You read that right. “The Outrageous Okona” as portrayed by Billy Campbell will be making his return to the Star Trek universe in an episode (or episodes) of Star Trek: Prodigy. Campbell let the news out on a recent episode of the Comic Book Central podcast, where he appeared to talk about the 30th anniversary of The Rocketeer.
Listen to “#360: Billy Campbell flies into the Lair to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Rocketeer!” on Spreaker.Billy Campbell Returns as “The Outrageous Okona”
The conversation about Star Trek starts around the 19 minute mark and meanders a bit, but is definitely worth listening to. The long and short of it is that Star Trek: Prodigy is actually going to be bringing back a number of “legacy/heritage” characters and Thadiun Okona is one of them!
According to Memory Alpha:
Thadiun Okona was a male humanoid from a species occupying the Omega Sagitta system who lived during the mid-24th century. He was the captain of a small Class 9 interplanetary cargo carrier, the Erstwhile. Described by Deanna Troi as a “rogue”, he was a confident person with a quick wit. He often charmed women who were attracted to his mischievous manner.
Billy Campbell’s already read the script and is excited to come back as the character. He states that he’s scheduled to record his lines within the next couple of weeks. While he didn’t give a lot of details about his return, his description of what happens sounds pretty on brand for the character (as they also point out in the interview). Campbell says that when Okona comes in, the female character “goes over the moon for me, much to the chagrin of the lead male character”.
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The whole podcast is worth listening to, not just for the Star Trek stuff (Billy Campbell goes on to talk about how he auditioned for Riker), but he also talks about his love for sci-fi and fantasy, how Lord of the Rings saved his life while he was in military school, and how he got the part. Also, if you’re a fan of The Rocketeer (and why wouldn’t you be?) the discussion about that is a fascinating look behind the scenes.
Star Trek: Prodigy is currently slated to premiere later this year on Nickelodeon and will most likely also be available on the Paramount+ streaming service. If you don’t mind some light spoilers, you can check out our story from last year that breaks down several of the supporting characters who will be appearing on the show.
For the time being at least, it sounds like Billy Campbell is slated for just a single appearance, but who knows what the future might hold? We now know additional legacy characters will show up, which one-off characters would you like to see make an appearance? Ronny Cox as Captain Jellico? Maybe Kelsey Grammer as Morgan Bateson? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
KEEP READING: STAR TREK: PRODIGY CHARACTER BREAKDOWNS REVEAL 5 NEW CAST MEMBERS: EXCLUSIVE
