Workforce...hang on a second...

[JB2005]

I saw Workforce for the first time today, and all of a sudden I went, "hey it's Baxter!"

But no apparently Tom Virtue was playing an alien of the week, not his actual character from Voyager. Now this guy didn't die in the show, he just faded into the background (like Carey, who would also return). It didn't occur to any of the writers that Tom Virtue had played a Voyager Crewmember in the first two seasons? That maybe because of this it would make more sense for him to have been an abductee too?

Sorry rant over!

 

[KiraDax]

I thought he looked familiar...

My guess is that TPTB didn't think, per the usual, and Mr. Virtue quite understandably decided a speaking guest role might earn more money and attention than a no-liner extra slot and kept his mouth shut.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

And it's not as if this is the first time an actor has played more than one role. That happens all the time in Trek.

Look at Vaughn Armstrong, for example; he has played more than a DOZEN different Trek roles, comprising EIGHT different species (Human, Romulan, Klingon, Borg, Hirogen, Kreetassan, Cardassian, and Vidiian).

Poor guy's face must be like concrete after all that alien makeup over the years...

 

[mirandafave]

Likewise Jeffrey Combs! So that one for reason is why they should never stick to that rule - albeit it helps if the actors in question have make up to hide under.

 

[JustKate]

And of course the inimitable Mark Lenard. And Suzie Plakson. And Diana Muldaur, who appeared twice in TOS (as different human women, so she wasn't covered by makeup) as well as her role of Pulaski in TNG. It happens a lot.

 

[Fish1941]

It didn't occur to any of the writers that Tom Virtue had played a Voyager Crewmember in the first two seasons? That maybe because of this it would make more sense for him to have been an abductee too?

Considering that many Trek actors have portrayed more than one character, I don't understand this question.

 

[kipron]

While some of those background characters were indeed conspicuous in their presence and subsequent absence, imho Voyager was actually pretty good at maintaining a familiar set of Starfleet extras.

I would imagine it's no simple task to keep the background characters so consistent, given that they can only create about 150 crew members at most and few actors would be happy to hang around as an extra for 7 years..

TNG and DS9 had it a lot easier in that regard!

 

[JustKate]

M*A*S*H managed it too - better than VOY even. I have no idea how, because as you noted, Kipron, most people aren't eager to be extras for year after year after year.

 

[kipron]

^
They were probably huge trekkies to begin with.

I remember there was that one extra, (Ensign Ayala?) whose crowning moment was to have one line in S7's Renaissance Man. I must say he was quite likeable, even if he was only in the background for 7 years. XD

 

[JB2005]

It didn't occur to any of the writers that Tom Virtue had played a Voyager Crewmember in the first two seasons? That maybe because of this it would make more sense for him to have been an abductee too?

Considering that many Trek actors have portrayed more than one character, I don't understand this question.

It was more the fact it was an episode about Voy crewmembers being forced to work in an alien factory. Here's a guy who had played a Voyager crewmember, working in the same place, not playing a Voy crewmember.

Maybe it's just me...