James B . Sikking James Barrie Sikking , from Los Angeles , California , is the actor who played the self - righteous Captain Styles in the film . He was a good friend of the film ' s director and co - star , Leonard Nimoy , with whom he worked a number of times . A favorite of producer Steven Bochco , Sikking is best known for his Emmy - nominated role as Lieutenant Howard Hunter on the television series " Hill Street Blues " . guest actress Barbara Babcock was also a cast member on that show , as were " " guest stars Barbara Bosson , Tony Plana , and Jonathan Banks . Sikking later became known for his role on Bochco ' s medical dramedy " Doogie Howser , M . D . " as the title character ' s father . Also a part of that show ' s cast was " Star Trek " guest actor Lawrence Pressman and TNG guest performer Lucy Boryer . Sikking ' s son Andrew had a recurring role as a uniformed officer on Bochco ' s " NYPD Blue " , working over the years with Gordon Clapp , Sharon Lawrence , and Michael Buchman Silver . Sikking had previously been a regular on the daytime soap opera " General Hospital " . In 1992 , he and late actress Bibi Besch played a married couple in the made - for - TV special " Doing Time on Maple Drive " . Sikking also has numerous television guest appearances to his credit , including " The Fugitive " , " My Favorite Martian " ( starring Ray Walston ) , " Bonanza " , " Hogan ' s Heroes " , , " The Streets of San Francisco " , " The Rockford Files " , " Hawaii Five - O " , " Starsky and Hutch " , and " Hunter " , among many others . One of his earliest TV appearances , however , was an episode of " The Outer Limits " alongside his " Star Trek III " co - star William Shatner ( as well as TOS actors Lawrence Montaigne and Malachi Throne ) . Besides " Star Trek III " , his notable film credits also include " Ordinary People " ( 1980 ) , " Up the Creek " ( 1984 , with Robert Costanzo and Frank Welker ) , Sikking played the stingy Bill Watson in the 1987 comedy hit " Soul Man " with Voyager guest star Wallace Langham , " Narrow Margin " ( 1990 , with Harris Yulin ) , and " The Pelican Brief " ( 1993 , with Casey Biggs ) . He also appeared in the 1973 film " Scorpio " , which also featured TOS / DS9 guest actor John Colicos . He most recently appeared in the 2005 remake of " Fever Pitch " , as did DS9 guest actor Jack Kehler . Sikking and " Star Trek III " producer Harve Bennett had been acquaintances for quite some time prior to their collaboration on " Search for Spock " . Bennett produced two 1972 ABC Movies of the Week which featured Sikking and his fellow " Star Trek III " co - star Paul Kent : " The Astronaut " ( also starring Robert Lansing and Monte Markham ) and " Family Flight " ( also with Ed Begley , Jr . and Bill Zuckert ) . The following year , Bennett produced the unsold series pilot for " The Alpha Caper " , which also featured Sikking and Kent as well as their fellow " Star Trek III " actor Paul Sorenson , TOS guest actor Vic Tayback , DS9 guest actor Kenneth Tobey , and Leonard Nimoy . And in 1984 , the same year in which " Star Trek III " was released , Bennett worked with Sikking again on " The Jesse Owens Story " , which also starred Vic Tayback and future actors Ben Vereen , Ronny Cox , and LeVar Burton . Sikking also lent his voice to two episodes of the animated series " Batman Beyond " , appearing with Brian George , Kate Jackson , Victor Rivers , and Brian Tochi . Sikking most recently collaborated with Bennett on the animated science fiction series " Invasion America " , to which Sikking , Nimoy , Bennett , Ronny Cox , and Tony Jay lent their voices . Other " Trek " connections . Additional projects in which Sikking worked with other " Star Trek " alumni include :