Sarah Silverman's Surprising Reason For Appearing In Star Trek: Voyager Explained

Summary Sarah Silverman chose to act on Star Trek: Voyager instead of other offered sitcom roles because she felt the acting challenge was better.

Silverman's character Rain Robinson was comedic yet nuanced, bringing a lot to Voyager's "Future's End"

Silverman was a perfect fit for Voyager and left a lasting impact on the show.

Sarah Silverman had a surprising reason for agreeing to her guest appearance in Star Trek: Voyager season 3. Star Trek TV shows have been known to attract some impressive guest stars over the years, and Silverman is no exception. The actor and comedian is mostly famous for her stand-up but also has many television and film roles under her belt. One of Silverman's earliest TV roles was in Voyager season 3, episodes 8 and 9, "Future's End Parts I&II."

Silverman joined Voyager's cast of characters as Rain Robinson, a 20th-century scientist whom Voyager's crew encountered after traveling back in time to 1990s Los Angeles. Rain mainly spent the episode with Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) and Tuvok (Tim Russ) after the two became stranded on Earth during a reconnaissance mission. Although Silverman might seem like an odd choice for a show that was technically a drama, the actor had a surprising reason for wanting to do the role.

Sarah Silverman Explains Her Star Trek: Voyager Guest Role

Silverman agreed to the role for a very specific reason

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Speaking to Star Trek Monthly around the time of the episode's release, Silverman stated that the reason she chose to appear in a Star Trek series was precisely because Voyager was a drama rather than a sitcom. According to Silverman, sitcom roles interested her less than a role like Voyager, which would allow her to include comedy but also wouldn't feel too unrealistic and could help her approach the role with nuance. Read Silverman's full quote below:

"I'm a stand-up comic too, so I am always sent situation comedies. I saw so much more potential for real humor in this Star Trek, and the opportunity to act a little bit more in the realm of reality than in a sitcom. I'm unhappy with almost one hundred percent of all sitcoms that are on. I'm just not interested in them. But to be able to do a show which is an hour-long that takes itself seriously enough that I can look at this character realistically, was just exciting. This was a person that you could go in a few different directions with, instead of like on a sitcom where the roles are so familiar already."

It is interesting that Silverman felt her role on Voyager would be more in the "realm of reality" given that Star Trek is science fiction. Voyager often dealt with situations that would never happen in real life, versus sitcoms which are almost always more grounded in premise. However, Silverman was seemingly less interested in the over-the-top comedic nature of sitcoms whereas something like Voyager could be a little more real with character dynamics. This can be seen in "Future's End" and is part of the reason Silverman was so wonderful in her Voyager role.

Why Silverman Was The Perfect Choice For Rain Robinson In Star Trek: Voyager’s “Future’s End”

Silverman brought some wonderful qualities to Rain Robinson

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Sarah Silverman ended up being the perfect choice to play Rain Robinson in "Future's End." The character was always going to be comedic on some level, so hiring a comedian to play her was ultimately a smart choice. However, what made Silverman so perfect was that she was able to balance the humorous moments in "Future's End" with a very human, nuanced portrayal of Rain, who as a 20th-century woman served as the audience surrogate to the Voyager characters she interacted with.

Star Trek has always walked a thin line between campy and serious storytelling, and this is demonstrated perfectly in "Future's End." Both Robinson and Silverman also walked this line with incredible finesse, and the character ended up improving on the role that was previously held by characters like Dr. Gillian Taylor in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Even though Sarah Silverman was only in one Star Trek: Voyager two-parter, she left an indelible mark on the show and is still quite a well-remembered guest star.

Source: Star Trek Monthly issue 25

Star Trek: Voyager is available to stream on Paramount+.