The Star Trek community mourns the loss of two distinguished alums — actor Kay E. Kuter and writer Margaret Armen have both passed away.

Kuter, remembered for his long-running role as "Newt Kiley" on Green Acres and Petticoat Junction, is known to Trek fans as "The Sirah" in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "The Storyteller" and a "Cytherian" in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Nth Degree." According to The LA Times, Kuter died November 12 of pulmonary complications at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Burbank, CA. He was 78.

Kuter was the son of motion picture art director Leo "K" Kuter and silent screen actress Evelyn Edler. He studied at Pomona College and UCLA, graduating from what is now Carnegie Mellon University. Over the course of his five decade career, Kuter appeared in hundreds of television shows, theatre productions and numerous movies. He was also a director for the stage, voiced the Hershey's Kisses commercials and penned a biography about his father entitled "Picture Perfect World."

Margaret Armen wrote two classic Original Series episodes, "The Gamesters of Triskelion," and "The Paradise Syndrome" and provided the teleplay for another, "The Cloud Minders." She also penned "The Lorelai Signal" and "The Ambergris Element" for Star Trek: The Animated Adventures. She died November 10 of heart failure in her home in Woodland Hills, according to The LA Times. She was 82.

Armen was one of the first successful female television writers. In addition to her work on Trek, she penned episodes of such series as "The Big Valley" and "The Rifleman." Born in Washington D.C., Armen was the daughter of a naval officer and traveled extensively as a child. She graduated from UCLA and began her writing career with Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater. She later scripted such shows as Barnaby Jones and Land of the Lost. Later in her career, Armen moved on to writing novels, penning the Western "The Hanging of Father Miguel." She also served on the board of governors for the Television Academy and the board of directors for the Writers Guild of America West.

On behalf of the Star Trek community, we extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Kay E. Kuter and Margaret Armen.