Summary
- John Rhys-Davies' talent was wasted on Star Trek: Voyager in his role as Leonardo da Vinci.
- Davies and Kate Mulgrew's chemistry was a redeeming factor, with the two playing opposite each other beautifully.
- Voyager missed the opportunity to utilize Davies effectively, but a future Star Trek series could redeem this.
As a lover of both Star Trek: Voyager and John Rhys-Davies, I'm still sad about how completely the show wasted his talent. Voyager is and likely always will be my favorite Star Trek series. After becoming obsessed with the franchise at a young age, I found a special kinship with Voyager's diverse cast of characters, especially the show's lead, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). Overall, I find Voyager to be the best and most enjoyable Star Trek series in terms of character development and storylines. However, that doesn't mean I like everything about it.
One of the storylines I found less appealing in Voyager season 4 was the introduction of the holographic Leonardo da Vinci (John Rhys-Davies). Da Vinci made his debut in the Star Trek TV show's season 3 finale, "Scorpion, Part 1" and the character and his workshop went on to have a minor recurring presence throughout season 4. Created by Janeway as one of her many recreational holodeck programs, da Vinci was an interesting diversion for the characters and provided a change of scenery in many episodes. Despite this, the character and actor who played him were never done justice.
John Rhys-Davies’ Talent Was Wasted In His Star Trek: Voyager Role
The actor deserved a better part in such a great franchise
John Rhys-Davies is an incredible actor, but his talent was utterly wasted as da Vinci. Davies has had a distinguished career, with roles like Sallah in the Indiana Jones franchise and Gimli in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I've been a fan of Davies for years, which is why it baffles me that of all actors, Voyager's creative team selected him for such a minor and ridiculous role as da Vinci. To be clear, I have nothing against Davies's performance in the role. He is as delightful as always and brings the character to life wonderfully, all things considered.
However, to see Davies so little, and playing such an absurd part, is a complete waste of his range. Securing Davies under contract was undoubtedly a big get for Voyager, and the show had the opportunity to cast him in a more interesting role than da Vinci. At the very least, Voyager could have had Davies play a character who appeared in more than two episodes, including one of the lowest-rated and most forgettable episodes of season 4, "Concerning Flight." I would personally have loved to see Davies have a more distinguished Star Trek career than he ended up getting.
Davies’ Time On Voyager Had Only 1 Redeeming Factor
There was still one good thing about Davies' Leonardo da Vinci
Despite my objection to the Leonardo da Vinci hologram, there was one aspect of Davies's appearances on Voyager that was well worth having him on. Davies and Kate Mulgrew had incredible chemistry, and watching the two of them play opposite each other is a genuine delight. It's a good thing that most of da Vinci's scenes are with Janeway, because Davies and Mulgrew act against with each other so well, and it's clear they gelled completely during filming. Seeing two such great actors perform together almost makes up for how pointless the da Vinci hologram subplot is.
Star Trek: Voyager's misuse of John Rhys-Davies still had its bright spots, but these don't outweigh the fact that the character doesn't nearly do him justice. I'm often surprised to remember that the show featured Davies as a guest star at all, which shouldn't be the case for such a great actor. If another Star Trek movie or TV show ever wanted to bring Davies back in a new role, I would personally love to see him redeem his time on Voyager, this time with a part that he could really sink his teeth into.
