Neal McDonough’s Surprising Star Trek Role Before His Villain Era

Neal McDonough has long been recognised for his steely composure and an air of quiet menace, the sort of presence that hushes a room before he’s uttered a word. Many will associate him with his formidable turns as Malcolm Beck in Yellowstone or as Cal Thresher, squaring up to Sylvester Stallone in Tulsa King. These parts are defined by authority, precision, and a certain intimidating charm.

From Starfleet to Hollywood’s Most Chilling Antagonists

Yet, well before Taylor Sheridan cast him in the world of ranches and power struggles, and prior to his Marvel stint as Dum Dum Dugan, McDonough donned a very different uniform. In the 1996 film Star Trek: First Contact, he appeared as Lieutenant Hawk, a Starfleet officer whose brief time on screen left a lasting impression. Here, McDonough wasn’t the mastermind, nor the captain, nor the villain. He was simply a dedicated officer, and in true Star Trek fashion, his commitment came at a cost.

Subsequent tie-in novels would later confirm Hawk’s sexuality, though the film itself never addressed it. For McDonough, this was an unlikely starting point, one that would influence the trajectory of his career.

Mastering the Art of the Villain

Some performers seem destined for heroic roles, but McDonough has carved out a niche as the man you’d rather not cross. Across television, he’s perfected the art of understated threat, the kind that lingers just beneath a polite smile. His portrayal of Cal Thresher in Tulsa King is a natural extension of this legacy.

Thresher is painted as a powerful, fiercely territorial businessman, and his confrontations with Stallone’s Dwight Manfredi are less heated rows and more like slow-burning threats. This reputation didn’t materialise overnight. McDonough’s first real foray into darkness came with Desperate Housewives, where his character Dave Williams arrived as the amiable neighbour, only to unravel into something far more unsettling. His portrayal of grief and instability felt authentic, echoing real-life trauma rather than television melodrama. As McDonough once put it,

Dave is this really sweet guy next door, and then something tragic happens to him, and his personality splits in half. You like Dave and you feel for him, but he also creeps the hell out of you.

Villainy Across Genres

From there, McDonough’s roles in Justified as Robert Quarles and in Yellowstone as Malcolm Beck showcased his ability to shift from charm to menace in a heartbeat. Beck, in particular, demonstrated how cruelty, when paired with wealth, can leave a mark long after the character’s exit. Even after his final scene, Beck’s actions continued to reverberate, altering lives and power dynamics. McDonough’s antagonists endure because he never takes shortcuts—there’s no softening, no half-measures. His stint as Damien Darhk in the Arrowverse balanced malice with a disconcerting ease, proving that evil needn’t always be loud.

Ironically, this mastery of villainy can be traced back to his time on Star Trek: First Contact, where he learned the ropes from industry legends. Reflecting on the experience, he recalled,

Patrick Stewart became such a paternal figure to me because he knew it was my first big movie. Jonathan Frakes, who also directed, took it upon himself to bust my nuggets every single day on set. They said, ‘Look, we only have you for a short amount of time. You’re about to die, you’re the red shirt guy. So we’re going to make fun of you all day long.’

It’s difficult not to appreciate just how far he’s come since those early days.

The Future of Cal Thresher in Tulsa King

As for whether Cal Thresher will return, the series has left his fate deliberately ambiguous. The third season of Tulsa King concluded with significant upheaval. Dwight Manfredi found himself at odds with Tulsa’s long-standing liquor baron Jeremiah Dunmire after acquiring a historic distillery. Dunmire’s response was ruthless, culminating in a violent attack and arson. By the tenth episode, Dwight retaliated in kind, setting Dunmire alight. While the finale didn’t end on a dramatic cliffhanger, it certainly left several threads unresolved, not least Thresher’s future.

Thresher’s journey from adversary to uneasy ally, and his subsequent election as Oklahoma’s governor, positions him as a political heavyweight. The real question is not whether he’ll honour his arrangement with Dwight, but what it means to be in someone’s pocket when you wield state-level influence. The upcoming fourth series is already shaping up to explore this political angle, with Gretchen Mol joining as Amanda Clark, a Tulsa politician likely to complicate matters further.

Paramount+ has confirmed the show’s renewal, with Terence Winter returning as executive producer and head writer. While an official release date remains unannounced, a mid-May premiere is possible if production follows previous patterns. Meanwhile, fans of Taylor Sheridan have another reason to stay tuned: a spin-off, NOLA King, starring Samuel L. Jackson, is expected to begin filming in February 2026.

Star Trek: First Contact is available to rent on Apple TV. Yellowstone and Tulsa King are streaming on Paramount+.