Star Trek’s child actor Jon Steuer, a.k.a. Alexander, New Year’s death at 33
By Tony Smejek
Star Trek child actor, vegan restaurant owner, and singerJon Steuer, a.k.a. Alexander passes away on New Years Day. Band pays tribute to him on social media.
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Star Trek fans were endeared with the presence of Worf’s son Alexander Rozhenko in several episodes and had played a young, mostly Klingon child trying to adjust the Enterprise. Jon Paul Steuer was the first child actor to partake in Alexander’s journey. Now the Eater has reported his death which occurred New Year’s Day and the cause is unknown. He was 33.
In his remaining adult years after Star Trek he was a singer in a punk/garage/rock band called P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. in Portland, Oregon and later became a vegan restaurant owner of Harvest at the Bindery. His death resulted in it permanently closing as revealed in the below posting on their website:
"“Due to an unexpected tragedy, Harvest will be permanently closing our doors. We thank you for your support and understanding.”"
A memorial service will be held for Steuer at the Harvest at the Bindery this Sunday.
It is with heavy hearts and saddened minds that we announce the passing of our dear friend and singer Jonny Jewels, AKA…
Posted by P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. on Wednesday, January 3, 2018
The P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. band posted a heartwarming tribute to him on their Facebook page and it appears they enjoyed their time with Steuer regardless of the amount of time he’d spent with them.
The role was pretty interesting and seemed to follow a pattern of Star Trek’s theme of including mixed races in their genre and the issues addressing them. This remains consistent with Gene Roddenberry’s vision.
This is not unlike Spock’s half human side in addressing certain scenarios as well as in The Next Generation’s inclusion of Alexander’s mother K’Ehleyr, played by Suzie Plakson, who is also half human.
Alexander was dealing with having to adjust to Earth living. His foster grandparents later handed him off to Worf to live on the Enterprise. Since this keeps in line with Roddenberry’s vision of diversity in the future, it is understandable how some characters on the show can be relatable to the viewing audience.
The character of Alexander Rozhenko was later played by Family Ties actor Brian Bonsall after Steuer chose not to continue his work as the character due in part of his shyness as revealed by The Next Generation alumni and Discovery director Jonathan Frakes from a special feature portion of a Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 DVD.
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An interview with Steuer in 2015 by AV Club revealed his reason for not moving forward with acting. That after the age of 12, he didn’t like being a subject of attention.
"“I had never really gotten into acting for the stardom or the fame or the attention. I did it because I liked acting. That show brought a lot of press and attention around me and my personal life. I was right on the cusp of puberty, going through that awkward stage. To be put under a microscope like that is kind of a bizarre addition to your life that obviously not a lot of other people can relate to. “"
Season 1-3 of Star Trek are currently available for streaming on Netflix.