(Image credit: Paramount)
The “Star Trek” universe has lost one of its stars.
Trekkies of all stripes are mourning the death of Annie Wersching today as news of her untimely demise due to cancer on Sunday filters around the world as reported by the New York Times (opens in new tab).
The St. Louis-born Wersching was a prolific actress and had also been featured in multiple TV shows over the years such as “General Hospital,” “24,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “The Rookie,” “The Runaways,” “Bosch,” and “Timeless,” in addition to her motion capture and vocal work as the character Tess in the hit video game “The Last of Us,” which was recently adapted into a streaming series on HBO Max.
For sci-fi fans, many will recall her memorable portrayal of the Borg Queen in Paramount Plus’ “Star Trek: Picard” Season 2 last year where she stepped into the cyborgian role to fill the shoes of Alice Krige from 1996’s “Star Trek: First Contact.”
Related: ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Season 3 trailer unveiled
Wersching’s performance was one of the standouts in that sophomore outing of “Picard” where she played the series’ primary villain with palpable presence and style.
“There is a cavernous hole in the soul of this family today,” Wersching’s husband Stephen Full (opens in new tab) said in an official statement. “But she left us the tools to fill it. She found wonder in the simplest moment. She didn’t require music to dance. She taught us not to wait for adventure to find you. ‘Go find it. It’s everywhere.’ And find it we shall.
“As I drove our boys, the true loves of her life, down the winding driveway and street, she would yell BYE! until we were out of earshot and into the world. I can still hear it ringing. Bye my Buddie. ‘I love you little family…'”
Picard was not Wersching’s first voyage to the final frontier as one of her early acting gigs in her long 23-year career was on “Star Trek: Enterprise” where she played the character Liana in a 2002 episode titled “Oasis.”
“My heart is broken in more pieces than I can count,” said 24 executive producer Jon Cassar (opens in new tab) regarding her premature death. “Annie came into my world with an open heart and a contagious smile. Brandishing such talent, she took my breath away. Annie became more than a workmate, she became a real friend to me, my family and every cast and crew member that worked with her. She’ll be truly missed by them and the fans she always found time to interact with. Annie you’ll be missed, you left your mark, and we’re all the better for it.”
Wersching is survived by her husband Stephen Full and three children Freddie, Ozzie and Archie.
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