The Ladies of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Suzie Plakson as Doctor (Lieutenant) Selar
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Doctor (Lieutenant) Selar is a Vulcan and a member of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D medical staff. She was selected by Doctor Katherine Pulaski to beam down to Graves World to the home of Doctor Ira Graves, a brilliant but desperately ill scientist when the Enterprise received a distress call from another ship en route to Graves World (The Schizoid Man). Graves' assistant, Kareen Brianon, sent the distress call against his wishes, and she greets the team. He does not appear when the away team arrives, but does appear later and is not happy they are there. Doctor Graves avoids a medical examination, but finally he grudgingly allows Doctor Selar to examine him. She reports that he has Darnay's disease, which is terminal. He initially denies that anything is wrong, but finally accepts it; his symptoms are too evident. Doctor Selar is mentioned in several other episodes, but is never seen again.
Suzie Plakson is a native of Buffalo, New York, who grew up in Kingston, Pennsylvania. She stands 6' 11/2", and is probably the tallest woman to guest star in any Star Trek series. She went to the Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Arts at age 15, and "got hooked (on acting) for life." Suzie then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, for 3 years. Her television experience includes her voice in the Family Guy episodes, My Son Also Draws and A Hero Sits Next Door (1999); Joan in the Mad About You episode, Fire at Riff's (1998); Doctor Joan in the Mad About You episode, Speed Baby (1997); Meg Tynan in the Double Rush episode, Comings and Goings (1995); Love and War as The Sportswriter (1992-1995); and the voices of Thighs of Thunder in Dinosaurs episode 33, Sally in Dinosaurs episode 44, and Elder #3 in Dinosaurs episode 54 (1991); in addition to her appearances in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Doctor Selar in the episode, The Schizoid Man and K'Ehleyr in the episodes The Emissary and Reunion and in Star Trek: Voyager as the Female Q in the episode The Q and the Grey. Suzie was also seen on stage at Theater La Bete as Marquise Therese Du Parc in Stop the World, I Want to Get Off (1991). Her film credits include Grace in Wag the Dog (1997); Mary Anne Hunter in Disclosure (1994); Ginger in Bingo! (1991); and Tenley in My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988). She says of her first Star Trek convention, "It was much bigger than I had expected. I knew nothing about fandom until then. I've since learned there's this whole society out there with a mythology they're involved in." Suzie Plakson had never seen an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation before she was hired for her guest appearance as Doctor Selar. But she had watched many of the original Star Trek episodes with her brother Michael. Suzie has taught acting to youngsters and also taught English as a second language in Los Angeles. "I found teaching was a wonderful, transformation experience. I had my own United Nations, people from all over the world."