The Star Trek Episode You Forgot Guest-Starred Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan

Head over to Paramount+ and you'll see its home to two of TV's biggest franchises: The sci-fi classic "Star Trek," and the Neo-Western "Yellowstone." Both have spin-offs, sequels, and prequels, and are among Paramount's most high-profile offerings. And yet, most fans probably don't realize that they have an unexpected connection in Taylor Sheridan. While audiences probably know Sheridan as the creator, writer, and sometimes director of "Yellowstone," "1883," and "1923," what they might not remember is that Sheridan also guest-starred in a season 3 episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise."

Titled "Chosen Realm," the episode sees Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise encounter a group of religious zealots. This group, Archer discovers, worships the deadly spheres created by the Xindi — the same spheres that Archer is trying to destroy in an attempt to prevent them from destroying Earth. In the episode, Taylor Sheridan plays Jareb, one of those religious extremists, who helps take over Enterprise, manning the science station typically operated by Vulcan science officer T'Pol (Jolene Blalock).

Admittedly, Sheridan's role isn't a big one, but the episode provides a glimpse into the "Yellowstone" creator's early acting career, long before he stepped behind the camera to become a writer and director. It was even years before his first major acting role as Sheriff Hale on "Sons of Anarchy," and more than a decade before he helmed his first feature film, "Sicario" (Sheridan has disowned his first directing credit).

Like many "Star Trek" shows, the 2001 prequel series "Star Trek: Enterprise" featured loads of big name guest stars, including many who weren't yet famous, like Taylor Sheridan. This includes the late Annie Wersching, but it also includes veteran character actors like Jeffrey Combs and Vaughn Armstrong, and even a few superstars like Peter Weller. But it also included another member of the "Yellowstone" cast. Michael Nouri, who appeared in the first four seasons of "Yellowstone" as Bob Schwartz, a banker who has the misfortune of getting on the bad side of Kelly Reilly's Beth Dutton. Before he was earning some of that famous Dutton rage, however, Nouri was wearing those famous Vulcan ears and appearing in the first part of a three-part "Enterprise" arc that began with "The Forge."

In that story, Captain Archer and the NX-01 Enterprise visit the planet Vulcan. There, Archer meets Arev (Nouri), the leader of a religious sect of Vulcans called Syrannites whose long-dead founder Syrann was a follower of the teachings of the ancient logic master Surak. But the twist of the episode is that Arev's mind houses the Katra — or Vulcan soul — of Syrann himself. When Arev dies, he transfers Syrann's Katra to Archer, who must save the Syrannite founder's soul before the Vulcan High Command destroys the rebel faction of logic-following Vulcans.

A key episode of the series that explores the evolution of the Vulcans, "The Forge" is elevated by the veteran Nouri, who delivers a powerful performance as the rebel leader Syrann in disguise. And his role provides just one more connection between "Star Trek" and "Yellowstone," Paramount's two biggest television franchises. To learn more, be sure to read about the best shows currently streaming on Paramount+.