MY FAVORITE KLINGON IS GONE: RIP MICHAEL ANSARA

Actor Michael Ansara as the Klingon Kang in 1968.

The Original Series introduced the world to a race that would become synonymous with Star Trek: The Klingons. And no one played a better Klingon than actor Michael Ansara who died yesterday at age 91, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Ansara played the Klingon Kang in the classic TOS episode "Day of the Dove" and reprised the role twice more (some 30 years later) in Deep Space Nine. Though the Klingons only made four appearances, they would forever be defined as THE single greatest foe of Star Trek's Federation, and in my opinion, Anasara's portrayal of Kang became the archetype for all future Klingons. His deep baritone voice gave him incredible presence and gravitas, befitting a great, swaggering foe of the crew of the Enterprise.

As a kid growing up in the sixties, Ansara was a common sight in favorite shows of mine like "The Man From UNCLE", "Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea", "Lost In Space", "Daniel Boone" and tons of others. I'll always remember his hilarious take as the Blue Djinn on "I Dream Of Jeannie". He was a regular guest star on TV up to the '90's, after which he did voice work for cartoons like "Batman Beyond" until 2001.

So Rest In Peace, Mr. Ansara. Thanks for many great hours of fun from me and all your many fans.

LLAP,

Don