Summary
Best known for his roles in movies likeStargateandMr. Deeds, Erick Avari has also played three different characters in theStar Trekfranchise.Born in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India in 1952, Erick Avari became a well-known face on network television in the 1990s and 2000s, thanks to a number of guest roles in hit shows likeSeinfeld,The X-Files,24, andHeroes. One of Erick Avari’s best-known roles is Dr. Terrence Bey inThe Mummy, which also starredStar Trek: Discovery’s Oded Fehr as Ardeth Bey. Avari also appeared inIndependence DayalongsideStar Trek: The Next Generation’s Brent Spiner.
As Erik Avari is a prolific TV guest actor, best-known for his work in sci-fi and fantasy, it was inevitable that he would appear in aStar TrekTV showeventually. Ultimately, Erik Avari made three separateStar Trekappearances between 1991 and 2001.The substance of Avari’sTrekroles increased in parallel with his own burgeoning career, meaning that he went from a bit-part character inStar Trek: The Next Generationto an antagonist role inStar Trek: Enterprise.
12 Star Trek Actors Who Crossed Over Into Stargate
Many recognizable Star Trek actors made appearances in another iconic science fiction franchise: Stargate.
B’iJik in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 5, Episode 7, “Unification I”
Erick Avari’s firstStar Trekrole was as the minor Klingon bureaucrat, B’iJik, who acted as a go-between for Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Chancellor Gowron (Robert O’Reilly). InStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 5, episode 7, “Unification I”, Picard required a cloaked ship to gain passage into Romulan space. Ascloaking devices are illegalunder Federation law, Picard required the assistance of Chancellor Gowron to secure one. However, the head of the Klingon Empire fobbed Picard off with one of his lackeys, played byAvari.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D as they embark on interstellar explorations, seeking out new worlds and civilizations.
Erick Avari’s scene inStar Trek: The Next Generationis largely a showcase for Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard conducts one of his famed negotiations. Therefore,B’iJiK is a very small role for Erick Avari, highlighted by the character’s title of “Junior Adjutant to the Diplomatic Delegation.“However, Avari is still a terrific foil for Stewart, and the actor’s ability to perform B’iJik’s subtle understanding of Picard’s veiled political threats makes the character more than merely Chancellor Gowron’s secretary.
“Unification” is the first of three appearances that Erik Avari has made alongside Brent Spiner, with the other two beingIndependence Day(1996) andThe Master of Disguise(2002).
Vedek Yarka in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Season 3, Episode 15, “Destiny”
Erick Avari had a more substantial role, as Vedek Yarka, inStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 3, episode 15, “Destiny”. In “Destiny”, Yarka arrived aboard DS9 to give Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) a dire warning about a joint Federation-Cardassian mission to establish communications with the Gamma Quadrant. Yarka was a discredited Bajoran religious figure, who clung to the ancient prophecies of Trakor, which appeared toforeshadow Sisko’s ultimate fate inDS9’s finale.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.
Erick Avari has a small, but vital, role to play inStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 3, episode 15, “Destiny”. While he only communicates with Patrick Stewart via a screen in “Unification”, inDS9, Avari and Avery Brooks get to face off against each other, and the result is electric. However, for all the seriousness of Vedek Yarka’s dire warnings to Sisko and Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), Erick Avari had problems keeping a straight face. Recalling the experience of filming “Destiny” in a 2010 interview withSciFiAndTVTalk, Erick Avari recalled:
“I tend to get really giggly when I’m really tired […] I had this long, wordy scene that I was supposed to be very serious in. It was about doom and gloom and prophecies to come, and all I remember is just praying that I would keep a straight face through the take.”
Jamin in Star Trek: Enterprise
Season 1, Episode 6, “Terra Nova”
Erick Avari returned to theStar Trekfranchise as Jamin in “Terra Nova”, an early episode ofScott Bakula’s prequel series,Enterprise. The episode depicted Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) attempt to earn the trust of a colony of humans that had lost their connection to Earth. Erick Avari played the colony’s leader, who distrusts Archer and his intentions, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that both men are of the same species. It’s a classicStar Trekallegory about xenophobia and isolationism that doesn’t quite hang together as an episode ofEnterprise.
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise acts as a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, detailing the voyages of the original crew of the Starship Enterprise in the 22nd century, a hundred years before Captain Kirk commanded the ship. Enterprise was the sixth series in the Star Trek franchise overall, and the final series before a twelve-year hiatus until the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery in 2017. The series stars Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer, with an ensemble cast that includes John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating, Anthony Montgomery, Linda Park, and Connor Trinneer.
That’s not the fault of Erick Avari, who does his best with an under-developed script, and works well with Scott Bakula. Interestingly, the original script forStar Trek: Enterpriseseason 1, episode 6, “Terra Nova” stated that Erick Avari’s character would be an adept climber and gymnast, but the actor wasn’t called upon to climb any trees or perform any gymnastics. It’s disappointing that Avari’s final appearance is in aStar Trekepisode once described byEnterpriseproducer Brannon Braga as his least favorite. However, it’s a small blip on Erick Avari’s impressive career in film and television that continues to this day.
