ABC Joan Collins was one of more than two dozen "Trek" actors to appear on "The Love Boat."
“The Love Boat,” at times, seemed to be an alternate universe U.S.S. Enterprise. The classic comedy series ran for 10 seasons, according to the Internet Movie Database, from 1977 to 1986, during which time 250 episodes aired, and more than two dozen “Star Trek” actors guest starred on the show and a “Trek” director called the shots on episodes. Similarly, “Star Trek” talent was featured prominently in “Love Boat: The Next Wave,” a revival series that ran for two seasons, from 1998 to 1999.
Among the “Trek” figures who appeared on “The Love Boat,” according to the Internet Movie Database, are:
Kirstie Alley, Adrienne Barbeau, Theodore Bikel, David Birney, LeVar Burton, Joanna Cassidy, Joan Collins, Mary Crosby, Kim Darby, James Darren, Elinor Donahue, Samantha Eggar, Mariette Hartley, Teri Hatcher, Susan Howard, Leigh McCloskey, Don Most, Kate Mulgrew, Julie Newmar, Michelle Phillips, John Schuck, Vic Tayback, Leigh Taylor Young, Kevin Tighe, Ben Vereen, Anson Williams, Paul Williams, Vanessa Williams, and Jane Wyatt.
Kirstie Alley Was One of More than Two Dozen ‘Trek’ Actors to Appear on ‘The Love Boat’
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Memory Alpha notes that Alley played Lt. Saavik in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” while Barbeau guest starred as Senator Cretak in the “Deep Space Nine” episode “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges,” Begley portrayed Henry Starling in the “Voyager” episodes “Future’s End” and “Future’s End, Part II,” Bikel appeared as Sergey Rozhenko in the “Next Generation” episode “Family,” and Birney was Senator Letant and the Letant Alien in the “DS9” episode “Tears of the Prophets.” Additionally, Burton co-starred as Geordi La Forge on “TNG” and directed numerous “Trek” episodes, Cassidy turned up as T’Les in the “Enterprise” episodes “Home” and “Awakening,” Collins guest starred as Edith Keeler in “The Original Series” episode “The City on the Edge of Forever,” and Crosby played Natima Lang in the “DS9” episode “Profit and Loss.”
Darby was Miri in the “TOS” installment “Miri,” James Darren recurred as Vic Fontaine on “DS9,” Donahue made a guest shot on “TOS” as Federation Commissioner Nancy Hedford in the “TOS” hour “Metamorphosis,” and Eggar portrayed Marie Picard in the “TNG” episode “Family.” Hartley appeared as Zarabeth in the “TOS” episode “All Our Yesterdays,” Hatcher guest starred as Lt. B.G. Robinson in the “TNG” episode “The Outrageous Okona,” Howard portrayed the franchise’s first female Klingon, Mara, in the “TOS” episode “Day of the Dove,” and McCloskey was the Ilari Tieran in the “Voyager” episode “Warlord” and Joran Belar in the “DS9” episode “Field of Fire.”
Most guest starred as Doctor Kadan in the “Voyager” episodes “Workforce” and “Workforce, Part II,” while Mulgrew starred as Captain Janeway on “Voyager” and currently voices the character on “Prodigy,” Newmar was Eleen in the “TOS” episode “Friday’s Child,” and Phillips portrayed Jenice Manheim in the “TNG” episode “We’ll Always Have Paris.” Schuck played the Klingon Ambassador in “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” and “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” Doctor Antaak in the “Enterprise” episodes “Affliction” and “Divergence,” Parn in the “DS9” episode “The Maquis, Part II,” and Chorus #2 in the “Voyager” episode “Muse.”
Joan Collins and Gavin MacLeod Engaged in a Bit of ABC Cross-Promotion
Tayback played Jojo Krako in the “TOS” episode “A Piece of the Action,” Young guest starred as Yanas Tigan in the “DS9” episode “Prodigal Daughter,” Tighe appeared as Henry Janeway in the “Voyager” outing “11:59,” and Vereen was Geordi’s father, Commander Edward M. La Forge, MD, in the “TNG” episode “Interface.” Anson Williams directed two episodes of “DS9” and four episodes of “Voyager,” while Paul Williams played Koru in the “Voyager” episode “Virtuoso,” and Vanessa Williams guest starred as Arandis in the “DS9” episode “Let He Who Is Without Sin…” Jane Wyatt was Amanda Grayson in the “TOS” episode “Journey to Babel” and “The Voyage Home.”
Also, according to IMDB, Robert Scheerer directed 30 episodes of “The Love Boat” between 1981 and 1986. Soon after the show ended, Scheerer emerged as a go-to “Star Trek” director. Memory Alpha notes that he directed 14 total episodes of “Trek,” including 11 for “TNG,” one for “DS9,” and two for “Voyager.” His second episode of “Voyager” was “Rise,” which aired in 1997 and marked the final directing credit of his career. Scheerer died in 2018 at the age of 88.
“The Love Boat: The Next Wave” also featured its share of “Trek” talent in front of the camera and behind it. Directors included Kim Friedman, Anson Williams, and David Semel, and Phil Morris was a series regular. Morris had appeared in “Miri,” “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,” two episodes of “DS9,” and an episode of “Voyager.” Among the “Trek” actors who guest starred in “The Next Wave” were Wil Wheaton, Judy Geeson, Michelle Phillips, Jolene Blalock, Molly Hagan, Adrienne Barbeau, David Birney, and Zach Galligan.
The original “Love Boat” is streaming on Paramount+.