A Regular Star Trek Guest Actor Played A Very Different Role On The A-Team
Lieutenant Reginald Barclay was an outlier among "Star Trek" characters. First appearing in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Hollow Pursuits" (April 30, 1990), Barclay was a timid fellow, unable to converse with his co-workers and always late for his shifts in engineering. He was occasionally able to offer unique and helpful insights to engineering problems, but no one liked working with him because he was so awkward. Barclay found solace on the Enterprise's holodeck, where he recreated holographic versions of his co-workers that he could dominate or romance without consequences. When Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) discovered Barclay's proclivities — including a sexualized holographic recreation of herself — she informed the lieutenant that he might have some deep-seated issues that they weren't addressing in his therapy.
Barclay was an outlier because he wasn't bushy-tailed and capable all the time. Most characters on "Star Trek" have an impressive set of starship-operation skills or a staggering amount of intelligence; the senior staff on a Starfleet vessel will necessarily have to be populated by the organization's best and brightest. Barclay was ... not that. He was, not to put too fine a point on it, a mediocre officer. He offered a new and valuable perspective on "Star Trek" that allowed many Trekkies to relate to the show on a new level. If a Trekkie were to suddenly be whisked into Starfleet in the 23rd century, we would likely be more like Barclay than any of the other characters.
Barclay appeared in five episodes of "Next Generation," in the film "Star Trek: First Contact," and in six episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager." He was played by actor Dwight Schultz. Fans of the 1983 series "The A-Team" will hasten to point out that Schultz also played the crazed pilot H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock.
Howling Mad Murdock
The titular A-Team was, by the description of the show's opening sequence, a "crack commando unit" that was "sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit." When said commando unit escaped from prison, they went on the lam, having no recourse but to use their military skills to help beleaguered citizens in trouble (without killing anyone). If you have a problem, yo, they'll solve it. I was personally always tickled by the opening narration's assertion that "if you can find then, you can hire the A-Team." This implies that they're really hard to get hold of.
The A-Team's four members were a typical ragtag group of mercenaries, with each one of them fulfilling a necessary role. John "Hannibal" Smith (George Peppard) was the playful leader. Templeton "Face" Peck (Dirk Benedict) was the handsome charmer. B.A. Baracus (Mr. T) was the muscle. Schultz played "Howling Mad" Murdock, the wild card of the group. He was always quick with a quip, was often unpredictable, and was constantly called "crazy" by his teammates. Murdock was the comic relief character. There was always a lingering question as to whether or not Murdock was genuinely insane or if he just enjoyed behaving in a wacky manner.
For instance, Murdock often speaks in strange voices, implying that he might have dissociative identity disorder. He also refers to an invisible dog named Billy, implying he may be schizophrenic. Like Hamlet, I suspect he is merely putting on an antic disposition.
Despite Murdock's odd behavior, he is incredibly capable, having been called one of the best helicopter pilots of the Vietnam War. He might be considered Hannibal's second-in-command. Murdock is essentially the polar opposite of Reginald Barclay. Kudos to Schultz for playing both roles so capably.
The Barclay joke
In 2010, director Joe Carnahan helmed a cinematic update of "The A-Team" that was met with mild enthusiasm. The film wasn't nearly as fun as the TV series, but the casting was pretty spot-on. Hannibal was played by Liam Neeson, Templeton Peck was played by Bradley Cooper, B.A. Baracus was played by MMA fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and Murdock was played by Sharlto Copley, who captures some of Schultz's wild energy.
There is a scene in the 2010 "A-Team" wherein Murdock was imprisoned in a mental institution, and it was going to be up to Hannibal to break him out and get the team together. When the camera cuts to the interior of the institution, the patients are being gathered together for a movie presentation of the fictional movie "The Greater Escape." The film only plays in the background and isn't pertinent to the foreground action, but it begins with the original "A-Team" theme song, and starred an actor named ... Reginald Barclay. The makers of "The A-Team" were clearly having a little fun.
Closer inspection also revealed that the fake 3D movie also starred G.F. Starbuck, the character played by original "Face" actor Dirk Benedict on the 1979 "Battlestar Galactica," as well as an actor named Thomas (the last name is obscured by Jessia Biel) which is likely a reference to Thomas Banacek, the character played by Peppard in "Banacek."
Schultz does not appear in the 2010 "A-Team" movie, but he was at least given a wink. Thanks to a recurring role on "Voyager," Barclay became a well-known installation in "Star Trek," and eventually grew to be more capable and confident. Just never quite like "Howling Mad" Murdock.