To become an inconic charecter in a genre like Star Trek that is the depiction of good and moral and ethical human developement and achievement for humanity is the greatest honor any actor could hope to achieve and be a part of.
Such an actor is not merely portraying a charecter.... they are teaching by example how the future can be and in so doing creating a model of how to become the future. Such an honor is not merely a job the actor had but an opportunity to shape the hearts and minds of people to aspire them to make real change in themselves and the world in an attempt to distil the greatness wihin us all and conventrate that greatness out of the chaos and discard the weaknesses of the human condition towards the day when humanity can transcend the mundane and petty instincts of man and become an evolved being of virtue and humility so that man can be free to live and love and learn until the day man can ascend to the next level of being and consciousness.
Do not underestimate the effect of such an example and do not regard your participation in such an endeavour as merely a job you once did. It is far far greater than that. You are making the dream for humanity reality by portaying the future in terms people can see and understand.
Thank you Marina for your excellent example
John Edwards