cope with the death of Data and the destruction of Romulus. But before too long, Picard is pulled back into the action. The series also brings back fan-favorite characters from the Star Trek franchise, such as Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Worf (Michael Dorn), and William Riker (Jonathan Frakes).