It seems that Night Court has paying respects to its stars' past projects around this time. We already know that lead actress Melissa Rauch will have a small Big Bang Theory reunion when Kunal Nayyar guest stars, for instance. More immediately though, it looks like John Larroquette is about to have some fun. An upcoming Season 2 episode will honor his past role in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, and I love the level of commitment the actor showed when suiting up as a Klingon.
This is a legal-centric sitcom in which zany antics in the courtroom are the norm, but even cosplay on this level may cause those watching on NBC or with a Peacock subscription to raise an eyebrow. It turns out this is all tied to the upcoming episode "Wrath of Comic-Con," in which Dan Fielding dons Klingon garb for his latest showdown with past love interest Julianne. Take a look:
That's some incredible work done by the Night Court makeup and costume department. Considering this episode is about Comic-Con, I would've completely understood if Dan didn't do anything beyond using a sharpie to draw ridges on his head and walk around with a Bat'leth while in the courtroom. What's seen above is makeup work worthy of what's done for an actual Star Trek series, which had to make for a time-intensive process. It's also fairly unpleasant, as Colm Meaney recalled, and was teased by Michael Dorn after he complained about wearing Klingon prosthetics for a single episode.
John Larroquette had some idea of what he was in for before suiting up for the episode, since he played one of the creatures in 1984's Star Trek III: The Search For Spock. The actor played "Maltz," who served under Commander Kruge (played by Christopher Lloyd). Who can forget the memorable way he factored into Captain Kirk saying, "I'll kill you later"? Check out the clip below:
The now-76-year-old actor's Klingon makeup isn't meant to mirror his exact look from The Search For Spock, but the commitment to donning the garb is plenty good enough. We're in a lull right now, as upcoming Trek shows are still far off. So it's cool that I can geek out and enjoy my Trekkie self in primetime without needing to fire up my Paramount+ subscription with this fun-looking installment.
And, if there are Star Trek readers curious about checking out the newest iteration of Night Court and wondering if it's worth tuning into compared to other offerings on the 2024 TV schedule, I must answer with an emphatic yes. While I know some fans, especially Star Trek fans, may have an aversion to trying new takes on tried and true classics, the revival series is every bit as enjoyable as the original. But, hey, don't take my word for it. Just ask Lower Decks voice actor Paul Scheer, who said his guest-starring role was a "dream come true." Clearly, this show is making some magic happen when it comes to comedy and now, sci-fi.
Night Court's "Wrath of Comic-Con" airs on NBC on Tuesday, January 30th, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to see John Larroquette decked out as a Klingon again, and stay for some laughs that one won't usually get when attending court.
