PASADENA, Calif. — Stephen Collins may forever be known as the father on "7th Heaven" — a role he's now in his sixth season of playing — but he's also part of a legacy that will no doubt outlive his current WB hit show.
He will forever be part of the "Star Trek" saga. Not a big part, perhaps, but an important one.
Trekkers will, no doubt, remember him as a member of the cast of the first of the soon-to-be 10 "Trek" movies, playing Will Decker in 1979's "Star Trek: The Motion Picture."
"I love being part of 'Star Trek.' I particularly love that I was captain of the Enterprise, lest you all forget," Collins said with a laugh. "I try to put that out as much as I can. For the first 20 minutes of the movie, I was captain of the Enterprise, and then Kirk demoted me. But it's a good trivia question if you want to stump your friends: Name all the captains of the Enterprise.
"Most people won't name me, but I was."
Collins said Trekkers still approach him about his role more than two decades after the film's release. And he and his "7th Heaven" co-star, Catherine Hicks, have shared some memories and some laughs over the fact that they're both part of the "Star Trek" legacy.
(Hicks co-starred in "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" as the 20th-century whale expert who became one of the many love interests of James T. Kirk — the man who demoted Collins' character three movies earlier.)
And Collins said he had some warning that this was one role that was going to stick with him — one of the original cast members told him to expect it during a photo session just before filming began in the movie.
"DeForest Kelly, who played Bones — Dr. McCoy — said, 'This will never be out of your life. It will never go away.' And he meant it as a good thing, which, primarily, it is," Collins said.
Except for the occasional overzealous Trekkie, that is.
As for that first "Trek" movie, Collins had to dredge up some of his memories for the recently released DVD version, where he contributes to the commentary.
"I love (director) Robert Wise and I loved getting a chance to talk about him," he said. "And, yes, I do love 'Star Trek.' "
NOT A TREKKER: Collins said he's a fan of "Star Trek" now, but he wasn't back when he auditioned for the part in the movie.
"I had never watched an episode of 'Star Trek.' And, at that time, there were only the original episodes of the original series," he said. "I wasn't a 'Star Trek' fan, which is why, I think, I got the part. I wasn't groveling the way all the other actors were.
"It was interesting. It was a real lesson in psychology of how to get parts. I really didn't care and so I got the part, which is one of the cruelties of this business."
BEAMING OUT OF "HEAVEN": It's not exactly unexpected — and it hasn't been officially announced yet — but sources at the WB confirm that Barry Watson is going to quit "7th Heaven" at the end of the season, and both he and his character, Matt Camden, will leave the series.
(Although from the looks of his forthcoming movie "Sorority Boys," he might want to rethink that decision.)
It should be fairly easy to write him out, however — Matt can finally just go off to med school.
JETTING IN: When "7th Heaven" returns for a seventh season in the fall, it will have a Utah connection — albeit one of the most convoluted kind.
Mary Camden (Jessica Biel) will go to work for Jet Blue, the airline company founded by Utahns and ex-Utahns.
I told you it was a convoluted local tie.
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com