In an interview thatMickey Cottrellgave following his stroke in 2016, he mentioned that what people got most excited about when he discussed his long-running Hollywood career wasn’t his work as an indie film PR executive, during which time he co-owned multiple firms. His acting roles were always the ones people wanted to hear about most. Unfortunately, he lost out on larger roles to bigger actors. (Although he said that if a bigger actor had to play the lead that he helped craft forIn the Soup, he’s glad it went toSteve Buscemi, who he said was very sweet.) Still, Cottrell had small roles inMy Own Private Idaho,Volcano,Ed Wood, andShortbus. That said, the roles that he will most likely be remembered for are the ones he played inStar Trek.
It’s not unusual for actors to play multiple roles inStar Trek. Majel Barrett Roddenberry, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s wife, played at least four roles, including Number One inThe Original Seriespilot. James Cromwell played five roles, includingZefram Cochrane, the creator of the warp drive. The current record holder is Vaughn Dale Armstrong Jr., who has a whopping twelve roles under his belt, including Admiral Maxwell Forrest onEnterprise. Cottrell played two roles, a modest number, but the roles were nonetheless memorable.
Alrik in The Next Generation
InStar Trek: The Next GenerationSeason 5, Episode 21, “The Perfect Mate,” Picard serves as the host for a peace treaty between the Krios and Valt Minor after the two planets had been warring for centuries. Kamala, played by Famke Janssen (best known for her role asJean Grey in theX-Menfilms) was the first female metamorph born on Krios in generations. She had spent her life training to be the ideal peace bride for the Valtese Chancellor,Chancellor Alrik,played by Cottrell.
Before Alrik arrives, Picard spends the episode bonding with Kamala and doing his best to resist her charms. He is determined to fulfill his duty as host and not interfere with the peace negotiations. However, Picard becomes conflicted when he meets Alrik and discovers that he’s more interested in trade agreements than his bride-to-be. In the end, Picard stands by as Kamala marries Arlik, despite the fact that she has made a lifelong impact on Picard. Still, since she insists before the wedding that she still has her empathetic abilities and can please Alrik without him knowing the difference. While he’s meant to be drab and dull in comparison to theRenaissance man that Picard is, Cottrell still manages to imbue Alrik with presence throughout his performance.
Dumah in Voyager
InStar Trek: VoyagerSeason 4, Episode 6 “The Raven,” the plot revolves mostly around the ex-borgSeven of Nineexperiencing flashbacks. Additionally, during this episode, two representatives from the B’omar Sovereignty, Councilor Gaumen andCouncilor Dumah(the latter of whom is played by Cottrell), meet with Janeway, Chakotay, and Paris to negotiate a route Voyager could take through their space.
Although a straight path would have cut three months off Voyager’s journey, the B’omar were xenophobic and very wary of strangers. They did not want the route to go near populated areas or for the ship’s speed to exceed warp 3, and they insisted on seventeen inspections along the way. This proposed flight path would prolong Voyager’s journey even more. Dumah later piloted a ship and tried to stop Seven of Nine when she left Voyager because she believed she was being called back tothe Borg Collective, and he and his people had been victims of the Borg before. He was unsuccessful in stopping her, but the crew managed to get her safely back to Voyager.
Although he played a minor role in an episode that focused mainly on Seven of Nine’s backstory from before she was assimilated, Cottrell was a great addition as the polite, but firm Dumah. The name of his character was chosen by Bryan Fuller, the writer of the episode, who picked his name from a list of angels. This episode was also directed by LeVar Burton, who playedGeordi LaForge inThe Next Generation.
Cottrell’s Film & TV Legacy
Mickey Cottrell referred to his 2016 stroke as a “stroke of luck.” He stated that it wasn’t until then that he realized how many friends he had really made during the course of his Hollywood career in PR, acting, and in the writing club, the Grey Quill Society. He represented threeGus Van Sant directed filmsand championed many other indie films that might not have been made without his support, an achievement that he was very proud of.
Although he left Los Angeles in 2016 after taking residence there for 36 years, he returned to the city in 2019. Even near the end, Hollywood was still where he wanted to be, and his online posts illustrate a man that was thankful for what he had. Unfortunately, Cottrell passed away on New Year’s Day 2024. Although Cottrell is gone, his legacy will not be forgotten. He will be remembered not just by his friends, or the people who benefited from his PR expertise, but by fans ofStar Trekfor the small, but great parts he played.
