APRIL 10, 2023 - With 44 seasons under its belt and nearly 900 episodes filmed, it seems impossible that no actor has ever picked up an Emmy for their work on Star Trek. With a commanding performance as the villain Changeling Vadic in season 3 of Star Trek: Picard, Amanda Plummer could be the one to end the drought.

Vadic is a return to the old-school villains of classic Trek; much more Khan or Kruge than villains of the “New Trek” series. In an interview with TVLine, showrunner Terry Matalas said the role was actually written specifically for Plummer.

“I have always had this fascination with Amanda Plummer,” he said. “I mean, going back to her winning the Tony for Agnes of God, to The Fisher King to Pulp Fiction to The Prophecy…I just loved her.”

Getting Plummer on set proved to be a logistical challenge due to a schedule conflict with another show she was filming. This meant the majority of Picard’s first five episodes were filmed in her absence.

“By the first rehearsal, we were all holding our breath, and [when] she gave that performance, people were hugging each other, people were congratulating each other,” Matalas said. “We were so thrilled to have a classic, larger-than-life Star Trek villain.”

Beyond the reaction of Picard’s cast and crew, fans have also been enjoying Plummer’s turn as Vadic. One need only turn to social media to see the immediate and overwhelming positive way fans are embracing the character. Twitter user vson (@vson2) said the addition of Plummer had created the best Trek since the sixth film in the franchise.

Of course, many fans were quick to point out that Plummer is the daughter of acclaimed actor Christopher Plummer who famously played the Klingon General Chang in The Undiscovered Country.

Proving that she is more than a nepo baby, Plummer has previous experience winning Emmy awards. In fact, she has two, picking up trophies for her work on Law and Order: SVU and The Outer Limits as well as an Emmy nomination for L.A. Law. She also has a Tony Award for her performance in Agnes of God.

Of course, other Star Trek actors also have award wins for work outside of Trek. Patrick Stewart, who plays Captain Jean-Luc Picard, won an Emmy for his role in the TV movie The Capture of the Green River Killer in 2009. Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, won an Emmy for her role in the TV series Orange is the New Black in 2015. And then there’s Whoopi Goldberg, who played Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation. She’s won multiple Emmys for her roles in various TV shows and specials.

So why have the Emmy Award voters denied actors in the Trek series for more than 50 years? No one can say for certain, but science fiction shows in general have a hard time winning in the acting categories. In addition, previous generations of Trek shows were shown in syndication without a major network to call home. This may have limited their exposure to Emmy voters. In today’s age of streaming, this might not be as big a factor.

For now, fans will just have to wait and see. The 2023 Emmy nominees will be announced on July 12.