Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 30, 1995 TAG: 9505310006
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: IAN SPELLING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Since completing his role in the film ``Generations'' (1994), Dorn has operated at warp speed, acting in episodes of the WB network series ``The Parent 'Hood'' and Showtime's ``The Outer Limits,'' as well as in the upcoming films ``Amanda and the Alien'' and ``Timemaster.''
Not leaving ``Trek'' entirely behind, Dorn's familiar deep voice can be heard in the upcoming interactive CD-ROM game ``A Final Unity.''
During a conversation in Manhattan, Dorn, a tall and approachable man, eagerly discusses his current endeavors, as well as ``Treks'' past. First up is ``The Outer Limits,'' airing June 30 on Showtime.
``It's called, of all things, `The Voyage Home,''' the 42-year-old actor says. ``Matt Craven, Jay O. Sanders and I play astronauts who land on Mars and, on our last day, we encounter an alien.
``This alien takes over our bodies one by one and tries to reach the Earth because it can proliferate there. We've got to stop it somehow. It's not a remake, and I think it turned out really well.''
Come August, Dorn's fans can see him on the big screen in the sci-fi film ``Timemaster,'' co-starring Joanna Pacula, Duncan Regehr and Pat Morita. Dorn portrays the enigmatic Chairman, creator of a powerful virtual-reality game.
``The characters you control are actually real people,'' Dorn says. ``If your person dies, your person really dies and you do, too.
``People bet on the games and instead of money, they bet this stuff called Blue, an addictive drink that lets you live forever.
``It's like a futuristic Vegas, and because I'm the house, I never lose.
``It was a wonderful part, good stuff, and they're already thinking of a sequel.''
Later this year, look for Dorn in Showtime's ``Amanda and the Alien.'' The actor plays a police detective who according to Dorn, ``has watched `Pulp Fiction' way too often.'' The detective, his partner (Michael Bendetti) and their boss (Stacy Keach) find themselves on the trial of an alien.
``The alien is on the planet to see if it's a suitable place to breed humans for food,'' notes the actor. ``It looks like a troglodyte and it gets inside people.
``Nicole Eggert falls in love with it and, well, I won't be in the sequel.''
Soon enough, the conversation turns to ``Next Gen.'' Dorn talks excitedly about ``A Final Unity,'' the CD-ROM game Spectrum Holobyte will unveil in June, as well as his many guest appearances at conventions. But he's clearly frustrated that ``Next Gen'' left the airwaves while still at the top of its game, stating that it still had ``at least three years of life in it.''
As for ``Generations,'' Dorn reports being pleased by its box-office success, and he is looking forward to the sequel. Still, one can't help pick up the disappointment in his voice as he discusses the film.
``It wasn't what I'd call a `Next Generation' movie, because it didn't involve the crew as we'd come to know them,'' he says. ``Worf had nothing to do, and the sequence where he gets promoted was a gag.
``It was really about Kirk (William Shatner) and Picard (Patrick Stewart) meeting, and that was tough to accept. It's no secret it would have been nice if it had been more like a regular episode, where we're off saving the galaxy.
``I actually had more screen time in `Trek VI' (1991), but `Generations' was still a wonderful experience. I'm glad they included me. I'm happy to have worked with my friends and I'm hopeful there'll be more to do next time.''
Whatever happens with subsequent ``Next Gen'' films, Dorn has proven that there is indeed life after ``Trek.''
``I'm not sure if it's a matter of life after `Trek' or life after any series that ran seven years,'' says the actor, who's single and lives in Los Angeles. ``I just wanted to get back out there quickly and show my face ... show that I could play more than a Klingon.'
CON CALENDAR
June 9-11
SeaTrek `95, from Miami to St. Thomas and St. Martin, featuring Rene Auberjonois, Majel Barrett, Walter Koenig and Bill Campbell. (June 10-17; call 800-326-8735.)
Creation at the Convention Center in Indianapolis, featuring Marina Sirtis. (June 10 only; call 818-409-0960.)
Horizon at the Convention Center in Palm Springs, Calif., featuring Brent Spiner. (June 11 only; call 818-841-TREK.)
by CNB