Back in March, we reported that Star Trek Online was getting a runabouts’-worth of Deep Space Ninecast members back for their 25th Anniversary “Victory is Life” game expansion which debuts next month — and this week we had the opportunity to chat with Trek actress Chase Masterson, who returns to Federation space to reclaim the role of Leeta.
In our conversation, we explore what one-time barmaid — and now wife of Grand Nagus Rom — is up to in the nearly two decades since Star Trek: Deep Space Nine concluded its on-screen adventure, as well as touch on several other topics close to the actor’s heart. (Read more…)
Chase Masterson is known for her iconic role in Star Trek Deep Space 9 as sexy Leeta. She was the voice of Vienna Salavatori in Doctor Who and has starred in her own (Doctor Who Spinoff) series Vienna, appeared in countless other films and television shows, and even produced and starred in her own film, titled Yesterday Was a Lie.
Masterson heads a charity called The Pop Culture Hero Coalition, and has been the champion to youth who are systemically bullied; this has become an epidemic and Chase Masterson, Carrie Goldman, and the United Nations, along with their tireless volunteers have made their voices clear: Stop the bullying now! There’s more . . . Chase Masterson is the first woman in history to host the biggest Trek Con in Europe, Fed Con! Her dossier just keeps growing. She also was featured in Agenda magazine’s first historical, monthly print issue, October 2017, not just talking about her iconic and longstanding career, but in the second half of her interview with Agenda‘s editor-in-chief Kaylene Peoples, she discusses the mission of The Pop Culture Hero Coalition. Now . . . we are proud to say, that Miss Masterson is now representing Start Trek and the coalition once again, this time in Vienna!
This year, the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, an anti-bullying non-profit founded by Chase Masterson (Leeta, DS9), has teamed up with Star Trek stars who ask that you start 2017 with a resolution to Be Kind to one another. You can join the fight and be a real life hero by pledging to be kind, and you can do it in style with a Be Kind tee shirt.
“Think before you type. Start 2017 with the resolution to #BeKind,” reads the description for one of the Pop Culture Hero Coalition’s holiday fundraiser tee shirts.
Star Trek, like other modern pop culture franchises, is at its core a message to understand one another, embrace diversity, and overall be excellent to each other. Chase Masterson, the coalition’s founder, saw this as an opportunity to create the first-ever organization that uses the universal appeal of comics, film & TV to create anti-bullying programs at pop culture events, and in schools and communities.
Their mission is simple:
To educate and support children, teens and adults to overcome bullying and social injustice, and to transform their struggles into strengths, using stories and characters from pop culture TV, film, and comics.
They do this by hosting events, organizing convention panels, and even developing lesson plans for schools. They’ve had huge successes helping kids affected by the San Bernardino mass shooting, those suffering from PTSD and bullying and inner city kids in places like Chicago. Currently, they are working to teach Trek’s ideal of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations (IDIC) in schools.
“We love our onscreen heroes. Why not be heroes, too? So many people have told us, ‘I wish you had this when I was in school.’” says Masterson. “Roddenberry created a powerful key to social justice, and we are continuing that work in real life. We have the opportunity to teach IDIC to kids, before it’s too late… before there are any more suicides, or broken hearts, or battered psyches due to bullying — and we truly appreciate your support in this crucial work”
You can help support the cause by purchasing a Be Kind tee, sweatshirt, or tank. Proceeds from sales will go directly to help the Coalition’s mission. Learn more about the Coalition’s work on their official website.
Sci-fi convention returns to Binghamton with panels, authors, costume contest and more
Earlier this month, “Star Trek” celebrated 50 years since Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and the intrepid crew of the starship Enterprise first appeared on American television screens.
Even the cancellation of the original series after only three seasons couldn’t stop “Trek” and its optimistic spirit. The franchise currently stands at 13 films (including the most recent “Star Trek Beyond” this summer), four additional TV series (with a fifth one coming out in 2017) and millions of devoted fans worldwide.
One of the memorable characters from “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” was Leeta, an attractive Bajoran casino worker at Quark’s Bar tasked to relieve travelers of their money through a roulette-style game called dabo.
And although the character wasn’t the main focus of the frontier outpost’s space saga, it proved to be a pivotal role for actress Chase Masterson, who played Leeta over five of the seven seasons that “Deep Space Nine” aired.
This weekend, Masterson will be the guest of honor at the fourth annual RoberCon, the science fiction / media convention held at Roberson Museum and Science Center in Binghamton. She’ll participate in interview panels, sign autographs, pose for photos with fans and discuss the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, an anti-bullying group she founded that uses heroes onscreen to inspire heroism in real life.
Since “Deep Space Nine” ended in 1999, Masterson has gravitated toward a number of sci-fi roles, including one in the first Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie, “Terminal Invasion” (opposite “Evil Dead” actor Bruce Campbell) and leads in “Manticore” for Syfy and “Creature Unknown” for STARZ. She also starred in the award-winning sci-fi noir “Yesterday Was a Lie” and the critically acclaimed short “R.U.R.: Genesis,” currently in development as a feature film. Most recently, she was a guest star on CW’s “The Flash.”
This weekend, Masterson will be the guest of honor at the fourth annual RoberCon, the science fiction / media convention held at Roberson Museum and Science Center in Binghamton. She’ll participate in interview panels, sign autographs, pose for photos with fans and discuss the Pop Culture Hero Coalition, an anti-bullying group she founded that uses heroes onscreen to inspire heroism in real life.
Since “Deep Space Nine” ended in 1999, Masterson has gravitated toward a number of sci-fi roles, including one in the first Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie, “Terminal Invasion” (opposite “Evil Dead” actor Bruce Campbell) and leads in “Manticore” for Syfy and “Creature Unknown” for STARZ. She also starred in the award-winning sci-fi noir “Yesterday Was a Lie” and the critically acclaimed short “R.U.R.: Genesis,” currently in development as a feature film. Most recently, she was a guest star on CW’s “The Flash.”
Among her current projects are her lead role as an intergalactic assassin in Big Finish Productions’ audio series “Vienna” (a spinoff of Big Finish’s “Doctor Who” range) as well as Big Finish’s “Survivors” series, which was nominated in the BBC Audio Drama Awards.
Still, it’s through “Star Trek” that most fans know her best, and this year has been especially busy.
“It’s phenomenal to be part of the 50th anniversary,” she said. “This show has such a legacy and is such a powerful thing to be a part of. I relish my time with the other actors and the fans of the show, largely because of the history of it and how much has gone on through ‘Star Trek’ and because of ‘Star Trek.’ It certainly has enveloped 50 years of reinventing itself and making a difference in the world.”
In an interview earlier this month, Masterson talked about interacting with “Star Trek” fans, her role on “Deep Space Nine” and why she started the Pop Culture Hero Coalition.
QUESTION: You’re attending many conventions and events this year to celebrate the anniversary. What have been some of your favorite experiences this year so far?
MASTERSON: People often ask me about my favorite moments from “Star Trek,” and I think they usually are referring to stuff onscreen — but my very, very favorite moments have happened offscreen, even just recently.
For instance, last week at a convention in Cherry Hill [N.J.], there were two soldiers who came up who had fought in the Gulf War. They told me that when they would come back from a mission, if there was a new episode of “Deep Space Nine” that they hadn’t seen yet — because the show was running live at the time — they would drop everything and watch the show before they’d even change their clothes or take a shower. They said that it reminded them about what was important, that peace was possible. They said it reminded them of where they came from and that they would be going home.
To hear that the show held that kind of meaning for people and was so powerful not just in terms of its story and intrigue and entertainment, but to make a difference in the lives of people who were themselves in dangerous situations, it really means a lot. The show had such strong themes about war and peace and family. “Star Trek” has always had transcendent themes, but “Deep Space Nine” particularly had stories that took a risk and really made a difference, especially during its time.
Q: I imagine that getting to meet fans like that is one of the special parts of being part of “Star Trek” and other roles you’ve done over the years.
MASTERSON: Yes, people do open up to us. If you think about it, it’s because we’re in their living rooms. They often feel like they know us because they’ve invited us into their homes. There’s an intimacy to television when you’re all sitting around in your pajamas and you watch a show together. You really do feel like it’s closer to you than a lot of films when you see them in the theater. It’s a really cool relationship we have with our audience.
The media convention’s fourth year, set for Sept. 24-25 at the Roberson Museum and Science Center, also will include vendors, authors, discussion panels and fan groups covering a wide variety of geeky topics, as well as gaming, cosplay and a costume contest.
In addition to her role on “Star Trek,” Masterson has most recently been seen guest starring on CW’s “The Flash,” which won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Drama. She also plays the title role in the Big Finish’s “Doctor Who” audio spin-off “Vienna,” currently in Season 3, after originating the role opposite seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy in 2012. She also stars in “Survivors,” a Big Finish production currently in Season 2 that was nominated for a 2015 BBC Audio Drama Award.
Over her career, she has held recurring roles on “General Hospital” and “Live Shot”; guest-starred on programs such as “The Flash,” “E.R.”, “Presidio Med,” “Sweet Justice,” “Sci-Fi Vortex,” “Sliders” and “Acapulco H.E.A.T.”; and served as host of “Sci-Fi Entertainment,” “Showtime: Nighttime” and Encore’s STARZ On Demand. Her film credits include Stephen King’s “Sometimes They Come Back For More,” “Robin Hood: Men In Tights” for director Mel Brooks, “In a Moment of Passion,” “Married People Single Sex,” “Sammyville,” “Manticore,” “Chastity,” “Terminal Invasion,” “Creature Unknown” and a cameo as herself in “Comic Book: The Movie.” She will play the title role in “Vendetta Vette,” currently in development.
In 2013, Masterson — along with “heroism experts” Carrie Goldman and Matt Langdon — founded the Pop Culture Hero Coalition. It is the first-ever organization that uses the universal appeal of comics, film and TV to create anti-bullying programs at pop culture events as well as in schools and communities. Continue reading “Chase Masterson to be guest of honor at RoberCon”
I had the rare chance at the Star Trek Las Vegas convention to interview Chase Masterson, the actor who is well-known for portraying the character Leeta, the Bajoran Dabo girl who works at Quark’s Bar, Grill, Gaming House and Holosuite Arcade, better known as Quark’s to its regular patrons. She shared some very introspective thoughts about learning the ropes on the set of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, what her craft means to her and the awesome creative projects this last year that have been keeping her very busy.
Michael Venables: Tell me the story of your start on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Chase Masterson: I originally met the casting director of Deep Space Nine through a pay-to-meet showcase. They have these things where you can pay thirty dollars and do a mock audition for a casting director. And if they like you, hopefully, they’ll remember you and call you in for an audition. And, that’s exactly what happened. I auditioned first for the role of Marta, who was a guest star in the second season. I got down to the final two of that role, and then they went the other way. And then, they wrote the role of Leeta for me. I didn’t realize that. I didn’t know that until the fifth season. But Ira Behr, the co-executive producer, told me that when I wasn’t right for the first role, they decided they wanted to use me somewhere. So that’s been a huge honor on a show like this to have something created for you. That’s pretty wow!
Venables: Coming in as a fresh cast member, how was the experience of integrating with the rest of the actors already immersed in the show?
Masterson: Armin Shimerman was quite wonderful. He was like an older brother, frankly to Max Grodénchik, who played Rom, and to myself. I had worked quite a lot in the theater and a certain amount in film and TV beforeDeep Space Nine. Armin was much more experienced and would take Max and I aside and explain “Oh, here’s what they’re doing” and “they’re lining up this shot for this reason” and “here’s a tip or two.” It was so comforting and so generous of him. You know, a lot of times actors on shows really don’t want the guest stars to be that good. It’s their show and they don’t want anyone else coming in week to week. And that didn’t happen on Deep Space Nine. The cast was very welcoming and generous. I think that speaks very highly of the producing team who put the show together. And, it certainly fits with the heart of the show. So it was really a blessing.
Venables: Do you think you learned from watching Armin and Avery and the other cast members? How did that influence your craft and enhance your own process?
Masterson: I do. I really loved the daily process at work. Even after a ten or eleven-hour day, I would stay and watch the scenes after mine, because just being there was an education. And, seeing these actors who had done this work for so long, there’s just a certain amount of it that just rubs off on you, so being the new kid on the block was a great thing among this very experienced cast.
Venables: What was your most favorable memory about being onDeep Space Nine?
Masterson: There are so many amazing memories, but I think the most powerful and profound is on the final day of shooting. We were all having lunch together on a sound stage. Usually everyone went to their trailer or the commissary. But that day we all gathered in one place. And even those cast members who were not in the final episode were there, just to be together for one last time. And the co-executive producer, Ira Behr, got up, and he actually climbed half-way up the wall of the scaffold so that everyone could see him. And he told us, with tears in his eyes and his voice, how much it meant to him to be a part of this show. And I tell you, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. We loved working with him and with each other. And for a man like Ira, who was truly the heart and soul of Deep Space Nine, along with Michael Piller, who unfortunately passed away — for a man like that to say such generous and humble things about his experience, it was extremely profound. And we were all so grateful beyond words. We knew what we had when we had it. Deep Space Nine was a bit of a Camelot, because a show like that, in that way, taking those risks, can never happen again. It was a groundbreaking show to be a part of, because it was serialized drama on television which had never really happened to that extent. And because Ira and his team took that risk, we knew we were creating something – unique. Continue reading “Chase Masterson On Learning Her Craft On The Set Of Deep Space Nine, The Ministry of Acting And Her Doctor Who Spinoff”
Chase Masterson is known for her iconic role in Star Trek Deep Space 9 as sexy Leeta. She was the voice of Vienna Salavatori in Doctor Who and has starred in her own (Doctor Who Spinoff) series Vienna, appeared in countless other films and television shows, and even produced and starred in her own film, titled Yesterday Was a Lie.