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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Full Cast & Crew

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A new crew boards a revamped USS Enterprise in the first spin-off from the '60s cult classic.

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Sound effects, special effects, executive producer, co-producer, line producer, cinematographer, production company.

Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast and Character Guide

Star Trek: The Next Generation stepped away from The Original Series crew, and changed the franchise forever. Here's a rundown of the main characters.

Star Trek: The Next Generation represented a watershed for the vaunted sci-fi franchise. It first premiered on Sept. 28, 1987, and ran for seven seasons: evolving from almost an afterthought to one of the best television shows of all time. More importantly it moved Star Trek from a one-crew series into something far more expansive, allowing numerous shows with all-new characters to flourish. In many ways, the franchise wouldn't have survived without it.

Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard serves as a reunion of sorts for the Next Generation cast, bringing many of the show's favorites back for a curtain call. That includes both the seven "core" members of the cast -- constituting the bridge officers of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D -- and a surprising number of supporting cast members, some of whom returned earlier in Picard . Together, they have helped define Star Trek in the post- Original-Series era.

RELATED: Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Roddenberry Box, Explained

Patrick Stewart Is Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Sir Patrick Stewart was best known as a Shakespearean actor in the early part of his career. Like many Shakespeareans, he made numerous appearances in movies and TV shows. He even had a profile among sci-fi lovers, thanks to appearances in the likes of Excalibur, Lifeforce , and David Lynch's version of Dune. He earned a whole new group of fans after Star Trek by portraying Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise .

Jean-Luc Picard is captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D, and conceived in many ways as the antithesis of Captain James T. Kirk. Picard is cerebral, diplomatic and slow to anger. He prefers negotiation to fighting, and displays a wealth of knowledge in a wide variety of fields. As the captain of Starfleet's flagship, he's often targeted by the Federation's enemies, most notably the Borg, who assimilated him into their collective in Season 3, Episode 26, "the Best of Both Worlds, Part 1." The emotional scars of the incident remain with him for the length of the franchise.

Jonathan Frakes Is Commander William Riker

Jonathan Frakes was an unknown when he joined the cast of The Next Generation , though he had appeared in numerous TV series before then as a working actor. Star Trek gave him a chance to work behind the camera as a director. Since then, he's become a major creative force in the franchise, directing episodes of multiple Star Trek series and two movies, as well as numerous projects outside The Final Frontier.

Square-jawed and stalwart, William Riker spends the early seasons leading dangerous away team missions while Picard remains behind on the bridge. As the show evolves, the two men come to rely on each other more and more, to the point where Riker repeatedly turns down promotion to remain the Enterprise-D's "Number One." Though a stalwart commander, he adopts a more informal attitude than Picard, joking with other members of the staff and commiserating with them while off-duty.

RELATED: TNG Changed Star Trek With a Game of Cards

Gates McFadden Is Doctor Beverly Crusher

Before joining the cast of The Next Generation, McFadden worked with Jim Henson Studios as a choreographer and movement specialist in the likes of Labyrinth and The Muppets Take Manhattan . McFadden quit the Star Trek series after the first season, citing sexism in the scripts and a dispute with then-lead writer Maurice Hurley. She did, however, return for Season 3.

The shift reveals just how important Dr. Crusher is to the cast's dynamic. A widow and the mother of super-genius Wesley Crusher, she dispenses her medical duties with kindness, calm, and dogged optimism. She and Picard have an on-again, off-again relationship throughout the series -- fond but platonic most of the time -- which results in the birth of their son Jack two decades before the events of Picard Season 3.

Brent Spiner Is Lieutenant Commander Data

Spiner has become a staple of the Star Trek franchise, with multiple characters stretching across 35 years of programming. Most of them belong to the sinister Soong family, though he also plays Data's treacherous brother Lore and "failed prototype" B-4. Data, however, remains Spiner's signature role, created as an alternative to Mr. Spock and quickly becoming one of the franchise's most beloved characters.

As an android, Data possesses no emotions, though he yearns to experience them. His clinical observations and fantastically advanced brain make him an outstanding science officer for the Enterprise-D, while his compassion and moral compass upend Star Trek's normal Frankenstein-esque approach to artificial intelligence. Picard Season 3 returns Data to life for a proper curtain all after infamously killing him at the conclusion of Star Trek: Nemesis .

RELATED: A Dubious Star Trek Movie Found Inspiration in a Cut TNG Story

Marina Sirtis Is Counselor Deanna Troi

Marina Sirtis joined Star Trek after previously appearing on various British TV series and American B-movies. Her character is presented as the ship's counselor, a half-Betazoid empath capable of sensing emotions in others. While she aptly serves as a therapist for the crew, her main duties involve advising the captain on diplomatic matters. This makes her a vital member of the bridge staff.

Deanna Troi also has a past relationship with Will Riker, and they remain close platonic friends throughout The Next Generation's run. They rekindle their romance during Star Trek: Insurrection, and get married in the opening of Star Trek: Nemesis . Picard Season 1 finds them semi-retired and living with their daughter.

LeVar Burton Is Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge

Of all the principal cast members on the series, LeVar Burton had the highest profile among the public. He first rose to fame playing Kunta Kinte in the groundbreaking miniseries Roots , then served as host and executive producer of the classic PBS educational series Reading Rainbow starting in 1983. Geordi La Forge begins The Next Generation as the ship's pilot, but soon moves to the Chief Engineer's position. He's level-headed and hyper-efficient, though utterly hopeless around women. He and Data become fast friends as the series progresses.

La Forge is also known for his distinctive VISOR, which gives him the ability to see in different spectrums. He constitutes a major step forward for representation. The show views his blindness not as an impediment, but as a unique perspective that brings its own singular gifts. He trades the VISOR in for a pair of cybernetic eyes starting in Star Trek: First Contact , in part because of Burton's weariness with the cumbersome prop.

RELATED: Star Trek: TNG Could Have Continued Past Season 7, but Without Picard

Michael Dorn Is Lieutenant Worf

Worf's appearance on the Enterprise-D was a part of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's vision for the series. The Klingons spent The Original Series as foes of the Federation, but by the time The Next Generation rolled around (100 years on the franchise timetable), they had become allies. Worf is the first Klingon to join Starfleet, played by Shakespearean actor Michael Dorn. Before Star Trek, Dorn was best known for a recurring role on CHiPs. He became only the second actor to formally cross over onto another series: following Chief O'Brien to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Worf himself becomes a catalyst for The Klingons as a culture: exploring them in depth and adding a plethora of exciting characters to the canon. The Empire's scheming nobles and clashing houses draw on Dorn's Shakespearean background, with Worf an exiled lord fighting to restore honor to his people. In the midst of it all, he remains a stalwart friend and able security officer aboard the Enterprise.

Wil Wheaton Is Wesley Crusher

Wil Weaton actually came to The Next Generation as a better-known actor than may of his older cast mates, having made a huge splash as the lead in Rob Reiner's Stand By Me . He has since become Star Trek's de facto master of ceremonies as the host of the aftershow The Ready Room as well as numerous podcasts and other social media series.

Wesley is perhaps The Next Generation's greatest salvage job. He stumbles badly in Season 1, acting as a de facto stand-in for franchise creator Gene Roddenberry and often solving crises as a deus ex machina. Subsequent seasons improve his standing greatly, turning him into a talented but questioning apprentice to the rest of the crew. He departs with a being called The Traveller to explore higher planes of existence at the end of Season 7, though he returns for a brief cameo in Picard Season 2.

RELATED: The Next Generation's USS Enterprise-D Was Star Trek's Best Hero Ship Upgrade

Denise Crosby Is Lieutenant Tasha Yar

Tasha Yar is The Next Generation's great "what if" and the Enterprise's original security chief who was ignominiously killed off at the end of Season 1. Denise Crosby left the show for many of the same reasons McFadden did, and unfortunately, she never received a proper mulligan like Doctor Crusher did. The actor went on to prominent roles in Miracle Mile and the first Pet Sematary, as well as a long line of guest appearances on prominent sci-fi series.

Thankfully, The Next Generation finds places to bring her back, most notably in the now-classic "Yesterday's Enterprise" in Season 3. That leads to her half-Romulan daughter Sela, who becomes one of the Enterprise-D's chief foils in Season 4 and 5. Her absence haunts her former crewmates as they never quite shed the pain of her passing, and keeping her out of Picard Season 3 is still one of that series' biggest mistakes.

Colm Meaney Is Chief Miles O'Brien

Before serving as chief engineer on Deep Space 9, Miles O'Brien was the Enterprise-D's stalwart transporter chief. Colm Meaney, who played O'Brien throughout both The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , rocketed to prominence on the role after eking out a few brief TV roles here and there. Afterwards, he starred in a long string of high-profile movie roles: starting with Stephen Frears' The Commitments and others like Con Air, Under Siege and The Snapper.

O'Brien himself is a holdover from Montgomery Scott, the redoubtable Chief Engineer from The Original Series . He's also Star Trek's first semi-official "Lower Decks" character , representing the ship's rank-and-file crew members. Diligent and hard-working, he dotes on his wife Keiko and is always ready at the transporter when the away team needs a quick pick-up.

RELATED: Star Trek Theory: Why the Borg Queen Didn't Appear in The Next Generation

Whoopi Goldberg Is Guinan

Goldberg is a self-confessed Trekkie, having famously grown up admiring Nichelle Nichols' performance on The Original Series . Her own film career launched with a bang when she starred in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple based on the Alice Walker novel. She joined The Next Generation in Season 2 as Guinan, the ship's bartender who has a long history with Picard and an uncanny knack for good advice. Her presence is credited with helping the show turn things around after the disastrous Season 1, and she returned for a brief appearance in the second season of Picard .

Guinan makes a sterling example of The Next Generation's strong line of supporting characters. The show doesn't use her unless the plot calls for it, making every appearance a meaningful one (and freeing Goldberg to pursue what became an Oscar-winning movie career). In that sense, she exemplifies part of Gene Roddenberry's formula for The Original Series' success: write meaty parts for a small number of episodes in order to attract top-notch actors who don't want to be tied down in a single series.

Dwight Schultz Is Lieutenant Reg Barclay

Schultz made a big splash on the 80s classic The A-Team , where he played deranged pilot "Howling Man" Murdock throughout its successful run. Reg Barclay is the exact opposite of Murdock: timid, uncertain, painfully shy and another early example of Star Trek's Lower Deckies. An inherently unpopular member of the engineering staff, he first appears in Season 3, Episode 21, "Hollow Pursuits," where he lives vicariously through inappropriate holodeck programs designed around his real-life crewmates.

While ostensibly a holographic expert, Barclay quickly evolves into the ship's Everyman: appearing in the likes of Season 4, Episode 19, "The Nth Degree" and Season 6, Episode 12, "Ship in a Bottle," as well as making a cameo in Star Trek: First Contact . He eventually becomes attached to the efforts to reach the U.S.S. Voyager in the Delta Quadrant, leading to several prominent appearances on Star Trek: Voyager as well.

RELATED: How Picard Cemented This Couple as Star Trek's Best

Diana Muldar Is Katherine Pulaski

Star Trek's "forgotten doctor" appears in the second season of The Next Generation , replacing the departing Gates McFadden. Unlike Crusher, Pulaski is plain-speaking, blunt and a little stand-offish. Critics note that she resembles Leonard McCoy a little too closely (both characters share a phobia about transporters, for example) and she lacks the chemistry with the rest of the crew that McFadden enjoyed. She departs the series at the end of season 2, never to be seen again.

Actor Diana Muldar was already a success when she played Dr. Pulaski, with a long string of television appearances stretching back to the 1960s. That included two episodes of The Original Series : Season 2, Episode 20, "Return to Tomorrow" and Season 3, Episode 5, "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" After her run on The Next Generation , she earned a pair of Emmy nominations as the villainous Rosalind Shays on L.A. Law . Batman: The Animated Series fans know her as Dr. Leslie Thompkins, which marked the first appearance of the character outside of the comics.

Michelle Forbes Is Ro Laren

Ro Laren arrives on the Enterprise in Season 5, Episode 3, "Ensign Ro." She introduces the Bajorans to the Star Trek universe, which is a religious species who have become insurgents and refugees after the Cardassians occupy their world. She becomes a stand-in for the oppressed and neglected, as well as demonstrating the limits of Starfleet's power and morality. She and Picard form a bond, which she betrays when she joins the terrorist Maquis in Season 7, Episode 24, "Preemptive Strike." She returns in Picard Season 3 to warn her old mentor about the Changeling threat before sacrificing herself in one of the new series' most celebrated plotlines.

Forbes spent two years on the soap opera Guiding Light before joining the cast of The Next Generation . Ro Laren was intended to be one of the leads on Deep Space Nine , but the actor declined, fearing she would be typecast in the part. The role was rewritten and became Nana Visitor's Kira Nerys. Forbes went on to star in numerous film and television projects, including Homicide: Life on the Street, 24, Battlestar Galactica, Kalifornia , and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' 36 years later

• "Star Trek: The Next Generation" ("TNG") aired from 1987 to 1994.
• It was the first live-action "Star Trek" show since the original series ended in 1969.
• The cast will reunite for the final season of "Star Trek: Picard," which premieres February 16.

The captain of the Enterprise, Jean-Luc Picard, was played by Sir Patrick Stewart for all seven seasons.

Stewart got his start as a theater actor and was a part of the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1966 to 1982. He then had various roles on British TV series until he was cast as the newest captain of the USS Enterprise in 1987 for "Star Trek: The Next Generation," kicking off decades of debates on who the superior captain is .

Arguably, "TNG" would never have been as successful as it was without the grounding presence of Stewart and his Shakespearean sensibilities. Some of the best episodes and arcs in "Trek" history come down to Stewart's performance, such as the iconic Locutus storyline and its aftermath in "Family," or classic episodes like "The Measure of a Man" and "The Inner Light."

He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance in 1995. He won a Grammy in 1996 for best spoken word album for children for his reading of "Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf."

Stewart, 82, will conclude Picard's story in 2023 after three seasons of "Star Trek: Picard" on Paramount+.

By the time "TNG" wrapped up in 1994, Stewart had already  solidified his place in the hearts of nerds everywhere. He'd go on to star in four more "Trek" movies — "Generations" in 1994, "First Contact" in 1996, "Insurrection" in 1998, and "Nemesis" in 2002 — but that wasn't his last iconic role.

In 2000, he starred as the iconic Professor Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, in "X-Men." He reprised the role in 2003's "X2," 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand," 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," 2013's "The Wolverine," 2014's "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and 2017's "Logan" — the latter of which got him some Oscar buzz . He reprised the role in 2022's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness."

Stewart was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 for services to drama.

He's played various other roles throughout his decades-long career, returned to the stage many times, and secured a Tony nomination in 2008 for his performance in "Macbeth." But Picard wasn't done with him yet.

In 2018, it was announced that Stewart would be returning to the role of Jean-Luc Picard for a series on CBS All Access (now Paramount+) following the former captain 30 years after the events of "Nemesis." "Star Trek: Picard" premiered in 2020. The third and final season will premiere on February 16.

Commander William T. Riker, Picard's right-hand man and first officer, was played by Jonathan Frakes.

Riker was more of the classic "Trek" rogue, similar in some ways to William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk, namely, his penchant for getting into trouble and getting women across the galaxy to fall in love with him. But he was also a trusted colleague and friend to Picard across seven seasons and four movies. Picking up Riker from Farpoint Station is actually one of the crew's first missions in the pilot.

Before "TNG," Frakes had appeared in various episodes of '70s and '80s shows like "Charlie's Angels," "The Twilight Zone," "Hill Street Blues," and more. But he quickly became best known for "Trek."

Like Shatner and Leonard Nimoy before him, Frakes also became interested in directing, and he was behind the camera for eight episodes of "TNG," as well as episodes of spin-offs "Deep Space Nine," and "Voyager." He also directed films "First Contact" and "Insurrection."

Frakes, 70, has appeared in "Picard" and "Lower Decks." He's also a successful director.

Soon after "TNG" wrapped up, Frakes began hosting the series "Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction?" from 1998 to 2002. A compilation clip of him saying things are false/fiction has since become a meme .

Frakes reprised his role as Riker in episodes of "Deep Space Nine" and "Voyager" in the '90s, the series finale of "Star Trek: Enterprise" in 2005, two episodes of "Star Trek: Picard" in 2020, and three episodes of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" in 2020 and 2021.

Over the last two decades, he's directed over 70 episodes of television, including shows like "Roswell," "Castle," "NCIS: Los Angeles," "The Librarians," "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Seth MacFarlane's loving "Trek" homage "The Orville," and, of course, the new "Trek" shows like "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Picard."

Like the rest of the original "TNG" crew, Frakes has joined the cast of "Picard" for season three.

Marina Sirtis played Deanna Troi, the ship's counselor and an empath.

In some ways, Troi was like the exact opposite of Spock, a character from the original "Trek" who operated solely from a place of logic. Instead, Troi was a half-human, half-betazoid, which made her an empath (able to telepathically sense people's feelings and emotions). Her place on the ship was to counsel the captain and other members of the crew.

Notably, Troi and Riker were in a relationship before the events of the show, and they eventually get married during the movie "Nemesis," before moving to the USS Titan, where Riker would finally become captain.

Her mother, Lwaxana Troi, was a beloved "Trek" side character played by Majel Barrett, "Trek" creator Gene Rodenberry's wife and "Original Series" cast member. Barrett also played Christine Chapel.

Before "TNG," Sirtis had appeared in bit parts in films and was mainly doing theater in her native UK.

Sirtis, 67, reprised the role for one episode of "Picard" with her on-screen husband, Riker.

Sirtis appeared in all four "TNG" films," and she also reprised her role as Troi in "Voyager," "Enterprise," "Picard," and "Lower Decks." She also appeared in an episode of "The Orville."

She's steadily worked in TV over the last two decades, appearing in shows like "Without a Trace," "Make It or Break It," "Grey's Anatomy," "NCIS," and "Scandal."

Sirtis has also had a steady voice-acting career, lending her voice to "Gargoyles," "Adventure Time," and perhaps most famously, as Queen Bee in "Young Justice."

Sirtis will don her Starfleet uniform yet again in 2023 for the final season of "Picard."

LeVar Burton played the engineering genius Geordi La Forge.

Besides Stewart, Burton was easily the most well-known member of the cast. Ten years prior, he had played Kunta Kinte in the 1977 ABC miniseries "Roots," which was nominated for 37 Emmy Awards, winning nine, including a nomination for Burton . The series finale is still the second most-watched series finale of all time, garnering at least 110 million viewers. He reprised the role in the 1988 TV film "Roots: The Gift."

When he was cast as La Forge, the chief engineering officer who happened to be blind — a big step forward in disability representation at the time — Burton had already been hosting "Reading Rainbow" on PBS since 1983. "Reading Rainbow," which Burton produced, won a Peabody Award and 12 Daytime Emmys.

From 1990 to 1996, Burton also voiced Kwame on "Captain Planet and the Planeteers" for over 100 episodes. In 1999, he directed the Disney Channel Original Movie classic "Smart House."

Burton, 66, was recently at the center of a campaign to take over as the new host of "Jeopardy!"

Like the rest of the main cast, Burton appeared in "TNG's" four feature films . He also appeared as La Forge in an episode of "Voyager."

He will reprise his role for the first time on TV since 1998 during the third and final season of "Picard" — and he'll be joined by his daughter, Mica Burton, who will play La Forge's daughter Alandra, an ensign in Starfleet.

Burton has had a successful career in Hollywood since, appearing as Martin Luther King Jr. in 2001's "Ali," playing himself in iconic appearances on both "Community" and "The Big Bang Theory," and hosting "Reading Rainbow" until its end in 2006.

Like Frakes, Burton is also a successful TV director. He's directed numerous episodes of "Star Trek" and its spin-offs, as well as episodes of "Charmed," "JAG," and "NCIS: New Orleans." He made his movie directorial debut in 2008 with "Reach for Me," starring Seymour Cassel.

After the death of Alex Trebek in 2020 , fans began campaigning for Burton to take over as the new host of "Jeopardy!" Almost 300,000 fans have signed a petition to that effect. However, after a brief stint as guest host, Burton said he wouldn't be interested in taking over as the permanent host.

In October 2021, he was named next year's grand marshal of the Rose Bowl Parade.

Gates McFadden played the chief medical officer Dr. Beverly Crusher for six seasons — she was replaced briefly in season two.

Dr. Crusher was introduced as the chief medical officer of the Enterprise with a long relationship with Picard — her late husband, Jack, and Picard were close friends, and Picard even brought back Jack's body after death.

However, as the show progressed, Dr. Crusher and Picard's relationship evolved into love and they even got married (and divorced) in an alternate timeline. We want to see Beverly in "Picard," please — and it seems like we're finally getting our wish.

After the first season, McFadden was written out of the show due to issues with head writer Maurice Hurley and replaced with Diana Muldaur, who played Dr. Katherine Pulaski. Muldaur's character did not gel with the rest of the cast, and McFadden was subsequently brought back for season three (and Hurley was ultimately replaced with Michael Piller).

Before "TNG," McFadden was a choreographer and a puppeteer involved with the Jim Henson Company, in addition to her career as an actress . She appeared in and choreographed 1984's "The Muppets Take Manhattan" and choreographed "Labyrinth" in 1986 . McFadden directed an episode of "TNG" in 1994.

McFadden, 73, has appeared in episodes of shows like "Franklin & Bash," "NCIS," and "The Practice."

McFadden appeared in all four "TNG" films , though she didn't have a huge role in them, considering how her relationship with Picard was left in the series finale. She even joked during a screening of the season three premiere of "Picard" that she didn't remember being in the films.

Hopefully, their bond will be addressed in season three of "Picard," which McFadden will return for, especially since season two of "Picard" seems very concerned with the lack of love in his life.

Since the end of the films in 2002, McFadden has mainly appeared on TV. She was in four episodes of "Franklin & Bash," an episode of "NCIS," and a TV movie called "A Neighbor's Deception." She was also in a 2009 holiday rom-com called "Make the Yuletide Gay."

Michael Dorn played Worf, the first Klingon in "Trek" history to be a main character.

Worf was the first Klingon to be a main character in "Star Trek" — in three of the original films, Klingons were, if not the main antagonists, one of the secondary foes.

By the events of "TNG," Dorn's character Worf had enlisted in Star Fleet and slowly became one of the series' best and most beloved characters, as well as the chief security officer. He went on to star on "Deep Space Nine" for four seasons, from 1995 to 1999.

Before the show, Dorn had appeared in shows such as "CHiPS," "Knots Landing," and "Days of Our Lives."

Dorn, 70, has been in more episodes of "Star Trek" than any other actor. He'll add to his lead by appearing in "Picard."

Overall, Dorn played Worf for 277 episodes and four films, making more appearances than any other actor in "Trek" history. The character was so popular that there were even talks to continue his story in his own show, called "Star Trek: Captain Worf" in 2012, though they never came to fruition.

He'll continue his reign, as Dorn was announced with the rest of the cast of "TNG" to be returning to "Trek" in season three of "Picard."

Besides acting in "Star Trek," Dorn also directed three episodes of "Deep Space Nine," as well as an episode of "Enterprise."

Like many of his co-stars, Dorn has had a successful voice-acting career . He used his voice in "Dinosaurs," "Superman: The Animated Series," "I Am Weasel," "Kim Possible: A Stitch in Time," "Regular Show," and "Arrow," among others. Most recently, he voiced Battle Beast in "Invincible."

Dorn appeared in two of the "Santa Clause" movies as the Sandman, and he was also in "Ted 2." In real life, he's also an accomplished pilot.

Wil Wheaton played Wesley Crusher, Dr. Crusher's son and a controversial character.

Poor Wesley. It couldn't have been easy losing your dad at such an early age, only to be dragged onto a spaceship with the man who survived instead ... a man who pointedly hated kids to boot. But that was Wesley's plight, and it didn't make for a very enjoyable character. He was written off as a regular after season four, at which point he went to Starfleet Academy. Wesley reappeared in the final season for a send-off.

The year before Wheaton began appearing in "TNG," he starred in the classic '80s film "Stand by Me" alongside River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, and John Cusack, all future stars in the making.

Wheaton, 50, made a surprise cameo at the end of season two of "Picard."

As Wesley wasn't a  hugely  beloved character, he only appeared in one scene of one film , "Nemesis." He didn't even speak.

But Wheaton hasn't let the haters stop him from having a successful career. He's appeared in dozens of TV shows and movies, and he hilariously played himself across 17 episodes of "The Big Bang Theory." He also had a recurring role on "Eureka," another recurring role on "Leverage," and a talk show on SyFy called "The Wil Wheaton Project."

Wheaton has also acted in many web series, including "Welcome to Night Vale." He's also had great success in voice acting, most recently voicing the Flash in "Teen Titans Go to the Movies."

He also hosted the web series "TableTop," in which he and guests play a game (like Settlers of Catan or Pandemic) each episode, which aired from 2012 to 2017.

Currently, he hosts "The Ready Room," the official "Star Trek" aftershow that features interviews with the cast and crew. He also made a brief, surprise appearance at the end of season two of "Picard."

Brent Spiner played Data, an android who was on a quest to become more human.

While most of the characters on "TNG" were almost entirely original, Data was clearly conceived as this show's version of Spock , another character who struggled with the concept of humanity.

However, as the show went on, Data solidified himself as his own character with his own fascinating backstory (Lore and Dr. Noonien Soong, anyone?) and a heartwarming desire to become human.

Before the series, Spiner enjoyed a successful career in theater , originating the role of Franz/Dennis in "Sunday in the Park with George" and starring as Aramis in "The Three Musketeers." He also appeared in six episodes of "Night Court."

In 1996, he appeared in the huge sci-fi blockbuster "Independence Day."

They keep finding ways for Spiner, 74, to stay in the "Trek" universe, even 21 years after Data's death in "Star Trek: Nemesis."

Spiner appeared in all four "TNG" movies . In fact, his character might have had the most complete arc, when you take in his sacrifice at the end of "Nemesis." He also played an ancestor of his character's creator, Dr. Arik Soong, in four episodes of "Enterprise's" fourth season.

In 2016, Spiner reprised his role as Dr. Brackish Okun in the sequel "Independence Day: Resurgence." Over the years he's appeared in dozens of TV shows, including "Friends," "Star Wars Rebels," "Ray Donovan," "The Goldbergs," and "Warehouse 13."

Spiner has also voiced two iconic Batman villains. He played the Joker in an episode of "Young Justice," and he voiced the Riddler in "Justice League Action."

In 2020, Spiner reprised his role as Data in "Picard," appearing as the character in dream sequences and as a virtual consciousness throughout the first season.

He also appeared as a descendant of his creator, Dr. Altan Inigo Soong, and as a similar android named B-4 who was originally introduced in "Nemesis." In season two, he played another one of Noonien Soong's ancestors, Adam Soong.

Spiner was announced, like the rest of the cast , to be part of "Picard's" third season, this time playing Data's evil "brother," Lore.

Denise Crosby only starred in one season of "TNG" as Natasha Yar.

Yar's death was one of the biggest shocks of "TNG" and proved this wasn't going to be like the original show — deaths weren't just reserved for "red shirts" here. No one was safe.

In actuality, Crosby asked to be written off the show , as she "was miserable. I couldn't wait to get off that show. I was dying." And so, her character was killed in the season one episode "Skin of Evil" by a malevolent tar-like creature. Yar would reappear two more times, in a season three episode called "Yesterday's Enterprise" (an all-timer), and the series finale.

Crosby also appeared in three episodes as a character called Sela, a future half-Romulan daughter of Yar's from an alternate timeline.

Before the show, Crosby, the granddaughter of Bing Crosby, had appeared in films like "48 Hrs.," "Pet Sematary," two "Pink Panther" films, and multiple episodes of "Days of Our Lives."

Crosby, 65, recently appeared in a few episodes of "General Hospital."

Crosby didn't appear as Yar in any of the "TNG" films, but that doesn't mean she's totally stayed away from "Trek." She produced and presented a 1997 documentary about "Trek" fandom called "Trekkies," and its 2004 sequel "Trekkies 2." As of 2017, there were plans for a third installment.

She's also appeared in multiple direct-to-video movies , in addition to her roles in "Southland," "Ray Donovan," "The Walking Dead," "Suits," "Creepshow," and most recently "NCIS" and "General Hospital."

Colm Meaney had a recurring role as the transporter chief Miles O'Brien.

Meaney appeared in over 50 episodes of "TNG" as O'Brien before he switched over to "Deep Space Nine," which he starred on from 1993 to 1999. His character got much more to do on the spin-off, though he did get married in a season four episode called "Data's Day," and he eventually had a child in the season five episode "Disaster."

During his run on "TNG," Meaney also appeared in a 1993 film called "The Snapper." He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance. 

Meaney, 69, continued to play O'Brien in "Deep Space Nine" through 1999.

After wrapping up his role in "Deep Space Nine," Meaney went on to be nominated for a Gemini Award in 2002 for his role in Canadian series "Random Passage." He also appeared in three episodes of "Stargate Atlantis," the miniseries "Alice," two episodes of "Men in Trees," and more.

Meaney was also nominated for a Saturn Award in 2013 for his role in "Hell on Wheels," appeared in 10 episodes of "Will" and in British series "Gangs of London" and "The Singapore Grip."

In 2021, he appeared in the 15th season of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" as the father of Charlie Day's character.

He's had success on the big screen, as well. He was nominated for the Irish Film and Television Award for best actor in 2007 for "Kings," and he has been in other films like "Law Abiding Citizen," "Get Him to the Greek," "Tolkien," "Seberg," and "Pixie."

He recently starred in "The Serpent Queen" as King Francis I on Starz.

Whoopi Goldberg won an Oscar for "Ghost" as she was recurring on "TNG" as Guinan, an alien bartender who was hundreds of years old.

Goldberg had already been nominated for an Oscar (for "The Color Purple" in 1985) and had won a Grammy for Best Comedy Album in 1985 (Whoopi Goldberg: Original Broadway Show Recording), and had been nominated for an Emmy  for her performance on "Moonlighting" in 1986, when she was asked if she wanted to appear in "TNG" as Guinan, an alien bartender in the ship's lounge who acted as a sounding board for many characters.

She actually asked to be on the show due to her "Trek" fandom, which stemmed from seeing Uhura, a Black woman, in a position of power in the first "Star Trek" series. Goldberg appeared in 28 episodes across seven seasons.

At the same time, Goldberg was becoming a true A-lister. In 1990, she starred in "Ghost," which eventually won her an Oscar. In 1992, she starred in the classic "Sister Act" and its sequel the following year.

Goldberg, 67, accepted a personal invitation from Stewart during "The View" to return as Guinan in season two of "Picard."

Goldberg appeared in two of the "Next Generation" films, "Generations" and "Nemesis." During that time, she also appeared in films like "The Lion King," "Girl, Interrupted," "Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella," and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back."

In 2002, Goldberg secured her Tony Award win for producing "Thoroughly Modern Millie." That same year, she completed her EGOT by winning an Emmy for outstanding special class series. She's also hosted multiple award shows, including the Tonys and the Oscars. 

Goldberg has consistently acted in both TV and movies in the 2000s, appearing in "Glee," "The Middle," "Toy Story 3," "Nobody's Fool," and more.

Since 2007, Goldberg has hosted "The View," which won her her second Emmy — she won outstanding entertainment talk show host at the 2009 Daytime Emmys.

During an appearance on "The View," none other than Patrick Stewart extended an invitation to Goldberg to reprise her role as Guinan during season two of "Picard," which she emotionally accepted.

Both Goldberg's version  and  a younger version played by Ito Aghayere of Guinan appeared during the show.

John de Lancie played Q, a mischievous, omnipotent being throughout all seven seasons of "TNG."

In many ways, it would've been impossible to bring back Picard without bringing back Q. The Enterprise's captain meets Q in the very first episode of "TNG," and for almost every season after he pops back in to check in on the crew (and usually antagonize them a little bit). "TNG's" highly lauded series finale is also a Q episode, with Q attempting to conclude the trial of humanity he began in the first episode.

John de Lancie played Q in eight episodes of "TNG," along with one episode of "Deep Space Nine" and three episodes of "Voyager."

Throughout the '80s and '90s, de Lancie also appeared in "Days of Our Lives," "Trial and Error," and had small roles in films like "The Fisher King" and "Multiplicity."

De Lancie, 74, returned for season two of "Picard."

De Lancie has continued to work frequently on TV, with arcs in shows like "Breaking Bad," "Charmed," "The Librarians," "The Secret Circle," and more.

The actor returned to the "Trek" universe to play Q once again on the first season of the animated series "Lower Decks" in 2020. Two years later, it was revealed that Q would play a major part in season two of "Picard" since, as Q would later say in the season, " even gods have favorites ."

• Main content

Cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Patrick Stewart portrayed the iconic character of Jean-Luc Picard, the distinguished captain of the USS Enterprise-D. Picard is known for his strong leadership, diplomacy, and intellectual prowess.

Jonathan Frakes played the role of William T. Riker, the confident and capable first officer of the USS Enterprise-D. Riker is known for his exceptional tactical skills and natural charisma.

Brent Spiner portrayed the android character Data. Data is an android with a desire to understand humanity and emotions. He possesses vast knowledge and exceptional computational abilities.

Michael Dorn portrayed the Klingon character Worf, who serves as the chief of security on the USS Enterprise-D. Worf is known for his honor-bound nature and fierce combat skills.

Marina Sirtis played the role of Deanna Troi, the empathic ship's counselor of the USS Enterprise-D. Troi is highly skilled in understanding and interpreting emotions, providing valuable insights to the crew.

LeVar Burton portrayed the character Geordi La Forge, the blind chief engineer of the USS Enterprise-D. La Forge uses a VISOR device to enhance his visual perception and is a technical savant.

Gates McFadden played the character Beverly Crusher, the compassionate and capable chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise-D. Crusher is known for her expertise in medical science and dedication to her patients.

Diana Muldaur portrayed the character Katherine Pulaski, who served as the chief medical officer of the USS Enterprise-D during the show's second season. Pulaski is a skilled and no-nonsense physician.

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Where The Cast Of Star Trek: The Next Generation Is Today

In 1987, after a series of successful feature films starring the Original Series cast, the Star Trek franchise decided to boldly go in a new direction. Star Trek: The Next Generation took the risk of creating an all-new cast of characters in an all-new era of the science fiction classic, and the risk paid off. More than 30 years after it debuted, Star Trek: The Next Generation remains one of the most beloved and influential sci-fi series of its era, and for many fans it grew to surpass its predecessor series in terms of quality, depth, and thematic complexity.

Because it was so warmly received and has such an impressive legacy, The Next Generation also made worldwide stars out of its ensemble cast, and they've all gone on to various levels of success beyond Star Trek in both film and television, working in front of and behind the camera. From Captain Picard to Lt. Yar, here's what the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation is up to today.

Patrick Stewart - Jean-Luc Picard

Sir Patrick Stewart had the unenviable task of following William Shatner's James T. Kirk as the next captain of the Enterprise in Star Trek canon. Somehow, as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, he not only pulled it off, but managed to become a science fiction icon to rival Kirk, leading the Enterprise crew with steely resolve and an always commanding presence.

Stewart's Shakespearean background made him what seemed like an unlikely fit for Star Trek , but The Next Generation propelled him to global stardom, and the notoriety that came with the series led to a number of other iconic roles, most notably as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise . Stewart played that role from X-Men in 2000 all the way through to Logan in 2017, cementing his status as a titan in two major genre franchises. His other roles include a fan-favorite version of Ebenezer Scrooge in 1999's A Christmas Carol , a malevolent skinhead in Green Room , and Walter Blunt in the acclaimed series Blunt Talk . He's also continued to act on the stage, and returned to reprise his most iconic role in the CBS All Access series Star Trek: Picard .

Jonathan Frakes - William Riker

A Captain with the presence of Jean-Luc Picard needed a First Office who could keep up, and in that capacity Jonathan Frakes shined in The Next Generation as William Riker. The two characters balance each other out throughout the run of the series, as Riker injected a sense of humor and a certain sense of cavalier passion into the command of the Enterprise.

After beginning his career in the 1970s with a series of small TV appearances, Frakes spent the '80s gaining increasingly larger roles on series like Paper Dolls , Falcon Crest , and North and South before landing the role of Riker. Since The Next Generation era ended he's continued to work as a voiceover actor for shows like Gargoyles , Adventure Time , and Guardians of the Galaxy , but he's also gained a passion for working behind the camera. Since making his directorial debut on The Next Generation (and directing both First Contact and Insurrection ), he's continued to work regularly directing television, including episodes of Star Trek: Discovery and  Star Trek: Picard . He also returned in front of the camera for Picard , reprising his role as Will Riker.

Brent Spiner - Data

Just as The Original Series had Spock, The Next Generation had its own almost-human character there to inject a certain strangeness and different perspective into the crew's adventures. The role was Data , and it fell to Brent Spiner , who turned the aspirational android into one of the franchise's most beloved characters.

After a series of guest starring roles on television, Spiner became an icon when he was cast as Data in The Next Generation , a role he continued on the big screen while also branching out into related characters like Lore and B-4 in various stories. Since then he's continued to work regularly with roles in series like Threshold , Warehouse 13 , Ray Donovan , Outcast and Star Trek: Enterprise . He's also been a prolific voice actor, with credits including Gargoyles , Justice League Action , Star Wars Rebels , Generator Rex , and many more. Finally, he reprised his role as Data in The Next Generation sequel series Star Trek: Picard , alongside many of his original castmates.

Marina Sirtis - Deanna Troi

As counselor Deanna Troi, Marina Sirtis added an element to The Next Generation that even The Original Series never quite explored. She was in some ways the heir to Uhura, but in other's her position as counselor allowed her to inject a new sense of emotional and psychological depth to the series, and her relationship with William Riker may be the best romance in Trek history.

Sirtis' career began with a number of small film and TV roles in the U.S. and the U.K. before she landed  Next Generation , and she went on to play Troi in four feature films and the Trek series Voyager and Enterprise (in a cameo only). Since TNG ended she's stayed busy with TV roles including Without a Trace , Riley Parra , and Girlfriends , as well as film roles including Crossing , For the Love of George , 5th Passenger , and more. She's also a prolific voice actress, with roles on Gargoyles , Young Justice , Adventure Time , Mass Effect and more. In 2020, she reprised her role as Deanna Troi on the TNG sequel series Star Trek: Picard .

Gates McFadden - Beverly Crusher

The Original Series created an iconic Star Trek doctor in Leonard McCoy, so The Next Generation felt compelled to try and do the same. With Gates McFadden , the show found the perfect doctor for this new generation of the Enterprise crew. As Dr. Beverly Crusher, McFadden was the level-headed, always nurturing and caring presence aboard the starship, and while she sat out season 2 and wasn't always front and center in the cast, her absence was always felt, and she turned out to be an icon in all the ways McCoy wasn't.

McFadden landed the role of Crusher after a series of small roles in the 1980s, and has since appeared semi-regularly in various small film and TV roles. She remained part of the TNG cast through the feature film era, and her other roles since the series ended have included TV roles on Marker , Mad About You , The Practice , The Division , Franklin & Bash , The Handler and more. Her most recent screen acting appearance was in an episode of NCIS in 2017.

Michael Dorn - Worf

One of the most important aspects of the future established by Star Trek: The Next Generation was the evolved relationship between humans and Klingons. This time around, the series put a Klingon on the Enterprise Bridge in the form of Worf, the intense warrior turned Federation office played by Michael Dorn . Dorn's portrayal of Worf made him perhaps the most popular Klingon in the history of the series.

Dorn's major breakthrough came in the late 1970s when he landed a recurring role on CHiPS , and he continued to work regularly through the 1980s via TV guest appearances. Once he landed the role of Worf, he held onto it in a way that even some of his TNG co-stars did not, playing the character through four feature films and a recurring role on the TNG follow-up series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Since then, he's continued acting regularly in live action and is an extremely prolific voice actor. His credits include The Santa Clause franchise, Gargoyles , Superman: The Animated Series , Castle , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Arrow , The Lion Guard , and much more.

Wil Wheaton - Wesley Crusher

Though he was only a teenager when he landed the role of Ensign Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation , Wil Wheaton was more famous than certain co-stars of his at the time thanks to roles in hit films like The Secret of NIMH , The Last Starfighter , and Stand by Me . As Wesley Crusher, he injected a teenage energy into Star Trek that hadn't been seen so frequently before, and as a result his character became a divisive topic among fans.

After appearing in the first four seasons as a regular, Wheaton left TNG to pursue other projects, returning as an occasional guest star while working on films like Toy Soldiers , The Liars' Club , and more. Since then he's continued to appear regularly onscreen, most famously as a fictionalized version of himself on The Big Bang Theory and as host of the YouTube gaming series Tabletop . He's also a prolific audiobook narrator and voiceover artist, with credits including Teen Titans , Legion of Super Heroes , Fantasy Hospital , Transformers: Power of the Primes , and much more.

LeVar Burton - Geordi La Forge

LeVar Burton was already a pop culture icon by the time Star Trek: The Next Generation rolled around, having starred in the hit miniseries Roots in 1977 and then becoming a prominent children's television star as the host of Reading Rainbow in 1983. As Geordi La Forge, he brought his own distinctive sense of humor and wonder to Star Trek , and his iconic visor made him one of the most instantly recognizable characters in the franchise.

Burton continued to play Geordi throughout the Next Generation era, and has worked regularly ever since. His post- TNG roles include continuing work on Reading Rainbow in its various forms, the TV series Christy , a voice acting role Captain Planet and the Planeteers , appearances as himself on The Big Bang Theory and Community , and the TV series Perception and Weird City . He will next be seen as himself in the film Definition Please , a dramedy revolving around the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He's also become a prolific director, working behind the camera on series including Star Trek: Enterprise , Charmed , and NCIS: New Orleans .

Colm Meaney - Miles O'Brien

Colm Meaney 's career really began to take off in the early 1980s with a role in the miniseries Les roses de Dublin , and continued to pick up with recurring roles throughout the decade until he landed what was at first an unnamed character on Star Trek: The Next Generation . Before long, he had a name — Miles O'Brien — and while he wasn't ever quite as prominent as the main cast, he quickly became a fan favorite.

O'Brien was such a prominent supporting character on TNG that Meaney ultimately migrated over to take a major role on the follow-up series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , where he continued to play O'Brien until that series ended in 1999. Since his Star Trek days Meaney has remained a prolific character actor, appearing in films like Con Air , Layer Cake , The Damned United , Get Him to the Greek , Alan Partridge , and many more. He's also a prolific TV actor with credits including Stargate: Atlantis , Men in Trees , Hell on Wheels , Will , and Gangs of London . He can also be seen in the TV series The Singapore Grip and the film Pixie .

Denise Crosby - Tasha Yar

As the granddaughter of Bing Crosby, Denise Crosby was born Hollywood royalty, and began her screen acting career in the 1980s with roles in films like 48 Hrs. , Curse of the Pink Panther , and The Man Who Loved Women . As Lt. Tasha Yar on The Next Generation , she made a distinct impression on fans despite only appearing as a regular cast member in the first season, and was able to return as her character's hybrid half-daughter, Sela, in subsequent seasons.

Since her relatively brief Star Trek tenure, Crosby has continued to work regularly in both film and television. In 1989 she appeared in the horror classic Pet Sematary , and her other film work includes Deep Impact , Legend of the Phantom Rider , The Watcher , and Itsy Bisty . She's also a prolific TV guest star with roles on series including The X-Files , Mad Men , Southland , Ray Donovan , The Walking Dead and, most recently, Suits . She has also continued to reprise her role as Tasha Yar via voice appearance in various Star Trek video games, including Star Trek Online in 2010.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is 30 – where are they all now?

Picard, Troi, Riker, Q…

It might be tough to hear, but it's been three decades since Star Trek soared back onto our screens. 30 years ago today (September 28), The Next Generation introduced Gene Roddenberry's groundbreaking sci-fi franchise to a whole new... well, generation.

But where are the classic cast of Star Trek: TNG now? Brew up a drink (Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.) and Engage as we catch up with the crew of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D).

With his background in theatre and Brit TV classics like I, Claudius , Patrick Stewart was never going to struggle for work when his Trekking days were over. He has continued to tread the boards as Macbeth and King Claudius, while also taking classics to the screen in sizzling TV adaptations. He also voices Avery Bullock on American Dad and several roles on Family Guy and still has time to play Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies, opposite bessie mate Ian McKellen .

He's also the coolest man in the world.

Jonathan Frakes (Commander William Riker)

As he continued to play Riker, Jonathan Frakes slipped into the directing chair to make First Contact in 1996 (and the not-quite-as-good Insurrection a couple of years later), before directing the Thunderbirds big-screen movie in 2004.

More recently, Frakes has starred or directed episodes of a host of US TV shows, including Criminal Minds , NCIS: Los Angeles , Falling Skies , Agents of SHIELD and Switched at Birth .

LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge)

As well as guest spots on various TV shows, LeVar Burton had a voice gig as Doc Greene in Transformers: Rescue Bots and Perception 's professor of cultural anthropology Paul Haley. He is also known to many as the host of kids series Reading Rainbow , resurrected as an app in 2012.

The show was thrust back into the public consciousness in 2015 when Burton set up a Kickstarter for its revival. It raised over $5 million in days, making it the sixth-highest amount raised in the site's history at the time.

Trek lover Seth MacFarlane donated an extra million dollars for good measure.

Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar)

Originally cast as Deanna Troi, she had her role swapped with Marina Sirtis (below) and became the short-lived but much loved Tasha Yar. Killed off after 22 episodes, she returned due to some timey-wimey fun, and went on to produce and narrate 1997's Trekkies doc and its 2003 follow-up.

As well as stage work, you may well recognise Crosby as Deb in Showtime's classy Ray Donovan and – of course – as Mary in AMC's The Walking Dead .

Michael Dorn (Worf)

One of the few TNG stars to pick up a regular role in follow-up Deep Space Nine , Dorn is well-known for his broad vocal range. As well as a raft of Trek video games featuring his booming bass tones, you'll hear him on the Saints Row and World of Warcraft titles.

Not too long ago, he proposed the return of Worf in a new Star Trek miniseries. "I love the character and I think he's a character that hasn't been fully developed and hasn't been fully realised," he explained. "Interestingly enough it has gotten traction." Let's hope Worf is not denied once more!

Gates McFadden (Doctor Beverly Crusher)

Despite being written out of the show in favour of Dr Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur), McFadden made her triumphant return for the third season.

When Trek was done, McFadden had a sprinkling of TV, movie and theatre roles. She has also helped bring on The Next Generation of acting talent as an acting teacher at several universities, and is now the co-artistic director of the Ensemble Studio Theatre of Los Angeles , which aims to create "an environment that encourages the initiation, exercise, and practice of artistic imagination and expression".

Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi)

The London-born Marina Sirtis was always a fan favourite as half-Betazoid Counselor Deanna Troi. After Trek , she enjoyed TV roles on both sides of the Atlantic, including a famous guest spot on Casualty in 2001 and Holby City seven years later.

She has voiced Mass Effect video game character Matriarch Benezia and more recently has played Director of Mossad Orli Elbaz on CBS's NCIS . Heartbreakingly, she is also fan of Tottenham Hotspur and has a Spurs tattoo on her shoulder. The glee she takes in poor Arsenal results shows a startling lack of empathy.

Brent Spiner (Commander Data)

Spiner has played small-but-key roles in a host of films since he put away his android make-up, including an especially memorable turn as Conan O'Brien in South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut .

His genuinely hilarious Fresh Hell webseries poked fun at himself putting his career back on track post- Trek . A glance at his IMDb page shows how Brent has been trusted as an on-screen doctor many times over, and he very recently played a therapist in Ray Donovan , where of course his former TNG castmate Denise Crosby made a splash.

He also returned to Star Trek to play Dr Arik Soong, an ancestor of Data's creator, in Enterprise, and his other high-profile role of Dr Okun in Independence Day: Resurgence.

Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher)

Wil Wheaton has 2.71 MILLION followers on Twitter, and is today as well known for his ever-sharp chat about gaming, politics, the web, blogging and the media as he is for playing the adorable/infuriating Wesley Crusher.

He continues to act in movies and especially on TV, famously as a fictionalised version of himself in The Big Bang Theory . Wheaton also hosted his very own weekly topical comedy show The Wil Wheaton project on SyFy.

Colm Meaney (Miles O'Brien)

You don't need to ask where Colm Meany has been. As well as featuring in Deep Space Nine , Meany has been an ever-present on our cinema screen. He's been everyone from Don Revie in The Damned United to Gene in Layer Cake .

More recently, he starred opposite Steve Coogan in Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa . The only man in our TNG batch without an active Twitter profile, Meany was busy till 2016 playing First Transcontinental Railroad investor Thomas 'Doc' Durant in AMC's Hell on Wheels , and was a regular in the short-lived Shakespeare biopic series Will .

John de Lancie (Q)

The enigmatic Q had a habit of popping up when you least expected it, including in episodes of DS9 and Voyager . John de Lancie has a similar habit, with guest spots in everything from The West Wing and Law & Order: LA to Charmed .

He kept his sci-fi hand in with spots in Stargate SG-1 and Torchwood: Miracle Day , but his most impressive role in recent years was Donald Margolis in Breaking Bad , the father of Jesse Pinkman's ill-fated girlfriend/landlady Jane. He more recently guest starred on The Mentalist .

Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan)

A superstar before Star Trek , Whoopi has continued to star in films – as characters or often just as herself. Many will also know her as the face of ABC's The View , one of the most successful daytime talkshows in America, where she has moderated the panel for the last eight seasons.

She also features in the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie as Bernadette Thompson, a female version of April O'Neil's boss Burne Thompson.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

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Watch Star Trek: The Next Generation with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Cast & Crew

Gene Roddenberry

Patrick Stewart

Capt. Jean-Luc Picard

Jonathan Frakes

Cmdr. William Riker

LeVar Burton

Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge

Michael Dorn

Gates McFadden

Dr. Beverly Crusher

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The Cast Of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ To Receive Special Lifetime Achievement Saturn Award

| January 31, 2024 | By: Anthony Pascale 26 comments so far

This is going to be a big weekend for Star Trek at the Saturn Awards, with a total of 15 nominations , a franchise record. And the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror has announced the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation will also be honored with an additional special award.

TNG cast awarded with special Saturn

The cast of  Star Trek: The Next Generation  will receive The Lifetime Achievement Award at the 51st Annual Saturn Awards, being held in Los Angeles this Sunday. For 2024 the Academy is doing something different for the TNG cast with this award. A statement from the Academy to TrekMovie explains:

“The Lifetime Achievement Award is usually presented to an individual for their contributions to genre entertainment. Top luminaries like Stan Lee and Leonard Nimoy, Mr. Spock himself, have received this top honor. It’s not new, but we extended this award to cover the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation , due to its continued influence on the face of general television. It was originally doomed to failure since it was following in the footsteps of the original Star Trek, yet it carved its own identity, and its diverse cast was light years ahead of its time!”

Star Trek: The Next Generation launched as a syndicated drama series in 1987, running for seven seasons. TNG was nominated six times by the Saturn Awards for Best Genre Series, winning twice. Stewart also won for Best Actor in 1990. The series was also nominated for 58 Emmys during its run, with 18 wins. The Next Generation helped launch a new era of Star Trek, ushering in two additional TV series in the 1990s ( Deep Space Nine and Voyager ), along with 4 feature films.

Season 3 publicity photo for Star Trek: The Next Generation (Paramount)

The Saturn Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the TNG cast by producer and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who is an avowed Star Trek fan. On hand to accept the award will be Sir Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, and Wil Wheaton. While not present, TNG cast members LeVar Burton and Jonathan Frakes are also being bestowed with this honor. Both actors had to send their regrets due to scheduling conflicts.

In 2023 Spiner, Sirtis, Dorn, Burton, McFadden, and Frakes joined Stewart for the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard , which picked up a total of 7 nominations (see full list below).

Shatner to present MacFarlane with special award

There will be other special awards handed out during the event including The Robert Forster Artists Award going to Seth MacFarlane, the actor and producer behind The Orville , Family Guy , Ted , and much more. Presenting the award will be Star Trek icon William Shatner.

This year’s show is dedicated to the memory of Saturn Awards winner (and onetime host) Lance Reddick. The Academy is also introducing the Lance Reddick Legacy Award with the inaugural award going to actor Keannu Reaves, presented by actor Titus Welliver. Christopher Nolan will receive The Visionary Award, presented by Emily Blunt. The George Pal Memorial Award will go to Dave Filoni (Lucasfilm’s CCO), presented by Ming-Na Wen. The Walking Dead Franchise is being presented with the Dan Curtis Legacy Award. And finally, actress and director Jodie Foster will receive the Life Career Award, presented by writer/producer Issa López.

Shatner is no stranger to the Saturn Awards, including winning the Life Career Award (along with Gene Roddenberry) in 1980. He has been nominated six times, with two wins. His first win was for Star Trek II and his latest was in 2016 for a guest role in the Syfy series Haven .

15 Saturn nominations for Star Trek

In addition to the special award, Star Trek is set to take home more gold at this weekend’s Saturn Awards. Here is a complete list of the 7 categories where Star Trek is nominated…

Best Science Fiction Television Series:

Andor (Lucasfilm/Disney+) Foundation (Apple TV+) The Mandalorian (Lucasfilm/Disney+) The Peripheral (Amazon) Silo  (Apple TV+) Star Trek: Picard (Paramount+/CBS) Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  (Paramount+/CBS)

Best Animated Television Series or Special:

Chainsaw Man  (Crunchyroll) Gremlins: Secrets of Mogwai (HBO/Max) Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix) Harley Quinn (HBO/Max) My Adventures with Superman (Cartoon Network/Adult Swim) Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+) Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Lucasfilm/Disney+)

Lower Decks’ “Old Friends, New Planets” (Paramount+)

Best Actor in a Television Series:

Tyler Hoechlin , Superman & Lois (Warner Bros. Television) Sam Heughan, Outlander (Starz) Diego Luna, Andor (Lucasfilm/Disney+) Anson Mount, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+/CBS) Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us (HBO/Max) Harold Perrineau, From (MGM+) Patrick Stewart, Star Trek: Picard (Paramount+/CBS)

Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series:

Jonathan Frakes, Star Trek: Picard (Paramount+/CBS) Harvey Guillen, What We Do in the Shadows  (FX/Hulu) Ernie Hudson, Quantum Leap (NBC/Universal) Ethan Peck, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  (Paramount+/CBS) Ed Speleers, Star Trek: Picard  (Paramount+/CBS) Matt Smit, House of the Dragon  (HBO/Max) Todd Stashwick, Star Trek: Picard (Paramount+/CBS)

 Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series:

Jess Bush, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  (Paramount+/CBS) Celia Rose Gooding, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  (Paramount+/CBS) Genevieve O’Reilly, Andor  (Lucasfilm/Disney+) Jeri Ryan, Star Trek: Picard  (Paramount+/CBS) Katee Sackhoff, The Mandalorian (Lucasfilm/Disney+) Sophie Skelton, Outlander (Starz) Rebecca Wisocky, Ghosts  (CBS)

Best Guest Star in a Television Series:

Gael Garcia Bernal, Marvel’s Werewolf by Night (Marvel/Disney+) Giancarlo Esposito,  The Mandalorian (Lucasfilm/Disney+) Nick Offerman, The Last of Us (HBO/Max) Amanda Plummer, Star Trek: Picard (Paramount+/CBS) Andy Serkis, Andor  (Lucasfilm/Disney+) Paul Wesley, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds  (Paramount+/CBS) Catherine Zeta-Jones, Wednesday (Netflix)

Anson Mount as Capt. Pike and Ethan Peck as Spock in “Charades” from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+)

Best 4K Home Media Release:

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen 4K (Criterion) The Exorcist 50th Anniversary Edition 4K (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) Cujo 4K (Kino Lorber) John Wick, Chapter 4 – 4K (Lionsgate Home Entertainment) Needful Things 4K (Kino Lorber) To Live and Die in L.A. 4K (Kino Lorber) Star Trek: The Motion Picture – The Director’s Edition 4K (Paramount Home Entertainment)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture 4K Blu-ray  

This year the Saturns Awards is hosted by actor and comedian Joel McHale. The show will be held on Sunday, February 4, 2024, at the L.A. Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel. The ceremony will be livestreamed on ElectricNOW .

Find more news and analysis on Star Trek Universe TV shows at TrekMovie.com .

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This warms my heart so much. My favorite cast from my favorite show to be recognized like this is amazing. The TNG cast certainly deserves it. And Kevin Feige will be presenting to them as well. Pretty cool. I read All Good Things is his favorite TV episode, period.

If Picard season 3 is truly the last time we see all those characters together again like that, then they went out with a bang.

Also great to see so many nominations for both PIC and SNW! Hope we get a few winners. Well done team! 😀🖖

Yup, IIRC All Good Things inspired the time traveling escapades of Avengers: Endgame

Yeah when I heard that I was very excited to see the movie at the time. It’s nice to see when Trek influences other things out there.

Other fans believe the signatures at the end of that movie was inspired by The Undiscovered Country as well.

Don’t know how true that one is but I’ll take it! 🙂🖖

The signatures in Endgame being inspired by TUC is 100% true, read it in an interview. Same with the time traveling as mentioned by amirami. Also the destruction of Asgard in Thor Ragnarok was inspired by the destruction of the Enterprise in Search for Spock – the writers felt that for the third movie, the heroes had to lose something in a big way, like in SFS. Also there was a recent interview where Final Frontier’s campfire scenes inspired a lot of the “plainclothes” scenes of the superheroes across the Avengers movies, because it was like seeing your heroes out of costume just being regular people that you like and want to hang out with, and enjoy hanging out with each other. So yeah, Trek’s DNA is all throughout Marvel, in all the best ways.

Wow thank you! 🙂

If I could give you a like for this post I would give you several. I didn’t know that about Ragnarok or the plain clothes scenes either.

Well said. This is fantastic news.

Wow, that’s really something. Congrats, gang. Well deserved.

This is so damn cool. This whole cast deserves this.

Congratulations…

That is great! Congratulations to the cast!

GREAT NEWS! WELL DESERVED!

Wow congratulations to the whole crew!!!!!

Way to go and soooooo good! My favourite ensemble cast of all time finally, collectively being acknowledge for all their hard work and for being so much a part of of our lives! Living long and prospering… making it so!

Niiiiice!!!!

Nearly 40 years later and TNG is still receiving major accolades decades later! It’s still an amazing show with a great cast and well deserved!

Sweet. So deserved.

That award looks like that game/virus that the D crew got addicted to.

Well deserved. Picard s3 = Best Trek since 1996 First Contact!!

Well, I would say best Trek season since 1997-1998 DS9 Season 6. But close enough!

I agree with this too. Picard season 3 was on par with the last seasons of DS9. Just great television and the Star Trek I been sorely missing.

Whole cast? WHOLE CAST???

Polaski or GTFO!!!

AAAActually, Diana Muldaur was never a main cast member. Like Whoopi Goldberg, John de Lancie, and Colm Meaney, she was just a guest star (granted, her credit read “special appearance by” but still not a main cast member).

Yeah I think she was in every episode in season 2, but only as a guest star role. Now THAT said, she and Whoopi Goldberg were in all the cast photos in season 2 as well. So while technically neither were considered main cast members they were promoted as such back then. You never saw Garek or Gul Dukat in any main cast photos for DS9 as an example.

This is so cool. Ok, I will watch Picard Season 3 again. Twist my arm.

I love these people so much. Also really cool that Shatner will be there as well. Star Trek has so many amazing fans that are really talented. I’m hoping that since 2024 is the 60th anniversary of Star Trek (The Cage being from 1964), Shatner and Stewart will team up for an event or something while they still can, given that it’s also the 30th anniversary of Generations, and we’re blessed that they’re both still around to do something. I’ve been in talks with people at the TOS set in Ticonderoga to see if we can do an event, hopefully with the blessing of CBS as well. If anyone knows how we can make this happen, I would love to somehow get in touch!

Star Trek Tried To Put Jennifer Hetrick In A Love Triangle With Q And Picard

I n the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "Captain's Holiday" (April 2, 1990), Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) was forced to take a vacation on the sexed-up beach resort planet of Risa where his impishly playful crew hoped he would have a drink, get laid, and return to the job less stern and more relaxed. Picard, a studious and intellectual fellow, would have been more content drinking tea and reading James Joyce's "Ulysses" in a dark room. 

Luckily, Risa proves to be more exciting than Picard realized. He had no interest in beach shenanigans, but he did fall into the company of the utterly dazzling Indiana-Jone-type adventurer Vash (Jennifer Hetrick), a roguish tomb raider. Picard and Vash end up having to protect a rare, powerful artifact from time-traveling Vorgons, and fall in lust as a result. Picard returns to the Enterprise more relaxed and with a new romantic interest in the back of his mind. 

Vash would return in "Qpid" (April 27, 1991), an episode wherein the trickster god Q (John de Lancie) magically transports Picard and Vash, along with the rest of the Enterprise Q, into Sherwood Forest, dressing them as "Robin Hood" characters. Picard is Robin Hood, Vash is Maid Marian, and Q is the Sheriff of Nottingham. At the end of "Qpid," Q becomes enamored of Vash, and he offers to take her on unlimited cosmic adventures. She couldn't possibly say no.

In the oral history book "Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages" edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, executive producer Michael Piller said that he wanted a love triangle between Picard, Vash, and Q before he and his staff ever conceived of the Robin Hood angle. The Robin Hood story was based only on rising trends.

Read more: Celebrities You Didn't Know Were In Star Trek

Show Of The Week

Piller recalls a time when "Star Trek: The Next Generation" reruns were common and TV Guide was still widely read by millions, used for handy TV listings. TV Guide would often look over the week in television and write highlights of new and old shows that might be worth watching. They called their highlights Close-Ups. It seems that every time "Qpid" was rerun, TV Guide would point to it. Michael Piller liked that the episode was often singled out, but admitted that the whole Robin Hood thing was an afterthought. Piller said: 

"Every time it's in TV Guide this episode gets a Close-Up. [...] I'm not sure why. I just think we came up with the idea of a love triangle between Q, Picard, and Vash, and to bring her and Q together, which I thought was a great premise. But we couldn't lick it. It came together in a meeting with Ira Behr, who had created Vash [...]"

Ira Stephen Behr was a producer and writer on "Next Generation," having written "Captain's Holiday," the notable episode "Yesterday's Enterprise." Behr left "Next Generation" after a year because he felt there were too many guardrails in place that prevented him from being as creative as he wanted. There clearly was no bad blood, however, as Behr would go on to be the head showrunner of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," for which he wrote 53 episodes. He may have butted heads with Piller and Trek's other head honcho Rick Berman, but they worked well together regardless. 

Behr was one of two credited writers on "Qpid," although a lot of the concepts came from throughout the "Star Trek" offices. Piller recalls that it was longtime staff writer Brannon Braga who came up with the Sherwood angle. 

Everyone Was Doing Robin Hood

Piller said: 

"While we were trying to break it, someone said if we want to do a love triangle, let's throw these characters into one of the classic love stories. King Arthur was discussed with Guenivere, and then Robin Hood. Brannon said something about wanting to do Robin Hood, and 'Robin Hood' was about to be released by about 15 motion picture companies. We said why don't we steal all their thunder? It just seemed to be that Robin Hood and his band of merry men was a very nice group to put 'our guys' into, and then we just played it for fun." 

Piller's comment about "15 motion picture companies" is referring to the two Robin Hood feature films that were slated for release in 1991, the same year as "Qpid." There was John Irvin's "Robin Hood," starring Partick Bergin and Robin and Uma Thurman as Marian, and there was Kevin Reynolds' amazingly popular "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," starring Kevin Costner as Robin and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Marian. 

"Qpid" aired on April 22, 1991, "Robin Hood" was released on May 13, and "Prince of Thieves" came out on June 14. It seems that there was just something in the air in regards to Robin Hood, and "Star Trek" wasn't above chasing the trend. Because of a swift production schedule, though, Trek beat the two big feature films to the screen. 

To briefly editorialize, "Qpid" is a supremely silly episode . "Star Trek" has never been above dabbling with fantasy, of course -- recall the White Rabbit -- but "Qpid" was clearly a mere "let your hair down" episode wherein the cast got to dress up and engage in stage combat with rapiers. But we did get Vash back, and that was great.

Read the original article on SlashFilm

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The Star Trek “Origin” Movie Is Finally Going Into Production

The new Star Trek prequel movie is set to be revealed on the big screen. Probably.

For 30 years — from 1979 to 2009 — the longest wait between new Star Trek feature films was seven years. And, for most of that period, from the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) to Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), there was almost always a new Star Trek movie in theaters every two to four years. But after the wildly successful J.J. Abrams-directed reboot film in 2009, the release clip for Trek movies went from maximum warp to impulse power, to glacially slow. And now, by the time the next Star Trek movie hits theaters, it will have been about 10 years since the previous one — Star Trek Beyond — beamed into cinemas in 2016.

Since that time, for Trekkies, updates of a new Star Trek film have been very similar to the game football Lucy plays with Charlie Brown; just when a hypothetical movie sounds real, it gets snatched away. But now, there’s a glimmer of hope. Thanks to reports out of CinemaCon 2024, it looks like, the next Trek film is scheduled for release in either 2025 or 2026. But what’s it about? And will it really happen?

Star Trek 14 is “an untitled origin story”

The new “origin story” will be set before the 2009 reboot. But how many decades before?

During CinemaCon 2024, Paramount confirmed several in-development projects including a live-action GI Joe / Transformers crossover (teased in 2023’s Rise of the Beasts ), a hardcore Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action movie, a remake of the sci-fi thriller The Running Man (from Edgar Wright), the confirmation of an Avatar trilogy, and the assertion that a new Star Trek feature film will go into production this year, with a release date soon to follow.

Since 2016 to now, there have been at least five different attempts to make a new Star Trek film, either as timey wimey direct sequel to Beyond (“Star Trek 4”) a one-off space mobster movie (Quentin Tarantino’s script) or something else entirely (Noah Hawley and Matt Shakman’s attempts that remain undisclosed). But now, although Paramount is reportedly developing a sequel to Beyond — which would feature the reboot cast from the 2009 film one last time — the next Star Trek movie is not that sequel, but instead, as previously reported , an “origin story” that “takes place decades before the 2009 Star Trek film that rebooted the franchise.” This movie has been confirmed to be directed by Toby Haynes ( Andor, Doctor Who ) with a script from Seth Grahame-Smith ( The Lego Batman Movie , Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter) .

Wait? Wasn’t the 2009 film an “origin story?” While the answer to this question is technically a “yes,” the 2009 film (just titled Star Trek ) was also partially a time-travel sequel to the canon established in The Next Generation , and literally everything else in the Trek franchise up until that point. By saying the new prequel film takes place “decades before” the first reboot, this could hypothetically mean that the movie takes place in both the Prime and Kelvin timelines simultaneously.

TLDR: The Trek timeline diverged in the first reboot movie, beginning in the year 2233, so, a story set even a few decades before that divergence, in the 2210s or 2220s or earlier, would be consistent with all versions of Trek's future history. Presumably, the “origin story” won’t take place in the two decades between the prologue of the 2009 film (2233) and the main story (2258), because honestly, even for hardcore Trekkies that’s a big canon headache. So, sometime in the early 2200s, but before the 2230s is probably the best bet. And, even if the movie was set a bit earlier than that — say in the late 2180s or 2190s — we’d still be dealing with a very early point of Starfleet history that has never been depicted and that we know almost nothing about. Hence, if you squint — and don’t think about the prequel series Enterprise (2151-2161) too much — then yes, we’re looking at an origin story in which pretty much anything could happen.

Star Trek “origin” movie release date

One of the earliest shots of the USS Enterprise — from the 1964 Star Trek pilot episode “The Cage.” The new prequel film will likely be set half a century before this moment.

While some tweets out of CinemaCon seemed to indicate that the new Star Trek movie could hit next year in 2025 , TrekMovie confirmed that the “Untitled Star Trek Origin Story,” is on the Paramount slate for 2025 or 2026. TrekMovie also predicted that 2026 is more likely, writing, “If Paramount can move fast enough they could get the origin movie into theaters by 2026 — in time for Star Trek’s 60th anniversary.” Then again, 2025 is not impossible, it’s just cutting it a little close.

It should also be noted that the entire corporate entity of Paramount is reportedly close to a merger that would see it purchased by Skydance Media, the same production company behind the three existing J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek reboots. If that deal is finalized soon, then, yes, this Star Trek feature film might actually happen very quickly. And if it doesn’t, there will still be plenty of new Star Trek shows streaming , not to mention the first direct-to-streaming standalone Star Trek movie, Section 31 , starring Michelle Yeoh, which will hit Paramount+ sometime later this year.

All the reboot Star Trek films (2009-2016) are currently streaming on Paramount+. The previous ten films (1979-2002) are all on Max.

• Science Fiction

'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2: Release Date, Trailers, Crossover, and What to Expect

Star Trek's flashiest crew flies into the galaxy with all phasers blazing in Season 2.

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When and where is star trek: strange new worlds season 2 coming out, watch the star trek: strange new worlds season 2 trailers, who are the cast and characters of star trek: strange new worlds season 2, what do we know about star trek: strange new worlds season 2’s story (and the crossover episode), what is the future of star trek: strange new world, who are the creators of star trek: strange new worlds.

The first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was a masterpiece combining nostalgic elements of Star Trek: The Original Series and modern techniques that was a pleasant surprise for fans of all ages. It had an excellent reception from both critics and audiences, mostly because of its amazing cast, and in many ways, it's a return to what fans loved about much of the original series. Season 2 is coming out fairly soon, and we can hope that it will keep up the excellent quality from the first season. It is another chance for us to see what the Enterprise is up to before Kirk and another excellent saga in the Federation's bid to explore the galaxy. Now without further ado, let's get into everything we know so far about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2.

Editor's Note: This article was last updated on June 4.

Related: 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Season 2 Character Posters Show the USS Enterprise Crew Ready For Intergalactic Adventures

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 will be hitting screens on June 15, 2023 . As of right now, Season 2 has already finished production, and small bits of information have been leaking out to the public via formal and informal channels. As with the rest of the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 will be released on Paramount+. The first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was on a Thursday release cycle, running from May 10, 2022, to July 7, 2022, and is available for free on Paramount's YouTube Channel .

Watch on Paramount+

Ahead of the official trailer, we got to see two sneak peeks for the season. The first of these sneak peeks features Lieutenant Erica Ortegas (played by Melissa Navia ) on her way to an away mission. It seems the tempo of the crew has hardly changed even though Number One Una Chin-Riley (played by Rebecca Romijn ) is no longer with the crew. We also have some more pithy wordplay with Spock as he continues to grow his ability to interact more naturally with others.

The second sneak peek is more of a behind-the-scenes look. In the previous series, such as Star Trek: The Next Generation , we often see casual places for the crew to relax around the ships. The showrunners thought the mess hall that we saw in the first season was too sparse and have introduced a new area for the ship. The video features Will Wheaton , formerly TNG's Wesley Crusher, and the production designer Jonathan Lee showing off the impressive new set piece. It looks somewhat familiar to Ten Forward and has that modernized 1960s look. This new set is supposed to feature a lot more intimate conversations between characters and includes a ton of easter eggs. One that was immediately picked up by Will Wheaton was the Saurian Brandy from Star Trek: Picard . We see Guinan and Picard drinking it from a similar bottle in Picard Season 2 Episode 1 "The Star Grazer".

The first trailer for Strange New Worlds Season 2 was released on April 19, 2023. The roughly two-minute trailer serves as a teaser for the events to come. Check it out here:

More recently, we got the official trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 on May 24. The new trailer showcases a lot more of the action to come, and gives us our first proper look at the series' upcoming crossover with a certain other Star Trek show. See the trailer in the player below and stay tuned for more:

We received a clip from the upcoming season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . In this clip of Episode 2, Una stands on trial. It's a very entertaining albeit brief video.

Most of the cast from the previous season is returning, which is to be expected given the state the show was left in. Given the events of the last season, the Enterprise will be in need of a new head engineer. The newcomer to the enterprise will be played by the iconic Carol Kane . Kane is well known for roles in the TV series Taxi and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as well as various film roles, usually playing a more comedic motherly character. It seems that this time around she will be a no-nonsense engineer, but perhaps we will see some of that comedic side as well.

The full list of main cast members in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 includes Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, Ethan Peck as Spock, Jess Bush as Christine Chapel, Christina Chong as La'an Noonien-Singh, Celia Rose Gooding as Nyota Uhura, Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas, Babs Olusanmokun as Joseph M'Benga, Rebecca Romijn as Una Chin-Riley / Number One, and Carol Kane as Pelia, among others.

Related: 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Should Boldly Go in Its Own Direction

One of the major storylines that we can expect to see is what exactly happened to Number One. One of the highlights of the first season was finding out that she was genetically engineered (one of the recurring issues in Star Trek with characters such as Deep Space Nine ’s Dr. Bashier) and that she has been taken away from her position on the Enterprise. Captain Pike and the rest of the crew definitely support her, but with her position unfilled, someone will have to step in to fill her shoes in the interim.

We also have a first occurrence in the Star Trek Universe, a combined crossover episode with the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks . Tawny Newsome (who plays Ensign Beckett Mariner in the animated show) and Jack Quaid (who stars alongside Newsome as Ensign Brad Boimler) will be making their live-action debut during the new season of Strange New Worlds . Given that Mariner and Boimler both originate from a timeline much closer to that of Star Trek: The Next Generation , we are certainly left with more than just a few questions. So far, we know that the series will have combined animated and live-action scenes. That episode will be directed by Star Trek veteran Jonathan Frakes .

With characters such as Paul Wesley ’s Captain Kirk appearing in Season 2 , there is certainly a lot of potential for a Season 3. And clearly, Paramount+ has taken note, as it has been confirmed that Strange New Worlds will be getting a Season 3 . The show has plenty of storylines left to explore and has proven to be among the more successful shows in the franchise, so this hardly comes as a surprise. From the tension between Spock and Nurse Chapel to Uhura’s hesitation to continue in Starfleet, not to mention La'an’s murky past, there is plenty left to unpack on this amazing show.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was created by Akiva Goldsman , Alex Kurtzman , and Jenny Lumet . Henry Alonso Myers and Akiva Goldsman are the showrunners for the season. Season 2's directors include Chris Fisher , Amanda Row , Eduardo Sánchez , Dan Liu , Jonathan Frakes, and Valerie Weiss . The episodes were written by Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman, Dana Horgan , David Reed , Kirsten Beyer , Davy Perez , Kathryn Lyn , and Onitra Johnson . The score for Season 2 was composed by Season 1 and Star Trek: Prodigy composer Nami Melumad . Executive producers on the show include Eugene Roddenberry , Trevor Roth , Jenny Lumet, Frank Siracusa , John Weber , Aaron Baiers , Heather Kadin , Henry Alonso Myers, Akiva Goldsman, and Alex Kurtzman.

Screen Rant

Who was airiam star trek: discovery’s tragic cyborg officer explained.

Everything you need to know about Lt. Commander Airiam, the 23rd century cyborg Starfleet officer in Star Trek: Discovery, and her tragic story.

Warning: This Article Contains SPOILERS For Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 4, "Face the Strange".

• Star Trek: Discovery season 5 episode 4 brought back Lt. Commander Airiam, who died in season 2.
• Airiam was an augmented human USS Discovery officer who was taken over by the enemy A.I. Control.
• Airiam was played by Sara Mitich in Discovery season 1 and Hannah Cheesman in season 2; Cheesman returned as Aiiam in season 5.

Star Trek: Discovery shockingly brings back Lt. Commander Airiam (Hannah Cheesman) in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 , "Face the Strange", written by Sean Cochran and directed by Lee Rose. Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Commander Rayner (Keith Callum Rennie), and Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) are forced to hop through different eras of the USS Discovery's past and future. Their time travel puzzle places the trio back in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, when the USS Discovery was commanded by Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs). Instead of Lorca, however, Burnham finds that Airiam is in command, a year before Airiam's death in Star Trek: Discovery season 2.

The cyborg Airiam's unique appearance stands out among the mostly human characters in Star Trek: Discovery , inviting curiosity as to Airiam's origin. With striking blue eyes and facial features divided into pale white and silver chrome segments, Airiam could have been a member of an alien species new to Star Trek: Discovery , like the Kelpien Commander Saru (Doug Jones), or a 23rd-century synthetic life form, like a precursor to Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner). Neither an alien nor an early android, Lt. Commander Airiam was an augmented human, enhanced with cybernetic parts after a shuttle accident that left Airiam in critical condition and killed Airiam's new husband.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Who was airiam & how did she die in star trek: discovery, airiam sacrificed herself to protect the future of sentient life..

Lt. Commander Airiam was a cyborg science officer who served on the USS Discovery in Star Trek: Discovery seasons 1 & 2, and often took command of Discovery when the Captain and First Officer were not available. As the spore drive operations officer, Airiam worked as a liaison between Discovery's command crew on the bridge and Lt. Commander Paul Stamets in engineering. Airiam was close with the rest of the USS Discovery's bridge crew, and counted Ensign Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman), Lt. Joann Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo), and Lt. Keyla Detmer (Emily Coutts) as some of her closest friends. Burnham didn't know Airiam well then, but would soon.

Airiam's enhancements were sometimes a boon, like when processing 10,000 years of data from the Sphere, but also ultimately led to Airiam's death in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, episode 9, "Project Daedalus". Control, the threat assessment A.I. developed by Starfleet's Section 31, hijacked Airiam through her cybernetic augmentation to get to the Sphere data, with the goal of becoming sentient and wiping out sentient life. Control managed to get 25% of the Sphere data before Airiam realized her death would be the only way to stop Control. Airiam pleaded with Burnham and Lieutenant D. Nhan (Rachael Ancheril) to release Airiam from an airlock, and Nhan ultimately complied.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 3, Lt. Nhan stays on the USS Discovery in the 32nd century to honor Lt. Commander Airiam's sacrifice.

2 Actors Played Airiam In Star Trek: Discovery

Sara mitich and hannah cheesman both played lt. commander airiam..

Star Trek: Discovery 's Lt. Commander Airiam was played by two different actors, starting with Sara Mitich playing Airiam in Star Trek: Discovery season 1. Mitich may have had an allergic reaction to the cyborg makeup, which would prevent her continued performance as Airiam after Star Trek: Discovery season 1. Instead of leaving, Airiam's original actress played Lt. Nilsson , a new human character, beginning in Star Trek: Discovery season 2. After Airiam's death, Nilsson took over the role of spore drive ops officer, and stayed on the USS Discovery in the 32nd century until Star Trek: Discovery season 5, when Nilsson transferred to the USS Voyager-J.

Hannah Cheesman took over the role of Lt. Commander Airiam in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, and played Airiam again in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange". Although the episode revisited Discovery season 1, when Sara Mitich played Airiam, it made sense that Airiam's second actress, Hannah Cheesman, returned to Star Trek: Discovery . The story relies on having a consistent through line from the connection between Cheesman's Airiam and Michael Burnham before Airiam's tragic death in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, episode 9, "Project Daedalus", and Airiam and Burnham meeting in Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange".

Hannah Cheesman also plays a fully human version of Airiam seen in flashback recordings from before Airiam's accident in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, episode 9, "Project Daedalus".

Why Airiam Was Key To Star Trek: Discovery Season 5’s Time Travel

Burnham's knowledge of airiam's death proved valuable..

Lt. Commander Airiam was the key to solving the time travel problem in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange". Stamets' plan to contain the time bug by breaking Discovery's warp bubble required cooperation from Discovery's bridge crew in order to work, an impossible task to achieve at a time when Discovery's captain was Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and Michael Burnham was considered an untrustworthy mutineer. Fortunately, the duty roster revealed Lorca was not on the USS Discovery , and Airiam was in command, so Captain Burnham's job of convincing the bridge crew to help was downgraded from impossible to merely difficult.

Although Burnham wasn't particularly close to Lt. Commander Airiam, Michael was present when Airiam died, and privy to all the pain of Airiam's last moments. Burnham's testimony of Airiam's death was met with protest from Detmer and Owosekun but unlocked a solemn understanding from Airiam herself. Airiam knew herself, and what she would do, far better than even her friends did. Convinced that Burnham was telling the truth about being from the future, Airiam allowed the plan to proceed, and helped get the USS Discovery out of its time loop. Just like in Discovery season 2, Lt. Commander Airiam's trust saved the future in Star Trek: Discovery season 5.

Star Trek: Discovery streams Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery