(written from a Production point of view)
Michael Brislane (30 November 1956 – 11 October 2015; age 58) was the actor who played the Saratoga science officer in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Brislane was born in Sioux City Iowa, where he lived until 1968, when his family moved to Grass Valley, California. He eventually attended Sacramento State, where he graduated in 1983 with a BS in physical education pre-therapy.
In 1984, he moved to Hollywood and would become the winner of Star Search's second season in the category of actor. He appeared in several TV shows, including two appearances as a waiter in Hotel (with Michael Ensign and Michael Spound), an appearance as an actor in an episode of the series The Fall Guy (with Ted Gehring and Emilia Crow), as well as, several movie appearances, including the aforementioned Star Trek IV in 1986, before becoming disenchanted with the Hollywood lifestyle.
Brislane returned to Grass Valley, where he got married and started a family, before beginning a new career as a corrections officer for the State of California, where he was employed for 18 years. [1]