Percy Rodriguez Percy Rodriguez was the Canadian actor of descent who played Commodore in the first season episode . As such , he was the first black actor to play a flag officer on " Star Trek " . He filmed his scenes on Monday , and between Wednesday and Monday at Desilu Stage 9 and Stage 10 . Several years after his appearance on " Star Trek " , Rodriguez worked on another Gene Roddenberry project , the failed TV pilot " Genesis II " . Among his co - stars on this project were fellow " Trek " veterans Majel Barrett , Ted Cassidy , and Mariette Hartley . Rodriguez is known for lending his rich , authoritative voice to the narration of a number of film trailers , most notably for the 1975 summer blockbuster " Jaws " . He is also recognized for breaking the stereotype barriers faced by black actors during the 1960s and 70s by portraying characters of authority like Commodore Stone . He played the regular role of Dr . Harry Miles on the TV drama " Peyton Place " during that show ' s final season ( 1968 - 69 ) ; when he was initially cast on that series , a headline in the " Los Angeles Times " read " A Doctor ' s Role for Negro Actor , " signifying the rarity of having black actors portray those types of roles at the time . In 1972 , he starred with fellow TOS actor Phillip Pine in an episode of titled " Whisper of Evil " . In 1979 , he was part of the cast of the acclaimed mini - series " Roots : The Next Generations " , along with fellow " Trek " actors Brock Peters , Paul Winfield , and Bernie Casey . In 1980 , he played the recurring role of Winston on the short - lived " Sanford and Son " spin - off " Sanford " . His other television roles include several appearances on , which , like the original " Star Trek " , was originally produced by Desilu Studios . Leonard Nimoy was a regular on " Mission : Impossible " when Rodriguez made his last appearance on the show in 1970 . Rodriquez also appeared in an episode of " Marcus Welby , M . D . " with James Doohan , at least one episode of " T . J . Hooker " with William Shatner , and at least five episodes of " Benson " , starring DS9 ' s Rene Auberjonois and VOY ' s Ethan Phillips . In addition to his television work , Rodriguez co - starred in the acclaimed 1968 film " The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter " . His other feature film credits include " Come Back , Charleston Blue " ( 1972 ) , " Rhinoceros " ( 1974 ) , and " Invisible Strangler " ( 1976 , co - starring Robert Foxworth , Marianna Hill , and Leslie Parrish ) . His voice can be heard in such films as " Galaxina " ( 1980 , starring Stephen Macht ) and " Heavy Metal " ( 1981 , co - starring John Vernon and Warren Munson ) and also as narrator of Wes Craven ' s " Deadly Blessing " ( 1981 , featuring Michael Berryman and Lawrence Montaigne ) . Rodriguez retired from acting soon afterwards , with his last known screen work being the 1987 " Perry Mason " telefilm " The Case of the Sinister Spirit " , co - starring Dwight Schultz , David Ogden Stiers , and Leigh Taylor - Young . Recently , he came out of retirement to record the narration for the trailer of the upcoming documentary " The Shark Is Still Workin " , which examines the cultural impact of the film " Jaws " . Some two months later , on 6 September 2007 , Rodriguez died due to kidney issues at the age of 89 . Other " Trek " connections . Additional projects in which Rodriguez worked with other " Star Trek " alumni include :