What Happened To Suzie Plakson After Her Last Star Trek Role On 'Cease Fire'?
Joining Star Trek in any form is a huge honor, but some actors are lucky enough to appear as different characters across different Star Trek shows and movies. One such example is Suzie Plakson, who has four Star Trek roles under her belt — Lt. Selar and K'Ehleyr on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the female Q on "Star Trek: Voyager," and Tarah on "Star Trek: Enterprise." Her last showing in the franchise was on "Enterprise" in 2003 with the episode "Cease Fire," so it's only natural for fans to wonder what she's been up to in the years since.
Following her final Star Trek stint, she continued acting for some time. She appeared in the 2005 film "Red Eye," and she had a recurring role on "How I Met Your Mother" as Judy Eriksen, mother to Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel). Her final acting credit (as of this writing) was in 2014, but she's kept busy and even released another Star Trek project that's sure to be a delight for fans.
In 2023, she released an audiobook titled "The Poor Dead K'Ehleyr Show." Her website describes the book as "a thirty-five-minute odyssey strewn with Trek Tales — that is, some behind-the-scene[s] stories from my journeys through guesting as four different alien species, tales that include people like Gene Roddenberry and Michael Westmore." It also includes a blurb from K'Ehleyr, voiced by Plakson, from the afterlife, seeing as the character died on "The Next Generation."
Tarah from Enterprise may be Plakson's most important Star Trek role
Each of Suzie Plakson's Star Trek roles stands out in its own unique way. For example, Lt. Selar, M.D., comes to the forefront on the "Next Generation" episode "The Schizoid Man," where she responds to a distress call and later speaks with Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) about strange behavior exhibited by Data (Brent Spiner). Her characters always have some impact on the plot, and while everything's open to interpretation, her part as Tarah on "Enterprise" may have been her most pivotal.
"Cease Fire" centers on a conflict between the Vulcans and the Andorians, each side claiming ownership of a planet. Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) is brought on as a mediator between the two sides at the insistence of Andorian Commander Shran (Jeffrey Combs), who has his lieutenant, Tarah (Plakson), by his side. However, there's tension between Shran and Tarah, as the latter wishes to keep the violent conflict going rather than pursue negotiations. In the grander machinations of Star Trek as a franchise, it's a crucial episode because it shows the first steps toward creating a United Federation of Planets, which hasn't been formed yet since "Enterprise" is a prequel to the original "Star Trek" series.
Plakson's performance is also commendable, particularly toward the end of the episode, when she chillingly tells Shran there are others like her, who would prefer war to compromise. Fortunately, Shran remains resilient, and a cease-fire with the Vulcans is found. It's a prescient episode and an excellent showcase of Plakson's acting talents. And with so many Star Trek shows on now, perhaps there's a chance for her to come back into the fray to play yet another alien.