Rosalind Chao
Paramount
Trekkies already know Rosalind Chao as Keiko O’Brien, the wife of supporting character Chief Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) first introduced in the “Next Generation” episode “Data’s Day” (January 7, 1991). Chao would turn up on seven additional episodes of “Next Gen,” before moving to “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” appearing on 19 more. Chao was always a commanding screen presence, even if her character wasn’t explored until later “DS9” episodes. The producers likely cast Chao as Keiko after remembering her audition for the role of Yar.
Advertisement
Prior to “Star Trek,” Chao had a prolific TV career going back to 1970, when she was only 13. Chao had been performing with a California-based Peking Opera troupe since age five, so she was at ease in front of audiences. Her first TV role was playing the daughter of a Chinese laundromat owner on an episode of “Here’s Lucy.” She also appeared on hit shows like “Kojak,” “The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries,” “The Incredible Hulk,” and “The Amazing Spider-Man.” Her first feature film was 1980’s “The Big Brawl,” which was Jackie Chan’s first attempt to reach an American audience. She had a recurring role on “Diff’rent Strokes,” and appeared on “M*A*S*H,” “The A-Team,” “Riptide,” “Stingray,” “Miami Vice,” and multiple others. Movie fans will likely remember her from her work in “The Joy Luck Club.” “Star Trek” would have just been another feather in her cap.
Advertisement
Chao, now 67, was most recently in “3 Body Problem,” and “Sweet Tooth,” so she’s still steadily working.
In another fun bit of casting, the late actress Patti Yasutake was considered for the role of Keiko, but she ended up being cast as a supporting character named Nurse Ogawa.
Bunty Bailey
Warner Bros.
Bunty Bailey may be best known to pop audiences as “The Girl” in a-ha’s “Take On Me” music video. She also played The Girl in a-ha’s “The Sun Always Shines on TV” (In case it wasn’t clear, she was dating the band’s lead singer). She also danced for the Billy Idol video for “To Be a Lover.” Some may also recognize Bailey as the badass punk chick in Stuart Gordon’s memorable 1987 horror film “Dolls.” She was the one who had her eyeballs pulled out and replaced by doll eyes.
Advertisement
Fewer will recognize her for her work in Rafal Zielinski’s completely unmemorable 1992 film “Spellcaster” (also starring Adam Ant and Richard Blade). She was best known, perhaps, for her punkish attitude and musical associations. Bailey may have been rejected for the role of Tasha Yar due to her lack of scripted acting experience. She was fine in “Dolls,” but must have seemed a mere neophyte in the presence of an old pro like Rosalind Chao. Also, as a security officer, Tasha Yar would have to carry a lot of tough authority, and that’s not the vibe one gets from Bailey watching the “Take On Me” music video. She hasn’t done much professional screen acting since the early 1990s, working instead as a dance instructor in her native England.
Advertisement
Julia Nickson
Paramount
Like Rosalind Chao, the producers of “Next Generation” remembered actress Julia Nickson from her Tasha Yar audition and eventually welcomed her back to play an ensign in the episode “The Arsenal of Freedom” (April 11, 1988). Nickson would also play a villager in the “Deep Space Nine” episode “Paradise” (February 14, 1994), and kept her sci-fi TV cred by playing Catherine Sakai, one of the semi-regular characters on the first season of “Babylon 5.” This is funny, given suspicions that “Deep Space Nine” may have taken some ideas from “Babylon 5.”
Advertisement
Nickson began working as a model and an actress when she was still in college, and appeared in two episodes of “Magnum P.I.” in the mid-’80s. Her first film role was opposite Sylvester Stallone in “Rambo: First Blood Part II” in 1985. She also starred in Nico Mastorakis’ 1988 comedy film “Glitch!” which, by coincidence, also featured Bunty Bailey. Nickson was married to actor David Soul at this time, starring in films like “K2” and “Sidekicks.” She also appeared in the notorious 1994 video game adaptation “Double Dragon,” and on shows like “SeasQuest DSV,” and “Walker, Texas Ranger.” She seemed to attract a lot of attention from ’90s genre-TV casting directors.
Nickson’s last movie was Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One,” and she officially announced her retirement from acting on her Instagram account in 2025. She was always recognized and worked very hard. I trust her retirement is going well.
Advertisement
Leah Ayers
Cannon Film Distributors
Leah Ayers had a sizable resume when she auditioned to play Tasha Yar. In 1979, she had a role on the daytime soap opera “Love of Life,” although her real breakthrough was the mystery soap “The Edge of Night.” She also played Marcia Brady on that weird, short-lived 1990 reboot of “The Brady Bunch” called “The Bradys.” She, like other actresses on this list, also turned up on episodes of “The A-Team” and, of course, “The Love Boat.” There was a time when an actor wouldn’t be considered legit until they appeared in a supporting role on “The Love Boat.” She was in 11 episodes of the sports sitcom “1st and Ten,” and three episodes of “Walker, Texas Ranger.” Hard-working character actors, it seems, cross paths frequently.
Advertisement
She, like Bailey, also had a little music video experience, playing a waitress in the video for Meat Loaf’s “More Than You Deserve.” Ayers’ most recognized role might be that of Janice Kent in the Jean-Clause Van Damme thriller “Bloodsport.” Ayers retired from acting in 1998. She married her current husband, Bruce, took his last name of Kalish, and now co-runs a family consultation clinic in Los Angeles. Bruce Kalish also used to work in Hollywood, so they presumably have a lot in common.
Lianne Langland and … Marina Sirtis?
Paramount
Actress Lianne Laglund doesn’t have a very long resume, having only acted in films and TV from 1983 to 1991. She was in the monster movie “The Demon Murder Case,” and the 1987 studio comedy “The Squeeze.” She played Maureen O’Hara in a little-seen TV biopic called “Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter.” She was considered for Tasha Yar, but seems to have retired shortly thereafter.
Advertisement
This is fun: at the head of this article, I mentioned the Paramount memo written by John Ferraro, and it revealed another interesting casting wrinkle. It seems that Denise Crosby was being considered for the role of Counselor Troi, the empathic shrink on the U.S.S. Enterprise. British actress Marina Sirtis came in to read for the role of Tasha Yar, and show creator Gene Roddenberry struck on the idea to have Sirtis and Crosby swap roles. Sirtis was eventually cast as Counselor Troi, and Crosby played Tasha Yar. Indeed, there are reports of the “Star Trek” casting directors testing Crosby and Sirtis together to see if they photographed well.
This was all during a whirlwind of casting, however, and the above memo could have involved people in late stages of callbacks, but also those who hadn’t come in yet. It is now difficult to picture anyone else in those “Next Generation” roles, but a little imagination has us tantalized by the possibilities.
Advertisement
