by Scott Mehl © Unofficial Royalty 2013

photo: Wikipedia

Along with various other interests and hobbies, King Abdullah II of Jordan is a huge Star Trek fan. In fact, in 1996 while still Prince Abdullah, he appeared briefly in an episode of Star Trek: Voyager as a science officer. Because he wasn’t a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild, it was only a non-speaking role, but Abdullah made the best of his 5 seconds of screen time!

The Prince so enjoyed his appearance that he invited some of the cast to be his guests in Jordan, and arranged a small convention for other Jordanian fans. In 2011, it was announced that a Star Trek theme park is being built as part of a huge resort complex – the Red Sea Astrarium – being built in Aqaba, Jordan. King Abdullah is a primary investor in the project, estimated to cost $1.5 billion, which opened in 2014.

Who knew?!

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