The Blue Bloods Star Who Played An Admiral On Star Trek: Voyager

For those interested in cop shows, there's a plethora. From CBS's various "FBI" and "NCIS" series, to Fox's "911" series, there are plenty of options. But the draw of "Blue Bloods" isn't just it being another police procedural — there are plenty of those — so what is it? "Because it's a character-driven show," star Tom Selleck told TV Insider. "The cop drama is a backdrop for the lives of the five main characters. The audience is so in the heads of these characters that the biggest jeopardy in our show is often when one of the relationships in the Irish Catholic family looks like it's going south."

Recently celebrating Episode 250, the show has reached a milestone few series actually accomplish (via CBS). While the Reagan family of police — and a lawyer — is obviously an intriguing aspect of the show, the tight knit but often combative relationships are what draws the audience to their televisions week after week. What blowout fight will Erin (Bridget Moynahan) and Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) get into at dinner this week? Will Henry (Len Cariou) hearken back to his own days on the force, and provide some much needed words of wisdom?

Aside from their parts on the show, many "Blue Bloods" stars have had long, successful careers before becoming part of the Reagan family. One of them even had a spot in a well-known franchise.

Len Cariou already had a successful career in theater before transitioning to the world of television, having been nominated for three Tony awards and winning one for his performance in Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (via Masterworks Broadway). But no matter how many awards he's won, or what other films or television shows he's been in — for "Star Trek" fans, his guest-starring role on "Star Trek: Voyager" is all that matters.

In Season 3, Episode 15, Cariou plays an alien pretending to be Vice Admiral Janeway, the late father of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). After she crashes in a magnetic storm, the alien lodges itself in her brain, causing hallucinations and trying to make her believe that she's dead, and he's there to help her to the "next world." When she finally sees through the facade and realizes he's an alien, she refuses to go with it. It angrily leaves, ominously claiming that eventually she will come back, and "you will nourish me for a long, long time" (via Fandom). 

While Cariou is proud of his work on "Blue Bloods," he's also co-starred in "The Brotherhood," "About Schmidt," and countless theater shows, and he doesn't want anyone to forget it. "I had a whole other career, first as a classical actor then as a musical comedy star and later in film," he told Onstage Blog. "I just wanted to remind and educate people that Pop Reagan doesn't just do Pop Reagan."