‘Star Trek’s Jonathan Del Arco on the fate of Hugh Borg, life as an out-actor & showbiz peril

Jonathan Del Arco

Jonathan Del Arco has an unassuming quality about him. Dressed in jeans and a grey button-down, raven-headed and youthful beyond his 54 years, he greets us with a firm handshake before rushing off to the bathroom.

When he rejoins us at the table of a stylish Burbank coffee shop, he smiles with anticipation. The rest of the patrons seem oblivious to his presence, which baffles us. As an actor with a resume spanning more than 30 years, Del Arco has appeared in Broadway theatre, television and film. His role as Dr. Fernando Morales on The Closer and its spinoff Major Crimes kept him employed for over 10 years. He also scored an iconic part as Hugh, the first Borg to accept individuality in two popular episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

In addition to his artistic work, Del Arco has worked on the political campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as an ambassador for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), which lobbies for inclusion of queer history in educational curriculum. In 2013, he won the Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award. As an out-gay man, Del Arco has spoken at length about his personal journey as an Uruguayan immigrant, his loss of a boyfriend to AIDS at age 24, and his subsequent marriage to his manager Kyle Fritz. Del Arco also recently launched the political podcast “Hollywood Caucus,” opposite his close friend Tara Karsian.

Del Arco’s most recent role came as a shock both to him, and to Star Trek fandom. He reprised his role as Hugh more than 20 years later for Star Trek: Picard, which sees Sir Patrick Stewart return to his signature role as Captain Jen-Luc Picard fighting to save a galaxy on the edge of catastrophe. Trek vets Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis and Jeri Ryan also return, though, in a surprising twist, Del Arco is the only Star Trek guest star to reprise his role.

We met up with Del Arco to discuss his career, his unlikely return to his most iconic character, and his work as a queer rights activist. Spoiler Alert! Plot points for the first seven episodes of Star Trek: Picard abound, so consider yourselves warned.

Star Trek: Picard streams Thursdays on CBS All Access.

You’re having a moment, to say the least. What has this ride been like for you?

It’s been….

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