Original-Cin Interview - Star Trek: TNG Scene-Stealer Billy Campbell Talks the Trek Return of 'Okona'

By John Kirk

Star Trek: The Next Generation fans will remember the appearance of Billy Campbell (The Rocketeer, TV’s Cardinal and Modus) as the roguish freighter captain and buccaneer, Captain Thadiun Okona from Season Two, Episode Four “The Outrageous Okona.”

 It was a poorly scripted episode, with “tiring dialogue” as Billy recalls it. But it introduced the character of Okona to Star Trek canon, capturing the imaginations of fans though he never returned to the franchise. Until now. Episode 114 of Star Trek: Prodigy, titled “Crossroads,” fixed that oversight.

I had a chance to sit down with Billy and talk about the auspicious return of Thadiun Okona.

The galaxy’s most outrageous con-artist, Capt. Okona (Billy Campbell) is back on Star Trek: Prodigy

“I always had that wish!” Billy said. “I don’t know if they had that plan to bring him back, but I was mortified by that performance. I was terribly self-conscious when I was doing it. But I’m really excited to get the chance to do the character again.”

In this episode, Okona shows up on a planet with a trading hub. The fledgling crew of the USS Protostar have a plan to stash their starship and hitch a ride to Federation space to warn them about the presence of a deadly weapon designed to infect Starfleet starships with a destructive virus. However, when Vice-Admiral Janeway decides to give chase, the kids bolt and Captain Okona tags along for the ride.

This is an older Okona. Grey-haired, experienced and missing one eye. But he is still the roustabout rogue we remember from when Captain Picard’s USS Enterprise encountered him. However, there were questions that had to be asked, like: why was Okona brought back and what has he been doing all this time?

“I honestly have no idea how that came about!” Billy tells us. “I just got a call and I was thrilled to get the call. I was kind of accidentally on Star Trek as Okona to begin with. I’m not sure that they had any plans.”

What did Billy think Okona has been doing for the last 35 years since he encountered the Enterprise?

“Getting his eye poked out!” He laughed. “I imagine that he’s been getting seedier and seedier in all this time. After all, he’s just a typical rogue and con-artist. He did something stupid – that probably cost him his eye – and he made a damned good story about it. He’s come up with something heroic, but he’s more than likely been slumming around the galaxy. He’s a scammer!”

However, Dan and Kevin Hageman think he’s a perfect foil for Dal. After all, Dal is a kid with no guiding adult in his life. He’s a unique species who doesn’t know where he comes from. He’s lived by his wits all his life and has an aptitude for command of his own ship. Who else would be a better addition to the teaching influences in his life than Thadiun Okona?

“It sounds right to me.” Billy offered.

Prodigy injects an innocence to Star Trek, with its crew of lost kids, who are searching for help in their attempt to do the right thing. They intuitively sense that the Federation is the place they should be. They managed to find one teacher, in the form of a holographic version of Kathryn Janeway. But, limited by her nature as an artificial intelligence, they need someone who has real world experience. That person just in a weak episode, but it gave us Okona. Whether he was intended to be a recurring character is left to speculation. Its pale “Romeo & Juliet” story, married to its absurd B-plot take secondary importance to the introduction of the bad-boy freighter captain - which can’t help but reinforce to a viewer that was its primary intention. Okona was destined to return to the franchise, and 35 years later, he does in “Crossroads”.

This time he has a more defined purpose. The kids of the Protostar need him. Though he doesn’t have a major role in this episode, it’s clear that he will later.

Of course, a good question to ask is: what would a meeting be like between him and the real Vice-Admiral Janeway be like?

“Oh, I’d like to see that.” Billy exclaimed. “To be honest, I don’t know if they have those plans. But I would deeply enjoy an encounter with Janeway. He’s just the kind of person that Janeway would hardly deign to speak to. But, if they were thrown into a situation where they had to interact, I can well imagine him trying to blithely charm her. It would be pretty funny!”

I think fans would definitely love to see that encounter as well.

While Billy unduly criticizes his own performance as Okona, he has managed to achieve status as a cult-status fan-favourite character. There are many Okona cosplayers at Star Trek conventions and we recently saw Okona show up in Star Trek: Lower Decks. Also, Billy was also up for the role of Commander Riker in ST:TNG. Though a one-shot character, his appeal to Star Trek fans is well-established.

Did Billy see that happening in Star Trek: Prodigy?

“Well, conceivably. I mean, it’s news to me that he’s a fan-favourite! I’m happy to hear it. Hopefully they have more in store for me with Prodigy, and I would really love to jump back into the Star Trek universe someday! There’s always spin-offs, right?”

Perhaps this episode might prove to do that?

Billy related the audition for Riker.

“Jonathan had such a leadership vibe. He’s such a gentleman. I was amazed that I was called for the job. My friend, Junie Lowry called me and we got pretty far in the process.

“In fact, it came right down to the wire and it was me and Jonathan. I had one final meeting in a room with a bunch of studio execs … and I just blew it. I absolutely blew it. I turned to stone, panicked. And I could see Junie’s face and I felt like I had let her down. So, I was mortified.

“But Jonathan? Jonathan was a gentleman and shook my hand and said to me, ‘Good luck!” and everything – and walked in there and just nailed it. So, weeks later, I called up Junie to apologize for letting her down, but she was glowing, calling me Honey and telling me not to think about it.

Jonathan was just right for the part and I was so happy for him. In my meek little voice, I offered: does that mean I could do an episode? I wanted to be in the Star Trek universe! So, she called me back and said that she had gotten me an episode!”

… And that’s how Okona came to be.

“I think Jonathan and I might have had a scotch afterwards!”

With that in mind, it’s clear that “Crossroads” is an episode that Star Trek fans are not just going to appreciate, but nostalgically enjoy. Okona was the character that could have been. And, in this episode, we get more of that promise.

Star Trek: Prodigy streams every Thursday on Paramount Plus and on CTV’s Sci-FI Channel.