William Shatner is T.J. Hooder
William Shatner starred in his hit ABC and CBS series T.j. Hooker during the first few Star Trek movie sequel filming. Shatner starred in this American police drama television program as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. Fascinatingly, Shatner's T.J. Hooker also featured an upcoming Star Trek actor.
JamesDarren T.J. Hookers Star Trek: DS9
James Darren, an actor and singer, first starred as Officer Jim Corrigan in T.J. Hooker then as the legendary but divisive holodeck vocalist Vic Fontaine in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. James Darren joining Star Trek after working with William Shatner is not particularly shocking, though given the long and legendary Star Trek chronology spans many TV shows and movies. Their T.j. Hooker link is much more intriguing when Darren joins Star Trek and follows Shatner's footsteps.
Vic Fontaine for Deep Space Nine
American cop dramas were clearly not in shortage in the 1980s, and William Shatner's T.J. Hooker arrived to add to those ranks. Shatner's Star Trek reputation helped the program appeal more widely. Among the ensemble was renowned singer and actor James Darren, who portrayed experienced police officer Jim Corrigan. Running for five seasons, TJ Hooker changed networks from ABC and CBS before calling it quits 1986. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine debuted in 1993, and during the sixth and seventh seasons Darren found a regular place on board the Deep Space Nine space station.
The holosuite sport of the Deep Space Nine space station featured a frequently used 1962 Las Vegas setting. Here, Vic Fontaine's hologram was a mainstay. Fontaine befriended and confided in many of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's characters after singing in a Las Vegas nightclub appropriately called Vic's Las Vegas Lounge. Often featuring many songs performed by James Darren, DS9 episodes with Vic Fontaine replicated the vitality of early 1960s jazz that became popular once more in the 1990s. Fontaine was not always a fan-favorite, though, and these musical episodes were not always either.
Conflict Regarding Vic Fontaine
Though Star Trek: Deep Space Nine lacked a real musical like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Vic Fontaine's holosuite still included music. Vic's provided a friend via Fontaine and performed jazz music to help the crew of Deep Space 9 sink into the 1960s. Many fans still contend, though, that Darren's full-length performances of songs were overdone and frequently disrupted the flow of the show. Sometimes the extended musical numbers seem to be the result of the show's creators being fans of old Frank Sinatra standards and James Darren, not much adding to the story.
Vic Fontaine also assisted the senior crew on the Deep Space 9 space station; these close ties were sometimes criticized for being too practical. Vic Fontaine occasionally feels as though he is trying to create Star Trek: The Next Generation's Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) by means of sage direction, but Vic lacks the background that would make Guinan's advice so credible.
Affect of T.J. Hooker on Star Trek
Still, TJ Hooker and Star Trek have an unusual relationship. It emphasizes how the entertainment business is linked and how performers might find their way into several franchises even decades later.
