When Polygon had a chance to sit down with most of the cast of Star Trek: Section 31 last week, we asked all of them whether their appreciation for Star Trek had changed since they became part of the storied sci-fi franchise — whether they’d been fans for ages or were less familiar with the setting.
Sven Ruygrok, who plays the rather unusual Vulcan character Fuzz, was in that latter category. “I’m a baby Trekkie, so I didn’t know much about the world,” he said. “The world that I grew up in was Xena and Power Rangers, Biker Mice from Mars,” not Trek.
How does he feel about Star Trek now? “I think I can share it in a story,” Ruygrok said. While shooting the movie in Toronto, he said, he was going to the gym every day. “Walking through the door, there was this elderly gentleman, and we both walked through the door at the same time.” After a brief sidewalk salsa dance, he and the gentleman both entered the building, headed in the same direction.
“And then we hit the lift,” Ruygrok said, his tone stressing his growing curiosity. “And we’re both going to the same floor. And then we come out of the lift. And I’m like, OK, he’s going to leave. It’s fine. He’s going to go. He puts on a cap; it’s a Star Trek cap. He’s walking down the [same] corridor, and I’m like, Any time now [he’s] going to veer off — and no. Next lift. We’re still in the same lift. We get there, the doors open, we’re [exiting] on the same floor.”
Ruygrok was feeling awkward about the silent shared trip, so he broke the tension by asking the “elderly gentleman” if he was working on a Trek production — yes, he was busy filming. “Oh, me too.” “Oh, what?” “I’m on Section 31.” His elevator buddy nodded and said he was set to have lunch soon with Section 31 director Olatunde Osunsanmi.
Finally, as Ruygrok told it, the man turned to him and said, “‘Hey kid. Welcome to the family.’ And off he went. I’m like, I know this person. Where do I know him from?”
The answer? “It was Jonathan Frakes.” Without realizing it, Ruygrok had had a close encounter with the Star Trek: The Next Generation veteran who played Commander Will Riker and has directed episodes of the Trek shows Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Discovery, Strange New Worlds, and Picard, as well as two of Trek’s theatrical films and one of its video games, 1996’s Star Trek: Klingon.
Ruygrok wishes he’d spoken up earlier during their jaunt: “I’m so furious!” he said. But he still thinks the brief moment illustrates how even a baby Trekkie can be generously invited into the Trek family. “This is what it means,” he said. “Welcome to the family.”
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