Alien Nation star Gary Graham RIP

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Photo copyright 20th century Fox

With every loss we get the usual tributes and outpouring of sympathy but over the years I’ve realised that when it is someone from a scifi, horror or fantasy background it seems to have a deeper resonance to that loss. It speaks of fandom in general as the same can be applied to any sport or musiian also. You forget that time passes and suddenly old age has woven itself into the lives of actors whom we tend to think are timeless. Maybe that’s because we watch the movies or television shows over and over forgetting those were twenty or thirty years ago. Or maybe it is that old saying time flies when you’re having fun until your body creaks alerting you that time has moved further than you think.

This week the death of Gary Graham was announced. He died at the age of 73 and immediately I thought, “Bloody hell, he was 73? He looked so young!” And for fans everywhere their minds went to one of two places; Star Trek Enterprise and Alien Nation. Although there might be a few of us that remember Gary going up against the Incredible Hulk (heck it out on YouTube.).

Following the success of the movie Alien Nation, Kenneth Johnson developed a series based on it. It dealt with the arrival and integration into our populace of a ship full of aliens called the Tenctonese, slaves bred to adapt to any environment who must make Earth their new home. They are not welcomed wholeheartedly and face racism from all quarters. It would take the premise of the movie and expand upon it. As with V, the show would take social commentary and explore it through the eyes of the characters. It took a hard hitting look at immigration and racism opening up intriguing questions. In the first episode we see both Asian and a black police officer openly racist towards Newcomer George played by Eric Pierpoint. It asks the question if an alien race that looked different and biologically were different from us, would that be enough to cease racism towards each other? Would a new race living among us unite us in global racism to the point we see each other as humans just as it always should have? The Tenctonese culture was explored and as always they had a lot in common with us but a lot different, one of which is the men getting pregnant and giving birth.

Gary was Sykes, George’s at first unwilling partner but gradually over time became brothers. In the pilot episode Sykes was as racist as anyone else to the point George grabbed him by the scruff of the neck in anger. It isn’t until Sykes sees George’s family facing a mob of racists that he changes his mind. Where he once saw an alien, A Slag or a Spongehead, he now sees a little girl, his partner’s daughter who is terrified. Over the course of the first and only season Sykes and George break down the barriers between races in one of television’s best partnerships.

There was nothing like Alien Nation and never has been since but its themes are relevant even to this day more than ever. But it was cancelled but fan power brought it back for five television movies which further highlighted the layers of racism as we learned the Newcomers could be as racist as any human. Ironically it was Sykes that made George change his mind in that instance. People have clamoured for the show’s return for years so it was wonderful when both Pierpoint and Graham appeared in Star Trek on multiple occasions.

Gary appeared in one episode of Voyager before taking on the semi regular role of Vulcan Ambassador Soval, Captain Archer’s(Scott Bakula) biggest pain in the ass. Soval wanted humanity kept back from space travel and often clashed with Archer until he was revealed as being a good guy after all working for the Vulcan return to the ways of surak. He was a Syrrannite and maybe it was because a human, Admiral Forrest died saving his life in an alleged Syrrannite bombing. Graham played the multilayered character seamlessly even starring in the Mirror Universe two parter as a slave of the Terran empire. He even sported the classic Spock beard in a nod to spock from the classic episode Mirror, Mirror.

Gary was also a musician and singer adding his talents to a group called the Sons of Kirk, The Gary Graham Garage Band and The Gary Graham Band. He was a fan favourite at conventions and on the Shuttlepod One Podcast sang the theme tune as well as guesting.

Gary had a long career spanning web shows, music, movies, gaming and television. He has met the greats like Starsky and Hutch, the Hulk, Remington Steel, Knots Landing, Moonlighting and met the Shatner in T.J. Hooker. He was an everyman actor that people just fell in love with and with his death, it is a sad day for fans everywhere.