Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Defiant #25!
Star Trek fans think they knew this underrated The Next Generation criminal, but there is far more to this person than meets the eye. Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise faced down a number of villains, some more fearsome than others. Berlinghoff Rasmussen was one of the lesser criminals the Enterprise brought to justice, but in Star Trek: Defiant #25, the character gets new and surprising layers.
Christopher Cantwell will write the upcoming Star Trek: Redshirts miniseries for IDW.
Star Trek: Defiant #25 was written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Angel Unzueta. Rasmussen and Nymira are bumming around the galaxy when their ship detects the wave of destruction sweeping the multiverse, thanks to Lore. Rasmussen tries to explain the phenomenon to Nymira. She asks how he knows all of this scientific knowledge. Rasmussen then gets serious, telling her that while he lied about being from the future, he did not do so about being a professor. Rasmussen reveals that “nuclear war” ended his teaching career, and he laments not being smart enough to stop it.
Berlinghoff Rasmussen, Star Trek's Time-Traveling Con-Man, Exposed
Rasmussen Was Almost a One-Off Villain
According to Star Trek legend, the role of Berlinghoff Rasmussen was originally written for Robin Williams, but he was unable to take it due to other commitments. The role instead went to Max Headroom actor Matt Frewer.
Berlinghoff Rasmussen was one of the many one-off foes the Enterprise crew faced, but he was one of the most memorable. Introduced in the fifth season The Next Generation episode “A Matter of Time,” Rasmussen was a con man from the 22nd century. Rasmussen stole a time machine from a hapless 25th century explorer, and then traveled to the 24th century, reasoning that he could steal technology from the Enterprise and take it back to his time, presumably for profit and personal gain. Picard and company caught onto Rasmussen’s game, and stopped him from carrying out his scheme.
Star Trek has shown some incredible alien creatures in its 59-year history, but perhaps the biggest, most impressive was never seen on-screen.
That should have been the end of Rasmussen’s Star Trek story, but he proved too compelling for the Defiant creative team to ignore. In the story line “Another Piece of the Action,” running in Star Trek: Defiant #6-11, Rasmussen escaped Federation custody, absconding to the quarantined world of Talos IV. Worf and the crew of the Defiant were charged with bringing Rasmussen and two other fugitives back into custody. Rasmussen took advantage of the chaos at Starbase 99 to make his escape, with Nymira in tow. Rasmussen has seemingly returned to his con-man ways in Star Trek: Defiant #25.
Star Trek Draws On Its History to Give Rasmussen Surprising Depth
Rasmussen Lived At One of the Worst Times in Human History
Being a one-time villain, Berlinghoff Rasmussen did not get much in the way of character development. Rasmussen’s lies and deceptions made it hard to discern what was true about him and what was not. He initially presented himself to Captain Picard as a time traveler from their future, but that turned out to be false. Rasmussen’s other claims, such as being a professor, were also called into question. Indeed, all that fans could be certain of Rasmussen was that he was from the 22nd century, and he became a mystery in the Star Trek universe.
That Rasmussen is from the 22nd century cannot be ignored, and provides a good deal of context for his actions. Star Trek has never said what year he is from, but the early part of the century was still chaotic, as Earth emerged from World War III, which Rasmussen references. World War III nearly took humanity to the extinction point, as entire cities were destroyed and a large percentage of the population was killed. As a result, Rasmussen experienced significant trauma that may have sent him down the dark path he now travels.
While the episode implies Rasmussen was stealing these trinkets for purely personal gain, there is also a possibility he planned to use them to make his native time a better place, or maybe even travel before the war and stop it altogether.
Rasmussen’s admission that he was “not smart enough” to stop the war provides even more context for his actions. In “A Matter of Time,” Rasmussen stole tricorders, phasers and other gadgets from the Enterprise, and he almost got Data too. While the episode implies Rasmussen was stealing these trinkets for purely personal gain, there is also a possibility he planned to use them to make his native time a better place, or maybe even travel before the war and stop it altogether. Star Trek: Defiant #25 has made him a far more interesting, and layered, character.
Berlinghoff Rasmussen Just Became One of Star Trek's Best Villains
Will Rasmussen Help Save the Universe in The Lore War?
Star Trek episodes and comics have shown Rasmussen to be wily, with the ability to think fast. This serves him well as a con-man, but it could also be what helps save the universe in the forthcoming Lore War. Rasmussen and Nymira were drawn into the reborn multiverse Lore has created. What they will be like in this twisted new reality remains to be seen, but promotional images of The Lore War have featured Nymira, so it stands to reason perhaps Berlinghoff Rasmussen will return there as well.
The Lore War is the endgame for IDW's revitalized line of Star Trek comics, which launched in 2022.
In one issue, Berlinghoff Rasmussen went from an intriguing one-off villain to a complex character full of nuance and layers. His one episode of The Next Generation did not dive into his background too much, but Star Trek: Defiant #25 shows he is one of the most compelling in the franchise. Rasmussen only wanted to do good, but was dealt a bad hand by life. This happens to many people in the real world, which humanizes Rasmussen even further. The odds of Rasmussen returning on-screen are small, but this issue invites fans to get to know him better.
