Idris Elba's Role In This Obscure '90s Sci-Fi Series Is Genuinely Baffling

He might have appeared in massive franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the "Fast and Furious," and taken the lead in shows like "Luther" and the underrated Apple TV series, "Hijack," but there was a time when Idris Elba's name didn't carry that much weight. In fact, in one of his earliest roles, it was decided that it would be better for him to be seen and not heard in the brief screen time he had. The show that offered an uneasy leg up in his career was the sci-fi cop series "Space Precinct."

Created in 1994 by Gerry Anderson (the mind behind shows such as "Thunderbirds" and "Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons"), the show was set in the distant future, where humans and aliens co-exist, and followed a human NYPD detective now working in a police force inhabited by various species. Not a bad gig for Elba, right? Well, it would be if that were his role. No, instead, the future star of movies like "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom" and the upcoming "Masters of the Universe" appeared as a space-age pizza delivery guy. Admittedly, everyone's got to start somewhere, but what's even funnier about this forgotten performance is that, in this case, the poor guy was completely dubbed over.

With roughly four minutes of screen time in the episode entitled "Double Duty," Elba plays a shifty delivery driver who's moving more than just pizzas. After being caught in criminal activity, he's pulled in by Lt. Patrick Brogan (Ted Shackleford) and Officer Jackson Haldane (Rob Youngblood) for questioning. While there's no doubt that time hasn't been kind to the show, it's Elba's interrogation that will spark some laughs. Check out the video above to see it in action.

Disney might've deemed the star's voice worthy of Shere Khan in their 2016 remake of "The Jungle Book," the higher-ups behind "Space Precinct" instead decided that American-born actor David Healy would sound better as a smooth-talking deliveryman. Healy had already contributed to other projects under Anderson, including "Captain Scarlet" and "Joe 90." The difference there was that those shows had an entire cast of marionettes. Surely Elba wasn't that wooden?

This brief appearance as a pizza spaceman with a shoddy helmet thankfully didn't mark the end of his career, and Elba managed to reach the world-famous level that he is now, even after "Space Precinct." "The Wire" was, thankfully, the show that gave him a nudge, after it conveniently became one of the greatest television shows ever made. After that, Elba has gone on to appear in Oscar-level hits, massive blockbusters, and even underappreciated survival thrillers like "Beast." With such an illustrious career since his time at "Space Precinct," we should just be glad he found his voice eventually.