Quick, make a ballpark guess at how many actors have worked on both a Fallout game and a live-action Star Trek TV or movie.

…

Ready?

The answer is exactly forty-nine. Yes, 49! Star Trek actors have worked on every Fallout, and Fallout actors have worked on every live-action Star Trek TV or movie except for I, II, and IV.

Here are some highlights, or you can skip to the full list.

In the most Fallout games

At least three appearances in a wasteland.

Ron Perlman 6 wastelands 1 Trek

Dude, it’s Ron Perlman.

He’s the voice of Fallout (tsk, except BoS).

He was just in Nemesis. Alan Oppenheimer 3 wastelands 3 Treks

He was Skeletor and Man-at-Arms!

FOT, BoS, and Paladin Brandis in 4.

He popped up in TNG, DS9, and VOY. Dwight Schultz 3 wastelands 3 Treks

It’s Howling Mad Murdock!

He was Hakunin in FO2, plus voices in FOT and 4.

He is Reginald Barclay. Jason Marsden 3 wastelands 2 Treks

He’s done tons of cartoons.

He was Myron and Boone, plus was in FOT.

He was a Ferengi in DS9, plus a voice in TNG.

In the most live-action Star Trek

At least three appearances in Star Trek.

Michael Dorn 2 wastelands 7 Treks

One of the hardest-working actors in Trek.

He’s Marcus, super mutant extraordinaire from FO2 & NV.

He is Worf, Son of Mogh. James Horan 1 wasteland 4 Treks

He’s all over cartoons and video games.

He was The King in NV, y’hear?

He was in TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT! He even fought Worf in the very scene above. Tim Russ 1 wasteland 4 Treks

He ain’t found shit!

He was Captain Kells in FO4, plus Zealot Ware.

He is Tuvok. He also appeared in TNG, DS9, and Generations. Alan Oppenheimer 3 wastelands 3 Treks

This guy is everywhere!

FOT, BoS, and Paladin Brandis in 4.

He popped up in TNG, DS9, and VOY. Dwight Schultz 3 wastelands 3 Treks

He breathed some character into VOY.

He was Hakunin in FO2, plus voices in FOT and 4.

He is Reginald Barclay. David Warner 1 wasteland 3 Treks

He’s a great British sourpuss.

He was Morpheus in FO.

He appeared in V and VI, plus TNG: “How many lights do you see there?” Kurtwood Smith 1 wasteland 3 Treks

Remember that TV show, dumbass?

He was General Dekker in FOT.

He was in VI and DS9, plus the stand-out “Year of Hell” from VOY. Larry Cedar 1 wasteland 3 Treks

He was on Square One! ? He was a “voice” in FOT.

He was in DS9, VOY, and ENT (this is not Todd Howard). Rene Auberjoinois 1 wasteland 3 Treks

I saw him once on Charlie’s Angels. It was odd after DS9.

He was Robert House in NV.

He is Odo. He also appeared in VI and ENT. Robert Picardo 1 wasteland 3 Treks

“Welcome to Johnny Cab!”

He voiced Alan Binet in 4.

He is the Emergency Medical Hologram, a.k.a. The Doctor. Wil Wheaton 1 wasteland 3 Treks

He turned out all right!

He voiced the Robobrains in NV.

He is Wesley Crusher.

Even the original Star Trek!

Iona Morris 1 WASTELAND 2 TREKS

She makes the TV list truly complete!

She was Daisy and a few others in 4.

She was in “Miri” from Star Trek, 1966, plus VOY.

The Fallout Trek Redemption

OK, now we’re getting deep: at least four actors have been in a Fallout game, Star Trek, and The Shawshank Redemption. (No, I didn’t go looking for this, I just noticed it.)

Clancy Brown 1 WASTELAND 1 TREK

He played Guard Captain Hadley.

He voiced Rhombus in FO.

He was Zobral in ENT. Don McManus 1 WASTELAND 1 TREK

He was Guard Wiley.

He voiced John and T.S. Wallace in 4.

He was Zio in VOY. Jude Ciccolella 1 WASTELAND 1 TREK

He was Guard Mert.

He was Dr. Hildern and a bunch of other voices in NV.

He was Commander Suran in Nemesis. William Sadler 1 WASTELAND 1 TREK

Last, but certainly not least, he’s Heywood!

Plus he’s Victor from NV!

And he’s Luther Sloan from DS9, one of the best guest roles!

But, really, forty-nine actors?!

Why so many? Because casting… Casting never changes.

“Here’s the thing though, casting all those actors wasn’t intentional; I discovered through the process of casting that Star Trek is to Los Angeles what Law and Order is to New York. If you’re in New York and you go to a Broadway show and open the playbill every actor in there has appeared on Law and Order, and it’s because there’s such a need for actors on those shows. At its peak, most of those actors in LA appeared on Star Trek.” Jason Bergman

Behind the Scenes: The Many Voices of New Vegas

Forty-nine still sounds like a lot of overlap, even with seven Fallout games, five Star Trek TV shows, and thirteen Trek movies. Sure, you’ve got your familiar faces like Michael Dorn or a big name like Malcolm McDowell, but four dozen actors overlap?

Star Trek doesn’t just cast for a lot of roles, though, it’s casts for a lot of weird roles: aliens. Trek needs actors that apply precise performance to create truly foreign characters with strange appearances and distinct voices. They need to have the talent to act through heavy makeup, and the discipline to listen when the effects people say “don’t move your head more than five inches or you’ll ruin three hours of prep.” It’s also important that they be consistent, so when the editor strings together eight takes from two days the alien sounds coherent, not disjointed.

These talents would apply well to video game voice acting: creating distinct voices, imparting emotion despite the limitations of game graphics, and the ability to deliver consistent performances across script variations or re-recordings.

There’s also the path that careers take. The heyday of Trek production was in the 90’s, when the numerous weekly shows had booming casting calls, and a lot of these actors played small roles (“Stairway Guard”) that would be a step up on the path of paying their dues. With enough experience and good reputation you can transition into voice acting, which can be good work; it’s still challenging, but the hours tend to be more defined and the work less stressful than live-action productions – much better for the working actor with a family. When the Fallout series started in the late 90’s several of these Trek alumni were expanding into busy careers voicing cartoons and video games.

The full list of all 49 actors, complete with IMDB links.

Wait, do you make video games?

If you’ve enjoyed this and you make video games, let me ask you a favor: please give me quick feedback on my portfolio. Do I sound hire-able? Are there red flags? Be brutal. You can find my email there or DM me @EmiliosEyes.

For the love of the Nine

The most Fallout actors came from Deep Space Nine, and New Vegas had the most DS9 actors.

Honorable Mentions: Crew

Why should the Fallout-Star Trek employment bonanza be limited to actors? At least 4 crew members have overlapped:

David Lee Fein is a very experienced foley artist. Foley for FOT. Foley for V, VI, Generations, First Contact, and Beyond.

Justin Bertges does SFX and props. Worked for Quantum Creation FX on 4’s videos. Also worked for Quantum Creation FX on Beyond.

Pete Kelley is a set and prop builder. Props for 4’s videos. SFX technician on Into Darkness.

Ryan J. Frias is an experienced sound editor. Dialogue editor for NV. Digital editing for Into Darkness.



Corrections?

If you have any corrections, please let me know! Especially if you can clarify credits for Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel (they seem spotty), or if you can fill in any of the people just credited as “voice” in Fallout Tactics.

Methodology