The Star Trek Character You Likely Forgot WWE Wrestler Big Show Played

The "Star Trek: Enterprise" episode "Borderland" (October 29, 2004) was significant within "Star Trek" lore. It was the first part of a three-episode arc that finally offered a canonical reason as to why Klingons looked like humans in the original "Star Trek" series, but had large, outsize foreheads in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." It seems that a mad geneticist named Arik Soong (Brent Spiner) had been tinkering with genetic enhancements, creating "ideal" versions of humanity called Augments. In the lore of "Star Trek," such genetic enhancements are strictly verboten, as previous such attempts led to a vicious Eugenics War on Earth. Soong's ostracized Augments fell in with Klingon society, and began having children. The kids of Augments and Klingons looked like 1966-era Klingons. The DNA, Soon argues, will be bred out within a few generations. Hence, why Klingons looked different on "Next Generation." 

"Borderland" was just the opening act of the story, however, and featured the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise first trying to track down the runaway Augments, who had hijacked a Klingon ship. The Enterprise's pursuit leads its crew to an Orion slave-trading station. Orions, in the lore of "Star Trek," are typically pirates and criminals, and they still engage in full-on slavery. They kidnap people, and then sell them at slave auctions, which is what happens to Commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) and several other Enterprise crew members. 

While standing on the slave auction block, T'Pol is "displayed" by an enormous, grinning, ogre-like Orion with multiple facial piercings and a steel helmet. The big Orion is not named, nor does he play a significant part in the story, but WWE fans might recognize him as seven-time world champion The Big Show. It's hard to miss him, as he stands 7'2" tall and weighs about 500 pounds. 

The Big Show, also known by his real name of Paul Wight, began his wrestling career in the mid-1990s, and gained connections with wrestling personalities in the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) world. Wight wrestled as "The Giant" until 1999, when he was re-christened The Big Show for Wrestlemania XV. His wrestling career is vast and varied, and, frankly, too complicated to get into here. Needless to say, he enjoyed decades of fame, and, as of 2021, works as a ringside announcer for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). 

The Big Show became involved with "Star Trek" because, at the time "Enterprise" was on the air, he was working for WCW's "Smackdown." The WCW was overseen by Paramount, the parent company of "Star Trek," so it was easy for Mr. Show to walk over to the next studio and audition. Wight also already had several screen credits by 2004, having appeared as a Big Santa in "Jingle All the Way," as Captain Insano in "The Waterboy," and on about a dozen TV shows, so he was comfortable in front of cameras. His size and charisma made him alluring to casting directors, and he played a threatening Orion slaver quite well. He was easily able to lift the 5'7" Jolene Blalock off her feet without even straining. His final scene on "Star Trek" involved Blalock kicking his character in the crotch. He deserved it. 

The Big Show is also the third professional wrestler to appear on "Star Trek." Dwayne Johnson, back when he was still performing as The Rock, appeared in the "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "Tsunkatse" (February 9, 2000), playing a very Rock-like arena fighter (and baffling Jeri Ryan, his co-star). Then, in the "Enterprise" pilot episode "Broken Bow" (September 24, 2001), Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr. — once known by his nom de ring Zeus — played a Klingon named Klaang.