Columbo is the long-running crime series starring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, the legendary Los Angeles Police Department homicide detective. Originally aired in 1968 and ultimately concluded in 2003, Columbo remains a justifiably beloved series. But while everyone knows Columbo, you might not realize how many Star Trek actors appeared in the show over the decades.
For this week’s Trek Tuesday, we’re counting down 10 Star Trek actors who appeared in Columbo. Did we include your favorite? Be sure to let us know in the comment section.
William Shatner
Our first Star Trek actor on Columbo is William Shatner. Shatner is best known to Trekkies for his portrayal of James T. Kirk on Star Trek: The Original Series, as well as in seven Star Trek movies. In the Columbo season 6 episode “Fade In to Murder,” Shatner plays Ward Fowler, an overpaid TV actor. But there’s a meta layer, too: the show in which Fowler stars, Detective Lucerne, is an in-universe parallel for Columbo.
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But there’s even more to this mystery. In addition to featuring Shatner, this episode also features a role played by Walter Koenig. Best known to Trekkies as Pavel Chekov, Koenig plays Sergeant Johnston in “Fade In to Murder.”
Leonard Nimoy
The show-stopping 1976 Columbo season 2 episode “A Stitch in Crime” guest stars Leonard Nimoy as Doctor Barry Mayfield. In a serious departure from his iconic depiction of Spock on TOS, Nimoy plays a morally repugnant surgeon with a clever plan for murder.
This episode is memorable for both Nimoy and Falk’s performances. Furthermore, with an emphasis on the class differences between the two professionals playing cat-and-mouse, “A Stitch in Crime” lands close to the platonic ideal for a Columbo episode. For interested Trekkies as-of-yet uninitiated to the world of Columbo, this episode comes highly recommended.
Ricardo Montalban
It isn’t just the greatest heroes of Star Trek who appear on Columbo. It’s also some of the greatest villains. Case in point: Ricardo Montalban‘s appearance in season 5’s “A Matter of Honor.” Originally aired in 1976, this episode sees Columbo investigating a murder in Mexico. The episode goes to great lengths to explain why Columbo would work so far outside his jurisdiction. However, these efforts are eclipsed by outdated and offensive stereotypes.
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Meanwhile, Montalban will need little introduction for Trekkies. Montalban originally guest starred in the TOS episode “Space Seed” before serving as the primary antagonist of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. While he only appears in two Trek stories, Khan is easily one of the most memorable and popular of all Star Trek villains.
Laurence Luckinbill
In Columbo season 7’s “Make Me a Perfect Murder,” another Star Trek villain appeared. This episode guest stars Laurence Luckinbill as Mark McAndrews, a TV executive who gets a promotion, causing him to callously abandon his co-worker and secret lover. But when these actions serve as the motivation for his murder, it’s up to Columbo to investigate.
Luckinbill will be best known to Trekkies as Sybok in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. However, this episode was filmed more than a decade before the fifth Star Trek movie, and you may have to imagine Luckinbill with a beard to identify him.
Kate Mulgrew
Technically, Kate Mulgrew never appeared on a single episode of Columbo. However, she played the titular role in the spin-off Mrs. Columbo. The series was based on the premise that Columbo’s oft-mentioned but never-seen wife, “Mrs. Columbo,” would have the ability to solve mysteries with similar acumen as her husband. Considering the comments made about Columbo regarding his wife on Columbo, this is an entirely plausible premise.
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But while the first few entries of Mrs. Columbo capitalized on the marriage between the two skilled investigators, the show was swiftly reformatted to be a standalone series before being canceled after just 13 episodes. This is a shame because the few episodes of Mrs. Columbo I’ve seen hold up pretty well. Fortunately, Mulgrew would go on to headline one of the greatest shows of all time: Star Trek: Voyager.
Isabel Garcia Lorca
In the 1989 Columbo TV movie “Murder, a Self Portrait,” Columbo investigates a polyamorous artist, Max Barsini (Patrick Bauchau). One of Barsini’s lovers is Julie (Isabel Garcia Lorca).
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Lorca is an accomplished actor who has appeared in many roles. However, Trekkies may remember her best as Gabrielle, a hologram created by Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) in the Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 episode “We’ll Always Have Paris.”
Fionnula Flanagan
Lorca is not the only Star Trek alum to appear in “Murder, a Self Portrait.” Another one of Barsini’s lovers, and the episode’s murder victim, is ex-wife Louise Barsini, played by Fionnula Flanagan.
Flanagan will be familiar to Trekkies thanks to her appearances across no fewer than three Star Trek shows. Perhaps most famous will be her role as Juliana Tainer (*) in the TNG season 7 episode “Inheritance.” She also appeared as Enina Tandro in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 1 episode “Dax.” And finally, she played the part of V’Lar in Star Trek: Enterprise season 1’s “Fallen Hero.”
Penny Johnson Jerald
When Columbo was revived for TV movies in the 1990s, there was a clear attempt to update the show for the modern era. This is obvious even from the title of the 1991 movie “Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health.” While the case involves a pair of famous TV news anchors, as you might imagine, a key chain of clues involves the increasingly outdated habit of smoking cigarettes.
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However, this episode also features a supporting role for an actor who will be familiar to Trekkies thanks to a subsequent recurring role on DS9. In “Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health,” Penny Johnson Jerald plays Maxine Jarrett, an assistant to Columbo’s main murder suspect. But Trekkies will best recognize Jerald as Kasidy Yates, who becomes romantically involved with Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) throughout DS9.
Ed Begley, Jr.
A personal friend of Falk, Ed Begley Jr. appeared on Columbo twice. First, he played the role of Officer Stein in 1978’s “How to Dial a Murder.” Years later, he appeared as Irving Krutch in 1994’s unconventional Columbo TV movie, “Undercover.” Falk himself is reported to have suggested Begley for the latter role.
Meanwhile, Trekkies will remember Begley’s appearance as Henry Starling in the Voyager season 3 two-part time travel episode “Future’s End.” This episode is especially significant to Voyager continuity, as it introduces the mobile hologram emitter, technology directly connected to Starling. The mobile emitter continues to play a significant role in Star Trek canon, being most recently mentioned in Star Trek: Picard season 3’s “Imposters.”
William Shatner (Again)
We’re concluding this list the same way we began: with Shatner. In addition to his aforementioned appearance in a 1970s Columbo episode, Shatner also appeared in 1994’s “Butterfly in Shades of Grey.” In this prescient episode, Shatner plays Fielding Chase, an arrogant and successful conservative radio host with immoral, un-journalistic tendencies and a desire to control those closest to him. Like “A Stitch in Crime,” this episode would be ideal for Columbo-uninitiated Trekkies who wish to get a feel for what the famous crime series is about.
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But in addition to Shatner, this episode features another significant Star Trek alum. Chase’s adopted daughter, Victoria (Molly Hagan), is played by the same actor who played Eris, the first Vorta to appear on DS9, in season 2’s “The Jem’Hadar.”
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