For decades, Star Trek and Star Wars fans have debated good-naturedly over which universe is superior. But while the fandoms may spar, quite a few actors have managed to chart a course through both galaxies, jumping from warp speed adventures into epic, Force-fueled stories. Today, we’re putting a spotlight on 10 standout performers who’ve made their mark in both iconic franchises.
10. Olivia D’Abo
The first time Olivia D’Abo was noticed in Star Trek: The Next Generation was with her character, Amanda Rogers, a most ordinary-looking Starfleet intern who discovers that she is actually a member of the Q Continuum capable of changing reality. After a while, she went to Star Wars and gave her voice to Jedi Master Luminara Unduli in The Clone Wars. How about that for a crossover? A fan of two major franchises could not wish for a better one.
9. Ian Abercrombie
Ian Abercrombie had one of those rare sci-fi résumés filled with eclectic roles. The Trek fans will recognize him from two Voyager parts, the strict Abbott and a humorously disheveled Irish drunk. But most memorably, he appeared in Star Wars, voicing Emperor Palpatine in The Clone Wars until his 2012 death, after which Tim Curry took over the role. Few actors can boast that they’ve gone from Federation formalities to commanding the dark side.
8. Fionnula Flanagan
Fionnula Flanagan has played some truly memorable characters across both universes. On Trek, she portrayed Juliana Tainer Data’s “mother” in The Next Generation, and later appeared as a Vulcan ambassador in Enterprise. Her Star Wars appearance came earlier, as Catarine Towani in the TV movie Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. Crash landings, Ewoks, and deep Trek lore? She’s done it all.
7. Ethan Phillips
Ethan Phillips is best known as Neelix from Star Trek: Voyager, serving as the ship’s morale officer and cook who became a fan favorite. He even popped up again as a Ferengi in Enterprise. In the Star Wars galaxy, he lent his voice to several games, including Hammam Flatt in Force Commander and Knights of the Old Republic, and Galactic Battlegrounds. After years of heavy prosthetics on Trek, voice work must’ve felt like a vacation.
6. Ron Perlman
The man behind countless prosthetic-heavy roles, Ron Perlman, played the intimidating Reman Viceroy in Star Trek: Nemesis. Meanwhile, over in Star Wars, he voiced the shady Trandoshan trader Gha Nachkt in The Clone Wars, trying to sell R2-D2 to Grievous. Perlman’s ability to disappear into wildly different alien personas makes him a sci-fi MVP.
5. Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is just living the dream of every nerd. To Trekkies, he’s Montgomery “Scotty” Scott from the Kelvin Timeline films, bringing wit and charm to the Enterprise engine room. Meanwhile, Star Wars fans know him as Unkar Plutt, the junk dealer lowballing Rey in The Force Awakens. Beloved engineer to opportunistic scrap merchant? That’s range-and geek cred.
4. George Takei
A true Trek icon, George Takei made history as Hikaru Sulu. But he’s also part of Star Wars canon thanks to his voice role as Lok Durd, a villainous Neimoidian general in The Clone Wars. Takei has joked that this isn’t “jumping ship”; Trek’s message of embracing diversity, he says, naturally includes Star Wars. Spoken like a man who’s mastered intergalactic diplomacy.
3. Greg Grunberg
To which J.J. Abrams goes, you will generally find Greg Grunberg following not far behind, and that is true for both worlds as well. In the 2009 Star Trek reboot, he was the voice of Kirk’s stepfather, and afterward, as Snap Wexley, he was the Resistance pilot throughout the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Whether he’s helping to raise the next generation of captains or flying X-wings, Grunberg has become one of the most recognizable faces of sci-fi.
2. Deep Roy
Deep Roy has one of the most remarkable behind-the-mask careers in genre storytelling. In Trek, he played Keenser Scotty’s small, blue, and delightfully grumpy sidekick in the Kelvin films. In the Star Wars universe, he has portrayed an Ewok, Droopy McCool from the Max Rebo Band, and even served as a stand-in for Yoda during the filming of The Empire Strikes Back. Few performers are as essential to fan-favorite creature work as Deep Roy.
1. Brent Spiner
First off, there is Brent Spiner, inextricably linked to Star Trek by way of his iconic portrayal of Data and the numerous Soong family roles he played in TNG, Enterprise, and Picard. Not to be outdone, his contribution to Star Wars was just as memorable: voicing Gall Trayvis in Star Wars: Rebels, a senator publicly defiant against the Empire… until it is exposed that he is actually an Imperial propagandist, gleefully hunting Rebels. From endearing android to gleeful villain, Spiner proves once again why he’s sci-fi royalty.
There you have it, 10 actors who’ve managed to bridge the galaxies and prove that the ultimate move in the Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate is simply starring in both. From phasers and lightsabers to microphones in a recording booth, great sci-fi talent knows no borders.