Hertzler Proud To Be Part Of Trek

Veteren Trek actor J. G. Hertzler might be most fond of his Deep Space Nine character Martok, but he would love to see the return of his most recent character, Kolos, on Enterprise.

Speaking to Ian Spelling at Star Trek: Monthly, Hertzler said, "I feel strongly that they should bring Kolos back, not only for my financial health, but also for the sake of the show." The actor sees Kolos as an important bridge between 22nd century Klingons and 24th century ones, specifically Martok. "He was almost a logical extension of an older and wiser Martok. He talked about what Empire once was and what it could be again. And it was also about change, about evolving."

Hertlzer's first appearance on Trek was in the DS9 pilot, "Emissary," in which he played a Vulcan captain. After that character's demise, Hertzler was pleasantly surprised to be offered a new role, that of the Klingon general, Martok. Martok's friendship with Worf (Michael Dorn) and his involvement in the Dominion war arc lead to many appearances.

Martok's development and the richness of his storyline lead to him becoming so important to Hertzler that the actor wanted to delve even deeper into his character. The desire to go beyond what was on screen lead Hertzler to pen two books about Martok, along with author Jefferey Lang. The books, entitled The Left Hand of Destiny parts 1 and 2, have been well-received by fans, so much so that Hertzler is pondering a comic book series based on some of the Klingon characters in the novels.

Hertzler also touched on his role in Voyager's "Tsunkatse," in which he played a Hirogen who trained Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) how to fight. "My episode of Voyager was kind of tough because I had to wrestle Jeri Ryan and those tight jumpsuits she wore. I guess somebody had to do it," he said. His one lament? "Luckily I didn't have to go up against the Rock, although I would've loved a scene with him."

Hertzler offers his own view on the actors that keep returning to Trek, such as himself, Jeffrey Combs, and Vaughn Armstrong. "I think Rick (Berman) thinks of the actors on Star Trek as a repertory company. A repertory company, in theatrical terms, is a group of players that come back every time and take on different roles. So there are a number of us who are lucky enough to be a part of this Star Trek repertory company."

For more about Hertzler's Trek roles, visit Sci Fi Pulse.

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