Actress Rosario Dawson is high on the list of celebrities who want to appear in Star Trek. It looks like she almost got her wish, but a franchise from a galaxy far, far away got in the way.
No changeling for Dawson
Rosario Dawson is a lifelong Trekkie—TrekMovie first reported her interest in landing a Star Trek role back in 2007. It looks like she almost got her wish, but playing Ahsoka Tano in the Star Wars franchise got in the way. The actress recently appeared at FAN EXPO Boston, and Trek was on her mind as she kicked off her panel with a Vulcan salute and told the crowd “Live long and prosper,” according to a report in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. She revealed that while shooting the Disney+ series Ahsoka, she took a picture of herself in her Star Wars costume drinking a bottle of Earl Gray tea, and told the crowd ” “I’m definitely a ‘Next Gen’ girl. Captain Picard all the way.” However, she also revealed that the same show kept her from crossing franchises.
From the Telegram report:
Cracking herself up when she tells the audience it’s ok to “cross streams” when it comes to the “Star Trek” and “Star Wars,” Dawson said she was asked to do something in the “Star Trek” universe but she just signed to do “Ahsoka” and she couldn’t do it.
“I could have been one of Odo’s species, the changeling. I could have been an immortal puddle guys. Do you understand my pain (she said clenching her eyes tight). That would have been really cool,” she insisted. “I also really pushed to be a ‘Q.’ My dad. That was my dad (donning a masculine voice and pointing to her dad in the audience), ‘Be Q.’ I’m like, I’m trying. Right? Then I can be, you know, annoying…cause chaos, which I love.’”
It’s not entirely clear which Star Trek production Dawson is referring to. After having played the part of Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian, Dawson signed on for her own Star Wars spin-off series in late 2020. Earlier in 2020, Dawson had said she thought it was possible for her to “cross the streams,” and was hoping for a part in Picard or Discovery.
In late 2020 multiple Star Trek TV productions were underway or about to start: the first season of Strange New Worlds, the second season of Picard, and the the fourth season of Discovery, which did include a non-speaking role for a Changeling in a single episode. Even though this was a minor role, the actress has said previously she would be willing to take even a background part just to get into Star Trek. The third season of Picard (which went into production in late 2021) did feature a Changeling storyline featuring Amanda Plummer as the main villain of the season, Vadic; however, TrekMovie has confirmed Dawson was not offered a role for season 3 of Picard.
Ahsoka is expected to get a second season, so it doesn’t look like Dawson will be able to jump franchises in the short term. But hopefully, in the future she can follow in the footsteps of fellow Trekkie Paul Giamatti, who was recently announced as part of the cast of the first season of the upcoming Paramount+ series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
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