The surprisingly strong link between Star Trek and Cheers

As a massive fan of Star Trek, Cheers and Frasier, I was aware of the crossover between them but never realised just how interlinked they were. A lot of this is down to people like Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth being fans of Trek but the shows were also filmed next to each other at Paramount so I guess it was easy to pop next door for a scene and they probably all met on cigarette breaks and in the Paramount pub. Even so, there is a lot of fondness between the franchises.

Star Trek and Cheers actors

The most obvious of these are two actors that I distinctly remember. Kirsty Alley was a hot Vulcan in The awesome Star Trek: Wrath of Khan. Although she is definitely going to be remembered more for being in Cheers, Wrath of Khan was first. Conversely, Kate Mulgrew will definitely be known as the captain of Voyager but was in fact in Cheers first. She was a politician or something and ends up shagging Sam.

Kelsey Grammer was a captain in an episode of the Next Generation called Cause and Effect. His wife/ex in Cheers/Frasier Lilith, aka Bebe Neuwirth, was also a massive Star Trek fan so the Next Generation crew got her in to play a nurse who hooks up with Riker. Apparently she was rehearsing for an episode of Cheers the same day. Later, during Frasier, Lilith sits next to a guy played by Brent Spiner (as in Data) and she comments on how pale he looks and he replies that he is always that pale. This is funny because- well, if you read this far, you probably get it.

There are in fact a ton of crossovers and they are not just Next Generation. Paul from Cheers was in Voyager. Bulldog Briscoe was also in Voyager. And the nerdy Trekkie guy Noel from Frasier, who in one episode translates something to Klingon instead of Hebrew for Frasier, also features in Voyager. Of course when it comes to Frasier cast members being in Star Trek and a further Kate Mulgrew link, this video is worth watching (and it’s funny):

Other crossover mentions

When Woody gets married in Cheers, Frasier and Lilith give the newly-weds Star Trek steak knives. In Next Generation episode ‘Eye of the Beholder’, a crew member’s file has them listed as having previously served on the USS Malone and USS Peterson. In DS9, in Quark’s bar there is a fat alien who is always hanging out at his favourite spot at the bar, his name – Morn.

Herman Zimmerman, who designed Ten Forward on the Enterprise D (and DS9) was also the art and production guy for over 50 episodes of Cheers.

I will finish now as the coincidences become ever more random. Such as: Ted Danson, the barman of Cheers, dated Whoopi Goldberg, the barmaid of Enterprise’s Ten Forward bar. Ted Danson was also in Three Men and a Baby which was directed by Leonard Nimoy – aka Spock.

Obviously I am not the first one to notice all this. In fact, some fans have taken all this a step further because Star Trek fans and the internet are awesome. So are Cheers/Frasier fans but I would bet money that these two videos were made by people leaning more toward the Trek. Here is the opening and credits of a Ten Forward (TNG) based Cheers episode:

If you like that then you will also like this next one. Because it is the same but with Deep Space Nine. I love a well-done mashup.

If that is not enough for you then have a look here for even more Trek/Cheers/Frasier!