Today in Star Trek history: Iggy Pop’s birthday!

Iggy Pop as Yelgrun the Vorta in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine “The Magnificent Ferengi”

It was today, April 21st, back in 1947, that the “Godfather of Punk” Iggy Pop was born. 47?!

Okay, so what does that have to do with Star Trek, you might ask?!

Iggy Pop was a guest star on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He played the Vorta Yelgrun in the DS9 sixth-season episode “The Magnificent Ferengi”. According to Memory Alpha, producer Ira Steven Behr had originally wanted him for a part in “Past Tense, part II” but he was unavailable due to his touring schedule. He eventually became available for the role of Yelgrun after suffering an injury in a mosh pit.

Outside of Star Trek, Iggy Pop is one of punk rock’s most recognizable personalities, having performed professionally for over 60 years. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy just last year, in 2020. And yes, he’s still performing at the age of 74.