Star Trek fans lost another beloved star in René Auberjonois. He played Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but was also famous as Clayton Endicott III on Benson and Father Mulcahy in M.A.S.H. Fans everywhere are mourning the great actor, who died December 8 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 79.
René Auberjonois's son, Rèmy-Luc Auberjonois, told CNN his father died from metastatic lung cancer. The Star Trek family was quick to respond to the tragic news, with several stars from various films and shows in the franchise sharing tributes to the beloved actor.
Armin Shimerman played Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and just a few months ago the DS9 family lost Aron Eisenberg, who played Quark's nephew Nog. Fans loved the dynamic between Quark and Odo, and the two actors were also close in real life. Shimerman shared René Auberjonois' touching final words to him:
As the original Captain Kirk, William Shatner will always be considered, to many, as the leader of the Star Trek universe. He shared a brief tribute to his friend René Auberjonois:
George Takei, famous as Star Trek's Hikaru Sulu in the original TV series and films, was one of the first to post a tribute to René Auberjonois:
Some Star Trek fans took a moment to remember René Auberjonois' other Star Trek appearance, in the movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country:
Many fans pointed out René Auberjonois' other contributions, including the fact that he voiced Chef Louis and sang "Les Poissons" in The Little Mermaid movie.
René Auberjonois played hundreds of roles across his career, including the character of Paul Lewiston in more than 70 episodes of Boston Legal. Jayne Brook currently plays Starfleet Vice Admiral Katrina Cornwell in the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Discovery, but before that she played Rachel Lewiston, Paul's daughter, on Boston Legal:
The official Star Trek account had a simple message but it pretty much said it all:
Deeply saddened is right for so many fans, who honored René Auberjonois for making Odo one of Star Trek's best characters ever. DS9 ran from 1993 to 1999 -- and almost had a really crazy ending -- to follow the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation. DS9 fans stayed loyal and even crowdfunded a documentary. Now DS9's Penny Johnson Jerald stars on The Orville, which has its own many nods to Star Trek.
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The Star Trek franchise still has a lot ahead of it from new TV series like Picard to possibly a movie from Quentin Tarantino. It's just sad that René Auberjonois won't be here to see it. He will be missed.
