UPDATED: Monday night December 15th was a big night for former security officers of the USS Enterprise D. Firstly, Michael Dorn is the latest Star Trek crossover to appear on the NBC comic-book drama Heroes where Star Trek The Next Generation’s Worf was a surprise guest star. And on Fox Denise Crosby (TNG: Tasha Yar) showed up on Prison Break. [images of both below + SPOILERS below]

President Worf

Dorn appeared in the episode "Dual" that aired tonight on NBC. This is final episode of Heroes "Volume 3 – Villains" (aka first half of the third season). In the episode Dorn shows up in the very last scene, which is actually a preview of the opening of the next volume of Heroes (Volume 4 – ‘Fugitives’), playing the unnamed President of the United States. The scene was mostly out of focus or with such tight close-ups that it was only in the final moments that you could recognize the actor who was playing the president. But any Star Trek fan would recognize that voice from the first moment he spoke. The scene portended what could be a recurring role for the actor in the next ‘Volume’ of Heroes, which kicks off on February 2nd, 2009.







The President of the United States (Michael Dorn -L) and Senator Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar – R middle image) in Heroes [NBC]

And it wasn’t just Dorn in Monday’s big Fall finale episode. George Takei, Sulu from The Original Series, also appeared in "Dual, reprising his recurring role as Kaito Nakamura, father of Hiro Nakamura. And he got to show off some of his sword skills.



George Takei in Heroes "Dual" [NBC]

Watch it NBC, G4TV and online

Heroes airs on NBC at 9PM (8 Central). If you are catching this article within an hour of posting you still have time to catch this episode at its first showing at 9PM, and Mountain Time folks have time to catch end with Dorn. If you missed it, don’t worry as Heroes also repeats on Tuesday’s on G4TV. "Dual" should soon be available for viewing at NBC.com and Hulu.

Trek and Heroes – joined at the hip

Since its first episode, Heroes has been full of Star Trek references (both overt and subtle – see video below). The show is also home to many Star Trek cast and crewmembers. Of course almost every episode of Heroes includes Star Trek’s new Spock, Zachary Quinto as the brain sucking Sylar, but this is the the second week in a row with a main Trek cast member guest star. In addition to this week, George Takei also appeared last week in the episode "Our Fathers" (watch the full episode on Hulu – in USA). Other major Trek stars to appear on Heroes include Nichelle Nichols (TOS: Uhura), Dominic Keating (ENT: Reed), and Malcolm McDowell (GEN: Soren). There are also numerous members of the Heroes crew who are Trek vets, most notably DS9 and VOY writer/producer Bryan Fuller, who left the Heroes at the end of Season One, but is returning for the later half of Season Three (see EW interview with Fuller from last week on his return to Heroes). Some have suggested Leonard Nimoy as a possible father to Sylar (Quinto), however last week that role went to John Glover, who played Lex Luthor’s father on Smallville, but who also had a guest spot on Star Trek Deep Space Nine. And maybe Sylar needs a grandfather.



Zach Quinto shows some Trek-Heroes connections



UPDATE: Doctor Yar on Prison Break

In a bit of a strange coincidence, TNG’s Denise Crosby also had guest spot on a Monday Network show. Crosby played an unnamed ‘Doctor’ on the episode "Going Under." where she performed dangerous experimental brain surgery on the show’s hero Michael Scofield (played by Wentworth Miller). If you missed the episode, you can catch it online at FOX.com (starting later this week).





Denise Crosby on Prison Break [FOX]

Prison Break has had its fair share of Star Trek actors, including Dominic Keating (ENT: Reed) and most notably John Billingsley (ENT: Phlox), who had a major recurring character in the first season.