9 René Auberjonois Sci-Fi Roles Every Fan Should Know (Not Just Odo)

Updated for 2026 with additional context and rankings

When René Auberjonois passed away, most fans remembered him as Odo—but his sci-fi legacy goes far deeper. From alien patriarchs to hidden villains, Auberjonois quietly built one of the most versatile careers in genre television. Here are his greatest sci-fi roles ranked, including a few you probably forgot.

He’s beloved by fans, but his career spanned decades, and he’s much more than just Odo. Auberjonois played everything from psychiatrists to thieves. Here now is a list of his eight greatest live-action science-fiction roles.

Why René Auberjonois Was Perfect for Sci-Fi

René Auberjonois was one of those rare performers who seemed engineered for science fiction, the kind of actor who elevated every world he stepped into. His voice could shift from warm curiosity to razor‑sharp authority, and his physical precision made even the most fantastical concepts feel grounded. What made Auberjonois perfect for sci‑fi storytelling wasn’t just his ability to disappear into alien roles—it was the humanity he carried into them. As Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and in countless other genre appearances, he treated speculative fiction as a space for moral complexity rather than spectacle. Auberjonois understood that the best sci‑fi characters are mirrors for real human struggles, and he had a gift for making emotional stakes feel authentic, no matter how strange the setting.

René Auberjonois’s Best Sci-Fi Performances

Auberjonois was an underrated sci-fi actor. But here are some of his best acting roles in movies and television.

9. René Auberjonois as Ezral in Star Trek: Enterprise “Oasis.”

René Auberjonois brought a quiet, aching depth to Ezral in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode “Oasis,” turning what could have been a simple guest role into something unexpectedly haunting. As the reclusive engineer guarding the illusion of a functioning crew, Auberjonois infused Ezral with a mix of paternal devotion, guilt, and denial that made the episode’s mystery land with real emotional weight. His gift for portraying characters who straddle the line between the alien and the deeply human—so central to his legacy in science fiction—is on full display here. Auberjonois made Ezral sympathetic even as the truth unraveled around him, grounding the holographic tragedy with the same moral complexity he brought to roles like Odo. “Oasis” works because Ezral feels like a man shaped by love, loss, and impossible choices, and that’s the kind of layered sci‑fi character Auberjonois excelled at bringing to life.

It’s a good performance, but even he admitted he didn’t have much of a role. He later told Star Trek: Communicator #139, “Actually, when I saw the episode, I had forgotten that I am hardly in it until the very end.”

8. René Auberjonois as Dr. Burton in Batman Forever (1995)

Auberjonois has a small role in Batman Forever (1995) as Dr. Burton. He’s a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, treating Edward Nygma, aka The Riddler (Jim Carrey). Burton calls Dr. Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman) to the hospital because Nygma says he knows who Batman is. Dr. Burton’s hair and name are an homage to Tim Burton, the director of the first two Batman movies. Auberjonois only has one line, but he puts a lot of gravitas in it.

It’s worth noting that he plays Dr. March in several Batman: The Animated Series episodes.

7. René Auberjonois as Alar in Stargate SG-1 “The Other Side.”

In 2000, Auberjonois had established himself as a science-fiction icon and was welcome to explore other franchises. In the Stargate SG-1 episode “The Other Side,” he played Altar, the leader of a group of “Eurondans” who had been fighting the Tau’ri for generations. He reaches out to Earth, asking for help in the battle. But it turns out the Eurodians are a Nazi-like group of genetic purists, and the Stargate team turns him down.

Auberjonois uses his goodwill as a character from Star Trek to turn the tables and deliver a surprising performance.

6. René Auberjonois as Mr. Kimball in Wonder Woman “Spaced Out.”

In 1979, he appeared on the weekly superhero show named after the Amazonian superhero Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman. In the Wonder Woman episode “Spaced Out,” René Auberjonois plays a master thief who steals some valuable crystals but is forced to hide his loot in a nearby crate. The crate ends up at a science fiction convention. He and Diana are in a race to find them.

Most of the time, Auberjonois played an academic, but this is one of the few times he gets to play a suave and charismatic character. You can tell he relishes it.

5. René Auberjonois as Hugo Miller in Warehouse 13

René Auberjonois brought a beautifully eccentric warmth to Hugo Miller in Warehouse 13, turning the character into one of the show’s most endearing and quietly tragic figures. As the brilliant but fractured inventor who once worked alongside the Warehouse’s greatest minds, Auberjonois infused Hugo with a mix of childlike enthusiasm and lingering sorrow. His performance balanced whimsy with vulnerability—Hugo’s mind races with ideas, but he’s also a man haunted by the consequences of his own genius. Auberjonois played him with that signature twinkle in the eye, the sense that he was always thinking three steps ahead while still feeling deeply human. In a series built on artifacts, mysteries, and emotional undercurrents, Hugo Miller stands out because Auberjonois made him more than a quirky scientist; he made him a reminder of how brilliance and heartbreak often coexist in the world of Warehouse 13.

4. René Auberjonois as Roy Bagley in King Kong (1976)

Back in the 1970s, Auberjonois played a bookish science nerd in the King Kong remake. He explains the CO2 readings and postulates that it’s caused by vast underground petroleum deposits. It turns out the real answer is giant heavy-breathing monsters, but you can’t win ’em all.

The actor brought a wonderfully sly, needling energy to Roy Bagley. Turning what could have been a throwaway corporate antagonist into someone you instantly understood—and maybe even enjoyed disliking. As the oily executive overseeing the Petrox expedition, Auberjonois played Bagley with a blend of bureaucratic smugness and nervous opportunism, the kind of man who wants the glory of discovery without ever getting his hands dirty. He wasn’t the loudest personality on the ship—that honor went to Charles Grodin’s Fred Wilson—but Auberjonois made Bagley memorable through sharp line deliveries, perfectly timed reactions, and that signature ability to suggest a whole inner life with just a raised eyebrow. Even in a film dominated by spectacle, he carved out a niche as the quietly exasperated company man watching a disaster unfold in slow motion, adding texture and humor to a movie that needed both

3. René Auberjonois as Dlavan in The Outer Limits “Promised Land.”

The reboot of the science-fiction anthology series The Outer Limits features a cameo from René Auberjonois. In the 1998 episode, he plays Dlavan, the head of a family of aliens known as Tsal-Khan. They live on Earth, scrounging out an existence on the planet after a war poisons all the food and water. Humans are believed to be extinct. Soon, they discover that humans are alive and are determined to enact vengeance on them all.

It’s one of his most emotive and powerful performances, and even more amazing under all the heavy makeup.

2. René Auberjonois as Colonel West in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Before Deep Space Nine, Auberjonois played Colonel West, a member of Starfleet. It’s later revealed he’s part of a group planning to sabotage peace talks between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. It’s one of the few times he plays a villain. Plus, he’s back to explaining things on boards.

René Auberjonois made Colonel West in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country far more intriguing than the role appears on paper, giving the character a crisp, almost theatrical precision that fit perfectly with the film’s political‑thriller tone. As a high‑ranking Starfleet officer pushing for a hardline, militaristic response to the Klingon crisis, Auberjonois played West with a clipped confidence and a barely concealed zeal—someone who believes he’s the smartest man in the room and is impatient for everyone else to catch up. Even in his brief screen time (and in the extended scenes where his conspiracy becomes clearer), he radiates the polished arrogance of a career officer who sees peace as weakness. Auberjonois’s performance adds a sharp edge to the film’s exploration of fear, prejudice, and institutional resistance to change, making Colonel West a memorable embodiment of the forces working against the Federation’s better ideals.

He’s one of the greatest Star Trek captains of all-time.

1. René Auberjonois as Odo in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is one of the most ambitious and complicated of the Star Trek series. Odo started as a gruff old sheriff. A hapless curmudgeon who thought he was the only one of his kind. But as time went on, his character became more complicated. No matter what happened, he was a constant fixture on the ship.

Buried under layers of heavy makeup, his eyes and body language communicated more than dozens of actors who have appeared on the show. Although he was a shapeshifter and undeniably alien, he was also one of the franchise’s most human characters. His quest to find out who he was and where he came from elevated him from a nameless, faceless alien to one of the warmest and most beloved characters in Star Trek.

Honorable Mentions

His voice acting was as distinctive as his live-action roles. Here’s a selection of some of his best-known performances.

• The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (1980) – Multiple Voices on the animated Happy Days spin-off, including Doctor Solo
• Super Friends – He played the voice of Desaad, the sadistic follower of Darkseid from the planet Apokolips
• Superman – René Auberjonois lent his voice to the classic Superman villain General Zod in the 1988 animated series.
• The Savage Dragon – The evil Miles Legion, aka Horde, was voiced by the veteran actor for the animated series.
• Fallout: Las Vegas – Before the Prime live-action series, the actor gave the scheming Mr. House his voice.
• Ben 10: Omniverse – In both the video game and the animated series, René Auberjonois voices the alien inventor Azmuth.
• Avatar: The Last Airbender – He played the inventor and engineer Mechanist from the Earth Kingdom.

Where to Watch These Roles (2026)

Here’s where you can watch the roles listed above. You can watch many Star Trek and Stargate episodes for free on PlutoTV. Plus, Paramount+ has the director’s cut of Star Trek VI. René’s role as Colonel West is much more prominent in the Director’s Cut.

René Auberjonois may be best remembered for Odo, but his impact on sci-fi goes far beyond one role. His performances brought depth, humanity, and nuance to every universe he entered—and that’s why fans still celebrate his work today.

About the Author Maurice Mitchell has been a passionate science-fiction fan of movies, television, books, and comics since age five. He and his twin brother Nigel created the site “The Geek Twins” to share that passion. Maurice has written and created infographics for sites like The Geek Twins and About.com. His work has been featured on sites like Business Insider, io9, Slashfilm, and more.Read more of his posts | Follow him on Twitter @Mauricem1972

What’s your favorite role by René Auberjonois? Let us know in the comments below!

Note: Some links may lead to an approved affiliate, and small proceeds from the sale go to support the blog. Thank you!

If you enjoyed this, then please use the buttons below to tell your
friends about this post! Follow us! Email |  Twitter | Facebook