Happy birthday, Marina—what a great (NCIS) present!

Yes, it's been a great week for Marina Sirtis—and not just for a HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout-out today:

Congrats to her on the news this week that she's signed on to play the new fictional head of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, on CBS's venerable top-draw show NCIS.

Her first episodes are set to air in April, so she should be safely full of tales too tell by the time we next cross paths with fans at Sun City Sci-Fi in El Paso April 26-28.

Marina answered my brief congrats this week with a quick email: "I'm stoked!" And for her it's not about just any new role:  Playing the head of the infamous spy agency is a far cry from Deanna Troi—and that's exactly the campaign that the beautiful Marina has been on with casting dfirectors lately: excising the memory of the iconic but soft, sensitive Starfleet counselor we all love, which can be maddening to expand an acting resume.

In fact, the news brought to mind a discussion she and I had on TREKLAND video back in 2009—ironically also filmed around her birthday, in Italy—where she recalls how thrilled she was to pay a bitchy prison matron, a role won only after her campaign to let the director know she was way more than Troi. Here's the fun little pre-HD clip (especially at 3:30), for all you newbies since then:

STV: Greece and I make Marina cry—!?

Who'da thunk that Marina Sirtis, London-bred but with deep obvious roots in Greece, had never been to a Trek convention in her ancient homeland?

She and I both recently had a great chance to be among the guests at a small convention on the south coast, Terraformers II, — though it was not as long a chat as the last time we did this, and we raced the growing shadows as the sun dipped low into the waterscape.  Of course, Marina helped catch up with Trekland on what's what and what's coming up. No dog rescue this year, but with so much of her brother's local family there, Auntie Mina was having a ball.

Except when she gets choked up... :-)

STV: Marina Part 2: Eurofans, theatre, dog patrol...

As promised—here's Part 2 of our original chat with Marina from Italy while we found ourselves both guesting at DeepCon there. Here she turns a bit more introspective, talking about what's great about Eurofans ... her one big unfulfilled wish (hint: it involves treading boards")... and our own local rescue patrol moment, when she showed her true colors about dogs.

For fans who recall all her years of Skilaggi stories, it's a poignant Yorkie coincidence.

STV: New trailer for Marina's thriller is out

Marina Sirtis was very proud of the work she did in the global thriller 31 North, 62 East when we talked with her earlier this year—even though she laughs about mixing up the titles' coordinates!—and a trailer is now online:

STV: Launch Week special—a vidchat with Marina, Part I

Always a treat to speak with the lovely and busy Marina Sirtis! So when we had the chance to catch up while guesting at DeepCon in Fiuggi, Italy, this year, she was gracious enough to v-chat for all our Treklanders. I wanted to share it all, so be looking for Part 2 coming up very soon ...