The holodeck introduced by Star Trek: The Next Generation provided an opportunity to insert all kinds of real-world people into the 24th century for a cameo. This included expected figures like Stephen Hawking, but it also came close to landing someone widely different: stand-up legend Jerry Lewis. Sources differ on the subject, but a role in a Season 2 episode appeared to be specifically written for Lewis, and the odd nature of its insertion into Star Trek causes it to stand out.
The episode in question was Season 2, Episode 4, “The Outrageous Okona,” and Lewis’s appearance would have entailed a subplot rather than the main storyline. It entailed Data attempting to understand the nature of humor in his ongoing quest to become more human, conjuring a figure known only as “the Comic” onto the holodeck to help. However, while the concept for the episode went ahead, Lewis' role didn’t.
The Wikipedia entry on the episode states that a scheduling conflict prevented Lewis from taking the part. Official sources are quieter on the subject, but the crime drama Wiseguy was shooting at the same time as the pertinent Next Generation episode, and Lewis had what turned out to be a season-long role as an underworld criminal on the show. Wiseguy offered him a rare chance to do dramatic work, while The Next Generation’s needs amounted to his basic stand-up routine.
In Lewis' place, Joe Piscopo was brought in for the part on The Next Generation. According to an interview with StarTrek.com, he and Whoopi Goldberg shared a manager, and because Goldberg was playing Guinan in Season 2, the connection was made. Piscopo was given room to improvise, and at one point, he even delivered a convincing impression of Lewis. The scene worked mostly because Brett Spiner stayed in character, which made him a great straight man, and the question of how Data might strive to understand humor gave it a depth that it might otherwise lack.
That said, it was still a strange moment in a show struggling to define itself. Its status as a subplot meant the stakes weren’t high, and the results worked best as a character flourish for Data rather than an exciting story in and of itself. The piece was funny enough to work on its own, with or without Lewis, though its placement in the middle of a different story was strange, to say the least.
Piscopo -- who was quite prominent at the time, having completed a successful run on Saturday Night Live and multiple A-list films -- cites his Star Trek appearance as the one he’s most often spotted for. This example demonstrates the unusual position The Next Generation stood in its second season, moving beyond the expectations of the original series, but without a better sense of its place in pop culture. Goldberg’s presence was unexpected -- her star was rising like Piscopo’s when she signed on -- and adding Lewis to the show felt like a way to capitalize on the audience she brought. It worked out a little differently, however, leaving a uniquely weird Star Trek moment in its wake.
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