Useless Facts trivia
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One of them was a real astronaut, but she still played a fictional officer.
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Answer: Stephen Hawking
In "Descent, Part I," Data plays poker on the holodeck against simulations of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, with Hawking playing himself. StarTrek.com calls him the only actor to play himself in the franchise. The other three were real guest stars too, but all of them played fictional characters.
- Mae Jemison: She played transporter officer Palmer in "Second Chances" (1993).
- Stephen Hawking: He played himself at Data's holodeck poker table in "Descent, Part I" (1993).
- Ashley Judd: She played Ensign Robin Lefler, seen in Season 5's "The Game."
- Billy Campbell: He played the rogue captain Thadiun Okona in "The Outrageous Okona" (1988).
Sources: StarTrek.com, “A Look Back at Descent” ↗ · StarTrek.com, “10 of the Best TNG Guest Stars” ↗
Related:
Answer: Stephen Hawking
In "Descent, Part I," Data plays poker on the holodeck against simulations of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, with Hawking playing himself. StarTrek.com calls him the only actor to play himself in the franchise. The other three were real guest stars too, but all of them played fictional characters.
- Mae Jemison: She played transporter officer Palmer in "Second Chances" (1993).
- Stephen Hawking: He played himself at Data's holodeck poker table in "Descent, Part I" (1993).
- Ashley Judd: She played Ensign Robin Lefler, seen in Season 5's "The Game."
- Billy Campbell: He played the rogue captain Thadiun Okona in "The Outrageous Okona" (1988).
Sources: StarTrek.com, “A Look Back at Descent” ↗ · StarTrek.com, “10 of the Best TNG Guest Stars” ↗
Related:
Why It’s True
In "Descent, Part I," Data plays poker on the holodeck against simulations of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, with Hawking playing himself. StarTrek.com calls him the only actor to play himself in the franchise. The other three were real guest stars too, but all of them played fictional characters.
- Category
- TV Facts
- Also in
- Trivia Questions, Nerd Culture
- Decade
- 1990s
- Franchise
- Star Trek
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Published
- October 31, 2026
- Updated
- Fact-checked October 31, 2026
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