The winner of CBS's most recent edition of The Amazing Race has a past as a Star Trek guest star.

Joyce Agu, who used the professional name Joyce Robinson, revealed to TV Guide that she had appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation, playing Ensign Gates, a bridge officer at the tactical console. In most of the episodes she played a non-speaking role, but on a few occasions she interacted with the series regular.

"In one scene, I did tai chi with Worf (Michael Dorn)," she noted. "And in another, they asked me to [speak] a couple of lines when Data (Brent Spiner) thought they were out of context for him." She is credited for her appearance in the seventh season episode "Phantasms", written by Brannon Braga, and her character worked at the conn during the search for the Pegasus.

The former actress said that she had participated in The Amazing Race to try to win enough money for in vitro fertilization so that she and her husband can try to have a baby. She said that if it is not successful, they will adopt, perhaps from the Soweto orphanage they visited during the race.

Agu, who also appeared in Silk Stalkings, will soon make a cameo appearance on Guiding Light. She said that she did not reveal that she had worked as an actress because she did not want to be known as "the actress" on The Amazing Race.

The original article is here, while Agu's resume may be found at The Internet Movie Database. Thanks to Kevin Keith.

Discuss this news item at Trek BBS!
 Add TrekToday RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation fan? Then visit CSIFiles.com!