Star Trek: Prodigy has introduced its audiences to a number of characters from past Star Trek series, particularly those from Star Trek: Voyager, but this week's episode "Crossroads," re-introduced a beloved character from Star Trek: The Next Generation that fans were eager to see again. During Star Trek Day a few months ago, the Star Trek: Prodigy team revealed that Billy Campbell would be reprising his role as the Thadiun Okana (aka the Outrageous Okana) and ahead of his highly anticipated return, Collider got the opportunity to chat with him about returning to the Star Trek universe.

In our 1-on-1 interview with Billy Campbell, he spoke about getting the chance to reprise the role, overcoming his complicated relationship with his Next Generation appearance, what he contributed to the design of Prodigy's Okana, what the roughish character's theme song might be, and what the character has been up to since his first appearance. Additionally, he briefly spoke about his time in The Rocketeer, which has recently been in the news again with reports that it might be remade.

COLLIDER: So you have had such an interesting history with Star Trek. What was it like getting this chance to come back and reprise this role in animation?

BILLY CAMPBELL: It was a relief because I have chewed the inside of my cheek for years over my initial performance in Next Generation. I'm not fond of the performance, and so I was really happy to get a do-over.

I'm personally really obsessed with the character design for Okona, and I'm curious what your first reactions were when you saw the new costume and the eye patch and the very swagger, a very pirate-y look.

CAMPBELL: Well, when I was first contacted, my suggestion was, I was terribly excited, but I suggested that maybe he had kind of lost an eye somewhere along the way, and that he might have a bit of a beer gut or something, and that he was kind of shaggy and worn around the edges. They thought it was a terrific idea. So I think it was partly my input that he looks that way.

Oh, very nice. I'm glad that it was your input on how the character looked.

CAMPBELL: Partly my input.

Partially yes. Was it easy to slip back into the Okona of it all? He has a very specific cadence in the way that he talks. Was it easy to kind of go back there?

CAMPBELL: To be honest, I can't remember. All I remember is that I was so self-conscious when I was doing the original character. To be fair, the writing, the dialogue in that original Star Trek episode, it was not good dialogue. I was not a good enough actor, accomplished enough to make the less-than-good dialogue better. So I was terribly self-conscious. I remember Patrick being very, very kind and helping me out. But it was a thrill to go back there. I think the dialogue is quite different in Prodigy than it was in Next Generation. I think there, it was sort a bit more standard dialogue, standard TV writing. Prodigy seems to be a bit different.

Definitely. I love that Prodigy is this new show that appeals to kids and also Trekkies that have been around since the beginning. I'm just curious, what do you think it is about Star Trek that it has endured for so long and so many different variations?

CAMPBELL: To be honest, I do not know. I mean, I'm a fan myself, especially of the original show. I think it must be that ... It's the appeal of science fiction to begin with, that it's speculative, futuristic fiction. So you're able to ... I don't know. I think of Star Trek, the whole thing, as a holodeck, that you can walk into and just go somewhere very, very far away. I think that's the appeal of it. Aside from that, I don't know.

We're so close to having a holodeck in real life. It's like right on the cusp, of scientific invention.

CAMPBELL: Well, don't look to Zuckerberg for that.

We get a little bit of Okona's history in the episode, but I'm curious, do you have any personal headcanon for what he's been up to for all these years?

CAMPBELL: Just no good. I really love their take on him. He's far more sort of devilish and grubby and doing things for himself in Prodigy than he was back in the day. Back in the day, there was a glimmer something noble about him. I think in the original episode, I think I had possession of this jewel that the prince of one planet was trying to give the princess of the other. I think they thought that I had stolen it. But really, I was a mule to carry it to the princess. That's a bit noble. I didn't tell on anyone or anything. But in Prodigy, he's just out for himself. I really like that.

Now that you've got a chance to come back to this role and maybe redeem this role for yourself, is this something that if there was ever an opportunity to come back in live-action, would you be interested in something like that?

CAMPBELL: Sure. Sure I would. Of course. Oh, I would love that. I would love to come back as Okona in something. I had half a mind when Picard was going to call my agents to tell them to try to put something in somebody's ear to give me a cameo or something. But I never got around to it.

Since you do have this kind of complicated history with the dialogue and all of that for the character? Has it been good for you to get to go back to this role and redeem it for yourself and see this reaction? Because everyone's going to love this character, they’re going to love seeing him again.

CAMPBELL: It's been great. I have to say I was thrilled at the prospect, and I hope there becomes more of a... I was such a Trekkie back in the day, and I have been across the years, that I kind of think of myself as existing in the Star Trek universe. The character is persistent, at least in my mind, and now in fact, because he's back on Prodigy. So if somebody were to give me another go in live-action, I would be there in a heartbeat.

I always try to ask fun questions. So if Okona had a theme song, any song, any genre, what would it be?

CAMPBELL: “Fat Man in the Bathtub” by Little Feat.

You had that so ready to go. That's fantastic. Back in the '90s, you also played a character, a very iconic character in The Rocketeer. I know recently, there's been lots of conversation about, I guess they wanted to do a reboot of Rocketeer with Tuskegee Airmen, and J.D. Dillard was briefly going to be directing it, and now he is not. What do you think it is about the character of The Rocketeer that feels like a character that needs to come back for this generation of viewers?

CAMPBELL: I don't know, to be honest. I think why the movie should come back is that it was... I mean, of course, it wasn't the first superhero movie. And it's not a superhero movie, it's a regular guy movie. Except people keep telling me, "What's it like to be a superhero?" But he's not really. He doesn't exist in a superhero universe either. Superman's not going to come flying around in the Rocketeer universe. So I don't know exactly. I tell you what I love about the original film is its sweet spirit. In terms of that, I think that's reason enough to bring it back. We need more things with a sweet spirit these days.

Star Trek: Prodigy is streaming now Paramount+