Canadian comedian and Star Trek superfan Dave Foley, who guest stars in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds this week, remembers being directed by Leonard Nimoy in Three Men and a Baby.
Three Men and a Baby was the biggest box office hit of 1987, grossing over $167 million. The crowd-pleasing comedy stars Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, and Steve Guttenberg, three bachelors who become parents of the love child belonging to one of them. Three Men and a Baby was also Leonard Nimoy’s directorial follow-up to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, another box office smash.
Speaking to ScreenRant‘s John Orquiola about his guest spot in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, episode 3, “Human Best Friend,” Dave Foley discussed one of his earliest acting gigs, and the funny note director Leonard Nimoy gave Foley on the set of Three Men and a Baby. Read Dave’s quote below:
ScreenRant: I went through your incredible list of credits, and one thing from 1987 that’s Star Trek-adjacent jumped out at me: Three Men and a Baby. You were directed by Leonard Nimoy.
Dave Foley: “Yes, being a Trek fanatic, I was incredibly excited. That was a summer… I think that was when I was just starting out. I was like 22 or something. And I got all these one-day parts in Toronto that summer, and that was one of them. And I’ll never forget Leonard. I was directed by Leonard Nimoy! After a take, Leonard came over to me and said, “Faster, David.” And you know, that is far from the last time I’ve gotten that note.”
Foley played a quick role as a grocery store clerk in Three Men and a Baby. Dave’s day on set included the thrill of being directed by the legendary Leonard Nimoy, an unforgettable moment for the young Foley, who was just beginning his career. With Star Trek IV and Three Men and a Baby, Nimoy reached the apex of his feature film directing career with back-to-back hits.
Nimoy helmed Three Men and a Baby for Disney, and the daddy-centric comedy outperformed two of Paramount’s heavy hitters that year: Fatal Attraction and Beverly Hills Cop II. (Star Trek IV the year prior was also a Paramount production). Three Men and a Baby‘s cast also included Paul Guilfoyle, who would portray “Carl,” the Guardian of Forever, in Star Trek: Discovery 33 years later.
Image credit: Paramount+
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, episode 3, Dave Foley plays Dendru, the host of a resort planet visited by the USS Enterprise’s crew during a shore leave that goes awry. Foley described his oddball alien character to ScreenRant as “a kind of geeky Hugh Hefner… he wanders around in very loungey clothes and just wants everyone to be happy… He’s the facilitator and like the camp activities organizer of this weird planet.”
Dave Foley’s incredible career includes co-creating The Kids in the Hall, playing Dave Nelson on NewsRadio, and memorable parts in numerous TV shows and movies, including voicing a Ferengi named Parth in Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4. Appearing in live-action in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a dream come true for Dave, as special as one of his earliest roles when Leonard Nimoy directed him.
Stardate 47988.1 · Crew Assessment The Final Frontier Trivia Challenge
🚀ShipsEnterprise!
⭐CrewMake it so
☠EnemiesResistance is…
⚡TechWarp speed!
📖LoreLive long…
01
The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series?
✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager.
✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager.
02
Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character?
✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise.
03
Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called?
✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols.
04
“Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called?
✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.”
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.”
05
Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him?
✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.
06
Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called?
✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive.
07
At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called?
✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario.
08
In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain?
✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos.
Mission Complete Your Starfleet Record
/ 8
Are you an Admiral — or still a cadet on deck-scrubbing duty?
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4, episode 3, “Human Best Friend” is now streaming on Paramount+.
