Not the first time they had brought a character back. That square, camp counselor-type, Lt. Kevin Thomas Riley, was in 'The Naked Time' and later 'Conscience of the King'. Unintentional return of character. The character played in the latter ep was supposed to be named Robert Daikken (sp). But when he was cast someone else (not him!) recalled he was previously on the show as Riley.

In all honesty, I don't mind if a guest character comes back to play the same role again.

On the other hand, what annoyed me was seeing Mark Lenard play a Romulan in Balance of Terror, one of the best episodes of the series, and then as Spock's father Sarek, in another iconic episode, Journey to Babel.

And what about Diana Muldar....... in "Return to Tomorrow' she was astro biologist Ann Mulhall, and in "Is There in Truth No Beauty" psychologist Miranda Jones.

That's nothing. Ina Balin was in several Quincy episodes, as different people.

by knix

That's nothing. Ina Balin was in serveral Quincy episodes , as different people

As different people but I presume all human. Also, makeup and spectacles etc would have helped to make the actress seem somewhat different. I bet she didn't play any character that became iconic like the Romulan Commander and Spock's Vulcan father.

I understand at the time no one could have predicted that "Balance of Terror "would become one of the most loved episodes of the series. So I guess they didn't think it would be a problem to give the talented Lenard the important role of Spock's VULCAN father.

I am used to it now, but in the beginning, I remember scoffing. ............I found it hard to immerse myself in the story............... I kept on thinking "that's the ROMULAN commander".

Possible to run across people who just look like other people you have met in the real world.

I was in my teens and I was taking the train and a guy that looked exactly like Harrison Ford sat opposite me...... I remember my cheeks and ears were on fire.

@sunshine62 said:

by knix

That's nothing. Ina Balin was in serveral Quincy episodes , as different people

As different people but I presume all human. Also, makeup and spectacles etc would have helped to make the actress seem somewhat different. I bet she didn't play any character that became iconic like the Romulan Commander and Spock's Vulcan father.

I understand at the time no one could have predicted that "Balance of Terror "would become one of the most loved episodes of the series. So I guess they didn't think it would be a problem to give the talented Lenard the important role of Spock's VULCAN father.

I am used to it now, but in the beginning, I remember scoffing. ............I found it hard to immerse myself in the story............... I kept on thinking "that's the ROMULAN commander".

Maybe, but it kinda tickles the point of Romulans and Vulcans sharing a common ancestry. And since Mark Lenard played both, it's not that they were SO different...

And back in the Star Trek days, it was pretty much unheard of for a show to been seen again even a couple years later, let alone decades later.

@sunshine62 said:

by knix

That's nothing. Ina Balin was in serveral Quincy episodes , as different people

As different people but I presume all human. Also, makeup and spectacles etc would have helped to make the actress seem somewhat different. I bet she didn't play any character that became iconic like the Romulan Commander and Spock's Vulcan father.

I understand at the time no one could have predicted that "Balance of Terror "would become one of the most loved episodes of the series. So I guess they didn't think it would be a problem to give the talented Lenard the important role of Spock's VULCAN father.

I am used to it now, but in the beginning, I remember scoffing. ............I found it hard to immerse myself in the story............... I kept on thinking "that's the ROMULAN commander".

They could have written a story were twins were seperated at birth or shortly after. Possible during an attack on a passenger ship. The Vulcan parents thought one baby had died and never told the other sibling. The one assumed dead was later found by a Romulan commander and then raised as a Romulan.

@wonder2wonder said:

@sunshine62 said:

by knix

That's nothing. Ina Balin was in serveral Quincy episodes , as different people

As different people but I presume all human. Also, makeup and spectacles etc would have helped to make the actress seem somewhat different. I bet she didn't play any character that became iconic like the Romulan Commander and Spock's Vulcan father.

I understand at the time no one could have predicted that "Balance of Terror "would become one of the most loved episodes of the series. So I guess they didn't think it would be a problem to give the talented Lenard the important role of Spock's VULCAN father.

I am used to it now, but in the beginning, I remember scoffing. ............I found it hard to immerse myself in the story............... I kept on thinking "that's the ROMULAN commander".

They could have written a story were twins were seperated at birth or shortly after. Possible during an attack on a passenger ship. The Vulcan parents thought one baby had died and never told the other sibling. The one assumed dead was later found by a Romulan commander and then raised as a Romulan.

Naw, the branch-off occurred centuries earlier.

@Knixon said:

@wonder2wonder said:

@sunshine62 said:

by knix

That's nothing. Ina Balin was in serveral Quincy episodes , as different people

As different people but I presume all human. Also, makeup and spectacles etc would have helped to make the actress seem somewhat different. I bet she didn't play any character that became iconic like the Romulan Commander and Spock's Vulcan father.

I understand at the time no one could have predicted that "Balance of Terror "would become one of the most loved episodes of the series. So I guess they didn't think it would be a problem to give the talented Lenard the important role of Spock's VULCAN father.

I am used to it now, but in the beginning, I remember scoffing. ............I found it hard to immerse myself in the story............... I kept on thinking "that's the ROMULAN commander".

They could have written a story were twins were seperated at birth or shortly after. Possible during an attack on a passenger ship. The Vulcan parents thought one baby had died and never told the other sibling. The one assumed dead was later found by a Romulan commander and then raised as a Romulan.

Naw, the branch-off occurred centuries earlier.

It's not about the branch-off, but a Vulcan twin brother who was found after the destruction of a ship, and then adopted by the Romulans.

@wonder2wonder said:

@Knixon said:

@wonder2wonder said:

@sunshine62 said:

by knix

That's nothing. Ina Balin was in serveral Quincy episodes , as different people

As different people but I presume all human. Also, makeup and spectacles etc would have helped to make the actress seem somewhat different. I bet she didn't play any character that became iconic like the Romulan Commander and Spock's Vulcan father.

I understand at the time no one could have predicted that "Balance of Terror "would become one of the most loved episodes of the series. So I guess they didn't think it would be a problem to give the talented Lenard the important role of Spock's VULCAN father.

I am used to it now, but in the beginning, I remember scoffing. ............I found it hard to immerse myself in the story............... I kept on thinking "that's the ROMULAN commander".

They could have written a story were twins were seperated at birth or shortly after. Possible during an attack on a passenger ship. The Vulcan parents thought one baby had died and never told the other sibling. The one assumed dead was later found by a Romulan commander and then raised as a Romulan.

Naw, the branch-off occurred centuries earlier.

It's not about the branch-off, but a Vulcan twin brother who was found after the destruction of a ship, and then adopted by the Romulans.

I suppose that's theoretically possible, although they didn't really interact so it's difficult to see how it could happen. Basically, neither could be in the other's space without starting a war.

@Knixon said:

@wonder2wonder said:

@Knixon said:

@wonder2wonder said:

@sunshine62 said:

by knix

That's nothing. Ina Balin was in serveral Quincy episodes , as different people

As different people but I presume all human. Also, makeup and spectacles etc would have helped to make the actress seem somewhat different. I bet she didn't play any character that became iconic like the Romulan Commander and Spock's Vulcan father.

I understand at the time no one could have predicted that "Balance of Terror "would become one of the most loved episodes of the series. So I guess they didn't think it would be a problem to give the talented Lenard the important role of Spock's VULCAN father.

I am used to it now, but in the beginning, I remember scoffing. ............I found it hard to immerse myself in the story............... I kept on thinking "that's the ROMULAN commander".

They could have written a story were twins were seperated at birth or shortly after. Possible during an attack on a passenger ship. The Vulcan parents thought one baby had died and never told the other sibling. The one assumed dead was later found by a Romulan commander and then raised as a Romulan.

Naw, the branch-off occurred centuries earlier.

It's not about the branch-off, but a Vulcan twin brother who was found after the destruction of a ship, and then adopted by the Romulans.

I suppose that's theoretically possible, although they didn't really interact so it's difficult to see how it could happen. Basically, neither could be in the other's space without starting a war.

There are always incidents and finding a lifepod drifting in space is a possibility. Of course this story I made up does not explain why Spock did not mention the striking resemblance between the Romulan commander and his father. He did raise both his eye brows, so that might have meant something. Perhaps Spock did not say anything, because he kept his life private and hadn't spoken to Sarek for eighteen years. And also the fact that everyone started to distrust Spock when they saw how much Vulcans and Romulans looked alike. So telling them that the Romulan commander and his father resembled each other so much that they could be brothers wouldn't have been wise or logical at that moment.

@wonder2wonder said:

@Knixon said:

@wonder2wonder said:

@Knixon said:

@wonder2wonder said:

@sunshine62 said:

by knix

That's nothing. Ina Balin was in serveral Quincy episodes , as different people

As different people but I presume all human. Also, makeup and spectacles etc would have helped to make the actress seem somewhat different. I bet she didn't play any character that became iconic like the Romulan Commander and Spock's Vulcan father.

I understand at the time no one could have predicted that "Balance of Terror "would become one of the most loved episodes of the series. So I guess they didn't think it would be a problem to give the talented Lenard the important role of Spock's VULCAN father.

I am used to it now, but in the beginning, I remember scoffing. ............I found it hard to immerse myself in the story............... I kept on thinking "that's the ROMULAN commander".

They could have written a story were twins were seperated at birth or shortly after. Possible during an attack on a passenger ship. The Vulcan parents thought one baby had died and never told the other sibling. The one assumed dead was later found by a Romulan commander and then raised as a Romulan.

Naw, the branch-off occurred centuries earlier.

It's not about the branch-off, but a Vulcan twin brother who was found after the destruction of a ship, and then adopted by the Romulans.

I suppose that's theoretically possible, although they didn't really interact so it's difficult to see how it could happen. Basically, neither could be in the other's space without starting a war.

There are always incidents and finding a lifepod drifting in space is a possibility. Of course this story I made up does not explain why Spock did not mention the striking resemblance between the Romulan commander and his father. He did raise both his eye brows, so that might have meant something. Perhaps Spock did not say anything, because he kept his life private and hadn't spoken to Sarek for eighteen years. And also the fact that everyone started to distrust Spock when they saw how much Vulcans and Romulans looked alike. So telling them that the Romulan commander and his father resembled each other so much that they could be brothers wouldn't have been wise or logical at that moment.

Well obviously in-show they were very different people and didn't really resemble each other, even though they were portrayed by the same actor. It's like in the previously-mentioned Quincy episodes, nobody ever said anything about Ina Balin's latest character being an "identical twin" to the character she played last time... Nor did anyone on TOS comment on Anne Mulhall looking identical to Miranda Jones...

And it's how, obviously, the TOS Klingons actually looked like the TNG/DS9 Klingons even though TOS didn't have the same makeup budget, and there was really no need to pretend otherwise in the DS9 "Tribbles" episode nor was there any need for a retcon in the Enterprise series.

However on JAG there were some comments on how Major Mackenzie looked like Harm's previous love Diane Schonke (who was murdered at the end of season 1), both played by Catherine Bell.

(The lifepod idea doesn't hold up because they can't travel at warp speed so any "drifting" would take years/decades/centuries. Like at the start of Alien 2/Aliens.)

@Knixon said:

(The lifepod idea doesn't hold up because they can't travel at warp speed so any "drifting" would take years/decades/centuries. Like at the start of Alien 2/Aliens.)

I don't really intend to write the whole story. The pod sent out a beacon signal, which was picked up by another ship that was nearby, reacting at first to the distress signal from the ship under attack.