One of the biggest names in soaps has landed a role in the final frontier. Actress Deidre Hall has played the same character on the NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives for over 45 years. And now she will appear in Star Trek, in a role that is fitting for the actress.
Is there a space therapist in the house?
On Days of Our Lives, Deidre Hall plays Dr. Marlena Evans, a therapist, although through the decades her character has gone through the gamut of crazy soap plots, including being possessed by the devil… twice. So doing a bit of genre acting shouldn’t be too hard for the 3-time Emmy nominee, and winner of several “Soapy” and Soap Opera Digest awards.
Hall revealed she had been cast in a Star Trek series in an interview with The TV Watercooler. She told the outlet she only recently completed filming in Toronto, saying “I was just there! I was up there doing Star Trek. I love Toronto.” While TV Watercooler speculated this could have been for Strange New Worlds, which is currently in production for its fifth and final season, Starfleet Academy is also currently in production in Toronto, shooting its second season.
Hall also teased her Star Trek role, telling TV Watercooler “Ask me what I play on Star Trek… It’s not who, it’s what!” According to the outlet, the actress confirmed she is playing a psychiatrist, a role she is deeply familiar with, and a bit on the nose for this bit of casting. But therapists are known to exist across the Star Trek eras, including the 23rd century of Strange New Worlds, and the 32nd century of Starfleet Academy. But the way Strange New Worlds loves a good gimmick, bringing in a famous soap shrink to play a space therapist feels like something they would do.
Days Of Our Lives almost mirrors the history of Star Trek itself, launching in 1965. The series has seen growing success recently now that it is also streaming on Peacock. According to Soap Opera Network, the show regularly appears in the Peacock Top 10. And no one is more associated with the series than Hall, who since 2023 has had the record as the longest-running actress in any soap opera. So Hall arrives in Star Trek with a significant fanbase, not unlike wrestling champion Becky Lynch, who was announced as part of the Starfleet Academy cast.
It may be a while until we see Hall in Star Trek, whichever series it is. Both shows currently in production have prior seasons coming to Paramount+ in 2026, with Starfleet Academy season 1 debuting on January 15 and season 4 of Strange New Worlds coming “soon” according to Paramount+.
