Jason Alexander Had One Request For His Dream Cameo In Star Trek: Voyager
Few small screen stars are quite as identified with a single character as Jason Alexander. But as far as characters go, few are quite as unforgettable as his charmingly, but quite often infuriatingly neurotic "Seinfeld" counterpart George Costanza. And during the show's 1990s primetime tenure, Alexander earned a reputation for being one of the best comedic actors on television.
You may not remember, but one of Alexander's first roles after "Seinfeld" came in a decidedly different genre, with the actor appearing on a single episode of "Star Trek: Voyager." As Alexander told Archive of American Television, he grew up a major "Star Trek" fan, even claiming William Shatner inspired him to become an actor. As he's come to consider himself a full-blown Trekkie over the years, Alexander was understandably honored when he was asked to join the cast of "Voyager" for a Season 9 episode titled "Think Tank."
Turns out, however, "Voyager" was not the first "Trek" series to try and tempt the former "Seinfeld" star with a cameo. But as he told AAT, it was the first to agree to his only legitimate term for making such an appearance. "All the followup ["Star Trek"]series had asked me to come on," he said, adding, "but they had all asked me to come on as a human, and I said I don't want to be a human. I want to be an alien ... I want to be a creature."
Alexander says his Star Trek: Voyager experience was wish fulfillment of the first order
Jason Alexander refusing to appear on "Star Trek" unless he could be an alien was bold, to say the least. After all, there were no guarantees any "Trek" series would agree to his terms for such a cameo. Despite the risk, actively lobbying for the entire "Star Trek" makeup experience is quite possibly the most Trekkie thing any actor has done before appearing on a "Trek" series. Thankfully, it paid massive dividends when the "Star Trek: Voyager" team found a way to indulge Alexander's request while ensuring his oh-so-recognizable face remained recognizable.
As for his alien character, Alexander told Archive of American Television he was further tempted by the role because of Kurros' description. "'Voyager' called and said, 'how would you like to play the smartest guy in the galaxy?'" the actor said, laughing, "And I went, 'Now you're talking.'" Alexander goes on to recount with no shortage of glee the three hours he spent in the makeup chair to get into character. Assuming his kids would get a kick out of seeing their dad in makeup, Alexander even brought them along, only to find they were a little underwhelmed by the results, with the actor quipping, "My son goes, 'You look like snot.'"
It was, of course, still a dream come true for the man in the makeup, with Alexander stating, "It was fantastic! I loved it. I loved being in that universe. I loved being on that ship." And if you've seen him at work as Kurros, you know it was a character he was sort of born to play.