MOVIE NEWS – Patti Yasutake was a recurring actress in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the movies.

It’s time to say goodbye to a legendary Star Trek actress. As we can read in the media, for example, in People magazine, Patti Yasutake, who fans of the sci-fi saga may remember from the role of nurse Alyssa Ogawa in The Next Generation and re-appeared in the films Generations and First Contact – two of the four films of the crew – died on Monday.

Patti Yasutake passed away at the age of 70 after being diagnosed with cancer. She had an excellent career: one of her latest highlights was participating in the acclaimed Netflix comedy Beef in 2023. In addition to her film and television acting work, Yasutake has also lent her voice to several video games: May Lin in BioShock Infinite and, more recently, Akane Kishida in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

A Star Trek tribute to Patti Yasutake

Alyssa Ogawa’s character debuted in the episode Future Imperfect of the fourth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has since become a recurring guest on the sci-fi series, proving that in an era when Asian-American actresses were scarce on the small screen, talent made its way. “Meaningful friendships, thriving career, and trusting romance” – we can read about her life on the Star Trek blog, where Yasutake is quoted as saying how proud she is to be in the series:

“It’s really humbling to be a part of something that has had such a positive impact on so many people’s lives.”

“The show had an impact on a lot of people. It tackled important issues and it was so different from anything else that was on TV at the time. It was a show about exploration and new experiences, and I think that’s something that will always be relevant. I also think the characters were so well-developed and well-written that people really connected with them.”

Star Trek: The Next Generation is currently available to stream on Netflix, and the two aforementioned movies are available on AppleTV+.

Source: People, Star Trek Blog