May La Forge Be With You

Typecasting is a danger for any actor, and the toughest type to be cast as is in a sci-fi show.  Everyone who was ever on Star Trek is hard to imagine anywhere else.  A common way out seems to be mocking your image in a comedy.

George Takei often gets paid to make fun of himself. He did an excellent job on Malcolm In The Middle, playing an actor named George Takei who'd do anything for money. (He was more serious on Heroes, but that's another sf show.) Patrick Stewart made fun of himself on Extras and continues to do so on American Dad!  Katee Sackhoff has played a fantasy version of herself on The Big Bang Theory, because, after all, she exists mostly as a fantasy in the minds of millions of fanboys.  For that matter, Wil Wheaton has become Sheldon Cooper's bete noire on that show.

Another guy who's appeared as himself in comedies is LeVar Burton.  And he plays off his Trek character, not Kunta Kinte or anything else he's done.  Interestingly, he was in two sitcoms airing opposite each other (which is why it took me so long into the season to notice), Community and Big Bang Theory.  On the first, he played Troy's hero.  In fact, Troy was speechless when Burton dropped by, and it ruined his day (as per Pierce's plan).  On BBT, Burton was invited to a party when Sheldon was seeking new friends. As a tag (which I saw coming at first but forgot about by the end) he appeared at the last second and left when he realized the party wasn't for him.

I like the actors having fun with their characters (off the original show).  If you've got to be typecast, might as well enjoy it.  Guess that Reading Rainbow money isn't holding up as well as he thought.