star trek actor most roles

Star Trek: 25 Actors Who Played Multiple Roles

From Nana Visitor to Vaughn Armstrong, here are the prolific actors who played between two and 12 characters on Star Trek.

The entertainment industry is filled with actors who excel in playing very diverse roles . Some of them have even embodied two very different characters in the same movie or series, such as a good twin/bad twin situation, or a character’s ancestor , or their alternate version in another universe. It takes a special kind of talent to deliver such diverging performances in a credible and believable manner.

In a sci-fi franchise as popular as Star Trek , with its plethora of series, films, and games, recasting someone in various human and alien roles isn’t all that hard, given the artistic make-up and special effects that can render anyone unrecognizable. While some of the performers have donned different looks across the films and shows , others have taken their talent further by doing it not just in the same series, but sometimes in the span of one episode.

From Nana Vistor, to Jeffrey Combs, to Vaughn Armstrong, here are the versatile actors who played between two and 12 different characters in the Star Trek universe.

25 Nana Visitor: Two

"She's such a handy actress with fight scenes." - Stunt Coordinator Dennis Madalone (Star Trek Magazine, issue 127)

Nana Visitor was so convincing in her role as the Bajoran Major (and eventually Colonel) Kira Nerys on DS9 , that she won the OFTA Television Award for Best Actress in a Syndicated Series, as well as a Universe Reader’s Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Genre TV Series. More recently, she also voiced her character on Lower Decks . This Nerys was compassionate, selfless, capable, courageous, and very much against the Cardassians. The Intendant Nerys that Visitor portrayed in the Mirror Universe, however, was a different story; she was a promiscuous, narcissistic, power-hungry, black leather-clad femme fatale who was a prominent member of the Klingon-Cardassian alliance. "A spoiled brat with an ego gone awry," as the actress puts it in the reference book Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion.

24 Jonathan Frakes: Two

Producer, director, and actor Jonathan Frakes is mostly known for playing the honorable, self-assured, and charming William T. Riker on TNG , DS9 , Voyager , Enterprise , Lower Decks , and Picard , as well as the movies Generations , First Contact , Nemesis , and Insurrection . But he also portrayed his bitter and less confident doppelgänger in TNG and DS9 , an accidental clone who was created in a transporter malfunction, and was stranded alone on planet Nervala before joining Starfleet, and then the Maquis rebels.

Fun fact: Frakes also voiced William Riker on 2 episodes in the adult animated series Family Guy .

Related: 10 Star Trek: The Next Generation Characters Who Deserved Better

23 Robert Knepper: Two

Robert Knepper , whose best-known role is the sadistic T-Bag on Prison Break , is credited with two roles on the shows: on TNG as Wyatt Miller, Deanna Troi’s (Marina Sirtis) gentle but reluctant betrothed; and on Voyager as Gaul, a selfish, double-crossing Vaadwaur who spent years in stasis.

22 Paul Winfield: Two

Paul Edward Winfield , who appeared in over 120 movies and shows, namely Terminator , Dennis the Menace , and Mars Attacks! ), played Captain Clark Terrell in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , who, because his mind was invaded by controlling slugs, chose to shoot himself instead of Admiral Kirk (William Shatner). Winfield was also cast on TNG as the Tamarian Captain Darmok, who had wise metaphoric exchanges with Captain Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart).

21 Tony Todd: Three

You might remember Tony Todd from the horror franchise Candyman , but he also embodied several Star Trek characters: the Klingon Worf’s impetuous brother Kurn, on both TNG and DS9 ; an older, wiser version of Jake Sisko, the Captain’s teenage son on DS9 ; and Karon, an Alpha-Hirogen hunter on Voyager .

20 Majel Barrett Rodenberry: At Least Four

Dubbed The First Lady of Star Trek because she was married to creator Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett Rodenberry was the only one to have been featured one way or another in all the earlier TV shows. Besides voicing the main Federation computers, her three main roles are Number One in The Original Series pilot, Nurse/Dr. Christine Chapel in TOS , and the Betazoid ambassador Lwaxana Troi on both TNG and DS9 . Troi was particularly memorable for her extravagant sense of fashion, and unhinged, controlling attitude, mixed with empathy and kindness.

19 Armin Shimerman: Four

Audiences only started viewing the alien Ferengi in a more favorable light since DS9 , because the latter provided more information on their customs and planet, and presented interesting, complex characters, such as Quark, played by Armin Shimerman . The station’s greedy but witty bar owner Quark had already made a brief appearance on Voyager , but Shimerman’s first roles in the franchise were on TNG , as two other Ferengis: Letek and DaiMon Bractor. He also played the irascible Human sci-fi writer Herbert Rossoff in DS9 ’s acclaimed episode Far Beyond the Stars, set in the 1950s.

18 Diana Muldaur: Four

Diana Muldaur ’s most famous role is the headstrong, blunt, and dependable Chief of Medical Dr. Katherine Pulaski on TNG . But before that, she played three characters on TOS : the skeptical Starfleet astrobiologist Ann Mulhall; Dr. Miranda Jones, a blind telepath with a sensor web (the device that inspired Geordi La Forge’s visor) who studied on Vulcan; and Thalassa, a kind 500,000-year-old Arretan, whose consciousness borrowed Ann’s body.

17 Casey Biggs: Four

Casey Biggs ’ most recognizable role is DS9 ’s Legate Damar, the Cardassian officer under Gul Dukat who eventually became Leader of the Cardassian Liberation Front, and teamed up with Kira the Dominion. Biggs also played Dr. Wykoff in Sisko’s vision, a holosuite guest, and an Illyrian Captain on Enterprise .

16 Carolyn Seymour: Four

British actress Carolyn Seymour played the suspicious Romulan Sub-Commander Taris on TNG ; Mirasta Yale, a Malcorian astronomer desperate for alien contact, who chose to leave her planet aboard the Enterprise; the Romulan Commander Torth; and Voyager ’s holodeck period drama character Mrs. Templeton.

15 Tim Russ: Five

Actor and director Tim Russ may have first coveted the role of La Forge (which went to LeVar Burton), but he was very convincing as the Human mercenary Devor on TNG , the Klingon mercenary T’Kar on DS9 , and a lieutenant on the bridge of the starship Enterprise-B in the movie Generations .

"The Empire is governed by doddering fools and frightened old women who aren't worthy of the name Klingon." - T’Kar

Russ’ most cherished portrayal, though, is the Vulcan Lieutenant Commander Tuvok in Voyager , who served as chief of security and tactical, and uttered lines like, “We often fear what we don't understand. Our best defense is knowledge.”

The actor also played his Mirror counterpart in DS9 . While the brave and loyal prime Tuvok was a complex person, whose interests spanned meditation, the lute, martial arts, and puzzle games, Mirror Tuvok was a rather cold and bland faction leader.

14 James Cromwell: Five

The multi-award winner James Oliver Cromwell portrayed the iconic warp-drive creator Zefram Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact , as well as his Mirror version on Enterprise ; the hypocritical Angosian Prime Minister Nayrok and the Yridian information dealer Shrek on TNG ; and the Karemman Commerce Minister Hanok on DS9 .

13 Gregory Itzin: Five

24 antagonist Gregory Itzin played two villains on DS9 as well: Ilon Tandro, the vengeful Klaestron who kidnapped the beloved Trill Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell), and the thief Hain, who plotted to steal bar regular Morn’s fortune. On Enterprise , Itzin was the arrogant Vulcan captain Sopek, and Starfleet Admiral Black in the Mirror Universe. And on Voyager , he portrayed the Dinaali Doctor Dysek, who was forced into only giving treatment to select citizens.

12 John Fleck: Six

“I made a nice living playing non-human beings. I called it “torture pay,” sitting in the makeup chair for hours, getting glued and painted, and then hours taking it off.” - John Fleck to Broadway World

John Fleck ( Babylon 5 , Carnivàle , Murder One ) made brief appearances on TNG as the Romulan officer Taibak; on DS9 as a Cardassian overseer, the Karamman trader Ornithar, and the Romulan Tal Shiar Chairman Koval; and on Voyager as Abaddon, a Delta Quadrant junkyard owner. Fleck’s only recurring role was on Enterprise as Silik, a genetically enhanced Suliban who was first seen infiltrating the starship to steal a Temporal Observatory.

11 J. Paul Boehmer: Six

Besides voicing two Star Trek video games, J. Paul Boehmer ( The Thomas Crown Affair , The Good German ) has six acting credits in the series. In Voyager , he appeared as the holographic Nazi officer Kapitan and as the Borg drone One; in DS9 , as the Cardassian officer Vornar and the pro-human Vulcan explorer Mestral; and in Enterprise , as two unnamed Nazi officials. Clearly, the casting directors found his sharp features, firm voice, and piercing eyes very fitting.

"Perhaps if you spent more time observing human behavior, you might not have such a pessimistic view of them." - Mestral

10 Paul S. Eckstein: Six

Although sometimes uncredited, writer, actor, and producer Paul S. Eckstein played 6 characters on Star Trek . In DS9 , he was the rebellious Jem'Hadar soldier Limara'Son and a Jem'Hadar guard on Cardassia Prime 2. And in Voyager , he portrayed the renovation supervisor Yost, a young Hirogen in a hunting party, a lineant Beta-Hirogen, and the Klingon warrior Morak.

9 John Kenton Shull: Six

The number of actors who played 6 different roles in the franchise is significant, and John Kenton Shull ( Bates Motel , Dallas , Pump Up the Volume ) is also worth mentioning. You might have spotted him on DS9 as a Bajoran security officer and the Klingon captain K'Temang. Or on Voyager as the Klingon ghost Brok'tan, the mining commander Nocona, and a Hanonian herbal healer. He also played a Klingon opera Thespian on TNG .

“There are things here worse than death.” - Brok’tan

8 Marc Alaimo: At Least Six

The fan-favorite Mark Alaimo ( Tango & Cash , Total Recall , Hill Street Blues ) played the very first Cardassian and Romulan on TV, when he appeared on TNG as the rigid Gul Macet and the witty Commander Tebok, respectively. He also portrayed the mischievous 19-century French-speaking poker player Frederick LaRouque. Additionally, though uncredited, Alaimo also played Badar N’D’D, an Antican (a canine-looking alien).

Fun fact: The actor’s prominent neck is what inspired makeup supervisor Michael Westmore to create the iconic Cardassian ridges.

Nevertheless, Alaimo’s most memorable role is the Cardassian Gul Dukat, a charismatic villain who appeared in 33 DS9 episodes, taunting both Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) and Kira Nerys.

“The thing I love about Dukat is that you never know what he’s going to do next. He never does anything that’s truly unredeemable or completely black. Dukat doesn’t eat children; you know what I mean? Cardassians have a pretty dominating presence. They’re great, and incidentally, they’re the best-looking aliens.” - Marc Alaimo, StarTrek.com

He also played the racist 1950s human cop Burt Ryan, in addition to the cunning Bajoran Anjohl Tennan, but the latter was actually Dukat in disguise, so it doesn’t technically count as a different character.

Another fun fact: The actor patented a 3D chess set in 2002.

7 Joseph Ruskin: Six

The renowned performer with the distinctive voice Joseph Ruskin played the ruthless slaver Galt on TOS ; the Klingon Tumek and a mysterious Cardassian informant on DS9 ; a villainous Son’a officer in the movie Insurrection ; a Vulcan master on Voyager ; and a Suliban doctor on Enterprise .

6 Randy Oglesby: Seven

Thomas Randall Oglesby ’s ( L.A. Law , The X Files , ER ) most notable role is the chilling Xindi-Primate Degra on Enterprise . His other appearance on the show is Trena'L, the captain of a Xyrillian ship.

Oglesby was also seen on Voyager as the Brenari refugee Kir; on TNG as an insightful Ramatisian scholar; and on DS9 as Miradorn twin thieves Ah-Kel and Ro-Kel, as well as the vengeful Cardassian servant Silaran Prin.

10 Actors with the Most Star Trek Roles

😲 Comment below (without indignation, if possible), or post your personal list. Many actors have appeared in multiple roles in Star Trek, sometimes across multiple series. Here are the ten with the most roles as of 2023. Not included are clones/twins, dream/fake/alternate versions and multiple personalities. Uncredited roles and voice acting are only taken into account as secondary criteria.

10 John Fleck

5+ credits: Taibak (TNG: "The Mind's Eye"), Cardassian overseer, uncredited but with dialogue (DS9: "The Homecoming"), Ornithar (DS9: "The Search I"), Koval (DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges"), Abaddon (VOY: "Alice"), Silik (ENT).

John Fleck could be seen in increasingly important roles, culminating in the recurring character of Silik in Enterprise.

9 John Kenton Shull

6 credits: Klingon actor (TNG: "Firstborn"), Bajoran security deputy (DS9: "Shakaar"), Hanonian medicine man (VOY: "Basics II"), K'Temang (DS9: "Return to Grace"), Brok'tan (VOY: "Barge of the Dead"), Nocona (VOY: "Homestead").

John Kenton Shull can be seen in six credited roles altogether.

8 Paul S. Eckstein

6 credits: Limara'Son (DS9: "Rocks and Shoals"), Young Hirogen (VOY: "The Killing Game I+II"), Supervisor Yost (VOY: "Gravity"), Jem'Hadar guard (DS9: "The Dogs of War"), New Alpha Hirogen (VOY: "Flesh and Blood"), Morak (VOY: "Prophecy).

Paul S. Eckstein too is credited in all six of his Trek roles but remains unnamed in some of them.

7 Joseph Ruskin

6 credits: Galt (TOS: "The Gamesters of Triskelion"), Tumek (DS9: "The House of Quark", "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places"), Cardassian informant (DS9: "Improbable Cause"), Son'a officer ("Star Trek: Insurrection"), Vulcan master (VOY: "Gravity"), Suliban doctor (ENT: "Broken Bow").

Joseph Ruskin (1924-2013) is one of the few veteran actors who appeared both in TOS and in the second generation of Trek, and the one with the most different characters (ahead of Clint Howard).

6 Thomas Kopache

6 credits: Mirok (TNG: "The Next Phase"), Train engineer (TNG: "Emergence"), Viorsa (VOY: "The Thaw"), Kira Taban (DS9: "Ties of Blood and Water", "Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night"), Tos (ENT: "Broken Bow"), unnamed alien (ENT: "Harbinger"). Honorable mention: Kopache could be seen on the bridge of the Enterprise-B in "Generations" in an uncredited small role.

Thomas Kopache is not such a well-known name in the fandom, but the mere fact that he appeared six times on Star Trek is impressive. Yet, there are still four other actors with six roles that were more notable.

5 Paul Boehmer

6 credits: Nazi officer "Kapitan" (VOY: "The Killing Game I+II"), One (VOY: "Drone"), Vornar (DS9: "Tacking Into the Wind"), Mestral (ENT: "Carbon Creek"), Nazi officer (ENT: "Zero Hour"), Nazi SS officer (ENT: "Storm Front").

Paul Boehmer appeared as six different characters, among whom at least One from VOY: "Drone" is very memorable, but he also has the questionable honor of playing the most Nazi roles on Trek.

4 Randy Oglesby

6 credits: Scholar/Artist in Riva's chorus (TNG: "Loud as a Whisper"), Ah-Kel and Ro-Kel (DS9: "Vortex"), Silaran Prin (DS9: "The Darkness and the Light"), Kir (VOY: "Counterpoint"), Trena'L (ENT: "Unexpected"), Degra (ENT).

Randy Oglesby played five guest characters until he got his first recurring role on Star Trek as the Xindi-Primate Degra, which earns him the overall fourth place and the third place among the actors with six roles.

3 J.G. Hertzler

6 credits: Vulcan captain (DS9: "Emissary"), Martok (DS9), Laas (DS9: "Chimera"), Hirogen fighter (VOY: "Tsunkatse"), Kolos (ENT: "Judgment"), Klingon captain (ENT: "Borderland"). Hertzler also voiced the Drookmani captain in LOW: "Terminal Provocations" and "A Mathematically Perfect Redemption".

Among the various actors with six different parts on this list, J.G. Hertzler is the runner-up. He has an additional voice acting credit and he played General Martok after all!

2 Jeffrey Combs

6 credits: Tiron (DS9: "Meridian"), Brunt (DS9), Weyoun (DS9), Penk (VOY: "Tsunkatse"), Thy'lek Shran (ENT), Krem (ENT: "Acquisition"). Honorable mention: His voice for the evil computer AGIMUS in LOW: "Where Pleasant Fountains Lie" and "A Mathematically Perfect Redemption".

Jeffrey Combs, like J.G. Hertzler, appeared in six different roles and voiced one animated character. I put Combs ahead of Hertzler because he had three recurring parts and appeared in overall more episodes.

1 Vaughn Armstrong

11 credits: Captain Korris (TNG: "Heart of Glory"), Gul Danar (DS9: "Past Prologue"), Telek R'Mor (VOY: "Eye of the Needle"), Seskal (DS9: "When It Rains...", "The Dogs of War"), Two of Nine aka Lansor (VOY: "Survival Instinct"), Vidiian captain (VOY: "Fury"), Alpha Hirogen (VOY: "Flesh and Blood"), Korath (VOY: "Endgame"), Admiral Forrest (ENT), Klingon captain (ENT: "Sleeping Dogs"), Kreetassan captain (ENT: "Vox Sola", "A Night in Sickbay").

Wow. Now that is impressive! With 11 appearances, Vaughn Armstrong easily (and not unexpectedly) tops the list of the actors with the most different Trek parts. An unsurpassable record?

Annotations

Other actors with appearances as 5 different characters:

• Clint Howard (spanning three Trek generations and five series): Balok (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver"), Grady (DS9: "Past Tense II"), Muk (ENT: "Acquisition"), Orion (DIS: "Will You Take My Hand?"), Buck Martinez (SNW: "Under the Cloak of War")
• Rick Worthy: Automated Unit 3947 and Automated Commander 122, two distinct aliens that are much like twins though (VOY: "Prototype"), Kornan (DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire"), Ellora officer ("Star Trek: Insurrection"), Crewman Lessing (VOY: "Equinox I+II"), Jannar (ENT)
• Steven Dennis: Night Alien, technically even 2 of them (VOY: "Night"), Fennim (VOY: "Think Tank"), Onquanii (VOY: "Warhead"), Crewman Thompson (VOY: "Equinox I+II"), Tholos (ENT: "The Andorian Incident", "Shadows of P'Jem")
• Gregory Itzin: Ilon Tandro (DS9: "Dax"), Hain (DS9: "Who Mourns for Morn?"), Dr. Dysek (VOY: "Critical Care"), Sopek (ENT: "Shadows of P'Jem"), Admiral Black (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly II")
• Lee Arenberg: Gral (DS9: "The Nagus"), Prak (TNG: "Force of Nature"), Bok (TNG: "Bloodlines"), Pelk (VOY: "Juggernaut"), Gral (ENT: "Babel One", "United"), notably with three Ferengi parts and as two distinct characters both named "Gral"
• Eric Pierpoint: Voval (TNG: "Liaisons"), Captain Sanders (DS9: "For the Uniform"), Kortar (VOY: "Barge of the Dead"), Shiraht (ENT: "Rogue Planet"), Harris (ENT: "Affliction", "Divergence", "Demons", "Terra Prime")
• Marc Alaimo: Selay delegate, uncredited but with dialogue (TNG: "Lonely Among Us"), Tebok (TNG: "The Neutral Zone"), Macet (TNG: "The Wounded"), Frederick La Rouque (TNG: "Time's Arrow I"), Gul Dukat (DS9)
• Brian Thompson: Lieutenant Klag (TNG: "A Matter Of Honor"), Inglatu (DS9: "Rules of Acquisition"), Toman'torax (DS9: "To the Death"), Admiral Valdore (ENT: "Babel One", "United", "The Aenar"), also uncredited as a Klingon helm officer ("Star Trek Generations")
• Brent Spiner (if we are generous): Data/Lore/B-4/M-5-10 plus four Soongs, and counting

More honorable mentions:

• Actors with appearances as 4 different characters (finally including some women): Armin Shimerman, James Sloyan, James Horan, Suzie Plakson, James Cromwell, Kurtwood Smith, Carolyn Seymour, Peter Slutsker, Phil Morris, John Schuck, Bruce French, Christopher Shea, Steve Rankin, Michael Ensign, Leland Orser, Christopher Collins, Tim de Zarn, Alexander Enberg
• TOS stand-ins and stunt performers with many (usually uncredited) roles: Frank da Vinci, Paul Baxley, William Blackburn, Vince Deadrick, Jay Jones, Jeannie Malone
• TNG/DS9/VOY/ENT background actors with many (usually uncredited) roles: Patricia Tallman, Elle Alexander, Dieter Hornemann, Cathy DeBuono, David B. Levinson, Shepard Ross, Guy Vardaman
• Actors who voiced countless characters (animated or computers): Majel Barrett, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols

I consulted many sources and other people's listings of recurring actors, but only Memory Alpha provided reliable data.

https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/rankings/ten-multiple-roles.htm

Last modified: 27 Jul 2023

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Published Mar 5, 2014

What Do Each of These Star Trek Actors Have in Common?

They were all in a *lot* of Star Trek!

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Leonard Nimoy is Spock. His second book says so right in the title. (Pay no attention to the title of his first book for the purposes of this argument.) He is a singular actor associated exclusively with an iconic role in the Star Trek Universe.

Not every actor in our beloved franchise enjoys this same specificity of purpose. Indeed, some actors in the larger company have played more than one character. And, no, I don't mean Lieutenant Broccoli goofing around in the Holodeck. I mean same person, different role, and we're supposed to pretend we don't notice. Even the times when there's no makeup involved.

To some super fans this list won't be so revelatory, but the newbies may be surprised. With this in mind, let's check out some of the best multi-character performances by Star Trek actors!

(And, no, we're not going to include “Far Beyond the Stars” because then everyone will be on here... and those characters may not actually be “real” but a projection, anyway. Those that were in “ Far Beyond the Stars ” will get automatic “Far Beyond the Stars” gold stars!)

Diana Muldaur

The TNG doctor few people liked knew her way around a starship. Dr. Pulaski, the tough ol' dame who didn't much care for androids, had not one but two appearances on TOS .

In “ Return to Tomorrow ,” she was astrobiologist Dr. Ann Mulhall. She, along with Kirk and Spock, were possessed by nefarious beings that had previously been encased in white orbs. (It happens.) Just to keep it simple, the entity which inhabited her, Thalassa, was female. We didn't get to gender-bending consciousness possessions until “T urnabout Intruder .”

In “ Is There in Truth No Beauty ?” Muldaur was back, again as a doctor. Dr. Miranda Jones was a telepath who spent a number of years on Vulcan. It is because of her that there's that great picture of Spock with a gigantic red visor over his face.

Rene Auberjonois

Odo was, indeed, a shapeshifter. Before he was Deep Space Nine 's constable (and even before he was Terok Nor's constable!) Rene Auberjonois was one of the conspiring Starfleet officers in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

The mustachioed villain, named Colonel West (a slight dig at Lt. Col. Oliver North), may be a little hazy in your mind. Most of his scenes were cut from the theatrical version of the movie, and, depending on which DVD or Blu-ray you've got at home, he may or may not be in there. Ah, what good would science fiction fandom be if there weren't a million variants of everything?

Later, on Enterprise (or is that earlier? I never can remember . . .) Auberjonois appeared in the first season episode “Oasis” as a human named Ezral. This is the one where he's crash-landed on a planet and has created a holographic crew to assuage his guilt. Yeah, not really the most memorable episode, especially since the same ground was covered in DS9's “ Shadowplay .”

Here's a weird example where a character that only appeared once is, in my opinion, more memorable than the recurring role.

No disrespect to Worf's brother Kurn – because disrespecting a mighty warrior from the House of Mogh is to sign your own death warrant – but it's Todd's performance as the elderly Jake Sisko in an alternate reality that really breaks my heart.

“ The Visitor ,” regularly cited as one of the best DS9 episodes ever, presents a parallel timeline where a life of obsession, guilt and depression destroys Jake Sisko as he attempts to save his father. It also shows how Ben Sisko would likely sacrifice himself to a non-existent oblivion if it meant helping his son. It's all so very touching.

Todd also popped up as a Hirogen in the 4th-season episode “ Prey ” on Voyager .

Loyal Tuvok. Noble Tuvok. Is there an indecent bone in your body? (I mean, other than during the Pon Farr?) Turns out there is. The thrilling episode “ Starship Mine ” (from TNG's 6th season, the greatest season of all television anywhere) shows Russ as a human terrorist trying to take over the Enterprise. Luckily, Captain Picard is able to subdue him using, ironically, a Vulcan nerve pinch.

Russ also showed up as a not-so-nice Klingon in the DS9 episode “ Invasive Procedures .” He kicked O'Brien right in the spot where he'd been hit with a phaser. What a jerk!

It wasn't all bad, though. Check out Star Trek Generations again. That's a pre-Tuvok Tim Russ on the Enterprise-B trying to lock onto El-Aurians and transport them out of the Nexus.

David Warner

There! Are! Three! Characters!

Gul Madred, the sadistic Cardassian who tortured Captain Picard in “ Chain of Command ,” had been a member of the Star Trek team twice before.

Most notably as Chancellor Gorkon, the martyred Klingon with the olive branch whose death almost spiked the Khitomer Accords in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . Yes, it was his purple blood that swam around in zero-g making bloopy noises.

Prior to this, he played a human, a character that could have been really cool, in the ill-fated Star Trek V: The Final Frontier . St. John Talbot was the Federation representative to the so-called Planet of Peace, Nimbus III. If the movie was better, it would have dug in a bit more with this nasty character, one of the few non-Utopian Federation folks from the Roddenberry era. The character has popped up a bit on the sidelines in comics and novels – one day he'll get his due.

Brock Peters

Before he was Joseph Sisko, gumbo cooking patriarch of the great Sisko clan, he was Admiral Cartwright in both Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country .

What makes Cartwright so interesting is that he has a little bit of an arc. In his first appearance he seems like one of the good guys. There he is in San Francisco as the Cetacean Probe is tearing up the seas. He's doing his best to keep everyone together – and to hear what Captain Kirk has to say.

Within a few years, though, he's at the center of the conspiracy to kill Chancellor Gorkon and muck up the Khitomer Accords!

Marc Alaimo

When your neck is that gigantic, you can stick it out more than once.

Gul Dukat, the most evil man in the Galaxy when you get down to it, was played by a man who knew his way around a makeup chair.

Prior to the role that cemented him as one of the key figures in all of Trek lore, he played a Romulan, a human and a different Cardassian. In fact, TNG's Gul Macet was the first Cardassian we ever saw.

He also played an Antican named Badar N'D'D in the first season TNG episode called “Lonely Among Us .” This was an early example of some of the really out there makeup effects that the new wave of Trek would bring us. I remember sitting in my Grandmother's kitchen watching this episode back in 1987 and just being delighted by the half-wolf/half-fish lookin' dude. Then my older sister walked in and made fun of me.

Mark Lenard

Here are two major, groundbreaking roles played by the same individual. Even more interestingly, Sarek and the unnamed Romulan Commander from “ Balance of Terror ,” very unique characters, don't even look that different!

The Romulan Commander and Captain Kirk “could have called one another friend” in a different reality. They were both cunning tacticians, but on other sides of the battlefield.

Sarek is more of a puzzle. Spock's father, the Vulcan ambassador to the Federation, seems at first to be pure, cold logic. Yet his heart belongs to Amanda. Is this just a “logical decision,” done purely in service of his position? It's hard to tell. Maybe that's why Sarek is such a beloved character, and was brought back for the films, TNG and even has a (fantastic) book devoted exclusively to him.

Lenard popped up again in Star Trek: The Motion Picture as the commander of the doomed IKS Amar, thus making him one of the first people to ever speak the fabricated language of Klingon.

Jeffrey Combs

There's a term used in the Jewish Passover seder called “Dayenu.” It means “it would suffice us.” If Jeffrey Combs were just Brunt of the Ferengi Commerce Authority, it would suffice us. If Jeffrey Combs were just the Vorta go-between Weyoun (and all of his clones), it would suffice us. If Jeffrey Combs were just Shran, the Andorian from Enterprise , it would suffice us. But Jeffrey Combs is all three of these terrific, memorable characters.

Not just that, he also played a different Ferengi (Krem) on an episode of Enterprise and a kooky alien named Tiron (of unnamed species) in one episode of DS9.

How, you are asking, could anyone possibly top Jeffrey Combs on this list? Well, there is only one way.

Every Star Trek Character Played By Jeffrey Combs, Ranked

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry

Ahead of Jeffrey Combs by just an inch comes Majel Barrtett. Why? Because she doesn't just play humans and Betazoids, she plays the disembodied voice of the Enterprise computer (from TOS right up to Star Trek [2009] ).

Before killing it as the terrific Lwaxana Troi in many episodes of TNG (and DS9) she was, of course, Nurse (later Commander) Christine Chapel. Chapel was Dr. McCoy's right arm and represented us with her fascination (love?) of Mr. Spock.

Also, on Captain Pike's Enterprise she was the striking Number One. Even though this era of Star Trek got the boot (though it appeared in flashback in “ The Menagerie ,” of course) the inclusion of Number One was really way ahead of its time for positioning a woman in a position of prominence. While one or two of the comments about her may seem a little sexist today, for 1964/1965 it was absolutely revolutionary.

Jordan Hoffman is a writer, critic and lapsed filmmaker living in New York City. His work can also be seen on Film.com, ScreenCrush and Badass Digest. On his BLOG , Jordan has reviewed all 727 Trek episodes and films, most of the comics and some of the novels.

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Which Star Trek Actor Appeared In The Most Episodes?

This is something of a bar trivia question, but which actor would you suspect has appeared in " Star Trek " the most? 

Thanks to the franchise's longevity, and long-held, bloody-minded insistence toward continuity, an actor can return to multiple "Trek" shows over the course of many decades. As such, some actors who signed on to play certain roles in their teen years (like, say, Wil Wheaton) may still be making appearances on "Star Trek: Picard" 35 years later. The makers of "Trek" also tends to be very loyal to its actors, often bringing back performers to fill central roles years after they showed up as a background character. Armin Shimerman, for instance, appeared as a talking treasure chest and as a random Ferengi character on "Next Generation" years before being cast as Quark on " Deep Space Nine ." And Tim Russ was once a terrorist on the Enterprise prior to playing Tuvok on "Voyager."

Some actors, while never becoming central characters, still come back time and time again. One might immediately think of Jeffrey Combs, who — if one counts clones of the same person as separate characters — has played 14 different characters in "Star Trek," including an Andorian, a Founder, and a Ferengi. If you don't count clones, then the record for the greatest number of "Star Trek" roles played by one actor handily belongs to Vaughn Armstrong, who has played 12 characters across various "Trek" shows.

But the hardest working performer in "Trek" history will, for the purposes of this article, be relegated to the number of TV shows and movies that they appeared in. And combing over various filmographies reveals a few unexpected winners.

The runners-up

One might immediately assume that William Shatner or Leonard Nimoy would be the reigning champions, but, perhaps surprisingly, it's not even close for them. 

Shatner  only appeared in seven movies and in every episode of the post-pilot Trek throughout the 1970s, leaving him with a paltry score of 106 . No, for the true record-holders, we need to look to the longer-running "Trek" shows. Keep in mind that "The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine," and "Voyager" all ran for seven seasons, while the original series only ran three.

Nimoy has — across eight feature films, the original series, its pilot, the animated series, a two-part episode of "TNG," and archive footage cameos on "DS9," "Discovery," and "Prodigy" — only appeared in 114 iterations of Trek. 

Kate Mulgrew , who played Capt. Janeway on "Voyager" and then again on "Prodigy" put in a great deal more work than the old-school actors, appearing in 181 episodes. She will continue to appear in "Prodigy," so her number will only increase. 

Jonathan Frakes has appeared on more shows than Stewart, but has a slightly lower score. Between "TNG," its movies, "Picard," "Lower Decks," DS9, "Voyager," and "Enterprise," Frakes has appeared in a nice round 200 episodes. When he appeared as the transporter clone Thomas Riker, that counted twice, just for fun.

Assuming he will appear in some capacity in all ten episodes of the third season of "Picard," Brent Spiner — who has played numerous members of the Soong family and their android progeny over several generations and TV shows — will have acted in 205  Treks.

The champions

Patrick Stewart , now with his own series in "Star Trek: Picard" seems a logical guess. Between "The Next Generation" and its movies, " Picard " (including its unaired third season), and a single cameo on DS9, Stewart has appeared in 213  "Trek" instalments.

Colm Meaney appeared as Chief O'Brien on 52 episodes of "TNG," and then went on to be a series regular on "DS9." Between those two shows, Meany appeared in 225 episodes.

The clear champion is Michael Dorn who played Worf. Dorn was a series regular on "TNG," and then a series regular again on "DS9," beginning in its fourth season, and staying through to its end. Also, he was in five "Trek" movies and will play Worf in 10 upcoming episodes of "Picard." Between them all, that's 292 appearances. Dorn handily holds the record for the greatest number of on-screen Treks.

But Dorn is not the overall champion of "Trek" appearances. If one also includes voice acting, then Majel Barrett has been present in more of "Trek" than any other actor. 

Barrett not only played Number One on the original "Star Trek" pilot, but would be hired to play Nurse Chapel when the show went to series. Throughout, Barrett also provided the voice of the ship's computer. She voiced the regular character M'Ress in the animated series. When "TNG" came around in 1987, Barrett was hired to play the gloriously outspoken Lwaxana Troi , mother to series regular Deanna Troi, as well as voicing the ship's computer once again. Her voice would also be heard on "DS9" and "Voyager" computers. This was all in addition to appearances as Nurse Chapel and as computers in five "Trek" movies (including posthumous releases). 

All told, Barrett has made 309 Trek appearances. 

Giving It All She's Got: 20 Star Trek Actors, Ranked

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Fallout's Most Controversial Plot Point Was Completely Justified

Arcane season 2 gets first poster ahead of netflix return, 'we have to go back': lost gets new streaming home.

Star Trek has been exploring the final frontier in one form or another for over 50 years. From starships named Enterprise and Voyager to space stations like Deep Space Nine , these shows have brought the 23rd and 24th century to life for generations of fans. We've gotten many different Trek crews and many different kinds of Star Trek actors. In an age-old fan tradition, it's fun to take a look at all of these performances and see who comes out on top. Who's the best actor? Who's the worst? And how do we even decide?

However, we had to have some ground rules first. For instance, we're not looking at any Star Trek: Discovery actors because that show has not yet completed its first season, so it's not really fair to judge. And we're not looking at the reboot actors because they are mostly reprising Original Series characters. Basically, there's only so much space on the list, and if we're going to look at characters like Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, we're going to be looking at the originals. Want to see who made the list and where they landed? You don't need a tricorder to figure it out...just keep scrolling to check out 20 Star Trek Actors, Ranked!

20 ROBERT BELTRAN

In some ways, Robert Beltran (Commander Chakotay) was doomed from the beginning of his time on Voyager . His character had Native American heritage and was meant to increase the diversity of the crew. However, the show had a special “Native American consultant” for this character, Jamake Highwater, who ended up being a grifter who faked being Native American.

Because of this, all of the Native American storylines and plot points for Chakotay ended up being offensive stereotypes or just plain weird. On top of that, though, Beltran wasn't very enthusiastic at all about the role: in an old “Skitz Interviews” clip that recently surfaced, Beltran mentions how he was motivated by Shakespeare, and then asks, “You think I wanted to be on BLEEPING Star Trek?” Whether sabotaged by the writers or himself, Beltran is the worst performance on our list.

19 MARINA SIRTIS

For those keeping track of how non-progressive a progressive show like Star Trek , Deanna Troi (played by Marina Sirtis is a powerful example). Sirtis herself can be a very good actor when she is given the right script. Unfortunately, Star Trek: The Next Generation mostly put her in skimpy clothes and had her occasionally move the plot along with her vaguely-defined powers.

In their wonderful Greatest Generation podcast, hosts Ben and Adam note how the show treats Troi as a “potted plant.” And it's true: she is a pretty addition to the scenery that they otherwise choose to pay no real attention to. It makes for a pretty miserable performance, and it's notable that the character had more to do in three episodes of Voyager than in almost all of Next Generation .

18 ETHAN PHILLIPS

Ethan Phillips played one of Trek 's least-liked characters, Neelix. The character is a Delta Quadrant resident who Voyager rescues, and he becomes the ship's cook. On occasion, he provides insight about the quadrant, though that fades the further they go. And that's pretty much the beginning and end of the characterization he actually gets on the show.

Phillips tried to make the character endearing, and in his best moments, he functioned as a kind of ersatz counselor. However, Robert Picardo's Doctor ultimately fulfilled that role much better, and so the talents of Ethan Phillips wasted while Neelix spent seven years focusing on meal prep. As gifted as Phillips may be, this was deathly dull to watch, which places him near the bottom of our list.

17 JOLENE BLALOCK

Sometimes, performances are bad because of bad writing. Sometimes, they are bad because of bad direction. And in the case of Jolene Blalock, who played the Vulcan T'Pol on Enterprise , she is the victim of both. On “good” days, her character was simply boring, and on bad days, she was little more than a desired object.

She represented the token alien outsider character on the show. Unlike other characters (such as Spock, Data, or Odo), she was never really written in a way that helps viewers examine their own humanity. Instead, she channeled more Kirk than Spock in the way she put needless pauses into most of her sentences. And whenever the show needed a ratings bump, they found a way to remove most of her clothes. Looking back, this exploitation is desperate and sad, and the actor deserved better.

16 SCOTT BAKULA

You've probably figured out by now that this list has some good actors in lower positions because they were trapped by a role. This is true for no one so much as Scott Bakula. He previously won our hearts in Quantum Leap and currently shows dynamic range on NCIS: New Orleans . However, as Captain Archer on Enterprise , there was little for him to do.

The writers clearly wanted him to be an Action Man in the vein of Captain Kirk. Unfortunately, this usually meant blundering into everything from crew interactions to alien encounters with no finesse at all. He was often impatient and downright twitchy as the captain, and we rarely got to see an introspective side that was crucial to understanding characters like Kirk. Ultimately, Enterprise ending as early as it did likely helped Bakula's career rather than hurt it!

15 DEFOREST KELLEY

DeForest Kelley played Dr. McCoy on Star Trek: The Original Series . In many ways, he was better than the material the writers gave him: even in episodes that focused primarily on Kirk and Spock, Kelly never let us forget that McCoy was the third main character of the show.

However, his role on the show was limited by design. He was the passionate human who played off of Spock's impassionate alien. Because of this, McCoy's character was largely reactionary, and he had little room to grow as a character (who do you think he is mostly remembered for his “dammit, Jim” catchphrases?). Adding insult to injury is that our only real glimpse at his tragic background (he helped his diseased father commit suicide shortly before a cure for the disease was found) comes during the Trek move everyone tries to forget: The Final Frontier .

14 JERI RYAN

Jeri Ryan came into Voyager with the deck stacked against her. Every single cast member and viewer knew that her casting was a ratings stunt: Voyager was combating low ratings by parading a voluptuous blonde Borg around in a skintight catsuit. Reportedly, this is one of the reasons that she and Kate Mulgrew (who felt such casting in a progressive show was very regressive) often clashed behind the scenes.

Admirably, though, Ryan managed to rise above it. Despite that she and Mulgrew were allegedly at each other's throats when the cameras were off, Ryan showed great chemistry with her on-screen. She also played the ice queen Borg in such a way that we were always reminded of the humanity lurking underneath. How good was Ryan? For better or for worse, most scripts began revolving around her, even though this left some series vets in the cold (sorry, Chakotay).

13 ANDREW ROBINSON

Before Deep Space Nine , the Cardassians didn't have much characterization. They were basically space Nazis with weird necks. That all changed when DS9 showed us “plain, simple Garak,” a Cardassian tailor living on the station who was hiding a rich and fascinating background as a disgraced, former Cardassian spy.

Robinson didn't just give us one of the best performances in Deep Space Nine ; he gave us one of the most captivating characters in all of Trek. Part of this is because he wrote his own detailed diary of character background information when he was first cast in the role. This diary was so detailed and so good that it was eventually turned into a Star Trek book called A Stitch in Time . To this day, Robinson's the only Trek writer to write a Trek book without any ghostwriters helping (we're looking at you, Shatner).

12 GEORGE TAKEI

There are several actors on this list who managed to grow beyond very simple roles. George Takei is the foremost example of this: as Hikaru Sulu, he didn't have a lot to do in Star Trek: The Original Series . However, his character became more prominent in the Trek movies, and he was eventually the Captain of the Excelsior in Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country . He's appeared in a whole lot of Trek since then (including Voyager and even fan movies), and parlayed his success into a personal brand.

As Trek went on, we could see the intensity behind Takei. Back on The Original Series , he was mostly remembered for his half-naked swashbuckling episode. By the time you see his commanding presence as the Excelsior Captain, chances are you'll be sad we never got a Captain Sulu series!

11 KATE MULGREW

As an actor, Kate Mulgrew had a lot of responsibility laid at her feet. She had to follow the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine by being an entirely different captain for an entirely different kind of Trek . She also had the burden of fan expectations: she was going to be Trek 's first prominent female captain, and so she had the eyes of the world watching her.

For the most part, Mulgrew knocked it out of the park. Like the rest of the cast, she suffered from the occasional bad scripts (we all try to forget when she made weird lizard babies with Tom Paris, right?), but she kept the show grounded in the best possible way. Ultimately, Mulgrew threaded the needle by portraying Janeway as a tough, no-nonsense leader who was still very approachable and humane.

10 WILLIAM SHATNER

It almost feels impossible to find William Shatner's place on this list. It's fair to say that the success of Star Trek would not exist without his iconic performance as Captain James T. Kirk. It's also fair to say, though, that his performance is a collection of manic highs and lows.

Shatner's performance has some well-documented excesses. This includes his famous stilted speech as well as a kind of high-key overacting that we're meant to view as “emotional.” At the same time, though, Shatner's Kirk had a powerful physical intensity, and his charisma is a powerful, palpable thing. Bottom line? It's easy to laugh at the excesses of Shatner's performance, but no one would have believed in Star Trek if they hadn't first believed in the authentic, absolutely-going-for-it portrayal of Captain Kirk.

9 ARMIN SHIMERMAN

Armin Shimerman is one of the few actors to get a genuine “take two” in Trek. He played as Letek, one of the first Ferengi that we ever see in Star Trek: The Next Generation . However, these aliens were over-the-top jokes that no one could take seriously as a threat. When Shimmerman was cast as Quark on DS9 , he had to rehabilitate an entire fictional race.

Shimmerman, though, was up for the challenge. Quark may have been an alien, but Shimerman used him as a lens for us to examine our human excesses, including the dangerous love of money. He added dimensionality and depth to a character that could easily have been very basic and flat. Finally, his interactions with Starfleet personnel were priceless, and provided the ultimate proof that this station was a frontier unlike anything we had previously seen.

8 JONATHAN FRAKES

If you're marking a Star Trek all-stars team, you're going to want Jonathan Frakes on it. He is almost single-handedly responsible for how fun Star Trek: The Next Generation was thanks to his portrayal as Commander Riker. Just as Patrick Stewart's Picard was serious and stuffy, Riker was fun-loving and joyful. His character helps remind us of just how awesome life on a starship can really be.

Whether he's the focus of the episode or just cutting up in the background, Frakes always manages to command the audience's attention. He's also the most successful Trek director behind the camera since Leonard Nimoy: he directed a number of Trek episodes, and he went on to direct both Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection . Even after all these years, we're still impressed at everything Frakes can do!

7 RENE AUBERJONOIS

It's fair to say that playing Odo was one of the biggest challenges on Deep Space Nine . Not only is the performance going to be partially hidden behind weird makeup and occasional CGI effects, but it's also difficult to break out of the stereotype of “gruff security chief.” However, Rene Auberjonois does everything brilliantly.

As shape-shifting Odo, Auberjonois manages to infuse his gruffness with pathos: Odo has been an outsider all of his life, and his anger is always tinged with loneliness. His character gets pretty full arcs in both romancing Major Kira and discovering where he comes from, and Auberjunois does a great job showing both Odo's emerging humanity and how much he fears changing who he is. It's just a powerhouse performance from the first season all the way to the end.

6 AVERY BROOKS

Avery Brooks gave one of the most divisive performances in Star Trek as Benjamin Sisko on Deep Space Nine . However, it was also one of the most commanding performances. His character was an intersection of metaphor and significance: just as Sisko was an alien Christ figure to the Bajorans, Brooks was a powerful symbol of Trek finally making a black man the focus of a show.

In some ways, Brooks channeled William Shatner: when he went-for-it, he really went for it. Some fans were turned off by Sisko's most dramatic emotional moments. Overall, though, his performance is grounded by his intensity as well as the character's clear love for his son and his crew. In many ways, you learn more about Sisko than any other Captain in Trek , and it's to Avery Brooks' credit that we're on the edge of our seats for all of it.

5 ROBERT PICARDO

Actors sometimes look at scripts and complain that “there isn't much there, there.” As in, they are given very little to do. Robert Picardo faced the paradox on Star Trek: Voyager . He was given a great deal to do, but as a holographic doctor who (initially) couldn't leave sickbay, there's wasn't much “there” to him!

However, Picardo carries this role with dignity and weight. Ironically, despite playing a hologram, he gives the performance a great deal of substance. The character quickly became the heart of the ship, and Picardo's great charisma meant the Doctor could bond with pretty much anyone. He experienced genuine growth and change as the series went on, and as the Doctor discovered more of what he was and could be, it reminded viewers of our potential for growth and change.

4 BRENT SPINER

Brent Spiner was given the ultimate Trek acting challenge: he had to spend seven years portraying an emotionless android in Star Trek: The Next Generation . He also had to do so in a way that kept the character fresh instead of boring and gave us a constant glimpse of the inner humanity that his character Data is constantly trying to access.

And Spiner was not only up for the challenge, but he fully embraced the role. This “emotionless” android could easily make you laugh when he misunderstands something and then cry when the android daughter he built dies. The show hid Spiner's eyes behind yellow contacts, but it was impossible not to notice the depth of his character behind those eyes in each and every scene.

3 NANA VISITOR

Nana Visitor was another Trek actor with a fairly major challenge. As Bajoran Kira Nerys, she was a toughened survivor of the occupation of Bajor and served as an ongoing contrast to the orderly Starfleet represented by Benjamin Sisko. After watching a few episodes, you'll be forgiven if you think this show is actually all about Kira!

The character actually invites dynamic emotional range, and Visitor rises to the occasion each time. When we see her violent intensity, we can fully believe she has a freedom fighter background that would make Cardassians tremble. When she opens up about the horrors she has seen to characters like Odo, though, we can perfectly see the scared woman inside that her tough exterior protects. She has several satisfying arcs in the series, and Visitor keeps viewers enchanted for each one of them.

2 LEONARD NIMOY

Leonard Nimoy's Spock needs no introduction among Star Trek fans. From the very beginning, he has been one of the most captivating parts of Star Trek . In fact, he was so captivating to audiences that early Trek writers were given studio guidance to make more scripts focus on his character, as audiences were responding more to him than to Captain Kirk!

Spock created the Trek template for alien characters that help audiences explore their own humanity. To this end, Kirk is absolutely right in Wrath of Khan when he declares that Spock has been the most “human” soul he has ever encountered. Nimoy infused the character with dignity and quiet grace, and he went on to show his skills behind the camera in directing Search for Spock and The Voyage Home . Throw in his appearances in the rebooted Trek films and you have a performance (quite literally) for the generations!

1 PATRICK STEWART

Patrick Stewart had an almost impossible task when he was cast as Captain Picard for Next Generation : he had to be as different from Captain Kirk as possible. At the same time, he had to be just as captivating as the original Enterprise captain and to find ways to play to his strengths and win both new audiences and old Trek fans over.

It it to his credit as an actor that he was so successful. Stewart's Picard showed us a modern captain who was more thoughtful, diplomatic, and worldly than his predecessor. At the same time, Picard could be a man of action, and the Next Gen movies showed that Stewart had the muscles (both creatively and physically) to lead action-centric movies. Ultimately, Stewart is an actor who did a little bit of everything in Star Trek and he did it perfectly; for that, he's earned the top spot!

10 Star Trek Actors Who Have Appeared In The Most Shows

To boldly go where no-one has gone before...again and again and again.

Whether you're doing sci-fi or horror, comedy or tragedy, casting is a vital part for any work of film or television.

Star Trek is no different. Across nearly 56 years of televisual history, countless hundreds, maybe even thousands, of actors have crossed the bridges of the various titular ships, and rubbed shoulders with some of the most recognisable faces in all of sci-fi.

Finding somebody to sit through the often arduous process of make up (particularly Ferengi, as many of this list have experienced) before delivering monologues of technobabble and unpronounceable Klingon is going to be a tall order for any actor. It's no surprise then, that the makers of all things Trek will occasionally have a flick through the pages of their phonebooks, to find the names of Star Trek stalwarts, who have reliably given great performances for years and, in some cases, decades.

These, then, are the names of those that casting directors can always rely on in times of need. Whether main cast, recurring characters or explosive cameos, the actors on this list have returned to the bridge time and time again, and their names truly are a part of Trek history.

10. Tim Russ - 3

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager

Many actors have appeared in at least three incarnations of Trek, but none have the honour of sharing the screen with four separate series Captains. For that honour, we must go to Tim Russ.

Audiences' first encounter with Russ would be in The Next Generation episode 'Starship Mine', as a member of a group of mercenaries attempting to steal trilithium resin from the Enterprise-D during a baryon sweep. Succumbing to a well placed Vulcan nerve pinch by Picard, this would be a one and done deal for the character.

In a weird display of typecasting, Russ would pop up again in DS9 under heavy Klingon makeup as somewhat of a wrong-un. Employed by the Trill Verad, Klingon mercenary T'Kar arrives on the station to help his employer forcibly extract the Dax symbiont from Jadzia as part of a tense hostage situation with Captain Sisko.

Russ would share the screen with Captain Kirk in the movie 'Generations', but his most iconic role would be that of Voyager's resident Vulcan and hirsute security officer Tuvok. A loyal confidante of Captain Janeway, Tuvok's would be the first Vulcan presence onboard a ship since Spock, and his frequent frustrations with the emotion of his more illogical crewmates (looking at you Neelix) would give the writers plenty to play with.

Hampshire based Writer who spends his time rewatching Deep Space Nine, trying to be an actor and voraciously consuming every Metal album he can find. Final Fantasy IX is the greatest game of all time and this is the hill I will die on.

James Cromwell Has Played More Star Trek Characters Than You Likely Realize

The one role in the Star Trek franchise with which fans are most likely to associate actor James Cromwell is that of warp drive inventor Zefram Cochrane in the 1996 film "Star Trek: First Contact." He also reprised this character in the pilot episode of "Star Trek: Enterprise" and the Season 3 premiere of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" in August of 2022. However, before his debut as Cochrane, Cromwell was a Star Trek veteran, with three prior, unrelated roles already under his belt.

First, Cromwell joined the franchise in 1990 as Angosian Prime Minster Nayrok in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" Season 3, Episode 11. Three years later, Cromwell returned to "TNG" for Season 6, Episodes 16 and 17. He plays a character named Jaglom Shrek — predating the 2001 "Shrek" film but following the 1990 publication of its literary source material. Finally, he's a Karemman diplomat named Hanok in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" Season 4, Episode 6.

In an interview published on the official Star Trek website , Cromwell shared that Star Trek is even something of a family tradition. His ex-wife Julie Cobb, he explained, appeared in "The Original Series," whereas her daughter Rosemary Morgan showed up in "Star Trek: Voyager." Cromwell, meanwhile, recounted having a hard time keeping track of each of his individual Star Trek appearances. "I enjoyed my experiences," he said. "But I have to be honest and tell you they were a long time ago and they've kind of blurred together."

James Cromwell's acting career spans decades

The fact that James Cromwell was never quite a leading man in Star Trek but impacted the franchise through repeated appearances is somewhat reflective of his career as a whole. In total, his filmography consists of more than 190 credits in movies and on TV, many of which are parts as secondary or tertiary characters in well-known projects.

Much of his early work consists of brief appearances on popular shows like "The Rockford Files," "M*A*S*H," "Night Court," and "Matlock," starting in the '70s and continuing through the '90s. He then earned his first and only Oscar nomination in the 1996 best supporting actor category for the role of Babe's (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) owner, Arthur Hoggett, in the 1995 "Babe" movie. Other notable films he's worked on include "L.A. Confidential," "The Green Mile," and "The Queen."

His first Emmy nomination, notably, came in 2000 for a role in a TV movie titled "RKO 281." After that, he earned guest actor nominations in 2001 and 2003 for "ER" and "Six Feet Under," respectively. He finally won a supporting actor in a miniseries or movie Emmy in 2013 for his "American Horror Story" Season 2 role. Finally, he was nominated in 2020, 2022, and 2023 for his portrayal of Cousin Greg's (Nicholas Braun) grandfather Ewan Roy on "Succession." TV, then, is arguably his principal medium, so his repeated appearances on Star Trek TV shows are effectively par for the course.

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Star trek’s original progenitor & ds9’s changeling salome jens explained.

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How To Watch All Star Trek TV Shows In Timeline Order

Star trek confirms captain shaw's story isn't over, star trek confirms the harsh reality of seven of nine's life after starfleet.

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery 's finale, "Life, Itself".

• Star Trek: Discovery explored Progenitor origins in season 5, linking back to TNG's classic episode "The Chase".
• Salome Jens played pivotal roles in Star Trek history, as both a Progenitor in TNG and the Female Changeling in DS9.
• Diversity was highlighted in Discovery by casting a new actor as a Progenitor, continuing Jens' contribution to the Star Trek universe.

All life in the Star Trek universe began with the Progenitors, an alien species originated by Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actor, Salome Jens. Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 18, "The Chase" revealed that billions of years before the Star Trek timeline begins, an ancient alien race planted their DNA as seeds from which all humanoid life grew. Star Trek: Discovery season 5 returned to this concept, by sending Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery in search of the Progenitors' technology.

The Star Trek: Discovery finale , "Life, Itself", written by Kyle Jarrow & Michelle Paradise, and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, saw Burnham meet another member of the Progenitor species, played by Nigerian actress and model, Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama. She follows in the footsteps of Salome Jens, who played the Humanoid Progenitor in Star Trek: The Next Generation , before being cast as the Female Changeling in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Now that Discovery has continued the story of the Progenitors, both of Salome Jens' Star Trek roles have had a lasting impact on the canon .

The Star Trek TV franchise has existed for 57 years and consists of 12 shows (and counting). Here's how to watch them all in timeline order.

Who Is Star Trek: TNG’s Orginal Progenitor Salome Jens?

Salome Jens is an actress and dancer who has been performing on stage and screen since the mid-1950s. Between 1967 and 1973, Salome Jens appeared in 500 episodes of the American daytime soap, Love is a Many Splendored Thing , and went on to have a recurring role as Mae Olinski in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman . After these two regular roles, Salome Jens went on to clock up numerous guest spots on shows like MacGuyver , Cagney & Lacey , and L.A. Law . In 1993, Jens was cast in the role of the Humanoid Progenitor in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Chase" .

Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 18, "The Chase" was directed by Jonathan Frakes, who has also directed 8 episodes of Star Trek: Discovery , including its penultimate episode, "Lagrange Point".

Star Trek 's Progenitors were a long-dead race of humanoid aliens, who seeded their DNA across the entire galaxy 4.5 billion years ago. Salome Jens played the holographic recording of a Progenitor, who delivered the message explaining that all humanoid life in the Star Trek universe shared the same origin. The Progenitors hoped that this information would bring people together under a common ideal, but it was clear the 24th century wasn't ready for this message. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's Dominion War erupted a few years after TNG 's "The Chase", proving that humanoid life was still divided.

Salome Jens Also Played Star Trek: DS9’s Female Changeling

Salome Jens' best-known role in Star Trek was the Female Changeling in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . To many of the Dominion's member species, the Changelings were creators of life, just like the Progenitors . The Changeling Founders genetically engineered both the Vorta and the Jem'Hadar to suit the Dominion's needs for both administrators and soldiers. The Female Changeling and her kind also saw all humanoid life as being the same, albeit from a much darker perspective than the Progenitors. The Changelings saw humanoids or " solids " to be cruel and violent, and believed that they had to be conquered and controlled to preserve peace in the galaxy.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 3, "Jinaal" revealed that the Dominion War was one of the reasons that the scientists hid the Progenitors' technology from the rest of the galaxy.

Although she made her debut in the previous episode's cliffhanger, Salome Jens' first full appearance as the Female Changeling was in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , season 3, episode 2, "The Search, Part II". The episode was directed by Jonathan Frakes , who had previously directed Jens in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Chase". It's unknown if Frakes suggested Salome Jens for the role, or if it was a happy coincidence. However, Salome Jens enjoyed the role greatly, reflecting on her experiences on DS9 to Grigware Interviews in 2010:

The cast was wonderful; the stories were interesting. Like a Greek tragedy, there's something quite wonderful that happened with all of them.

Why A New Actor Played Star Trek: Discovery Season 5’s Progenitor

Salome Jens doesn't reprise her role as the Progenitor in Star Trek: Discovery 's finale for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Salome Jens is now 89 years old, and hasn't acted on screen for a number of years. The amount of time in make-up required to play a Progenitor in Star Trek is grueling enough for a younger actor, let alone someone who is nearly 90 years old. This is one of the reasons that Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama was cast as a different member of the Progenitor species in the Discovery finale .

The Nigerian actress was also chosen to play the Progenitor in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 to better demonstrate the infinite diversity that exists in the universe. Much as the Progenitors seeded a diverse range of humanoid species across the Star Trek universe, the casting of Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama reflected the diversity within the Progenitors' own species. The casting of Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama builds on Salome Jens' legacy as the first Progenitor by revealing a tiny bit more information about this most mysterious of Star Trek species.

All episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

*Availability in US

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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

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Leonard Nimoy’s son reveals how tragedy transformed his relationship with ‘Star Trek’ actor

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Adam Nimoy’s relationship with his father, Leonard Nimoy, was healed through heartbreak.

Adam, 67, writes in his upcoming memoir, “The Most Human: Reconciling with my Father, Leonard Nimoy,” that for decades he was either barely speaking to his dad or completely estranged.

But when Adam’s second wife was diagnosed with cancer, the “Star Trek” actor stepped up to the plate.

“He was the go-to guy, which was absolutely unthinkable just a few years before. I would never have called him. Never. I didn’t call him when I broke up my marriage of 18 years and I moved out of my house, leaving my two kids,” Adam tells Page Six exclusively.

“[But] my dad became the dad that I always needed but never really had. So it was a very transformative experience.”

The author says their relationship began to improve a few years earlier when the actor, who died in 2015 at the age of 83 , sent his son a letter listing all of Adam’s deficiencies.

Although they were both sober at the time, Adam says that his father was not taking accountability.

“He was sober but not necessarily in recovery,” Adam explains. “He did not take his own inventory. He took my inventory and that’s kind of a no-no.”

Adam admits his first impulse was to blow up at his father but a friend showed him another way.

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His friend advised him to take his own inventory and make amends with his father while letting go of the resentment he had toward him.

“He immediately invited me to a Shabbat dinner the following Friday at his house,” Adam recalls.

Their strained relationship started in Adam’s childhood amid his father’s immense fame for his role as Spock.

“It’s tough to fight with a guy who’s got millions of fans all over the world who just think he’s amazing,” Adam says. “And then I come along and say, ‘I got news for you. You’re human just like the rest of us. And you make mistakes.'”

He describes their mended relationship “a relief” and “a lovely thing,” which was cemented with their work on the 2016 documentary “For the Love of Spock” about Leonard’s life.

“It was a way for me to honor my father,” Adam says. “And it was a way for him to really look at where he had come from and what he had done in his life.”

“The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy” is out June 4.

Adam will be at the Barnes & Noble on the Upper West Side on June 6 and Bookends in New Jersey on June 7.

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International Space Development Conference 2024 beams up Star Trek's William Shatner and more in Los Angeles

Sci-fi meets space fact in Los Angeles at the ISDC 2024 conference this Memorial Day Weekend.

The stars of Star Trek are about to get a taste of real-life space exploration when they beam into the 2024 International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles this weekend, and you have a chance join them to get your space fix. 

On Friday (May 24), actor William Shatner, who originated the role of Captain James T. Kirk and launched into space on a Blue Origin rocket in 2021, will receive the Robert Heinlein Memorial Award "for his deep impact on public perception of the human expansion into space, which boldly highlighted diversity and inclusion previously unseen on television," conference officials said in a statement . The award, which is given annually by the nonprofit National Space Society at ISDC, is just one event featuring Star Trek actors. If you're in the Los Angeles area, you can learn how to attend the ISDC conference at the at isdc.nss.org .

" Star Trek: Strange New Worlds " actor Melissa Navia, who portrays helm pilot Lt. Erica Ortegas, will host the 2024 ISDC conference. NSS officials have also recruited her fellow Trek alums in a May 26 panel "Science Fiction to Science Fact" featuring Nana Visitor (Major Kira Nerys on " Star Trek: Deep Space Nine "), John Billingsley (Doctor Flox on " Star Trek: Enterprise ") and other Trek and sci-fi veterans to discuss "how science fiction has, and will continue to, transition into our everyday lives, and ultimately, the exploration of space." 

But real science fact is the main draw for ISDC, which is expected to draw over 1,000 attendees to its talks at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel near Los Angeles International Airport.

"ISDC 2024 talks will cover the exploration, development, and settlement of the Moon, Mars, and cislunar space; deep space exploration; innovative spaceflight technology; the commercialization of space and space infrastructure; life support systems; collaboration in space; living in space; space solar power; space debris mediation solutions; planetary defense ; space law; and both national and international space policy, among others," organizers wrote in an overview. This year, the conference's theme of "No Limits" has drawn in retired astronauts Susan Kilrain and Jose Hernandez , as well as Alan Stern (who leads the New Horizon mission to Pluto and beyond, as well as Vast Space CEO Max Haot, Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin and YouTube creators Isaac Arthur and Brian McManus.

“The ISDC is the only major space conference that is intended for everyone, from space professionals to students to the lay public. It is the largest and longest running space conference anywhere,” Aggie Kobrin, NSS Event Manager, said in a separate statement . "We're thrilled to be holding the conference in Los Angles this year. It's wonderful and to have these amazing speakers appearing before an audience ranging from seasoned NASA professionals to hundreds of young people, all of whom are deeply interested in space."

You can learn more about the 2024 International Space Development Conference, which runs from May 24 to May 26, at the website  isdc.nss.org where you can also find a full list of speakers and conference schedule.

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Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network . To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik .

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Brent Spiner

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• 3 wins & 8 nominations

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• 14 episodes

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Personal details

• Brent Mintz
• 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
• February 2 , 1949
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• Trivia He is one of two actors, the other being Patrick Stewart Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) regular to share scenes with all three original Star Trek (1966) series cast members who appeared on that series: DeForest Kelley , Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan .
• Quotes [on his action figure of Lt. Commander Data] At first, I was reluctant. But then I figured, if it's good enough for Alec Guinness , then it's good enough for me.
• Trademark Lieutenant Commander Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
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‘Star Trek: Discovery’ is over. Now Alex Kurtzman readies for ‘Starfleet Academy’ and ‘Section 31’

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In “Star Trek” terms, and in the real world of “Star Trek” television, Alex Kurtzman, who oversees the 21st century franchise, might be described as the Federation president, from whose offices various series depart on their individual missions. Indeed, to hear him speak of it, the whole enterprise — honestly, no pun intended — seems to run very much on the series’ ethos of individual initiative and group consensus.

The first series to be launched, “ Star Trek: Discovery, ” has come to an end as of Thursday after five seasons on Paramount+. Others in the fleet include the concluded “ Picard, ” which brought “The Next Generation” into a new generation; the ongoing “ Strange New Worlds, ” which precedes the action of what’s now called “The Original Series,” from which it takes its spirit and several characters; “Lower Decks,” a comedy set among Starfleet service workers; and “Prodigy,” in which a collection of teenage aliens go joyriding in a starship. On the horizon are “Starfleet Academy,” with Holly Hunter set to star, and a TV feature, “ Section 31, ” with Michelle Yeoh back as Philippa Georgiou.

I spoke with Kurtzman, whose “Trek” trek began as a writer on the quantum-canonical reboot movies “ Star Trek ” (2009) and “ Star Trek: Into Darkness ” (2013), at Secret Hideout, his appropriately unmarked Santa Monica headquarters. Metro trains glide by his front door unaware. We began the conversation, edited for length and clarity here, with a discussion of his “Trek” universe.

Alex Kurtzman: I liken them to different colors in the rainbow. It makes no sense to me to make one show that’s for everybody; it makes a lot of sense to make a lot of shows individually tailored to a sect of the “Star Trek” audience. It’s a misnomer that there’s a one-size-fits-all Trekkie. And rather than make one show that’s going to please everybody — and will almost certainly please nobody — let’s make an adult drama, an animated comedy, a kids’ comedy, an adventure show and on and on. There’s something quite beautiful about that; it allows each of the stories to bloom in its own unique way.

Do you get pushback from the fans?

Absolutely. In some ways that’s the point. One of the things I learned early on is that to be in love with “Star Trek” is to engage in healthy debate. There is no more vocal fan base. Some people tell you that their favorite is “The Original Series,” some say their favorite is “Voyager” and some say their favorite is “Discovery.” Yet they all come together and talk about what makes something singularly “Trek” — [creator] Gene Roddenberry‘s extraordinarily optimistic vision of the future when all that divides us [gets placed] in the rearview mirror and we get to move on and discover things. Like all great science fiction, you get to pick your allegory to the real world and come up with the science fiction equivalent. And everybody who watches understands what we’re talking about — racism or the Middle East or whatever.

What specific objections did you find to “Discovery”?

I think people felt it was too dark. We really listen to our fans in the writers’ room — everybody will have read a different article or review over the weekend, and we talk about what feels relevant and what feels less relevant. And then we engage in a healthy democratic debate about why and begin to apply that; it seeps into the decisions we make. Season 1 of “Discovery” was always intended to be a journey from darkness into light, and ultimately reinforce Roddenberry’s vision. I think people were just stunned by something that felt darker than any “Trek” had before. But doing a dark “Star Trek” really wasn’t our goal. The show is a mirror that holds itself up to the times, and we were in 2017 — we saw the nation fracture hugely right after the election, and it’s only gotten worse since then. We were interpreting that through science fiction. There were people who appreciated that and others for whom it was just not “Star Trek.” And the result, in Season 2, Capt. [Christopher] Pike showed up, Number One showed up, Spock showed up, and we began to bring in what felt to people more like the “Star Trek” they understood.

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You’re ending the series after five seasons. Was that always a plan?

You know, we were surprised we didn’t continue, and yet it feels now that it was right. One of the things that happened very quickly as streaming took off was that it radically changed watch patterns for viewers. Shows that used to go 10, 12 seasons, people would tap out after two — like, “I got what I want” — so for any show to go five seasons, it’s a miracle. In ways I don’t think we could have predicted, the season from the beginning feels like it’s the last; it just has a sense of finality. The studio was wonderful in that they recognized we needed to put a button on it, we needed a period on the end of the sentence, and so they allowed us to go back, which we did right before the strike, and [film] the coda that wraps up the series.

“Discovery” is a riot of love stories, among both heroes and villains.

There’s certainly a history of that in “Star Trek.” Whether or not characters were engaged in direct relationships, there was always a subtext of the love between them. I believe that’s why we love the bridge crew, because it’s really a love story, everyone’s in a love story, and they all care for each other and fight like family members. But ultimately they’re there to help each other and explore the universe together. If there’s some weird problem, and the answer’s not immediately apparent, each of them brings a different skill set and therefore a different perspective; they clash in their debate on how to proceed and then find some miraculous solution that none of them would have thought of at the outset.

One of the beautiful things about the shows is that you get to spend a long time with them, as opposed to a two-hour movie where you have to get in and out quickly and then wait a couple of years before the next one comes along. To be able to be on their weekly adventures, it affords the storytelling level of depth and complexity a two-hour movie just can’t achieve in that way.

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It’s astonishing how much matter you got into these things. Some storylines that only lasted an episode I remembered as seasonal arcs.

The sheer tonnage of story and character we were able to pack into “Discovery” every episode was kind of incredible. The thing to keep in mind is that “Discovery” was made as streaming was exploding, so what I think you’re also seeing there is a lot of writers who were trained in the network world with an A, B and C story applying it suddenly to a very different kind of storytelling in a much more cinematic medium. And when you have that kind of scope it starts to become really, really big. Sometimes that works really, really well and sometimes it was too much. And we were figuring it out; it was a bunch of people with flashlights in the dark, looking for how to interpret “Star Trek” now, since it had been 12 years since it had been on a television screen.

Are you able to course-correct within a season?

Sure. You get people you really trust in the room. Aaron Baiers, who runs Secret Hideout, is one of my most important early-warning systems; he isn’t necessarily in the room when we’re breaking stories, but he’s the first person who’ll read an outline and he’s the first person who’ll read a script. What I value so much about his perspective is that he’s coming in cold, he’s just like, “I’m the viewer, and I understand this or I don’t understand it, I feel this or I don’t feel it.” The studio executives are very similar. They love “Star Trek,” they’re all die-hard fans and have very strong feelings about what is appropriate. It then goes through a series of artists in every facet, from props to visual effects to production design, and they’re bringing their interpretations and opinions to the story.

Did “Strange New Worlds” come out of the fact that everybody loved seeing Christopher Pike in “Discovery?”

I really have to credit Akiva Goldsman with this. He knew that I was going to bring Pike into the premiere of the second season of “Discovery,” and said, “You know, there’s an incredible show about Capt. Pike and the Enterprise before Kirk takes over; there’s seven years of great storytelling there” — or five years, depending on when you come into the storyline. I said, “We have to cast a successful Pike first, so let’s see if that works. Let’s figure out who’s Number One, and who Spock is,” which are wildly tall orders. I hadn’t seen Anson Mount in other things before [he was cast as Pike], and when he sent in his taped audition it was that wonderful moment where you go, “That’s exactly the person we’re looking for.” Everybody loves Pike because he’s the kind of leader you want, definitive and clear but open to everyone’s perspective and humanistic in his response. And then we had the incredibly tall order of having Ethan [Peck] step into Leonard [Nimoy’s] and [Zachary Quinto’s] shoes.

He’s great.

He’s amazing, just a delight of a human being. And Rebecca Romijn‘s energy, what she brings to Number One is such a contemporary take on a character that was kind of a cipher in “The Original Series.” But she brings a kind of joy, a comedy, a bearing, a gravitas to the character that feels very modern. Thank God the fans responded the way they did and sent that petition [calling for a “Legacy” series], because everybody at CBS got the message very quickly. Jenny Lumet and Akiva and I wrote a pilot, and we were off to the races. Typically it takes fans a minute to adjust to what you’re doing, especially with beloved legacy characters, but the response to “Strange New World” from a critical perspective and fan perspective and just a viewership perspective was so immediate, it really did help us understand what was satisfying fans.

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What can you tell me about “Starfleet Academy?” Is it going to be Earth-based or space-based?

I’m going to say, without giving anything away, both. Right now we’re in the middle of answering the question what does San Francisco, where the academy is, look like in the 32nd century. Our primary set is the biggest we’ve ever built.

So you’re setting this —

In the “Discovery” era. There’s a specific reason for that. As the father of a 17-year-old boy, I see what my son is feeling as he looks at the world and to his future. I see the uncertainty; I see all the things we took for granted as given are not certainties for him. I see him recognizing he’s inheriting an enormous mess to clean up and it’s going to be on his generation to figure out how to do that, and that’s a lot to ask of a kid. My thinking was, if we set “Starfleet Academy” in the halcyon days of the Federation where everything was fine, it’s not going to speak to what kids are going through right now.

It’ll be a nice fantasy, but it’s not really going to be authentic. What’ll be authentic is to set it in the timeline where this is the first class back after over 100 years, and they are coming into a world that is only beginning to recover from a cataclysm — which was the Burn, as established on “Star Trek: Discovery,” where the Federation was greatly diminished. So they’re the first who’ll inherit, who’ll re-inherit, the task of exploration as a primary goal, because there just wasn’t room for that during the Burn — everybody was playing defense. It’s an incredibly optimistic show, an incredibly fun show; it’s a very funny show, and it’s a very emotional show. I think these kids, in different ways, are going to represent what a lot of kids are feeling now.

And I’m very, very , very excited that Holly Hunter is the lead of the show. Honestly, when we were working on the scripts, we wrote it for Holly thinking she’d never do it. And we sent them to her, and to our absolute delight and shock she loved them and signed on right away.

And then you’ve got the “Section 31” movie.

“Section 31” is Michelle Yeoh’s return as Georgiou. A very, very different feeling for “Star Trek.” I will always be so grateful to her, because on the heels of her nomination and then her Oscar win , she just doubled down on coming back to “Star Trek.” She could have easily walked away from it; she had a lot of other opportunities. But she remained steadfast and totally committed. We just wrapped that up and are starting to edit now.

Are you looking past “Starfleet” and “Section 31” to future projects?

There’s always notions and there are a couple of surprises coming up, but I really try to live in the shows that are in front of me in the moment because they’re so all-consuming. I’m directing the first two episodes of “Starfleet Academy,” so right now my brain is just wholly inside that world. But you can tell “Star Trek” stories forever; there’s always more. There’s something in the DNA of its construction that allows you to keep opening different doors. Some of that is science fiction, some of it has to do with the combination of science fiction and the organic embracing of all these other genres that lets you explore new territories. I don’t think it’s ever going to end. I think it’s going to go on for a long, long time. The real question for “Star Trek” is how do you keep innovating, how do you deliver both what people expect and something totally fresh at the same time. Because I think that is actually what people want from “Star Trek.” They want what’s familiar delivered in a way that doesn’t feel familiar.

With all our showrunners — Terry Matalas on “Picard,” the Hagemans on “Prodigy,” Mike McMahan on “Lower Decks,” Michelle Paradise, who has been singlehandedly running “Discovery” for the last two years, and then Akiva and Henry Alonso Myers on “Strange New Worlds” — my feeling is that the best way to protect and preserve “Star Trek” is not to impose my own vision on it but [find people] who meet the criteria of loving “Star Trek,” wanting to do new things with it, understanding how incredibly hard it is to do. And then I’m going to let you do your job. I’ll come in and tell you what I think every once in a while, and I’ll help get the boat off the dock, but once I hand the show over to a creative it has to be their show. And that means you’re going to get a different take every time, and as long as those takes all feel like they can marry into the same rainbow, to get back to the metaphor, that’s the way to keep “Star Trek” fresh.

I take great comfort because “Star Trek” really only belongs to Gene Roddenberry and the fans. We don’t own it. We carry it, we try to evolve it and then we hand it off to the next people. And hopefully they will love it as much as we do.

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‘Star Trek’ actor George Takei is determined to keep telling his Japanese American story

“Star Trek” icon George Takei has a new picture book out for children ages called “My Lost Freedom,” tackling the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans, including children, labeled enemies during World War II. (May 30)

FILE - Members of the “Star Trek” crew, from left, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy and Nichelle Nichols, toast the newest “Star Trek” film during a news conference at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, Dec. 28, 1988. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith, File)

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FILE - Actor George Takei, who played the role of helm officer Sulu in the original television series, “Star Trek,” gives a “live long and prosper” gesture in front of a model of the U.S.S. Enterprise space ship at an exhibit at the Tech Museum in San Jose, Calif., on Oct. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

FILE - George Takei arrives at the 75th annual Tony Awards on June 12, 2022, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - George Takei arrives at the Star Trek Day celebration in Los Angeles on Sept. 8, 2021. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

A copy of “My Lost Freedom,” a children’s book by George Takei, is displayed at the section featuring in the “Being Asian in America” at a Kinokuniya bookstore specializing in selling books and magazines written in foreign languages in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

TOKYO (AP) — The incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans , including children, labeled enemies during World War II is an historical experience that has traumatized, and galvanized, the Japanese American community over the decades.

For George Takei, who portrayed Hikaru Sulu aboard the USS Enterprise in the “Star Trek” franchise, it’s a story he is determined to keep telling every opportunity he has.

“I consider it my mission in life to educate Americans on this chapter of American history,” he said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

He fears the lesson about the failure of U.S. democracy hasn’t really been learned, even today, including among Japanese Americans.

“The shame of internment is the government’s. They’re the ones that did something unjust, cruel and inhuman. But so often the victims of the government actions take on the shame themselves,” he said.

Takei, 87, has a new picture book out for children ages 6 to 9 and their parents, called “My Lost Freedom.” It’s illustrated in soft watercolors by Michelle Lee.

Takei was 4 years old when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942, two months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor , declaring anyone of Japanese descent an enemy of the United States and forcibly removing them from their West Coast homes.

Takei spent the next three years behind barbed wires, guarded by soldiers with guns, in three camps: the Santa Anita racetrack, which stunk of manure; Camp Rohwer in a marshland; and, from 1943, Tule Lake, a high-security segregation center for the “disloyal.”

“We were seen as different from other Americans. This was unfair. We were Americans, who had nothing to do with Pearl Harbor. Yet we were imprisoned behind barbed wires,” Takei writes in the book.

Throughout it all, his parents are portrayed as enduring the hardships with a quiet dignity. His mother sewed clothes for the children. They made chairs out of scrap lumber. They played baseball. They danced to Benny Goodman. For Christmas, they got a Santa who looked Japanese.

Takei’s is a remarkable story of resilience and a pursuit of justice, repeated throughout the Japanese American experience.

It’s a story that’s been told and retold, in books like the 1973 “Farewell to Manzanar” by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston; “Only What We Could Carry,” edited by Lawson Fusao Inada more than 20 years ago; and “The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration,” which just came out, compiled by Frank Abe and Floyd Cheung.

David Inoue, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, headquartered in Washington, D.C., believes the message of Takei’s book remains relevant.

He said discrimination persists today, as seen in the anti-Asian attacks that flared with the COVID-19 pandemic . Inoue said his son has been taunted in school in the same way he was growing up.

“One of the important things about having books like this is that it humanizes us. It tells stories about us that show we’re just like any other family. We like to play baseball. We have pets,” Inoue said.

Takei and his family were sent to Tule Lake in northern California because his parents answered “No” to key questions in a so-called loyalty questionnaire.

Question No. 27 asked if they were willing to serve in the U.S. armed forces. Question No. 28 asked whether they swore allegiance to the U.S. and would forswear allegiance to the Japanese emperor. Both were controversial questions for people who had been stripped of their basic civil rights and labeled enemies.

“Daddy and Mama both thought that the two questions were stupid,” Takei writes in “My Lost Freedom.”

“The only honest answers were No and No.”

Takei said the questions did not explain what would become of families with young children. The second question was also a no-win, he said, because his parents felt there was no loyalty to Japan to denounce.

Tule Lake was the largest of the 10 camps, holding 18,000 people.

Young men who answered “Yes” became part of the all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which fought in Europe while their families remained incarcerated. The 442, with their famous “Go for Broke” motto, is the most decorated unit of its size and length of service in U.S. military history.

“They were determined to prove themselves and get their families out of barbed wires,” Takei said. “They are our heroes. I know I owe so much to them.”

After Japan surrendered, Takei and his family, like all Japanese Americans freed from the camps , were each given $25 and a one-way ticket to anywhere in the U.S. Takei’s family chose to start all over again in Los Angeles.

In 1988, the Civil Liberties Act — after years of effort and testimonies by Japanese Americans, including Takei — granted redress of $20,000 and a formal presidential apology to every surviving U.S. citizen or legal resident immigrant of Japanese ancestry incarcerated during World War II.

Takei’s voice became choked when he recalled how his father did not live to see it.

He noted with pride the diversity depicted in “Star Trek,” a TV series that started in the mid-1960s and developed a devout following. There, the crew that flew together through the galaxies was of various backgrounds.

“Star Trek” writer, creator and producer Gene Roddenberry wanted to portray the turbulent times and the civil rights movement on a TV show but had to do it metaphorically to make it acceptable, Takei said.

“Different people, different ideas, different taste, different food. He wanted to make that statement. Each of the characters was supposed to represent a part of this planet,” Takei said.

Takei recalled how his father taught him how the government “of the people, by the people and for the people,” as Abraham Lincoln put it in his Gettysburg Address, could also prove a weakness.

“All people are fallible, even a great president like Roosevelt. He got stampeded by the hysteria of the time, the racism of the time. And he signed Executive Order 9066,” Takei said.

Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Revelation Identifies Kovich as Agent Daniels in a Surprising “Star Trek” Twist

“Star Trek” has always been a series that knows how to innovate and surprise, and within the complex tapestry of its universe, nothing is ever quite as straightforward as it seems. Whether we’re talking about three-dimensional chess or the intricacies of parallel universes with their bearded evil twins, “Star Trek” pitches a masterful curveball in each episode. Among the fascinating spectacles is the ever-present Temporal Cold War, defying both time and space. In a fresh twist, the series linked the enigmatic character Kovich with the figure of Agent Daniels known from “Enterprise” in a storyline that brought a whole new dimension to the sci-fi saga.

If you’re straining to remember, let’s jog your memory. Agent Daniels, played by actor Matt Winston, first made his mark in the “Enterprise” season 1 episode “Cold Front.” Initially disguised as an ordinary crewman, it was later revealed that Daniels was sent from the 31st Century to thwart time-line tampering foes. These versatile plots highlight that the “Star Trek” franchise was weaving intricate time-travel narratives long before they became more mainstream in pop culture. Daniels’ character repeatedly crossed paths with Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), pulling him through time for critical missions while ensuring Archer didn’t make choices that would dramatically alter the future. Daniels possessed an eerie ability to evade death, hinting at his own nature as only vaguely human.

Daniels’ trail seemed to go cold after his final appearance in the early episodes of “Enterprise’s” season 4—until the storyline reintroduced him in a renewed guise as Kovich years later on “Discovery.”

FAQ About Agent Daniels’ Return As Kovich

Who is agent daniels in “star trek”.

Agent Daniels is a character from “Star Trek: Enterprise,” portrayed by Matt Winston. He is a time-traveling operative from the 31st Century, who frequently interacts with Captain Jonathan Archer to prevent alterations to the timeline.

In which episodes of “Enterprise” did Agent Daniels appear?

Agent Daniels makes his first appearance in the season 1 episode “Cold Front” and appears in various other episodes throughout the series, up until early in season 4.

How did “Star Trek: Discovery” tie in Agent Daniels’ character?

In “Star Trek: Discovery,” the mysterious character Kovich is linked with the figure of Agent Daniels, implying that Daniels has taken on a new form or role centuries later in the show’s timeline.

What is the Temporal Cold War?

The Temporal Cold War is a conflict that occurs across different points in time, with various factions attempting to manipulate the timeline to their advantage. It was a recurring storyline in “Star Trek: Enterprise.”

Is Kovich played by the same actor who portrayed Daniels?

No, the character Kovich in “Star Trek: Discovery” is not portrayed by Matt Winston, who played Agent Daniels in “Enterprise.” The connection between the characters is narrative and conceptual rather than through the actor.