The Late Mickey Cottrell Played More Star Trek Characters Than You May Have Realized
Noted Hollywood publicist Mickey Cottrell passed away on January 1, 2024, at the age of 79. He was known throughout the 1990s for his advocacy of independent film, his knowledge of queer history, and his wild blowout parties. He promoted films like Jonatha Couette's "Tarnation," Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire," and Philip Noyce's "Dead Calm," as well as "Weekend," "Querelle," and "Earth Girls Are Easy."
Cottrell was so well-liked in the industry, and such an outsize character, that he would occasionally appear in films. In fact, he has several dozen acting credits to his name, many of them in indie queer films. He played a corpse in John Cameron Mitchell's "Shortbus," a barfly in "The Fluffer," and a mincing French aristocrat in league with demons in "Hellraiser: Bloodline." He was also the one who got to say "Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!" in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood." His first acting role was in Gus Van Sant's "My Own Private Idaho."
As a young man, Cottrell worked as a projectionist and later as a publicist for Landmark Theaters (a chain that, to this day, oversees regular presentations of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show"). He was also on "Star Trek" twice. He appeared in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "The Perfect Mate" (April 27, 1992) and in the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "The Raven" (October 8, 1997), playing a different alien visitor for each.
One could easily see Cottrell's face in "The Perfect Mate," as his only alien feature — he was Valtese — was a series of markings on his temples and head. He's less recognizable in "The Raven," as he played a member of the B'omar species, a species that wore fashionable football helmet-like contraptions over their ridged, spotted faces.
The Perfect Mate
In "The Perfect Mate," the U.S.S. Enterprise is tasked with transporting a mysterious stasis pod to a distant planet where it will be delivered to an ambassador named Alrik (Cottrell). Thanks to the shenanigans of some rascally Ferengi, the pod is deactivated, revealing that it contains a young woman named Kamala (Famke Janssen). Kamala is to be used as a bargaining chip in an upcoming diplomatic effort and will be forced to marry Alrik upon arrival. Kamala is dangerous, however, as her specially engineered pheromonal output is so powerful that she is irresistible to all men. When Kamala's caretaker is injured, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) takes his place, spending a lot of time with Kamala ... to tragic results; Kamala ends up "imprinting" on Picard.
When Cottrell's character appears late in the episode, he is a disappointment to Kamala. He's not a young buck or a romantic dandy, but a super-serious, all-business-all-the-time diplomat. Alrik is more concerned with a trade agreement than with fostering a marriage with a young woman he just met.
It should be noted that Cottrell was a gay man who oversaw an annual party at the Sundance Film Festival (with John Cameron Mitchell) called Homos Away from Home, hosted by the Queer Lounge, an organization devoted to organizing queer parties at film festivals. Those familiar with Cottrell's work in the early 1990s would know how disappointed Kamala would be to marry a queer-coded character.
The Raven
In "The Raven," Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) had only recently become a member of the U.S.S. Voyager's crew. The episode involved her learning how to eat real food again; previously a Borg, she was used to having nutrients implanted directly into her body. While adapting, Seven is suddenly struck by an eerie Borg urge activated by a Borg beacon somewhere in the sector. She steals a shuttle and charges off, without the permission of Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), into B'omar space. Janeway was in the midst of touchy negotiations with the B'omar, hoping to secure permission to cross their space; it seems the B'omar are very protective of their space.
One of the B'omar representatives was named Dumah, and he was played by Cottrell. He doesn't play a major role, although the B'omar — to my eye — look pretty cool. Costume Robert Blackman outdid himself with the aliens' attire.
Eventually, the crew of the Voyager is left to sneak into B'omar space to rescue Seven of Nine, who has found the location of a ship she lived on as a girl before she was assimilated by the Borg. Old human memories emerge. The Voyager ends up having to flee the B'omar attack fleet. Leave it up to Janeway to make everyone angry on her wild quest to return home to Earth.
Cottrell was likely welcomed back merely because he was generally well-liked and admired. Sadly, Cottrell did not return for any additional "Star Trek" roles.