Star Trek: TNG Almost Had A Black Captain Picard

The late Yaphet Kotto was at one time in the running to play Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and if cast, would have been the first black captain in Star Trek long before either Benjamin Sisko or Michael Burnham. Star Trek: The Next Generation was the second series in the Star Trek franchise and ran from 1987 to 1994. It was also the last series that Gene Roddenberry was involved in before his death in 1991. TNG focused on the crew of the Enterprise-D, under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Yaphet Kotto had already made a name for himself in the science fiction world nearly a decade before TNG aired, starring as Parker in Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror classic, Alien. His first big breakthrough on screen however was in 1973, as the villainous Dr. Kanaga/Mr. Big in Live and Let Die, Roger Moore’s first James Bond film. Kotto would go on to further define his career with films like The Running Man in 1987, Midnight Run in 1988, and series such as Homicide: Life on the Streets in the 1990s, a show whose cast also included Star Trek: TNG actress Michelle Forbes. Prior to his involvement with film and television, Kotto found great success on stage, starring in a production of Othello at 19 and subsequently replacing James Earl Jones on Broadway in the 1969 production of The Great White Hope.

Yaphet Kotto was an amazingly well-rounded actor with a dynamic presence on stage and screen, so it is perhaps not surprising that when Star Trek: The Next Generation was being cast, his name appeared on the shortlist for Captain Picard. Kotto was not only considered for the role but actually offered it, an offer he ultimately turned down. In a 2015 interview, Kotto explained that at the time he had felt less inclined to pursue a career in television after having had such great success in movies. He likened the idea of a movie actor being asked to do television to a college student being asked to a high school prom. In the same interview, however, Kotto expressed regret over rejecting the role of Picard, implying that he felt like he should have considered the offer more seriously. Kotto’s retroactive change of heart about television could perhaps be attributed to his success on Homicide: Life on the Streets, although he did not ever cite this as a reason publically.

It is certainly interesting to imagine what Star Trek: The Next Generation would have been like with Kotto in the captain’s chair instead of Patrick Stewart, to whom the role of Captain Picard ultimately went. Casting Picard was a fraught process, and Gene Roddenberry was famously unhappy with Stewart as the final choice. Although Stewart went on to make the role iconic, Kotto’s powerful acting style coupled with the fact that he would have been Star Trek’s first black captain would have only served to elevate TNG as a series. Kotto’s inclusion would have meant much earlier strides forward in diversity for the Star Trek franchise, but ultimately, the distinction of Star Trek’s first black male captain went to Avery Brooks six years later in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The first black female captain did not appear until Michael Burnham assumed the role in season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery which aired in October of 2020, over three decades after TNG first premiered.

Sadly, Yaphet Kotto passed away on March 15th, 2021, at the age of 81. He had not appeared on stage or screen for a number of years prior to his death, but had already cemented his importance in Hollywood history especially with his roles in Alien and Live and Let Die. Although his legacy did not end up including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Yaphet Kotto will always be remembered as an integral part of television, film, and science fiction history, and Star Trek fans would be well within their rights to think of him as an honorary part of the franchise.

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Dana Hanson
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Dana Hanson is a trainer and freelance writer for Screen Rant, covering stories about Star Trek for the Movie/TV feature writing team. She attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating in 2019 with a degree in Media Arts production and a concentration in Writing for TV and film. She has previous experience working with an online and print publication as a freelance editor and has been passionate about both writing and Star Trek for years. She currently lives in Pennsylvania.

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