With over four decades in Hollywood, Ethan Phillips has extensive credits. Phillips began his show business career in Broadway and off-Broadway plays. 

Later he transitioned to the big screen and starred in all kinds of movies and dramas such as Richer or Poorer, Jeffrey, Benson, Pushing Daisies, Bones, etc. 

But none were more prolific than his character work in Star Trek, a science fiction franchise comprising eleven television series, thirteen films, three companion series, numerous novels, comics, and video games.

The actor made his debut in the series in1990 by playing the Ferenci character, Dr. Farek, in the ‘Ménage à Troi’ episode of The Next Generation season. Besides Dr. Farek, he brought to life three other characters on the show. Here is a breakdown of his characters. 

1. Dr. Farek

Starting off the list is Dr. Farek, who appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3 episode, ‘Ménage à Troi.'

Actor Ethan Phillips who took the different roles in Star Trek

Actor Ethan Phillips took on the different roles in Star Trek. (Source: Twitter)

Farek was a Ferengi physician assigned aboard the Marauder Krayton, a Ferengi ship. He helps DaiMon Tog in kidnapping William Riker, Deanna Troi, and Lwaxana Troi from a Betazed trade conference.

The physician wanted to use invasive techniques to understand how the prisoner’s telepathy worked. 

Unfortunately for Farek, the Starfleet Officers destroyed his scanning equipment before the U.S.S. Enterprise-D rescued them.

2. Neelix

Phillips’ Neelix differed from Dr. Farek. Where Farek lacked empathy and morals, Neelix made up for it with his cheerfulness and desire to help the humans with their cause. 

A Talaxian and inhabitant of the Delta Quadrant, he joined the starship crew when it was trapped near space.

Neelix became a valuable member and yielded crucial information for the Voyager crew’s command decisions and strategy. He stayed with the Voyagers from 2371 and left in 2378 to live among other Talaxians on the Delta Quadrant asteroid. 

3. Nightclub Maitre D

The only and rare time that the Star Trek star appeared as himself on the sci-fi series was when he played the Maitre D of the nightclub in Captain Picard’s Dixon Hill holodeck program in 1996’s Star Trek: First Contact.

Picard and Lily Sloane were using the holodeck to escape from the Borg invading the U.S.S. Enterprise-E. The Captain used the Maitre D to temporarily distract the Borg drones, which only worked for a few seconds. 

4. Ulis

Phillips also appeared as a Ferengi named Ulis in the Star Trek: Enterprise season 1 episode, ‘Acquisition,’ wherein the crew of Captain Jonathan Archer’s NX-01 had their first encounter with the Ferengi. 

Ulis was one of a group of Ferengi pirates who disabled the enterprise so that he and his crew could loot it. The greedy pirate questioned Archer about the whereabouts of the Captain’s vault filled with supposed riches.

Unfortunately for Ulis, Archer’s crew outsmarted him and his crew and placed their ship under the control of Krem.