The original “Star Trek” series ran from 1966-1969, but it wouldn’t be long before Gene Roddenberry dove back into the sci-fi genre. One of his first sci-fi TV projects after “Star Trek,” Roddenberry co-wrote the television film “The Questor Tapes” in 1974. It followed an android named Questor (Robert Foxworth), whose creator, Dr. Vaslovik (Lew Ayres), disappeared before he could execute his plans. After Vaslovik’s colleagues successfully brought Questor to life, despite having access to only half of Vaslovik’s work, he went off in search for his creator.
“Star Trek” star Walter Koenig, known for playing Pavel Chekov, joined Roddenberry for the ride. He played the role of Administrative Assistant Phillips. Although “The Questor Tapes” was one of the sci-fi projects Koenig appeared in that wasn’t “Star Trek,” his role wasn’t nearly as expansive, as he only appeared in a couple of scenes, and barely spoke.
However, Koenig, who recently passed away at the age of 90, wasn’t the only “Star Trek” star to appear in “The Questor Tapes.”
Majel Barrett also appeared in The Questor Tapes
Gene Roddenberry continued to work with several members of the “Star Trek” cast after the conclusion of the original series, mainly thanks to the ever-expanding “Star Trek” universe. This included “Star Trek” star Majel Barrett, who also had a part in “The Questor Tapes.” She played the role of Dr. Bradley. Of course, this wasn’t just an example of an actor staying loyal to a former boss, given that Barrett, who was dubbed “The First Lady of Star Trek,” was married to Roddenberry at the time, and remained so until his death in 1991.
The said, “The Questor Tapes” almost looked very different. Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, was originally supposed to star in the project. Nimoy told the story about his almost-involvement during a March 2011 interview with StarTrek.com. “He was also hired to develop a series for me at Universal in 1971,” he revealed during the interview. “It was called Questor [The Questor Tapes]. When it was time to cast it, he chose Robert Foxworth instead.”
For Trekkies looking to reminisce about their favorite adventures aboard the USS Enterprise, be sure to check out TVLine’s ranking of the 60 greatest “Star Trek” episodes of all time, and the five best episodes featuring Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard.
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