The Rock is one of the biggest actors on the planet, but like many others, it wasn't always that way. While Dwayne Johnson has never fully shed his past as a WWE superstar, there was once a point where his pro wrestling career took precedence, and he was only able to book small roles.
Star Trek: Voyager fans likely know this all too well, as he notably guest-starred on the series as the "Pendari Champion" in the episode "Tsunkatse." The role didn't require Johnson to do much more than what he was doing as The Rock in WWE at the time, but as the actor told Moovy TV, the experience stood out to him thanks to the cast. He specifically highlighted the "warmth" of co-star and Seven of Nine actress, Jeri Ryan:
I was taking these roles, these cameos on these television shows, and they had come to me and said, ‘Hey, are you interested in doing Star Trek: Voyager?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I would love to. Let’s do it,' And I went down to set, and we had a great time that day, and the crew, the cast, everybody was so awesome, but very specifically, Jeri Ryan was amazing.
That's great to hear, but especially impressive for those familiar with Star Trek: Voyager. Jeri Ryan is very candid that her time on the series was not great, due to a feud with lead actress Kate Mulgrew. While it seems the two have remained cordial in recent years, it speaks volumes that Ryan went out of her way to show kindness to Dwayne Johnson, when she herself was admittedly having a bad time on the show.
In the episode, Seven was tasked with taking on the Pendari Champion in "tsunkatse," a game very similar to pro wrestling or gladiator combat. Seven of Nine falls to Dwayne Johnson's character in battle after showing mercy to him previously. Johnson, who was credited as "The Rock" in the episode's credits, continued to sing praises of how Jeri Ryan treated him, despite still being relatively green when it came to traditional Hollywood acting:
Jeri was so amazing and so cool and gorgeous and like, it blew me away how just wonderfully welcoming she was...You know, sometimes I would show up on these sets and it was a little bit of a like, ‘Oh, here we go again, like another guy. Okay. You know, he’s never acted before and I got to carry the baggage.’...Jeri was never like that. She was f—–g cool, man. And anyway, like moments like that I don’t forget because it’s a great reminder that you got to remember people always remember how you treat them. And she was amazing.
It's cool to see how that moment went on to influence The Rock later in his acting career, and it's a great reminder to fans that Star Trek can be a great place for professional wrestlers to work on their acting chops. Currently, WWE superstar Becky Lynch is working on Starfleet Academy, and who knows, maybe Big Time Becks will one day be as prolific as Dwayne Johnson is in Hollywood.
The Rock's story makes me wish Jeri Ryan were back in Star Trek, but unfortunately, it may take a while before we see that again. After her acclaimed performance in Picard, Paramount offered her a chance to do a follow-up show and further Seven of Nine's adventures. Ryan explained she turned down the offer, knowing it wasn't something the fandom wanted when compared to a proper follow-up to Picard.
As for Dwayne Johnson, I'd love to see him return to Star Trek in the future, even if it were a different character than his Pendari Champion. I think it'd be great to compare the two performances, especially if it were for a project where he could reunite with Jeri Ryan once again. Fingers crossed it can one day happen!
See The Rock's episode and more of Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine by streaming Star Trek: Voyager over on Paramount+. As she's the actress behind one of Star Trek's best characters, it only makes sense for Ryan to be just as enjoyable off-camera as she is as Seven.
