Catching Up With The Delaney Sisters

Tom Paris and Harry Kim had great taste. They long fancied the Delaney sisters, Megan and Jenny, and Star Trek: Voyager viewers finally got to see them in the flesh in “Thirty Days.” But they weren’t quite Megan and Jenny. Instead, fans encountered Demonica and Malicia, the Twin Mistresses of Evil, as depicted in Tom Paris’ Captain Proton program. Real-life twins Heidi Kramer Moss and Alissa Kramer portrayed Demonica and Malicia, and they’ve been on StarTrek.com’s radar for years as potential interview subjects. Their rare joint appearance this weekend at The Hollywood Show, an autograph event in Los Angeles, afforded us the opportunity to pick their brains about their Trek experience and catch up on their lives today. Here’s what they had to say:

What are each of you up to these days in terms of life, family, etc.?

Heidi: Well, both Alissa and I are very busy moms and keeping up with our kids, school, after-school activities, little league and work. Alissa is a realtor and lately I have found myself of on many sets as my daughters pursue their acting dreams themselves.

Alissa: Luckily, we only live 15 minutes from each other.

Alissa, as a realtor, how different or similar to acting is selling someone on a house?

Alissa: I am a realtor at Coldwell Banker in Beverly Hills. I love selling homes and working with my wonderful clients. Listing appointments can feel like auditions; however, acting is more fun, for sure, because it's creative. The market is great right now in Los Angeles, so selling homes, although cutthroat at times, is a great career for me. It's the first time Heidi and I have had completely different jobs. Most identical twins we have met over the course of our lifetime work in the same field and together.

Heidi: It’s true, but we’re happy that we are doing our own thing these days.

Alissa: I’m hoping to get on Million Dollar Listings one of these days. I've recently started to make short three-minute movies as ads designed to showcase the features and qualities of each home I sell. We use actual actors in them of the homes I sell. It's kind of a new trend right now.

Heidi, you mentioned your daughters’ acting dreams. What's it like to have the apple not fall very far from the tree?

Heidi: Yes, lots of apples around here. Both of my daughters have been very fortunate to have had great experiences in this industry so far and at such young ages. We never intended to put them in this business, having started myself as a young adult. My girls expressed interest after they enjoyed a brief moment on the set of one of my husband, Craig Moss' films. We called a former agent of ours and the girls both started working right away. I have put my running shoes on and I feel like I am running a marathon right now. Sorry to deviate there a bit, but it is the greatest feeling to watch your child do something so well with ease, love and passion.

How did the two of you discover acting? And how often did you act in the same project?

Heidi: As young children, both Alissa and I were in love with musical theater. We grew up in Vancouver, BC. Singing, acting and lots of dance was how we spent our childhood days. And then we both went to University of Miami.

Alissa: I went to the school of music and Heidi to the theater arts to major in musical theater. We both had zero interest in doing anything else.

Heidi: We both did theatre in New York, and tours, and then moved to L.A. And then, sadly, we left the theater world behind. Actually, the first day we moved to in L.A., we shot a Double Mint Gum commercial. We mostly worked together as twins, which was fun, but if I could do it over I would have made sure we had different reps so we could work and be seen more as individuals rather than as twins.

Are you now both done with acting? If so, why? And how open would you be to stepping back in front of a camera if the opportunity presented itself?

Heidi and Alissa: Sure.

Alissa: We have both acted since... We do cameos and funny twin parts in some of Heidi's husband's films. Heidi more so than myself. She has never spent more time on sets, though, than she has in the last three years. My niece, Makenzie Moss, has quite a career these days in the film industry. She did three movies, all on location, last year, including a lead in the Steve Jobs movie by Aaron Sorkin/Danny Boyle.

Heidi: Spoken like a proud Auntie. Aside from happily standing beside the camera, I would love to step back in because acting is what I love, but coaching my daughters seems to be where I am at these days and I love that, too. Who knows, maybe one day, but I am not pursuing that right now.

Let's switch to Star Trek. How familiar were you with Star Trek in general and Voyager specifically when "Thirty Days" came along?

Alissa: Oh my God, my sister had the biggest crush on Wil Wheaton. She used to make me watch Star Trek to see him. We were familiar with the "legend" of the show. How could we not be? The show is such a cultural phenomenon. Everyone knew about it.

Heidi: And even in Canada! I can't believe you remember that Alissa! Yes, Wil Wheaton... Big crush.

The Delaney sisters had been mentioned several times over the course of Voyager before fans finally got to meet them. Did the writers fill you in on who they are and how they figured into the Tom-Harry friendship storyline?

Alissa: Not really. We asked more questions and some of our friends who are avid Star Trek fans helped us learn.

Heidi: I do remember seeing the sketches of the twins. We laughed and laughed when we saw the costumes and those hats!

Alissa: Our experience with Voyager, filming at Paramount, was one of our most exciting and memorable "sister jobs" we have done thus far.

How did the opportunity come your way, and what do you remember of the audition process?

Heidi: Our beloved former manager, Robert Wachs, was friends with a Star Trek producer, and introduced us. They then thought that we could be the right fit to bring Delaney sister characters to life. We are grateful they did.

Rather than Megan and Jenny, viewers met the Twin Mistresses of Evil, Demonica and Malicia. The story goes that the two of you actually filmed a scene as Megan and Jenny aboard the Voyager. What do you remember of shooting those scenes? And what happened in them?

Heidi: We were so thrilled that we were able to be Megan and Jenny as well. It was a long time ago, but I remember shooting a Megan and Jenny scene, and the cast being incredibly welcoming. Garrett Wang) was the best. We had a ton of fun with him. He showed us the whole set and we kept in touch with him for a while. Sadly, social media and Facebook weren't around back then.

Alissa: Robbie (McNeill) and Garrett were so fantastic and we had the greatest time shooting that scene.

What else do you recall from the shoot?

Heidi: The hats, hair, heels, leather. We felt ridiculous, especially considering that not only did we have to wear it, but look at each other looking ridiculous. Pretty funny. Lots of laughs. We liked the Star Trek uniforms much better, but I do remember thinking how itchy they were. They were 100 % wool.

Alissa: How did the series regulars wear those daily?

Heidi: Paramount is such a special lot and the sets were absolutely incredible, and I can't remember how many stages they were on, but it seemed like a whole world in space. It was truly astounding and so well done, but also very realistic. We were incredibly fortunate to be a part of it. It is indeed a memory we will treasure always.

Rick Kolbe was known as a serious guy who moved things along quickly and wanted things played straight. Yet everyone in the Captain Proton sequences in “Thirty Days” -- you ladies, Robbie, Garrett and Bob Picardo - all seemed to camp it up. Had Kolbe let everyone have a little fun and amp up their performances, or did all of you kind of bring the fun on the sly?

Heidi: I remember that Mr. Kolbe wanted it to be played up and camp it up a bit, like the throwbacks to the old movies. It was intended to be fun and was.

UPN actually released photos of you two as Megan and Jenny. At what point did you find out that scene was cut? Was it before the episode aired... or while you were watching it?

Heidi: I can't remember, but I do recall seeing the Megan and Jenny scene on TV or at least part of it, I think.

Alissa: I can't remember, either.

There was quite a bit of fan fiction devoted to Megan and Jenny, to Demonica and Malicia and their relationships with Tom and Harry. Were you aware of it? And had or have you ever read any of it? If so, your thoughts?

Heidi: Hmm....we weren't aware of that, but would love to see it!

Star Trek is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. What does it mean to the two of you to be a part of the whole phenomenon?

Heidi: It was truly an honor to have been part of this incredible phenomenon. It was special for us because, although we had such a small part, small parts on Star Trek are never forgotten.

Heidi Kramer Moss and Alissa Kramer will be at the Hollywood Show, an autograph event to be held July 8-10 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel in Los Angeles; go to www.thehollywoodshow.com for details.