JUNE 17, 2021 - Tragedy struck the Star Trek extended family recently as actress Lisa Banes, who guest-starred as Trill doctor Renhol in the Deep Space Nine episode “Equilibrium,” has died from injuries sustained in a hit-and-run incident on June 4th, CNN reports. 

Banes, a graduate of Juilliard well-known for her work on the stage, was struck by a scooter near Lincoln Center in New York on June 4th, and never recovered from the traumatic brain injury she received. A press release from the NYPD stated that the scooter ran a red light, striking her, adding, “The scooter then fled the location, continuing north bound. There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing.”

Her performance as Doctor Renhol in Deep Space Nine’s third season introduced viewers to the Symbiosis Commission, the Trill organization responsible for overseeing the process of joining a Trill symbiont with a suitable host. While treating Jadzia Dax for an unknown ailment, it’s revealed that the Doctor Renhol and the Commission have withheld important information from the Trill species regarding the joining process. This leads to a tense confrontation with Commander Sisko and Doctor Bashir, who are not willing to let their friend die for a political cover-up.

Outside of Star Trek, Lisa Banes was known for her work with Tom Cruise the in 1988 release Cocktail, and she also played Ben Affleck’s concerned mother-in-law in the 2014 thriller Gone Girl. Besides DS9 she also appeared in many other TV shows such as China Beach, Six Feet Under, Boston Legal, and Nashville.

Banes is survived by her wife, Kathryn Kranhold, who paid tribute to Lisa on Twitter with the simple words, “My Lisa. Our #lisabanes. Our huge loss.” 

Please join us here at Daily Star Trek News in sending our condolences to Kathryn Kranhold and the rest of Lisa Banes’ family.