Sam Hennings Sam Hennings is the actor who portrayed in the first season episode . Hennings was born in Macon , Georgia and started working as an actor in television , film , and on stage in the 1980s . Prior to his work on " Star Trek : The Next Generation " he appeared in episodes of " Moonlighting " ( 1985 , with Robert Ellenstein and Brian Thompson ) , " The Colbys " ( 1985 , with regulars Stephanie Beacham , Tracy Scoggins , and Ricardo Montalban ) , " Dallas " ( 1986 , with Susan Howard , John Beck , Barry Jenner , and Morgan Woodward ) , " Alfred Hitchcock Presents " ( 1986 , with Bruce Gray and Nana Visitor ) , " Scarecrow and Mrs . King " ( 1986 , with Rick Fitts , Richard Herd , and Georgann Johnson ) , and " Houston Knights " ( 1988 , with Anthony DeLongis ) . Early film projects include the drama " Jo Jo Dancer , Your Life Is Calling " ( 1986 , with Barbara Williams and Mike Genovese ) , the family drama " On Our Own " ( 1988 ) , and the war drama " Private War " ( 1988 ) . In the 1990s , Hennings had guest roles in several television series such as " Jake and the Fatman " ( 1991 , with James Cromwell , Gregory Itzin , Dierk Torsek , Mark L . Taylor , and Margaret Reed ) , " The Trials of Rosie O ' Neill " ( 1991 , with Georgann Johnson , Lisa Banes , Victor Bevine , Karen Austin , and Meg Foster ) , " Murder She Wrote " ( 1995 , with Lisa Banes , Louis Giambalvo , and Allan Miller ) , " Pacific Blue " ( 1996 , with Michael Cavanaugh , Dennis Christopher , and Tim de Zarn ) , " The Magnificent Seven " ( 1998 , with Andrew Kavovit , Ron Perlman , Rick Worthy , Jerry Hardin , and Karen Hensel ) , " Soldiers of Fortune , Inc . " ( 1999 , with Melinda Clarke and Art Chudabala ) , " Walker , Texas Ranger " ( 1999 , with Noble Willingham , Stephen McHattie , Clayton Landey , and Michael Kagan ) , and " Pensacola : Wings of Gold " ( 1998 and 2000 , with Kristanna Loken , Tucker Smallwood , and Connor Trinneer in the first episode ) . Between 1998 and 2001 Hennings worked on four episodes of the military drama series " JAG " , portraying two different characters . In these episodes he worked with fellow " Trek " performers Stephen Macht , Larissa Laskin , Georgann Johnson , Billy Mayo , Scott Lawrence , David Lee Smith , James Black , Art Chudabala , Jim Fitzpatrick , Kerrie Keane , Sam Anderson , and James G . MacDonald . Further television work includes episodes of " 18 Wheels of Justice " ( 2001 ) , " Strong Medicine " ( 2001 , with Christopher Neiman ) , " ER " ( 2003 , with Tim Kelleher ) , " E - Ring " ( 2006 and 2007 , with Jack Kehler and J . Downing ) , " Saving Grace " ( 2007 , with Leon Rippy , Roger Aaron Brown , Steve Rankin , Rene Auberjonois , and Robin Gammell ) , " Dollhouse " ( 2009 ) , and " CSI : Miami " ( 2009 , with Sherman Augustus and Lauren Mary Kim ) . Hennings was featured in the action film " Mission Manila " ( 1990 ) , the drama " Seasons of the Heart " ( 1993 ) , the action thriller " Drop Zone " ( 1994 ) , the television drama " Point Last Seen " ( 1998 ) , the television special " Hunter : Return to Justice " ( 2002 , with Mike Gomez ) , ' s drama " The Aviator " ( 2004 , with Adam Scott , Brent Spiner , Joe Chrest , Keith Campbell , Chase Hoyt , Scott Sahadi , and Elizabeth DeCicco ) , and the crime drama " Stolen Lives " ( 2009 , with Joanna Cassidy , Jimmy Bennett , Andy Milder , Jude Ciccolella , Ray Proscia , and Bart McCarthy ) . In 2010 he joined fellow " Trek " actress Alfre Woodard as Charlie " Whitehead " White in the drama series " Memphis Beat " . The produced series also featured recurring guest actor Daniel Hugh Kelly and reunited Hennings with former " The Next Generation " assistant director Babu Subramaniam . Further recent projects are the family movie " Elevator Girl " ( 2010 , with Sean McGowan , Jeanette Miller , and Devin Williamson ) , a recurring role on the drama series " Look " ( 2010 , with Robert Curtis Brown and Boris Lee Krutonog ) , and guest roles in " The Event " ( 2010 , with Lisa Vidal , Bill Smitrovich , and Clifton Collins , Jr . ) and " Supernatural " ( 2011 , with Jim Beaver ) .