The Star Trek Character You Likely Didn't Realize Yellowstone's Taylor Sheridan Played

In the "Star Trek: Enterprise" episode "Chosen Realm" (January 14, 2004), the Enterprise rescues a group of Triannons whose ship was damaged by a spatial anomaly. The captain of the Triannons, a man named Pri'Nam D'Jamat (Conor O'Farrell), explains that he leads a religious sect self-tasked with the exploration of multiple mysterious mechanical spheres that are scattered throughout this part of the galaxy. The spheres, he says, were created by the gods, and will guide his people toward the correct religious doctrine. He believes that the space around the spheres is holy land (a Chosen Realm, if you will).

Rather suddenly, one of D'Jamat's retinue explodes in a suicide bombing. D'Jamat demands that Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) turn over control of the Enterprise to his sect, as he wants to use the ship's advanced weapons to aid a holy war raging back on his home planet. The bulk of the episode is a game of cat-and-mouse between D'Jamat and Archer as the latter tries to wrest control of the Enterprise back from the religious zealots. There are clever transporter-based escapes, and Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) figures out how to neutralize the zealots' chemical explosives. The ending of "Chosen Realm" contains a harsh, ironic twist worthy of the original "Star Trek." 

D'Jamat's lead lieutenant, a character named Yarrick, was portrayed by actor Vince Grant, and his religious doubts play a central role in the episode's plot. His other followers, however, were totally loyal, and even seemed to know how (generally) to operate the Enterprise once they took over. The Triannon who takes over the Enterprise's science station is a very minor character named Jareb. Jareb, as it so happens, was played by none other than Taylor Sheridan, better known these days as the creator of the hit shows "Yellowstone" (on which he acts) and "Tulsa King," and the writer of ultra-manly critical darlings like "Sicario," "Hell or High Water," and "Those Who Wish Me Dead."

Sheridan directed his first feature film, a horror flick called "Vile," in 2011, and his writing career took off shortly thereafter. Many critics loved 2015's "Sicario," and "Hell or High Water" netted him an Oscar nomination. He started up the "Yellowstone" franchise in 2018, and that series led to multiple spinoffs and additional show-creating opportunities. Sheridan also thought up "Mayor of Kingstown," "Lawmen: Bass Reeves," "Lioness," and "Landman." Taylor Sheridan TV shows are essentially now a cottage industry.

Sheridan began his career in front of the camera, however, starting his professional acting career in 1995 with a guest spot on "Walker, Texas Ranger." He also enjoyed one-shot roles on multiple hit shows of the late '90s and early '00s, including on "Party of Five," "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," and "V.I.P." Sheridan's appearance on "Star Trek: Enterprise" was merely another stop along the way. He gained some attention after "Enterprise" playing Danny Boyd on five episodes of "Veronica Mars," and then enjoyed a great deal of screen time with 21 episodes of "Sons of Anarchy," playing deputy David Hale.

Sheridan's "Star Trek" character is too minor to have a large impact on the franchise's canon; Jareb doesn't appear in any expanded universe lore, sadly. Indeed, the Triannon only ever appeared in the "Chosen Realm" episode; they're not even notable enough to warrant a reference or a gag on "Star Trek: Lower Decks." Indeed, Sheridan's character is so minor, he could have been credited as "science station zealot."

Had Sheridan wanted to appear on more episodes of "Star Trek," he likely could have; the "Star Trek" franchise is notoriously kind to its actors and frequently has guest stars back to play additional roles. Sadly, though, "Enterprise" was canceled in 2005 (Bakula has a hunch why), and by that point, Sheridan was sliding into "Veronica Mars." He had moved on. We Trekkies, however, will always remember.