Actor Rachael Harris revealed at Tampa Bay Comic Con that her recent guest role on "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" was not her first appearance in the franchise, having previously appeared in a small part on "Star Trek: Voyager" in 1997. The disclosure highlights Star Trek's long tradition of reusing guest actors under heavy makeup, a practice epitomised by Jeffrey Combs' near-dozen alien roles, though it has become less common as modern Trek production has shifted from Hollywood to Toronto.

Harris played Ch'Rol, a green-skinned Orion pirate, in the recent episode "Level-Five Transporter Accident," but told fans at the panel, moderated by Collider's Maggie Lovitt, that she had earlier appeared as Kes's mother in the 1997 "Voyager" episode "Before and After," a role requiring Ocampa ear prosthetics and an unusual birthing scene. That episode centred on Kes (Jennifer Lien), whose species ages rapidly, experiencing visions of her past and future after exposure to a time-altering weapon; Harris said returning to the franchise decades later, this time simply painted green, was "the greatest thing ever."