Commander Kelby (Derek Magyar)

Derek Magyar is a man living his dream. Doing something he says “always felt right to me”, Derek has the pleasure of working at a job he loves. He is not content with just staying in front of the camera and is the Director/Producer of the new film “Flying Lessons” that is to be released soon. More about that project and others he is involved with can be found below. Nerdles never misses the chance to talk Sci Fi or Star Trek with anyone and we jumped at the chance to interview Commander Kelby from the hit TV series Enterprise. We want to thank Derek in advance here for taking the time to speak with us. On to the interview!

Derek, you had the opportunity to be in Enterprise are you a Trekkie?
“No….I am a fan of the original and also a fan of Enterprise where I worked with Scott Bakula….but I wouldn’t consider myself a Trekkie.”

What do you think about the fan base Star Trek has maintained over the years?
“I think it is amazing but I’m not surprised. I think it is brilliant show and idea. To me it’s like the X Files, which I am a big fan of and it has the same kind of fan base. You can’t describe the following these shows have other than to say ‘it’s incredible and amazing’.”

Do fans still recognize you as Commander Kelby?
“They do and it is great. I got to be part of Enterprise for only the last season unfortunately. I remember people being very upset that it had been cancelled and they were picketing outside the Paramount lot after the announcement had been made that the show wouldn’t continue. I wish my experience would have been longer and was looking forward to what this journey would be but I think it had run its course.”

If you had the opportunity to be involved in another Star Trek project, either on the big screen or TV, would you take it?
“Yes, absolutely. I was very interested in JJ Abrams version and how he did things. I enjoyed going to work everyday while I was on that show. I enjoy Star Trek in general so I would love to be a part of it again if I had the opportunity.”

What is your favorite genre? Are you a big Sci Fi fan or do you have other interests?
“I am much more a fan of drama in terms of television and cinema. I don’t watch a lot of TV but I am into shows like Boardwalk Empire and Dexter. I am still a big X Files fan and of course became a fan of Enterprise after working on it. Those are my two Sci Fi shows.”

Derek has quite a few projects in the works or coming out soon and here is a complete run down:

Flying Lessons: A story about a young woman dealing with life and facing her past in order to make it in the future. Derek is both Producer and Director of this film which stars Hal Holbrook, Maggie Grace and Cary Elwes. No definite release date but it should be early 2012. For more info got to the official site here.

Derek stars in No One Lives along with Luke Evans and Adelaide Clemens. It  is a thriller about Highway Killers who bite off a little more than the can chew. It is just in post production so it will be released next year sometime also. For more info click here.

Phantom is another thriller where Derek works along side Ed Harris, David Duchovny, and Sean Patrick Flanery. The plot is about a covert mission by a Soviet Submarine Captain that holds the fate of the world in balance. More info on their Facebook site here.

Derek Magyar is a bright, intelligent, and courteous actor who should have a long and vibrant career doing what he love to do. We were impressed with his candid answers and insight and look forward to seeing more of his work soon.
Photo: Paramount

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