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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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Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast and Character Guide

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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.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Star Trek: The Next Generation Cast and Character Guide: Who Plays Who on the Enterprise-D (and What They're Doing Now)

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When Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted in 1987, it felt like a long shot to succeed. The beloved original Star Trek crew was still wildly popular in reruns and a thriving film series, but would fans accept a sequel series set a century after the initial show and featuring an entirely new cast? The answer turned out to be a resounding yes, and TNG , as it is affectionally known by fans, went on to birth an entire extended Trek universe that continues to thrive today.

Set in the 24th century, Star Trek: The Next Generation chronicles the adventures of the crew of the Enterprise-D starship as they -- like their predecessors before them -- explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no man has gone before. Here is your guide to the cast of the series, taking a look back at the characters they played on the sci-fi classic (and, in some cases, are still playing!) and offering a glimpse at what they've been up to recently.

RELATED: Star Trek Timeline Explained, Including Two Kirks, Two Different Prequels, and the Return of Picard

Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart)

Every ship needs a captain, and the Enterprise-D’s is Jean-Luc Picard. Finding someone to follow in the footsteps of William Shatner ’s James T. Kirk was never going to be an easy task, and Gene Roddenberry , the creator of both the original series and TNG , was wise to land on an actor with a completely different energy about him. Stewart, a well-regarded British stage actor with a smattering of film and TV credits, made Picard the anti-Kirk – a stern tactician who is more interested in victory through diplomacy than throwing a punch. Thanks to Stewart’s commanding presence, Picard became a pop-culture icon, with the character anchoring seven seasons of TNG , four feature-film spinoffs, and a recent revival/spinoff series -- fittingly titled Star Trek: Picard -- that is currently streaming on Paramount+. (Season 2 debuts early next year.) In between playing Picard, Stewart headlined another franchise when he portrayed Charles Xavier -- Marvel’s Professor X -- across five X-Men films. Most recently, he played Merlin in 2019’s kid-based Excalibur tale The Kid Who Would Be King and stepped into the role of Bosley in the Charlie's Angels reboot released that same year.

Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes)

Whereas Picard is usually calm and collected, Commander William T. Riker, the ship's first officer, can be more of a hot-head. As played by the at first unbearded, but later very bearded Frakes, Riker is a crucial member of the Enterprise crew who can lead the away team or stay behind to captain the bridge in the event that Picard gets assimilated by the Borg or something. While on the show, Frakes began pivoting to a career behind the camera. He directed eight episodes of the series as well as two of the Next Generation cast's big-screen adventures – Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Insurrection . Elsewhere within the Trek universe, Frakes has helmed multiple episodes of Deep Space Nine , Voyager , Discovery , and Picard , and he has been an in-demand TV director for years, having called the shots for shows such as The Librarians , Burn Notice , and Leverage . He returned to the role of Riker for two episodes of Picard in 2020 and has also voiced the character in Star Trek: Lower Decks .

Data (Brent Spiner)

Designed to sort of be the “Spock character” on TNG , Lt. Commander Data is a highly advanced android who serves as the Enterprise’s second officer and spends most of the series trying to understand what it means to feel emotions and be human. The friendship that develops between him and Picard proves to be one of the series defining relationships, and Spiner briefly returned to the role for season one of Picard . Spiner continues to work regularly as a TV and voice actor. He recently appeared in six episodes of Penny Dreadful: City of Angels and, in 2016, reprised his Independence Day role of Dr. Brackish Okun in that film’s sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence .

Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton)

When The Next Generation launched, La Forge worked as the Enterprise’s helmsman, but in season two he shifted to the role of chief engineer, where he served for the remainder of the show’s run. Geordi is blind but is able to “see” using a distinct metallic visor that covers his eyes and feeds electromagnetic scans into his optic nerves. Geordi struggles with his disability at times but rarely lets it interfere with the job at hand. Outside of TNG , Burton is probably most known for hosting the PBS education series Reading Rainbow for 21 seasons. He's an accomplished TV director and also hosts Levar Burton Reads , a podcast where he narrates a different piece of short fiction in every episode. If it were up to Twitter, Burton would currently be the new host of Jeopardy! , but, sadly, his considerable fanbase will have to be content with the five episodes of the game show he guest hosted in 2021.

Worf (Michael Dorn)

Maybe no one stands out on the Enterprise-D bridge more than Lt. Commander Worf, a Klingon officer whose distinct forehead ridges defined the Klingon look from TNG forward. Worf is a character who often feels trapped between two worlds -- the Klingon culture he left behind and the Starfleet crew that became his family. He is named the ship’s chief security officer after the death of Tasha Yar and eventually became the first main character to jump to a spinoff show when Dorn joined the cast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine following TNG ’s finale. More recently, Dorn has contributed voice work to shows such as Invincible , The Lion Guard , and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles .

Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis)

Along with Worf, Troi is the other prominent alien in the show’s crew. Though she’s half human, her Betazoid half allows her the gift of empathic telepathy, which she often puts to good use as the ship’s counselor. Prior to being reunited as part of the Enterprise crew, Troi and Riker were a couple, and though the show often teases that the two may one day rekindle their relationship, they don’t formally get back together until the TNG cast had moved onto the big screen. Sirtis reprised the role of Deanna in Picard , where Troi and Riker continue to be happily married. She continues to act regularly in movies and on TV, having recently appeared in episodes of genre shows The Orville and Titans .

Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden)

Dr. Crusher is the Enterprise’s chief medical officer in Season 1 of TNG , vanishes in Season 2 when she is suddenly transferred to Starfleet Medical, but then returns for good in Season 3 when she’s reinstated aboard the starship. The back-and-forth was the result of behind-the-scenes drama which resulted in McFadden being fired from -- and then rehired for -- the series. Crusher is responsible for patching up the crew, and she also serves as a potential love interest for Captain Picard. McFadden’s last on-screen credit was an episode of NCIS in 2017, although she’s also had a long career as a choreographer. (Fun fact: She was the director of choreography and puppet movement for Jim Henson ’s Labyrinth !)

Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton)

Almost certainly the most divisive member of the cast, Wesley is the son of Dr. Crusher and joins her on the Enterprise. At first, he is a nuisance to Picard (and sometimes the audience), but as time goes on Wesley becomes a valuable member of the Enterprise community and is eventually named a ship ensign. Wheaton left the series following Season 4, although he would continue to make guest appearances as Wesley down the road. He has gone on to have a diverse career as an actor, writer, and Internet personality. He notoriously played a fictionalized version of himself on The Big Bang Theory , where he recurred as Sheldon’s arch nemesis across 17 episodes. Wheaton is currently back in the Star Trek fold, hosting the Trek -based aftershow The Ready Room .

Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur)

Dr. Pulaski becomes chief medical officer during Dr. Crusher’s one-season absence, but the character departs the series when Crusher returns for Season 3. Muldaur recently appeared in Sidney Furie ’s docudrama Finding Hannah , her first on-screen acting appearance in nearly two decades.

Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby)

Yar is the Enterprise’s chief security officer during season one, but Crosby was unhappy working on the show, which led to Yar being killed near the end of that season. The character does reappear a few times thanks to some time-rift shenanigans, and Crosby eventually tackles a second role on the show when she guests in heavy makeup as Sela, Yar’s half-Romulan daughter. Crosby continues to act and recently had multi-episode runs on The Walking Dead , Ray Donovan , and Suits .

Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg)

Guinan is a warm and wizened bartender who’d serve you a drink in the Enterprise’s Ten-Forward lounge and maybe throw in some sage advice at no cost. A fan favorite, she’d appear in 28 episodes of the series, and Goldberg is slated to the role during season two of Picard . (Although we’ll see how they handle Whoopi’s aging as Guinan is an El-Aurian, an alien species that ages slowly and can live for multiple centuries.) Here on planet Earth, Goldberg has been a host on the daytime TV talk-show staple The View since 2007.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation , often abbreviated to TNG , is the second live-action Star Trek television series, and the first set in the 24th century . Like its predecessors, it was created by Gene Roddenberry . Produced at Paramount Pictures , it aired in first-run syndication , by Paramount Television in the US, from September 1987 to May 1994 . The series was set in the 24th century and featured the voyages of the starship USS Enterprise -D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard .

The series led to four spin-offs set in the same time period: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , which it ran alongside during its final two seasons, Star Trek: Voyager , Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Picard . It is also the beginning of a contiguous period of time during which there was always at least one Star Trek series in production, ending with Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005 .

• 2.1 Starring
• 2.2 Also starring
• 3.1 Season 1
• 3.2 Season 2
• 3.3 Season 3
• 3.4 Season 4
• 3.5 Season 5
• 3.6 Season 6
• 3.7 Season 7
• 4.1 Remastering
• 5.1 Performers
• 5.2 Stunt performers
• 5.3 Production staff
• 5.4 Companies
• 6 Related topics
• 8 External links

Summary [ ]

Star Trek: The Next Generation moved the universe forward roughly a century past the days of James T. Kirk and Spock . The series depicted a new age in which the Klingons were allies of the Federation , though the Romulans remained adversaries. New threats included the Ferengi (although they were later used more for comic relief), the Cardassians , and the Borg . While Star Trek: The Original Series was clearly made in the 1960s, the first two seasons of The Next Generation show all the markings of a 1980s product, complete with Spandex uniforms .

As with the original Star Trek , TNG was still very much about exploration, "boldly going where no one has gone before". Similarly, the plots captured the adventures of the crew of a starship, namely the USS Enterprise -D . Despite the apparent similarities with the original series, the creators of TNG were adamant about creating a bold, independent vision of the future. The public did not widely accept the show on its own terms until the airing of " The Best of Both Worlds ", which marked a shift towards higher drama, serious plot lines, and a less episodic nature. This helped pave the way for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and its two-year-long Dominion War arc and preceding build-up, as well as the third and fourth seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise . Star Trek: Voyager capitalized on the heightened crew relationships and familial bonds first seen on The Next Generation. DS9, on the other hand, balanced political intrigue, character development, and series-long plot threads with a rerun-friendly format.

As with the original Star Trek , TNG's special effects utilized miniatures, but due to great advancements in computerized effects and opticals, the show leaped ahead of its predecessor in terms of quality effects. This series marked the greatest surge in Star Trek 's mainstream popularity, and paved the way for the later televised Trek shows.

Four of the Star Trek motion pictures continued the adventures of the TNG cast after the end of the series in 1994. Star Trek Generations served to "pass the torch" from The Original Series cast, who had been the subject of the first six motion pictures, by including crossover appearances from William Shatner , James Doohan , and Walter Koenig ; it also featured the destruction of the USS Enterprise -D. Star Trek: First Contact , released two years later , was the first of the motion pictures to solely feature the TNG cast, transferred aboard the new USS Enterprise -E and engaging with one of their deadliest enemies from the television series, the Borg. Star Trek: Insurrection followed in 1998 , continuing certain character arcs from the series. In 2002 , Star Trek Nemesis brought some of these character arcs and plot threads to a seemingly definite conclusion, although some cast members expressed hope that future movies would yet pick up the story. Regardless, a new generation of actors appeared in 2009 's Star Trek , which created an alternate reality and returned the films' focus to Kirk and Spock .

On television, characters from TNG appeared in subsequent series. Recurring TNG character Miles O'Brien became a series regular on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , as did Worf in DS9's fourth season . Jean-Luc Picard appeared in Deep Space Nine 's pilot episode , and supporting characters from TNG appeared occasionally on DS9 (specifically, Keiko O'Brien , Lursa , B'Etor , Molly O'Brien , Vash , Q , Lwaxana Troi , Alynna Nechayev , Gowron , Thomas Riker , Toral , and Alexander Rozhenko ). Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi appeared several times each on Star Trek: Voyager , and Troi and William T. Riker appeared in the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise , which was primarily a holographic simulation set during the TNG episode " The Pegasus ". However, Star Trek Nemesis was the final chronological appearance of the Next Generation characters for over 18 years, until Star Trek: Picard , which focused on the later life of Jean-Luc Picard. Riker, Troi, Data , and Hugh also appeared in Picard .

In 1994 , Star Trek: The Next Generation was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. During its seven-year run, it was nominated for 58 Emmy Awards, mostly in "technical" categories such as visual effects and makeup; it won 18.

Main cast [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. j.g. / Lt. / Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Denise Crosby as Lt. Tasha Yar ( 1987 - 1988 )
• Michael Dorn as Lt. j.g. / Lt. Worf
• Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher ( 1987 - 1988 ; 1989 - 1994 )
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data
• Wil Wheaton as Ensign Wesley Crusher ( 1987 - 1990 )

Episode list [ ]

Season 1 [ ].

TNG Season 1 , 25 episodes:

Season 2 [ ]

TNG Season 2 , 22 episodes:

Season 3 [ ]

TNG Season 3 , 26 episodes:

Season 4 [ ]

TNG Season 4 , 26 episodes:

Season 5 [ ]

TNG Season 5 , 26 episodes:

Season 6 [ ]

TNG Season 6 , 26 episodes:

Season 7 [ ]

TNG Season 7 , 25 episodes:

Behind the scenes [ ]

Star Trek: The Next Generation was originally pitched to the then-fledgling Fox Network . However, they couldn't guarantee an initial order greater than thirteen episodes, not enough to make the enormous start-up costs of the series worth the expense. It was then decided to sell the series to the first-run syndication market. The show's syndicated launch was overseen by Paramount Television president Mel Harris , a pioneer in the syndicated television market. Many of the stations that carried The Next Generation had also run The Original Series for a long time.

According to issues of Star Trek: The Official Fan Club Magazine from early 1987, TNG was originally planned to be set in the 25th century, 150 years after the original series, and the Enterprise would have been the Enterprise NCC-1701-G. Gene Roddenberry ultimately changed the timeline to mid-24th century, set on board the Enterprise NCC-1701-D, as an Enterprise -G would have been the eighth starship to bear the name and that was too many for the relatively short time period that was to have passed.

Star Trek: The Next Generation was billed initially as being set 78 years after the days of the original USS Enterprise . [1] (p. 16) However, after the series' first season was established as being set in the year 2364 , this reference became obsolete as dates were then able to be set for the original series and the four previous films. When this happened, it was established that the events of the original series were about a hundred years before the events of TNG. With TNG's first season being set in 2364, 78 years prior would have been 2286 . Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home partly takes place during this year along with the shakedown cruise of the USS Enterprise -A .

On the special The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation To The Next , Gene Roddenberry commented, " On the original Star Trek , I practically lost my family from working so many twelve-hour days, fourteen-hour days, seven days a week, and I told them, 'You can't pay me enough to do that.' But then they said, 'Hey, but suppose we do it in a way in which' they call syndication, 'in which we don't have a network and we don't have all those people up there?' And Paramount was saying to me, 'And we guarantee that you will be in charge of the show.' "

Andrew Probert was first hired by Roddenberry in 1978 . However, not until 1986 , when Roddenberry was preparing to launch a new show, entitled Star Trek: The Next Generation , did he call upon Probert to take a lead design role. Everything had to be rethought, imagined, planned and redesigned. As the vision evolved in the designers' minds, the evolution was charted in successive sketches and paintings.

Among Probert's creations, in addition to the new Enterprise starship and many of its interiors including the main bridge , are many other featured spacecraft. The Ferengi cruiser , and even the Ferengi species, are Probert designs.

Roddenberry originally insisted on doing a one-hour pilot and assigned D.C. Fontana to write the episode, first titled Meeting at Farpoint . However, the studio was keen on having a two-hour pilot, mainly because they wanted something big and spectacular to launch the series, especially considering first-run syndication. Roddenberry himself volunteered to extend Fontana's script to two hours, eventually adding the Q storyline to it.

Ronald D. Moore commented, " Gene did not want conflict between the regular characters on TNG. This began to hamstring the series and led to many, many problems. To put it bluntly, this wasn't a very good idea. But rather than jettison it completely, we tried to remain true to the spirit of a better future where the conflicts between our characters did not show them to be petty or selfish or simply an extension of 20th century mores. " ( AOL chat , 1997 ) Rick Berman explained, " The problem with Star Trek: The Next Generation is Gene created a group of characters that he purposely chose not to allow conflict between. Starfleet officers cannot be in conflict, thus its murderous to write these shows because there is no good drama without conflict, and the conflict has to come from outside the group. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages , p. 8)

Roddenberry tried to recruit many production staff members from The Original Series to work on the new series. These included producers Robert H. Justman and Edward K. Milkis , writers D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold (who served as the main creative force behind the formation of the series), costume designer William Ware Theiss , assistant director Charles Washburn , composer Fred Steiner , set decorator John M. Dwyer , and writer John D.F. Black . Roddenberry also tried to bring back cinematographer Jerry Finnerman , but he declined the offer, being busy working on Moonlighting at the time. However, all of the above people finished working on the series after or during the first season.

Unit Production Manager David Livingston was responsible for hiring Michael Westmore for the pilot episode. ( ENT Season 3 Blu-ray , " Impulse " audio commentary )

Remastering [ ]

After several months of speculation and partial confirmation, StarTrek.com announced on 28 September 2011 (the 24th anniversary of the series premiere) that The Next Generation would be remastered in 1080p high-definition for release on Blu-ray Disc and eventual syndication, starting in 2012 . The seventh and final season was released on Blu-ray in December 2014 .

Cast and crew [ ]

The following people worked on The Next Generation ; it is unknown during which season or on which episodes.

Performers [ ]

• Antonio – background actor
• Charles Bazaldua – voice actor
• Terrence Beasor – voice actor (17 episodes, including the voice of the Borg )
• Libby Bideau – featured actress
• Brian Ciari – background actor: Cardassian ( TNG Season 6 or 7 )
• Amber Connally – background actress: child
• Phil Crowley – voice actor
• Vincent DeMaio – background actor: Enterprise -D operations division officer
• David Dewitt – background actor
• Gregory Fletcher – background actor Borg
• Dan Horton – background actor
• Carlyle King – voice actress
• Mark Laing – featured actor
• Daryl F. Mallett – background actor
• Tina Morlock – background actress
• Jean Marie Novak – background actress: Enterprise -D operations division officer
• Rick H. Olavarria – background actor (1988)
• Jennifer Ott – background actress: Enterprise -D command division officer
• Richard Penn – voice actor
• Judie Pimitera – background actress: Ten Forward waitress
• Paige Pollack – voice actress
• Jeff Rector – background actor: Enterprise -D command division officer
• Gary Schwartz – voice actor/ADR voice
• Beth Scott – background actress
• Steve Sekely – background actor
• Andrea Silver – background actress: Enterprise -D sciences division officer
• Oliver Theess – recurring background actor (around 1990)
• Richard Walker – background actor
• Harry Williams, Jr. – background actor
• Bruce Winant – supporting actor
• Stephen Woodworth – background actor

Stunt performers [ ]

• Laura Albert – stunts
• John Lendale Bennett – stunts
• Richard L. Blackwell – stunts
• John Cade – stunts
• Chuck Courtney – Assistant Stunt Coordinator
• Terry James – stunts
• Gary Jensen – Assistant Stunt Coordinator
• Lane Leavitt – stunts
• Pat Romano – stunts

Production staff [ ]

• Joseph Andolino – Additional Composer
• David Atherton – Makeup Artist
• Gregory Benford – Scientific Consultant
• Steven R. Bernstein – Additional Music Composer/Orchestrator
• Les Bernstien – Motion Control Operator
• R. Christopher Biggs – Special Makeup Effects Artist
• Howard Block – Second Unit Director of Photography
• Stephen Buchsbaum – Colorist: Unitel Video (Four Seasons)
• Alan Chudnow – Assistant Editor
• Marty Church – Foley Mixer
• Scott Cochran – Scoring Mixer: Advertising Music
• Robert Cole – Special Effects Artist
• Sharon Davis – Graphics Assistant
• David Dittmar – Prosthetic Makeup Artist
• Dragon Dronet – Prop Maker: Weapons, Specialty Props and Miniatures
• Jim Dultz – Assistant Art Director
• Shannon Dunn – Extras Casting: Cenex Casting
• Chris W. Fallin – Motion Control Operator
• Edward J. Franklin – Special Effects Artist
• Lisa Gizara – Assistant to Gates McFadden
• John Goodwin – Makeup Artist
• Simon Holden – Digital Compositor (between 1989 and 1994)
• Kent Allen Jones – Sculptor: Bob Jean Productions
• Michael R. Jones – Makeup Artist (early 1990s)
• Jason Kaufman – Prop and Model Maker: Greg Jein, Inc.
• Nina Kent – Makeup Artist
• David Kervinen – Visual Effects Illustrator: Composite Image Systems (4 Seasons)
• Andy Krieger – Extras Casting: Central Casting
• Tim Landry – Visual Effects Artist
• Lisa Logan – Cutter/Fitter
• Jon Macht – Post Production Vendor
• Gray Marshall – Motion Control Camera Operator: Image "G"
• Karl J. Martin – Digital Compositor
• Belinda Merritt – VFX Accountant: The Post Group
• John Palmer – Special Effects Coordinator: WonderWorks Inc.
• Frank Popovich – Mold and Prop Assistant
• Molly Rennie
• Chris Schnitzer – Motion Control Technician/Rigger: Image "G"
• Steven J. Scott – Digital Compositor
• Bruce Sears – DGA Trainee
• Casey Simpson – Gaffer
• Ken Stranahan – Visual Effects Artist
• Rick Stratton – Makeup Artist
• Greg Stuhl – Miniatures: Greg Jein, Inc.
• Tim Tommasino – Assistant Editor
• Peter Webb – Digital Compositor
• Gregory A. Weimerskirch – Assistant Art Director
• Bill Witthans – Dolly Grip

Companies [ ]

• Bob Jean Productions
• Movie Movers
• Newkirk Special Effects
• WonderWorks Inc.

Related topics [ ]

• TNG directors
• TNG performers
• TNG recurring characters
• TNG studio models
• TNG writers
• Character crossover appearances
• Undeveloped TNG episodes
• Star Trek: The Next Generation novels
• Star Trek: The Next Generation comics, volume 1 (DC)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation comics, volume 2 (DC)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation comics (IDW)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation soundtracks
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on VHS
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on Betamax
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on LaserDisc
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD
• Star Trek: The Next Generation on Blu-ray
• Star Trek: The Next Generation pinball machine

External links [ ]

• Star Trek: The Next Generation at Wikipedia
• Star Trek: The Next Generation at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: The Next Generation at the Internet Movie Database
• Star Trek: The Next Generation at StarTrek.com
• 2 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Rules of Acquisition

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

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.

• Cast & crew
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Episode list

Star trek: the next generation.

S1.E1 ∙ Encounter at Farpoint

S1.E2 ∙ The Naked Now

S1.E3 ∙ Code of Honor

S1.E4 ∙ The Last Outpost

S1.E5 ∙ Where No One Has Gone Before

S1.E6 ∙ Lonely Among Us

S1.E7 ∙ Justice

S1.E8 ∙ The Battle

S1.E9 ∙ Hide and Q

S1.E10 ∙ Haven

S1.E11 ∙ The Big Goodbye

S1.E12 ∙ Datalore

S1.E13 ∙ Angel One

S1.E14 ∙ 11001001

S1.E15 ∙ Too Short a Season

S1.E16 ∙ When the Bough Breaks

S1.E17 ∙ Home Soil

S1.E18 ∙ Coming of Age

S1.E19 ∙ Heart of Glory

S1.E20 ∙ The Arsenal of Freedom

S1.E21 ∙ Symbiosis

S1.E22 ∙ Skin of Evil

S1.E23 ∙ We'll Always Have Paris

S1.E24 ∙ Conspiracy

S1.E25 ∙ The Neutral Zone

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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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List of Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members

Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series that debuted in broadcast syndication on September 28, 1987. [1] The series lasted for seven seasons until 1994, [2] and was followed by four movies which were released between 1994 and 2002. [3] The show was a follow-up to the original Star Trek series which was broadcast on NBC between 1966 and 1969, [4] with characters from the original series appearing in The Next Generation on several occasions; a crossover movie titled Star Trek Generations was also released. [5] The Next Generation was developed by creator Gene Roddenberry , who served as an executive producer until his death in 1991, [6] along with Maurice Hurley , Rick Berman , [7] Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor . [8] [9] The show was filmed primarily on the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, California. [10]

Preliminary casting began during March 1987, and the main cast was announced on May 15. [11] The initial press release highlighted the casting of LeVar Burton , known for appearing in the miniseries Roots , as Geordi La Forge . [12] Burton had auditioned for the role following a suggestion from executive producer Robert H. Justman , who had previously worked with him on a TV movie. [13] The only other two members of the cast mentioned were Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard and Jonathan Frakes as William Riker . [12] Stewart was cast in the lead role after being spotted by Justman at a dramatic reading at the University of California, Los Angeles . [12] However, the show's creator, Roddenberry, wanted a French actor and was considering the role of Data for Stewart. Both Justman and Berman campaigned for Stewart to have the part of Captain Picard, and Roddenberry relented. [14] Frakes became Roddenberry's favorite for the role of Riker after the actor went through seven auditions for the role. [14]

The producers sought a black actor to portray Worf , as it would make the Klingon make-up easier. Michael Dorn was cast due to his theater training and the lack of a "street-accent". [15] The character was intended to appear in seven of the first thirteen episodes, but after Dorn's performance in the pilot " Encounter at Farpoint ", this was expanded to a series regular. [15] Roddenberry's intention for the casting of the new series was to avoid using characters similar to those that appeared in The Original Series . [16] However, some of the elements of the characters of Riker and Deanna Troi were modeled on the characters of William Decker and Ilia, who were originally conceived for the unfilmed Star Trek: Phase II and later appeared in Star Trek: The Motion Picture . [17] During casting, the role of Troi was originally assigned to Denise Crosby , with Marina Sirtis cast as Security Chief Macha Hernandez. Roddenberry believed that Sirtis would be better in the role of Troi and switched the two actresses; Crosby was cast as a modified version of the security chief, called Tasha Yar . [14] Several candidates for the main parts were later cast in guest or recurring roles, including Eric Menyuk , who was second choice for the part of Data , and Rosalind Chao , who was originally considered for Tasha Yar. [18] Tim Russ , who was considered for the part of Geordi La Forge, had a guest role on the series and would later be cast in main cast of Star Trek: Voyager as Tuvok . [18]

Crosby left the show before the end of the first season, [19] while Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher was dropped after season one . [20] Diana Muldaur joined the cast as Katherine Pulaski to replace McFadden, but Muldaur left after only one season; McFadden returned in season three . [21] Crosby reprised the role of Yar in season three's " Yesterday's Enterprise ", and returned for several more episodes as Yar's half Romulan daughter Sela . [22] Wil Wheaton left the main cast during season four, but returned for a number of episodes in season five as well as a final appearance in season seven. [23] [24]

Several actors were cast in roles which recurred throughout the seven seasons on television and into the four feature films. Majel Barrett , referred to as "The First Lady of Star Trek " due to her marriage with Roddenberry, [25] appeared both as the voice of Starfleet computers and as Lwaxana Troi . The part of Lwaxana was specifically created for her. [26] She had appeared in The Original Series and two Star Trek films as Christine Chapel , and as Number One in the original pilot " The Cage ". [25] John de Lancie was cast as Q despite missing his first audition as it conflicted with a play he was in at the time. A second audition was arranged, where de Lancie impressed Roddenberry, who told him that "You make my words sound better than they are." [27] Colm Meaney was originally cast as an unnamed Ensign in "Encounter at Farpoint", but was subsequently cast as the Transporter Chief Miles O'Brien , appearing in 52 episodes in that role. [28] Whoopi Goldberg approached the producers and asked for a role in the show, resulting in Roddenberry writing her the part of Guinan . [29] She credits Nichelle Nichols as Uhura in The Original Series as inspiring her, saying "when I was nine years old Star Trek came on, I looked at it and I went screaming through the house, 'Come here, mom, everybody, come quick, come quick, there's a black lady on television and she ain't no maid!' I knew right then and there I could be anything I wanted to be." [30] She made her first appearance in the second series episode " The Child " and went on to appear in a total of 28 episodes plus both Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: Nemesis . [31] [32]

• 1.1 Main Cast
• 1.2 Recurring Cast
• 3.1 Citations
• 3.2 Bibliography
• List of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine cast members
• List of Star Trek: Voyager cast members
• ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
• ↑ Nemecek (2003) : p. 16
• ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Nemecek (2003) : p. 17
• ↑ Nemecek (2003) : p. 19
• ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Nemecek (2003) : p. 18
• ↑ 15.0 15.1 Nemecek (2003) : p. 20
• ↑ Nemecek (2003) : p. 2
• ↑ Gross (1989) : p. 65
• ↑ 18.0 18.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
• ↑ 25.0 25.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

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Screen Rant

2 main star trek ds9 actors had already played very similar roles in tng.

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All 6 Star Trek Characters Played By DS9's Marc Alaimo

Star trek's original borg plan was so much worse than the iconic villains we got, recasting star trek: the next generation for a movie reboot.

Several Star Trek aliens made their debut on Star Trek: The Next Generation before playing more significant roles on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , and a couple were even portrayed by the same actors. TNG set the stage for a new golden era of Star Trek , influencing almost everything that came after. Some of Star Trek's most famous aliens - like the Vulcans, Klingons, and Romulans - were introduced on Star Trek: The Original Series, but others did not appear until TNG. Several actors have portrayed multiple roles in the Star Trek franchise , and some have even played different characters within the same alien species.

Star Trek: The Next Generation took a season or two to find its footing as it worked to figure out what kind of show it was going to be. Even as TNG progressed, there were many elements it was still figuring out, including the looks and cultures of new alien species. Species like the Ferengi and the Cardassians, as well as the Bajorans and the Trill, would be better defined on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but they got their start on TNG. Armin Shimerman and Marc Alaimo both appeared on TNG before taking on their more famous characters on DS9 , and they helped define the Ferengi and the Cardassians.

Armin Shimerman Played TNG Ferengi Before DS9’s Quark

Shimerman portrayed one of star trek's first ferengi.

Armin Shimerman may be most known to Star Trek fans for portraying the Ferengi bartender Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but Quark was not the first Ferengi Shimerman played. In TNG season 1, episode 5, "The Last Outpost," Shimerman played one of the first Ferengi to ever appear on screen. By playing one of Star Trek's first Ferengi, Armin Shimerman helped establish some aspects of the species, including their mannerisms. Although the Ferengi were initially meant to be the main adversaries for Captain Picard on TNG, producers felt they came across as too comedic to be scary.

Shimerman also appeared as the Ferengi DaiMon Bractor in TNG season 2, episode 21, "Peak Performance."

The Ferengi of TNG were one-note villains focused almost entirely on profit. Shimerman later expressed regret about the way he portrayed TNG's Ferengi, but he got the chance to redeem himself and the entire Ferengi species as Quark . Quark certainly has a love for gold-pressed latinum, as any self-respecting Ferengi should, but he also cares about his friends. As a central figure throughout DS9's seven seasons, Quark developed into a complex character, and he and his family revealed a lot more about Ferengi culture.

Marc Alaimo Played A TNG Cardassian Before DS9’s Gul Dukat

Alaimo appeared in tng's "the wounded" as star trek's first cardassian.

Before he became the villainous Gul Dukat on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Marc Alaimo portrayed Star Trek's first Cardassian on TNG. In TNG season 4, episode 12, "The Wounded," Alaimo played Gul Macet, the commanding officer of the Cardassian warship Trager. Macet visits the Starship Enterprise when a Federation starship begins attacking Cardassian outposts. Not only does "The Wounded" introduce the Cardassians, but it's also one of the first Star Trek episodes to focus on Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney). O'Brien had served on the USS Rutledge during the Federation-Cardassian War and continued to hold on to his prejudice against Cardassians.

Marc Alaimo played four different characters on TNG before he began portraying one of Star Trek's best villains on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

With his commanding performance, Marc Alaimo helped establish the cunning and war-like nature of the Cardassians. Macet remains the only Cardassian seen sporting facial hair and the headgear worn by the Cardassians was never shown again. While some aspects of the Cardassian's appearance differed from TNG to DS9 , Macet helped establish the Cardassians' look. Looks aside, Alaimo's Gul Dukat went on to become one of Star Trek's most complex and compelling villains. Alaimo brought the same menacing energy to both Cardassians he played, creating intelligent and formidable villains who could go toe to toe with even the best Starfleet captains.

Other Early Versions Of Star Trek: DS9 Aliens On TNG

The trill & the bajorans made their debut on tng.

A handful of other alien species made their debut on Star Trek: The Next Generation before becoming more permanent fixtures on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . In the aptly titled TNG season 2 episode, "Ensign Ro," Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes) became the first Bajoran to appear in Star Trek . There were plans for Ro to join the cast of DS9 , but Michelle Forbes turned down the role that eventually became Major Kira Nirys (Nana Visitor). Ro's characterization on TNG informed Kira as a character and offered insight into the plight of the Bajorans.

Not only is Odan's physical appearance different than that of later Trill, but his relationship with his symbiote seems different as well.

Introduced in TNG season 4, episode 23, "The Host," Star Trek's first Trill was a mediator named Odan (Franc Luz) who developed a romance with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden). Not only is Odan's physical appearance different than that of later Trill, but his relationship with his symbiote seems different as well. On DS9, Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) would gain the spots most associated with the Trill and help define the species and their culture. The Trill, Bajorans, Ferengi, and Cardassians have all become important Star Trek species who were introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation before being more fully explored on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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Published Sep 21, 2024

The Surprising Connections Between Star Trek and Batman (1966)

Which Original Series actors also visited Gotham City?

StarTrek.com

For anyone who grew up with 50 to 500 channels of cable TV — let alone an almost infinite variety of streaming platforms, apps, and assorted niche media — it's hard to imagine what a limited world television was in the 1960s. With only three major networks offering scripted programming, actors had to grab whatever roles they could to keep working. As a result, eagle-eyed viewers may notice the same faces popping up again and again on different shows from the time period.

Two of the most popular shows of the decade, Star Trek and Batman (1966), are noticeable for the number of actors who "crossover," appearing on both series. Rather than look at the most famous examples of this phenomenon — Frank Gorshin, Yvonne Craig, Roger C. Carmel, and Julie Newmar — we are going to focus on some of the lesser-known names who managed to snag compelling minor roles on both shows.

Charles Dierkop as Morla in " Wolf in the Fold "

"Wolf in the Fold"

With a screen career spanning almost 60 years, including a four-year, 90-episode stint on the TV series Police Woman , Charles Dierkop is one of the most well-known, yet "unknown" actors in the business.

Dierkop's most noticeable feature is his unusually flattened nose, making him instantly recognizable no matter what role he plays. TOS fans will remember him as Morla, the jealous fiancé of Kara, the dancer whose murder sets the episode, "Wolf in the Fold," into action.

Dierkop also appeared in Batman in the Season 3 episode "Penguin's Clean Sweep" as Dustbag, one of Penguin's henchmen.

Stanley Adams as Cyrano Jones in " The Trouble with Tribbles "

"The Trouble with Tribbles"

Following the dark themes of "Wolf in the Fold," Star Trek viewers were treated to a considerably lighter episode in the much-loved, "The Trouble with Tribbles." Apart from the return of actor William Campbell, albeit in a different role, "Tribbles" also introduced the Harry Mudd-esque character Cyrano Jones, portrayed by Stanley Adams.

Adams had a prominent role on Batman episodes "Catwoman Goes to College" and "Batman Displays His Knowledge" as the newly-arrived-from-California police office, Captain Courageous, whose ignorance of Batman's activity in the Gotham City crime fighting scene leads to Batman being arrested.

Ted Cassidy as Ruk in " What Are Little Girls Made Of? "

"What Are Little Girls Made Of?"

Ted Cassidy will forever be defined by the role of Lurch in the original Addams Family series from the '60s, but a quick look at his IMDb page will show that he showed up in some unlikely places. Just like fellow Trek / Batman alumnus Charles Dierkop, he made a brief appearance in the smash hit Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid . He later turned up as Bigfoot in several episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man , replacing the previous Bigfoot, Andre the Giant.

His unusual physical appearance made him unforgettable in his role as Ruk; although, he also provided the voices of the Gorn in " Arena " and Balok's Puppet in " The Corbomite Maneuver ." His Batman appearance was brief but memorable, as he reprised his Lurch character for the campy window cameo in the second season episode "The Penguin's Nest."

Lawrence Montaigne as Stonn in " Amok Time "

"Amok Time"

"Amok Time" was the first time TOS viewers got a glimpse of life on Vulcan, and it gave fans a chance to compare Spock to others of his kind. While most may have been surprised that T'Pring preferred Stonn to Spock, her logic in selecting Kirk as her champion was impeccably Vulcan.

TOS fans may be aware that this episode was not actor Lawrence Montaigne's first appearance on the show; he also portrayed Decius, one of the first Romulans ever to appear on the series, in "Balance of Terror." Montaigne's Batman appearance also took advantage of his somewhat emotionless visage, as he was cast as Mr. Glee, Joker's robotic bank-teller in "The Joker's Last Laugh" and "The Joker's Epitaph."

Sherry Jackson as Andrea in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"

Like many character actors and actresses, Sherry Jackson made guest appearances on some of the biggest hits of the 1960s, including Lost in Space , My Three Sons , The Wild Wild West , and Perry Mason .

Her role in TOS was that of Andrea, the tragic female lead in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?," whose inability to reconcile her true nature as an android leads to her eventual demise. Jackson played a more upbeat role on Batman , as the Riddler's moll Pauline, on the silent movie-themed episodes "Death in Slow Motion" and "The Riddler's False Notion."

Malachi Throne as Commodore Mendez in " The Menagerie "

"The Menagerie, Part I"

While the subject of this article is TOS and Batman (1966) crossovers, Malachi Throne has appeared in numerous iterations of both Star Trek and Batman media. Throne portrayed the backstabbing Romulan Senator Pardek in both " Unification " episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation . His later Batman credits include voice work on The New Batman Adventures and Batman Beyond . Of course, TOS fans will best remember Throne as Commodore Mendez on "The Menagerie," and Batman viewers will know him as the villainous False Face in the episodes "Holy Rat Race" and "True or False Face."

One interesting note — although Throne was the lead villain in both Batman episodes, he didn't receive billing in the credits of the show, due to the producers' desire to keep False Face's true identity a mystery from TV viewers.

Leslie Parrish as Lt. Carolyn Palamas in " Who Mourns for Adonais? "

"Who Mourns for Adonais?"

In "Who Mourns for Adonais?," Lt. Palamas, similar to Yeoman Ross on " The Squire of Gothos " and Marla McGivers in " Space Seed ," is written as a means to an end to defeating the antagonist rather than as a productive member of the crew. Nonetheless, Parrish leaves a lasting impression as the mortal who wins the heart of a god.

On Batman , Parrish portrayed two different characters. She appeared as Dawn Robbins, the target of Penguin's kidnapping plot in "The Penguin's a Jinx," and as Glacia Glaze, the ice skating queen who turns out to be the secret accomplice of Mr. Freeze in "Ice Spy" and "The Duo Defy."

Gene Dynarski as Krodak in " The Mark of Gideon "

"The Mark of Gideon"

Gene Dynarski may be best remembered by most TV viewers as Izzy Mandelbaum, Jr., one of three generations of competitive but inept bodybuilders who share the same name in Seinfeld .

Dynarski appeared on TOS in two roles; most notably as Krodak, the Gideon representative who is sent to the Enterprise in a stall tactic to prevent Spock from searching for Kirk on Gideon. He also shows up on TOS as Ben Childress, one the miners on Rigel XII on " Mudd's Women ."

In perhaps a bit of typecasting, Dynarski appears (alongside a bald Vincent Price) as one of Egghead's equally bald henchmen, Benedict, in the Batman episodes "An Egg Grows in Gotham" and "The Yegg Foes in Gotham."

John Crawford as Commissioner Ferris in " The Galileo Seven "

"The Galileo Seven"

In much of the Trek universe, there's a recurring theme where inflexible bureaucracy adds to a challenge being faced by the crew. Whether it's Ambassador Fox, Captain Jellico, or Admiral Nechayev, whenever upper brass gets involved, life gets more complicated. In "The Galileo Seven," Commissioner Ferris becomes the thorn in Kirk's side, complicating efforts to rescue the stranded crew of the shuttlecraft.

John Crawford, who played the role of Ferris, had the honor of playing Printer's Devil, a henchman to one of the more obscure Batman villains, Bookworm. He appeared as Printer's Devil in the episodes "The Bookworm Turns" and "While Gotham City Burns."

Jon Lormer as Tamar in " The Return of the Archons "

"The Return of the Archons"

Jon Lormer is one of a handful of actors who played several different roles in TOS; probably best known as Tamar, an elderly Betan who meets an unhappy end at the hands of the Lawgivers in "The Return of the Archons." He also showed up in "The Cage" in an uncredited role as Dr. Theodore Haskins, as well as the doomed old man who speaks the title words in the episode " For The World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky ."

Lormer showed up in the final season of Batman as Professor Dactyl, a paleontologist at the Gotham Museum who helps thwart Egghead's plan to steal a Neosaurus egg in the episode "How To Hatch A Dinosaur."

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This article was originally published on June 7, 2021.

Terry Parrett (he/him) is a stage hypnotist and writer from Long Island, NY. His earliest Trek memory is watching “The Savage Curtain” when it originally aired. Follow Terry on Twitter @terryparrett

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Kelsey Grammer Told Us How Jonathan Frakes Convinced Him To Appear On Star Trek: The Next Generation

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While Kelsey Grammer will always be best known for playing Frasier Crane in Cheers , the original Frasier spinoff and the Frasier revival accessible to people with a Paramount+ subscription , he also has some impressive genre credits to his name. The most notable of the bunch is arguably his portrayal of Hank McCoy, a.k.a. Beast , in X-Men: The Last Stand , X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Marvels , but Star Trek fans will also remember the time he cameoed in The Next Generation as Captain Morgan Bateson. While speaking with CinemaBlend about Frasier Season 2, which just premiered on the 2024 TV schedule , Grammer opened up about how Jonathan Frakes convinced him to appear on the Star Trek series that ran from 1987 to 1994.

After Grammer spent some time about his experience working on Frasier Season 2 (which sees him reuniting with his Back to You co-star Patricia Heaton ) alongside Roz Doyle actress Peri Gilpin , I brought up his cameo as Morgan Bateson in The Next Generation Season 5 episode “Cause and Effect.” That was the first and only time we’ve seen the actor play this Star Trek character, and when I asked him if there had ever been any talks about him reprising Bateson in another show or project, he told me:

[laughs] Not that I know of. He’s a very sought-after character at those conventions these days. I actually did end up doing one, and I have signed some autographs as Captain Morgan Bateman. But the thing that turned me on, Jonathan Frakes was a buddy. He called one day, I was at Cheers, and he said, ‘Will you come over and do a show for us?’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t know, what’s the deal?’ He says, ‘Well, he’s a contemporary of Captain Kirk’s.’ That was the one that hooked me. So I got to wear the same uniform they wore in the original Star Trek, and that made me really happy.

Other Star Trek: The Next Generation Stories

Star Trek Brought Priceless Relics From The Next Generation To SDCC, And I Was So Emotional Getting To See Them

A Surprising Next Generation Character Was Revealed For Star Trek: Section 31, And I'm So Stoked

“Cause and Effect” followed the crew of the USS Enterprise-D getting caught in a time loop where they keep crashing into the USS Bozeman, a Federation ship that disappeared over 90 years ago. With each time loop, the Enterprise’s senior staff experience déjà vu, eventually learn about their predicament and figure out a way to prevent the ships from colliding, thus ending the loop. Kelsey Grammer’s Morgan Bateson appears at the very end of the episode, unaware that nearly a century has gone by, though the episode ends before we can see Jean-Luc Picard break the news to him.

This role afforded Kelsey Grammer the opportunity to wear the same kind of uniform that Captain James T. Kirk and other Starfleet officers wore in the era between The Wrath of Khan to the prologue of Generations , roughly. That was a big selling point for Grammer when Jonathan Frakes approached him, as he liked the idea that Morgan Bateson was colleagues with William Shatner’s character. Alas, no other opportunities came along for Grammer to reprise Bateson, although the character did make a silent cameo in the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode “Grounded” as the leader of the team that exonerated Carol Freeman, the captain of the USS Cerritos.

Revisit Grammer’s brief time in the Star Trek universe by streaming “Cause and Effect” on Paramount+, which you’ll also need if you want to keep up with the latest exploits of Dr. Frasier Crane. Next up on the Star Trek front is the fifth and final season of Lower Decks , which premieres its first two episodes on October 24.

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