Roger Clark on Star Trek's Enduring Appeal and Its Influence on His Career

Known to many as the actor who performed protagonist Arthur Morgan in the popular Red Dead Redemption II video game, Roger Clark is no stranger to crafting epic narratives that capture the imaginations of devoted fans from around the globe.

Given these creative credentials, it's no surprise that Clark also happens to have a deep and long standing love for Star Trek. He graciously shared some of his time with StarTrek.com to talk about what drew him to the franchise, its influence on his life and career, interesting encounters with Star Trek celebrities, and more.

StarTrek.com: Before we dive into the role Star Trek has played in your life, can you tell us a bit about your "first contact" with the franchise?

Roger Clark: I was a 'baby'! I saw The Wrath of Khan in the cinema, and I didn't actually take that much from it. All I remember was the little [Ceti eel] going into the ears, and that just freaked me out. I thought, This is not my cup of tea! Oh my gosh, how is he letting him do that to him? But then I got older and I realized that he wasn't [letting him do that]. And also seeing Ricardo Montalban as Khan at the very end, where he launches the [Genesis device]. He's got this mangled face on him and stuff, and I thought, Oh man, he's really gone downhill since Fantasy Island. [laughs]

And then for my second contact, I went and saw The Search for Spock. I was a little older, and I understood it a lot better. I was blown away by the amazing acting and writing. That was in the heyday of the movies, I think. Star Trek II, III, and IV probably make up the most solid trilogy of Star Trek films that we have, in my opinion.

StarTrek.com: Once you had an idea of what Star Trek had to offer, what aspect of the series helped spark your fandom?

Roger Clark: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" stuck to me. I had never seen a sacrifice like that in a movie before. That had an impression on me.

StarTrek.com: Is that also part of why Star Trek still appeals to you now?

Roger Clark: Most of the sci-fi we see today is all about a post-apocalyptic world where everything's gone to shit. The beauty of Star Trek is that it's the opposite of that. Gene Roddenberry imagined a utopia. Yeah, there's conflict, but Star Trek is one of the few sci-fi franchises where things get better, for the most part. They get better through teamwork, cooperation, and goodwill. I think that's an awesome message to send out.

There are so many metaphors that the writers, like Roddenberry and [Rick] Berman and those who are at it now, find for the 24th Century, or what have you, that resonate with what we go through today and are just really well done. How different aliens encompass different characteristics of what it is to be human, and [they're] using aliens to show our own humanity back to us.

StarTrek.com: You've obviously gone on to be quite a successful actor yourself. Did watching Star Trek influence your career path?

Roger Clark: Oh, absolutely. One of the beauties about Star Trek is that, whenever a new series reared its head, [the cast] were almost always unknown actors. But they were almost always excellent actors. One of the things that attracted me to Star Trek was discovering brand new actors who were brilliant and inhabited the roles that they did completely. That was a huge inspiration to me as an aspiring actor. Great storytelling is possible without the [Hollywood] "star" system. As a young nobody, I found that encouraging.

StarTrek.com: A large number of fans will recognize you from Red Dead Redemption II. While there are significant differences between the two franchises, do you believe any parallels exist between Star Trek and Red Dead Redemption?

Roger Clark: The Red Dead fandom is absolutely amazing, and I know the Star Trek fandom is, too. It's all about the fans, and [these are] two franchises that very clearly indicate that. Their success is totally because of the fans. Even in a world of social media, the fans are, for the most part, gracious, kind, and supportive people that have created a wonderful community. I think that's probably what Red Dead and Star Trek have the most in common. They've created a very welcoming and giving community of fans.

StarTrek.com: For those who might not be familiar with your performance capture of Arthur Morgan, could you explain the distinction between it and voice acting?

Roger Clark: Most people think [performance capture] is voice acting. That's a very prevalent thing that we see in gaming, despite the fact that most of it isn't voice acting. And it hasn't been for probably 15 years. We see films like Avatar or [actor] Andy Serkis in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and for some reason, the audience doesn't have an issue understanding that that performance was brought about by motion capture. As soon as you transfer that to gaming, [audiences] call it 'voice acting.' I don't blame anyone for that, it's just a common misconception that I like to raise awareness about. Performance capture is the way Red Dead II was done. People often ask if I'm the voice actor for Arthur Morgan, and they get so confused when I say, "No." [laughs]

It's an understandable misconception too, because before performance capture, it was all voice acting. A lot of it still is today, but they are very different mediums. I love performance capture, but if anyone is kind enough to say that they loved my voice acting in Red Dead II, I always thank them. Maybe 10 percent of my job [on Red Dead Redemption II] was done in a recording booth. Voice acting's never going to go away, but performance capture is playing such a larger part in it now.

StarTrek.com: If Arthur Morgan ended up in Starfleet, which captain do you think he’d get along with the best?

Roger Clark: Definitely Kirk. Kirk's from Iowa, and he bent the rules the most. He had a bit of a cavalier attitude to him. Also, because it was the Original Series, there was more of a mentality of exploring the unknown.

Star Trek still has that, but there's so much of that universe that isn't unknown anymore. I think Arthur and Kirk would get along, because they’re both explorers who like to go into the unknown. Plus, I think Kirk has the best sense of humor. [laughs]

StarTrek.com: Are there any characters or moments from across the various Star Trek series and films that stand out as the most meaningful to you?

Roger Clark: Well, Next Gen was when I really got into Star Trek. When I saw Wesley Crusher on that TV series, he was only a year or two older than me. I resonated with Wesley, and the fact that he could end up on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Holy cow, that could be me… in three or four hundred years, if that exists. [laughs] It empowered me as an adolescent boy. If Wesley Crusher can become an ensign, then anything is possible.

And then there were characters like Data. All of the cast is phenomenal, but Brent Spiner blew me away the most. We see his range when he plays Lore and Dr. Noonien Soong. Those are three completely different characters, and he plays them all authentically. You believe everything he does as each one. Unlike Spock, who often had his mind blown away by the weird behavior of these humans and many times had a little dig at them, Data very much did want to be human. It was Data's pursuit of humanity that reached out and touched a lot of Star Trek fans. His love for humanity made us appreciate ourselves a little more, I feel.

And also the respect and love [Star Trek conveys] for science and research, and how intelligent teamwork will always solve the problem. These are all very good lessons to believe in, because they're true. The whole premise of the Federation is very encouraging. Working with people who are different than you is very difficult and challenging at times, but it's also very rewarding. Roddenberry's world shows the benefit of committing to working with people [who are] different from you.

StarTrek.com: You're also a proud father of two. How would you introduce your kids to Star Trek?

Roger Clark: I think I would introduce them to Next Gen, because that's my favorite series. Those are the characters that I grew up with and grew to love. Every episode usually has a very good message and a very good theme.

Whereas Kirk was funnier, Picard was in many ways just better. He had more responsibility, and he was more of a diplomat than an explorer. I think that he probably displays the best leadership skills. So, it'd be The Next Generation, but I don't know if I'd start with Season 1. I might start with Season 2 or 3. Season 3's when they actually started getting the good uniforms with the collar. [laughs]

StarTrek.com: Conventions regularly invite you out to meet your many fans, and those gatherings often have Star Trek guests too. Have you had any fun run-ins with cast members?

Roger Clark: Yes, I have. I've met Mr. Shatner a few times. I don't typically get starstruck, but he's one of the few who can still do it to me. God bless the man, but more often than not, I do have to reintroduce myself whenever I meet him. Of course, I don't blame him for that one iota. I do remember having one conversation with him about KFC that made me laugh. "That shit'll kill you," he said. That made me giggle. He's still got it. He's in his 90s and he's still sharp as a whip. Bumping into him on a few occasions has really blown my world.

I met Walter Koenig, as well. [The actors] have been doing the convention circuit for [something like] 50 years now. There isn't a question that exists that they haven't been asked. At least, not one that's Star Trek-related. Foolishly, I found myself asking Walter something he'd probably been asked a lot of times before. I said, "When you were filming the Original Series, did you ever think that, 50 years on, you'd still be enjoying and benefiting from [that show]?" Walter looked at me and said, "Not only did I know that it would happen, I knew that you would be asking me that question at a table in St. Louis in the year 2022, isn't that crazy?" [laughs]

And then Walter told me that the name of his book is Beaming Up and Getting Off, and I thought he was joking. But I went onto Amazon and that is the name of his autobiography. It was hilarious. One thing I didn't realize until he mentioned it is that Star Trek was [looking to add] a Davy Jones-type guy on that set because of the popularity of The Monkees. And now that you look back, Koenig and Jones really did look alike.

StarTrek.com: Does being an actor yourself make it more difficult to introduce yourself to other actors at those types of events?

Roger Clark: Well, they have no idea who I am. [laughs] But since we're both sat in the green room, they probably know I'm not some crazy stalker. More often than not, we're just engaging in pleasant chit chat over lunch. "Having a busy day [at the convention]?" "Yeah." That's usually how the conversations go. They have no idea who I am, and I have every idea who they are. [laughs] That's the only difference.

StarTrek.com: Are you sure that none of them have confessed they are Red Dead Redemption II fans?

Roger Clark: Jack Quaid did! He's on Lower Decks, and this was [fresh off] the success of The Boys. Jack and Karl Urban were walking around, and Jack was like, "I loved you in Red Dead!" I said, "Holy cow. Thanks, man. That's awesome." Jack Quaid is a really nice guy, and he's a huge Red Dead fan. He's come up with some beautiful screenshots from the game.

Oh, and Wil Wheaton is a Red Dead fan, as well. He was kind enough to introduce himself to me and say how it was one of his 'COVID games.'

StarTrek.com: Last question. If you could act on any Star Trek show, which one would you pick? 

Roger Clark: Any of them that would have me. [laughs] I'm not going to exclude myself. Absolutely, any single one of them. I would love that. I would be on anything. I also love how some of the actors from Star Trek show up in the craziest places.

Shazad [Latif] from Discovery, whose character [Voq] genetically altered himself to be human, was [excellent as] Clem Fandango in Toast of London. I couldn't believe it was the same actor! [Jason Isaacs] is in Baldur's Gate 3, which is a popular video game from last year. And I see Elias Toufexis, who's a very well-known voice actor in a lot of games, was most recently on Discovery, as well. I love it when you see an actor pop up in two completely different roles that you weren't expecting.