SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 - Today marks the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month. This month takes place every year from September 15th to October 15th to celebrate the contributions, cultures, and histories of the American Latine community. To kick off this month here are some wonderful Hispanic-American Star Trek actors who have portrayed unforgettable characters. 

First up we have Ricardo Montalbán who played Kahn Noonien-Singh in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “Space Seed.” However, most people remember him for his show-stopping performance in the movie follow up Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Montalbán was born in Mexico City and grew up in Torreón. He kept in tip-top shape his whole life and to my surprise there were no prosthetics used in The Wrath of Khan, he was actually that buff. To learn more about Montalbán you can purchase his autobiography Reflections: A Life in Two Worlds.

Next up is Melissa Navia who plays Lt. Erica Ortegas (best pilot in the Alpha Quadrant) on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. She’s an avid New York native and lover. She plays, in my opinion, one of the most fun and loveable characters in all of Star Trek. I definitely hope to see “moretagas” in upcoming Strange New Worlds seasons.

Next, we have Roxann Dawson, who played Lt. Junior Grade B’Elanna Torres, who became Voyager’s cheif engineer. In addition to making the ship run on camera, she also makes sure everything worked off-camera. Not only did she play Torres, she also directed two Voyager episodes and 10 Star Trek: Enterprise episodes. Dawson hails from LA.

Wilson Cruz plays Doctor Hugh Culber on Star Trek: Discovery. Culber is a wonderful member of the Discovery crew and somehow manages to keep the whole crew (mostly) sane. Cruz was born in Brooklyn, New York, to parents from Puerto Rico. His family eventually moved to Rialto, California where he grew up. Cruz is a hero both in and out of Star Trek and In 2020, he was honored in Out magazine's annual Out100 issue, saying that Cruz "beautifully weaves his activism inside every aspect of his work.”

Next up we have Zoe Saldaña. Saldaña stars as Uhura in Star Trek (2009), Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Star Trek: Beyond, aka the Kelvin timeline. There are rumors that the Kelvin timeline will have a 4th movie, in which case we will get to see her reprise her iconic role. Saldaña was born in New Jersey to a Dominican father and a Puerto Rican mother.

On Star Trek: Lower Decks, the role of Admiral Les Buenamigo is played by Carlos Alazraqui. This character was first introduced in the first episode of the season, “Grounded.” Alazraqui is a New York native whose daughter also has a prominent role in the Star Trek franchise. Rylee Alazraqui, Carlos’s daughter, plays Rok-Tahk the sweetest Star Trek character in Star Trek: Prodigy.

These are just some of the amazing Hispanic Americans who have contributed to the making of the Star Trek we know and love. To learn more about Hispanic Heritage month and how to celebrate visit this website.