It is hardly surprising, then, that Captain Janeway spends a lot of time in the holodeck trying to unwind. What is surprising, however, is that her holographic companion is played by Rhys-Davies. When seasons 3 and 4 of Voyager came out in the late 1990s, the actor was fresh from the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indian Jones and the Last Crusade and was about to start work on The Fellowship of the Ring. With this in mind, it is pretty incredible that John Rhys-Davies appeared in Star Trek: Voyager.
Indiana Jones' John Rhys-Davies Played Leonardo da Vinci On Star Trek: Voyager
The Movie Star Became The Captain's Maestro
Rhys-Davies plays a hologram Leonardo da Vinci that Captain Janeway likes to visit when she needs help tackling a particularly complicated problem. In the holodeck, Kathryn Janeway becomes "Caterina," Leonardo da Vinci's humble assistant, and that change in perspective allows the captain to think about her problems in new ways. The da Vinci character was Kate Mulgrew's idea because she wanted to give the captain someone creative to confide in who wasn't necessarily part of the crew. That dedication really shines through in both Mulgrew and Rhys-Davies' acting on screen.
For example, in "Scorpion" — the dramatic two-episode story that bridges seasons 3 and 4 of Voyager — Captain Janeway's meetings with Leonardo da Vinci are what inspire her to attempt to negotiate with the Borg. In Indiana Jones, Sallah is fun and outgoing and, at times, a source of comic relief. It is particularly fun, then, to see him as more of a wise mentor character in Voyager. This transformation showcases Rhys-Davies' versatility as an actor and adds unexpected emotional depth to the holodeck sequences.
Leonardo da Vinci Also Appeared In Star Trek: The Original Series & Lower Decks
The Classic Inventor Inspired A Lot Of Starfleet Officers
But Voyager isn't the only show to feature Leonardo da Vinci. In Star Trek: The Original Series, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Mister Spock (Leonard Nimoy) encounter an immortal human named Flint (James Daly) who claims "Leonardo da Vinci" is just one of the identities he took on during his millennia of life in the episode, "Requiem for Methuselah." Captain Janeway mentions that Captain Kirk claimed to have met da Vinci in one of Rhys-Davies' episodes, so it is clear that Star Trek's holographic representation of the Renaissance thinker is based on Star Trek's long timeline.And there is even another example of a hologram of Leonardo da Vinci in Star Trek. In the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode "Crisis Point," Ensigns D'Vana Tendi (Noel Wells) and Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) choose to practice their shooting in the holodeck with the help of a holographic da Vinci, this time voiced by Gary Cole. In the end, this final appearance of the Leonardo da Vinci hologram is a clear classic Star Trek Easter egg in Lower Decks, proving just how influential Star Trek: Voyager really is.
