Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation might recognize three specific voices for new characters in X-Men ’97 season two. One of them they already revealed in the season one finale, but the other two are brand new to the series. It’s clear that the producers of X-Men ’97 are big Star Trek fans. And hey, we can’t blame them. We love Star Trek that much too. None of these Trek stars is a stranger to voice acting in animated projects, however. Here’s which Star Trek: TNG cast members have joined the X-Men ’97 world, and who they are playing:
Gates McFadden as Mother Askani/Rachel Summers
In the first episode, “Days of Past Future,” Cyclops and Jean Grey follow the leader of Clan Askani, Mother Askani, in the year. This powerful mutant comes to life thanks to Gates McFadden, who played Dr. Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the series, Mother Askani is the (much) older version of Rachel Summers. She’s the future daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey, who pulls her parents into the future to raise her brother Nathan.
Michael Dorn as Baal
In the third episode, “The Rise of Apocalypse Part I,” we meet En Sabah Nur’s adoptive father, the warrior Baal. Appropriately enough, someone known for playing a similar role in Star Trek, Michael Dorn, voices this fearsome, barbaric fighter. He instills Apocalypse’s “survival of the fittest” philosophy into him. Famously, Dorn portrayed the Klingon warrior and Starfleet officer Worf in seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Not to mention four seasons of Deep Space Nine, five Star Trek films, and one season of Star Trek: Picard. Also, his IMDb for animated projects is quite long. You can hear his distinctive voice in shows like Invincible, Justice League, and many others.
John de Lancie as Pharaoh Rama-Tut (Kang)
Finally, voicing the evil time-traveling Pharaoh from the far future, Rama-Tut is John de Lancie, the man behind the omnipotent Q in the Star Trek franchise. Q debuted in the very first episode of TNG, “Encounter at Farpoint,” and returned each season. Of course, Marvel fans know that Rama-Tut is a variant of Kang the Conqueror. With his futuristic technology, Rama-Tut is like a god to the ancient Egyptians he conquers. So it’s fitting that someone famous for playing a godlike being should portray him as well.
Will we see other Star Trek: The Next Generation cast in future episodes? It might be fun to get Patrick Stewart to pop up, given his strong X-Men franchise connections as Professor X. But now that all these old friends are in a recording booth, how about an animated Star Trek: TNG season 8? We’re sure all of the main actors would jump at the chance. We’re just putting that out into the universe. In the meantime, season two of X-Men ’97 drops new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.
