I completely forgot that thisStar Trek: The Next Generationactress appeared in two episodes ofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine. Many actors portrayed multiple roles withintheStar Trekfranchise, often remaining unrecognizable due to alien makeup, different costumes, or vastly different characteristics and personalities.
While manyTrekfans are well aware that actors like Armin Shimerman andJeffrey Combs, for example, portrayed multiple characters, other actors are less well-known.Susan Gibney portrayed Dr. Leah Brahms in two episodes ofStar Trek: The Next Generationand later popped in a two-part story onDeep Space Nineas Commander Benteen.
Susan Gibney From Star Trek: The Next Generation Also Appeared In DS9
Susan Gibney Portrayed Dr. Leah Brahms On TNG & Commander/Captain Benteen On DS9
InStar Trek: The Next Generation,Susan Gibney portrayed both the real Leah Brahms and the hologram version of herbrought to life by Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton). InTNGseason 3, episode 6, “Booby Trap,“Geordi worked with the holodeck’s recreation of Dr. Brahamsto work on the Enterprise-D’s engines.
In one ofTNG’smost cringeworthy storylines, Geordi developed feelings for the holodeck version of Dr. Brahms, making his eventual meeting with the real Brahms in “Galaxy’s Child” extremely awkward.
Susan Gibney’s nextStar Trekrole came inStar Trek: Deep Space Nineseason 4, episode 11, “Homefront,” in which she plays Starfleet Commander Benteen. After a suspected Changeling attack at a diplomatic conference,Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks)travels to Earth to help Starfleet implement new security measures.
Upon arriving at Starfleet Headquarters, Sisko meets with Admiral Leyton (Robert Foxworth) and his adjutant, Commander Benteen. In the second part of this two-parter, “Paradise Lost,“Leyton promotes Benteen to captainand gives her command of the USS Lakota.
Captain Sisko and his crew eventually discover that Leyton is planning a coup d’état against the United Federation of Planets. Upon learning thatthe USS Defiantwas traveling to Earth with proof of his duplicity, Leyton ordered Captain Benteen to destroy it. Benteen, however, stood down after hearing Sisko explain Leyton’s deception.
Commander Benteen In DS9 Was A Very Different Character From TNG’s Dr. Leah Brahms
Brahms Was A Scientist, While Benteen Was A Starfleet Officer Through & Through
Although both of Susan Gibney’sStar Trekcharacters were humans, it’s not immediately obvious that they are portrayed by the same actress. For one thing, there were several years between Gibney’s appearance onTNGandDS9,and, somehow, putting her in a Starfleet uniform and giving her a different hairstyle made her almost unrecognizable.
Plus, Leah Brahms and Captain Benteen are very different characters.Brahams is a scientist who is passionate about her work,which includes designing parts of the Galaxy-class ship’s warp drive engines. Benteen, on the other hand, is a serious and by-the-book Starfleet officer who implicitly trusts her superior, Leyton, which almost costs her her career.
In her appearances onStar Trek: The Next GenerationandStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,Susan Gibney made Dr. Leah Brahams and Captain Benteen distinct and interesting characters who played significant roles in their respective stories.
