9-1-1 co-creator Tim Minear has confirmed a secret cameo on 9-1-1: Lone Star in season 8 of the main series, explaining the process behind the surprise appearance. In episode 2 of 9-1-1 season 8, Athena (Angela Bassett) has a flashback to the day of her fiancé Emmett’s (Jeff Pierre) funeral, which features a dispatcher making one last call during the tragic event. The voice of that dispatcher is none other than Gina Torres, who played Captain Timmy Vega on 9-1-1: Lone Star. The cameo makes it easier to tie the two series together at the end of their run.
Speaking to TVLine, Minear revealed that he wanted Torres to voice the funeral dispatcher in episode 2 of 9-1-1 season 8 because of her voice acting talents. Referring to her voice work on Disney World’s Mission: SPACE at EPCOT, the creator said that while it wasn’t always the plan to use her voice, they ultimately decided she was the best fit for the emotional moment. See what Minear had to say below: “I called Gina [Torres] and just said, Hey, can you do a little voice for me? I need a great voice, and she has the best voice. She was even the voice on a ride at Disney World, if I’m not mistaken and I’m not…. I’m always looking for reasons to hire Gina Torres.” While it’s unclear whether or not canon will specify that Tommy was actually the one who spoke at Emmett’s funeral, it would help tie the two series together more closely when the spinoff ends. Torres’ cameo makes sense given her working relationship with Minear, who also co-wrote the episode with Ted Griffin. The actress and series co-creator first collaborated on Firefly, where she played Zoe Washburne, and the pair reunited for her small role as Jasmine on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff Angel. She’s been a regular on 9-1-1: Lone Star since season 2, but also has a lot of voice acting experience, including Airachnid in Transformers Prime and Vixen in Justice League Unlimited. These factors make her perfect for the role of voicing Athena’s flashback. 9-1-1: Lone Star Season 5 Is Owen’s Last Chance At Love A 9-1-1: Lone Star alum returns for season 5, episode 5, and she could be playing Rob Lowe’s Owen on the Fox show.
Given her role in the spinoff, the cameo serves as a nice tribute to the series, especially since 9-1-1: Lone Star season 5 will be the series’ final season. This is also just the first mention of the spinoff this season, with 9-1-1 season 8, episode 5 featuring a brief tribute to Firehouse 126. While it’s unclear if canon will point to Tommy actually speaking at Emmett’s funeral, it would help tie the two series together more closely as the spinoff comes to an end.
Torres’ cameo is not only a nod to her role on 9-1-1: Lone Star, but it also provides some emotional resonance since the spinoff is coming to an end soon. Season 5 will end on December 16, 2024, essentially wrapping up the show and its character arcs for good. While that doesn’t mean 9-1-1 won’t have some surprise cameos in the future, especially since Torres’ appearance has opened the door, these will likely be small cameos like hers. Still, it’s a conscious nod to its concluding counterpart.
