next generation star trek crew

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 .

• Main Title Theme  file info (arranged by Dennis McCarthy , composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage )
• 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
• 1 Daniels (Crewman)

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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)

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 ."

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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.

Q (John de Lancie)

Also returning for season two of Picard is de Lancie as the enigmatic Q, a godlike being who takes delight in toying with Jean-Luc on The Next Generation , often putting the human race itself on trial. Q appears in eight episodes of TNG , including the series premiere and finale. De Lancie has worked steadily as a TV and voice actor over the years, and in 2019 wrapped up his run voicing Discord on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic , a character that was loosely based on Q.

KEEP READING: Why James Cromwell's Zefram Cochrane Is One of the Best 'Star Trek' Performances

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.

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‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’: Ranking the Crew, From Picard to Pulaski

Liz shannon miller.

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Thirty years ago, “Star Trek” proved it wasn’t just a story about Kirk and Spock; it was a story universe rich with possibilities, including a whole new cast of characters.

Ranking the men and women of “ Star Trek: The Next Generation ” is a far more brutal task than initially anticipated because, as the series kept telling us the whole time, this wasn’t a crew. This was a family. That said, let’s be honest. Family might inspire love on an equal playing field, but when it comes to actually spending time with people, favorites do emerge.

This is strictly limited to those who served as actual crew members (sorry, Q and Lwaxana Troi) because one of the best things about “Trek’s” approach to a military structure is how it still allows the show to celebrate individual personalities. Because as much fun as space travel is, a “Trek” series lives or dies by its characters.

17. Dr. Katherine Pulaski

For the record, this is not actor Diana Muldaur’s fault. When Gates McFadden left “Next Generation” at the end of Season 1 (for  a variety of complicated reasons ), the ship needed a new doctor. But while the idea of bringing in a new female character over the age of 40 (Pulaski dated Riker’s dad once!) was conceptually a fresh approach for the genre — hell, for television in general — Dr. Pulaski never gelled with the rest of the crew, and McFadden’s return in Season 3 was a welcome relief.

16. Lieutenant Reginald Barclay

On a ship full of humanity’s best, Barclay was decidedly flawed. In fact, he was set up as essentially a parody of nerd culture (which is pretty rude, considering that “Next Generation” featured a passionate, perhaps even “nerdy” fanbase). More importantly, he caused way more problems than he solved and was never much of a sympathetic character despite his lighter moments.

15. Tasha Yar

A character inspired by Vasquez (Jeanette Goldberg) from James Cameron’s “Aliens,” Yar was the ship’s muscle for much of the first season… until Denise Crosby decided to leave the show. She was essentially replaced by Worf in this regard, which could be seen as an improvement, except that there could always be more badass women in science fiction, especially on “Trek.”

14. Keiko O’Brien

A botanist we first meet as she’s about to marry Miles O’Brien (an in media res sort of move that we have a lot of respect for), Keiko was an interesting example of how the show was able to build a world beyond each week’s missions.

13. Miles O’Brien

Colm Meaney made semi-regular appearances for six seasons of “Next Generation” before becoming a regular on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” While on that show, the character’s full potential was truly revealed. But while on “TNG” O’Brien had some charming moments, there’s a reason why  one of the best webcomics ever made  is based on the ennui that he must have experienced, humbly operating that transporter pad.

12. Ensign Ro Laren

This tough-as-nails Bajoran officer was our initial introduction to the Bajor-Cardassian conflict, which would be a fundamental foundation of “DS9.” Unfortunately, because Michelle Forbes was infamously skittish about signing up for ongoing series during the ’90s, Ro never got the character development enjoyed by other folk. That said, the episode “Rascals,” where she learned how to have fun as a child was… um. Fun.

11. Ensign Alyssa Ogawa

A very minor character, in theory, but the show’s erstwhile nurse made 16 appearances during the show’s run and had her own arc, with a romantic life that eventually led to her becoming a mother. Nurse Ogawa was always a pleasant presence and much appreciated.

10. Wesley Crusher

Wesley was, um,  a polarizing figure for sci-fi fans at the time , given the fact that as a teen genius who was perhaps rightly labeled as a Marty Sue, he could be a bit grating. But Wesley was also a nice, decent kid, and “TNG” showcased him best by letting that side peek out. The episode where he makes out with Ashley Judd will always be a classic.

9. Deanna Troi

Playing an “empath” is an odd requirement for an actor, and Troi had to deal with a lot of odd storylines. But she occasionally got some meat to chew into, especially given the fact that her rank as a Starfleet officer meant that she was technically more integrated into the military aspects of the series than expected. And she wore some fun jumpsuits! Troi was great.

Continue Reading: ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’: Ranking the Crew, From Picard to Pulaski Next »

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I love how star trek: the next generation felt like a soap opera in space.

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10 Best Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes To Hook New Fans

10 best love stories in new star trek shows, i think picard should have given riker kirk’s star trek generations advice.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation's episodic style explored the crew's daily lives, creating a soap opera-like feel.
• The show's large cast and interconnected relationships made the characters feel more real and relatable.
• Despite Gene Roddenberry's "no conflict" rule, Star Trek: The Next Generation's character-driven plots and complex relationships provided drama and emotional depth.

With episodic stories and plenty of interconnected characters to tell them, I love how Star Trek: The Next Generation feels like a soap opera set in space. Instead of a narrative connecting all its episodes, The Next Generation continued Star Trek: The Original Series' tendency to tell separate stories through multiple episodes without getting stuck in a bigger, complicated plot. Some of the best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes of all time included drama usually reserved for soap operas , including stories that focused on the struggles of everyday life and the difficulty of familial and romantic relationships.

Spending years on a starship wasn't always very exciting for the USS Enterprise-D's crew, but since Star Trek: The Next Generation's cast of characters was huge, the relationships between them ensured the Enterprise never had a dull day. These ongoing personal sagas provided a rich backstory for each character, and the drama from the relationships pushed The Next Generation beyond the sci-fi allure of space exploration. Despite Gene Roddenberry's "no conflict" rule applied to its crew, Star Trek: The Next Generation still produced captivating stories by creating a rollercoaster of emotions through soap opera-like story development.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of the greatest sci-fi shows ever, and these 10 episodes will hook even the most skeptical of viewers.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's Episodic Style Explored The Daily Life Of The Enterprise's Crew

Life on the uss enterprise-d was anything but ordinary.

I believe exploring the crew's everyday lives is a big part of what made Star Trek: The Next Generation feel like a soap opera. Recurring characters and guest stars were seen doing familiar things in familiar places that showed up repeatedly throughout the show. With backdrops being consistent throughout all 7 seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation , the commonplace scenery made the show feel like a home. This feeling contributed to the characters feeling more real, because we got to see them do things like cook, stroll the corridors, exercise, and even struggle to maintain a regular sleep schedule.

Soap operas are commonly set in a family home or a small town, allowing a large cast of characters to go through their ordinary lives while providing high-stakes entertainment. I think Star Trek: The Next Generation's Starship Enterprise acted similarly to this as a bubble for the crew because characters primarily interacted with their fellow crew members. Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) are a few Star Trek: The Next Generation characters who also had familial connections on the ship, and their respective children living aboard the ship provided an added family dynamic.

Star Trek: TNG's Character-Driven Plots And Complex Relationships Provided Drama

Family, romance, drama, oh my.

The familial connections and Star Trek: The Next Generation 's small town feel' made me care about the USS Enterprise-D's crew, and I wanted to see these beloved characters succeed together. Even though Gene Roddenberry's "no conflict" rule hindered character development, Star Trek: The Next Generation's crew still managed to change and grow alongside one another . The audience supported the crew of the Enterprise because we knew enough about the characters to care about them, including romance. Couples like Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Doctor Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) had off-and-on-again romances that kept everyone wondering if they would end up together.

Great Star Trek love stories come from character development and continuity on the newest Star Trek shows on Paramount+ and Netflix.

The soap opera tactics employed by Star Trek: The Next Generation , like episodic seasons and dramatic interpersonal relationship twists, always kept the show interesting. Even Star Trek: The Next Generation's biggest flaws aren't enough to make me dislike the show. Under all the messiness of production and the occasional gaping plot holes commonly found in such a long-running series, Star Trek: The Next Generation is a gripping, emotional story about found family and the relationships they build. It just so happened to be set on a galaxy-class starship warping through space.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

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

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Star Trek's Most Annoying Prop Is One You Never Notice

Posted: June 28, 2024 | Last updated: June 28, 2024

Star Trek’s Most Annoying Prop Is One You Never Notice

As a franchise, Star Trek is filled with many cool props (including the iconic Enterprise-D) and some pretty lame ones (like that time Odo hid inside a breadmaker). However, Star Trek: Voyager has the dubious honor of having the worst prop, albeit one that most fans never really notice. We’re talking, of course, about the starfield outside the ship’s windows, one which caused the crew many headaches during production.

A Star Curtain

In theory, Star Trek: Voyager should have had an easier time with this particular prop. Starting with The Next Generation, producers began using a wonderfully low-tech method of showing the stars outside areas like the Ready Room. Rather than being the product of any digital wizardry, this effect was created by using a simple curtain.

Such a curtain wouldn’t give anyone any trouble if the ship was always at rest. However, the main function of said curtain is to show the stars flying by when the ship was traveling at sublight speeds. To achieve this effect, the crew would have to move the curtain in a slow and precise way, and when done right, the final effect looked very convincing onscreen.

Problems With The Curtain

By the time Star Trek: Voyager came around, the crew thought they had a handle on how to use this particular prop during production. The curtain hung on a specialized track near the stage ceiling. On paper, this would make illustrating sublight speeds easier than ever before; in reality, however, the prop caused endless headaches for directors.

One such director was TNG legend LeVar Burton, who helmed the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Ex Post Facto” and ran into his own issues with this prop.

At one point, he was shooting a simple scene of Tuvok and Tom Paris talking to one another, and he thought everything was going just fine. Suddenly, though, the director of photography stopped the shoot, which initially annoyed Burton.

The Shimmer

What Star Trek: Voyager photography director Marvin Rush had noticed, though, was a problem with the starfield prop. The prop in question was a sequined curtain, and Rush had noticed a shimmering effect that would have looked awful onscreen.

This problem was magnified by the curtain now looking more gray than black, so such a shimmer would call attention to the onscreen starfield looking far murkier than it should.

An Expensive Dud

The good news was that Star Trek: Voyager chief lighting technician Bill Peets knew how to handle this prop issue because, even though this was only the show’s eighth episode, this shimmering had become a constant problem.

By readjusting where the lamps were illuminating the starfield, it was possible to avoid both the shimmer and the washed-out appearance. Peets was understandably annoyed at having to constantly fix the same issue, and he muttered “God, I hate that thing,” pointing out that Paramount had paid $25,000 for the specialized prop “and it still doesn’t work.”

Burton Kept Going

Despite this temporary (yet permanently annoying) setback, LeVar Burton enjoyed directing his first Star Trek: Voyager episode, and this problematic prop didn’t keep him from coming back to helm seven more episodes. Still, learning about the issues with the starfield curtain means we’re going to stare extra hard at the passing stars to see if outer space looks more gray than black. There may be coffee in that nebula, but thanks to the curtain and the lighting, it may look like the coffee has plenty of creamer.

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Episode list

Star trek: the next generation.

S3.E10 ∙ The Defector

S3.E11 ∙ The Hunted

S3.E12 ∙ The High Ground

S3.E13 ∙ Deja Q

S3.E14 ∙ A Matter of Perspective

S3.E15 ∙ Yesterday's Enterprise

S3.E16 ∙ The Offspring

S3.E17 ∙ Sins of the Father

S3.E18 ∙ Allegiance

S3.E19 ∙ Captain's Holiday

S3.E20 ∙ Tin Man

S3.E21 ∙ Hollow Pursuits

S3.E22 ∙ The Most Toys

S3.E23 ∙ Sarek

S3.E24 ∙ Ménage à Troi

S3.E25 ∙ Transfigurations

S3.E26 ∙ The Best of Both Worlds: Part 1

S4.E1 ∙ The Best of Both Worlds: Part 2

S4.E2 ∙ Family

S4.E3 ∙ Brothers

S4.E4 ∙ Suddenly Human

S4.E5 ∙ Remember Me

S4.E6 ∙ Legacy

S4.E7 ∙ Reunion

S4.E8 ∙ Future Imperfect

S4.E9 ∙ Final Mission

S4.E10 ∙ The Loss

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Published Jun 21, 2024

How the Picard Season 3 Soundtrack Unlocks All of Star Trek

For World Music Day, let's look at how Picard's final score stretches across the entire final frontier, from familiar themes to deep sonic cuts.

StarTrek.com

The music of the Final Frontier is one of the most grounding aspects of the entire Star Trek phenomenon. Rather than sounding overtly futuristic, the musical world Trek has always been the opposite — old-fashioned and classic. When Nicholas Meyer hired James Horner to compose the music for The Wrath of Khan , he asked for a score that was "nautical, but nice." This single phrase perhaps best describes a large swath of famous Star Trek scores; the music is rooted in an antique style, combined with a buoyant sense of optimism. The music of Trek looks forward, partly, by looking back. In real life, Star Trek scores have been played at the commissioning of space shuttles, at least one U.S. Presidential Inauguration , and on March 11, 2024, Jerry Goldsmith's themes from Star Trek: First Contact were played during a ceremony in which Sweden was inducted into NATO.

Sometimes, it seems the classical music of Star Trek is oddly more pervasive in everyday life than Star Trek itself. Yes, there have, of course, been examples of non-classical music in Star Trek ; from Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride," to Enterprise 's "Faith of the Heart," Kirk blasting The Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," and, in 2023, musical theater and pop stylings throughout " Subspace Rhapsody " in Strange New Worlds . But, for almost six decades, classical scores have been the sonic glue binding the Trek universe together. From Original Series composers like Alexander Courage and Sol Kaplan, to Jerry Goldsmith and James Horner in the classic films, to Dennis McCarthy in The Next Generation era, Michael Giacchino 's scores for the Kelvin Universe films, to Jeff Russo in Discovery and Chris Westlake in Lower Decks , Nami Melumad on Strange New Worlds and Prodigy , each Trek score often contains a piece of another. But, perhaps more than any orchestral Star Trek event to date, the soundtrack for Star Trek: Picard Season 3 bridges various eras simultaneously, but also created edgy, new directions for Trek scores that had never been tried before.

The Picard Season 3 score — composed by Stephen Barton and Frederik Wiedmann— is a rosetta stone of nearly all of Star Trek music, ever. Here's your guide to why this 2023 score is so unique, how it's the perfect place to start your Star Trek musical education, and why, if you haven't already, consider spinning this one on vinyl .

"All Good Things…Must Come To An End"

"The Last Generation"

While it's somewhat obvious that Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is a direct follow-up to Picard Season 2, a huge thrust of the series is also a coda to the era of The Next Generation TV series and four feature films. So, throughout this score, there are various musical references to the hugely famous main theme from Star Trek: The Next Generation composed by Jerry Goldsmith. But, within this musical cue, there's an Easter egg to 1979. As many fans know, the immortal TNG main theme was actually first composed by Goldsmith for the film Star Trek: The Motion Picture . And while the bombastic march opens that film, and every episode of TNG, a slower more ballatic version of the theme was created for the classic track "The Enterprise ," in which Scotty and Kirk view the newly refitted ship for the first time.

'The Next Generation'

In Picard Season 3, this dreamy arrangement of the TNG/TMP theme is on full display in the back-to-back tracks "Hello, Beautiful" and "Leaving Spacedock," in which Picard and Riker take a shuttle to the U.S.S. Titan -A, and we hear the gentle strings of "The Enterprise " from 1979. However, as this musical moment continues, and Commander Seven takes the Titan out of spacedock, a new musical theme emerges, which showrunner Terry Matalas has called " The Titan Theme, " since it plays in many instances in the series that focus on the scrappy starship itself. And yet, by the end of Picard Season 3, the Titan becomes a new version of the Enterprise . So, when Riker and Picard roll-up on the Titan and hear the TNG/TMP main theme, it's not just a neat Easter egg, the music becomes a foreshadowing element that helps tell the story.

Deep Cuts Reveal Myriad Star Trek Legacies

"The Next Generation"

Just as Beverly Crusher sends Picard a transmission as a myriad codec, the Picard Season 3 soundtrack contains a myriad of references to all sorts of other Star Trek music. Some of these cues are somewhat obvious. The end-credits for the series borrows from the First Contact main themes, first introduced in 1996, while Jeff Russo's arrangement of the TNG main theme, crafted for Picard Season 1 and Season 2, still exists as part of the brief title card at the top of each episode. But, once you start digging into the episode-by-episode tracks, deeper cuts start to reveal themselves, ever so slowly.

In "Old Communicator," ominous woodwinds play as Picard riffles through his stuff, to find his TNG-era red uniform. These notes are reminiscent of Ron Jones' music for " The Best of Both Worlds " in The Next Generation , reminding us of that time Jean-Luc lost a uniform just like this when he was assimilated by the Borg. But, for composers Barton and Wiedmann, this is just the first of many musical cues from the past.

"The Bounty"

When the Titan arrives at the Fleet Museum in the sixth episode, " The Bounty ," we get a track called "Legacies," which has rapid-fire sonic Easter eggs like no other piece of Star Trek music before or since.

As Seven and Jack observe the various ships in the museum, each one gets his own theme; for the Defiant , we hear Dennis McCarthy's main theme for Deep Space Nine , for the movie-era Enterprise -A, an arrangement of the Alexander Courage TOS theme, and as Seven waxes nostalgic about the U.S.S. Voyager , a triumphant and bittersweet rendition of the Jerry Goldsmith main title from Star Trek: Voyager plays. Impressively, these musical cues are packed into three minutes and fifteen seconds, meaning "Legacies," tells the story of four starships, through music, in a very short amount of time.

Did we say four ships? Yes! Because in addition to the Defiant, Enterprise -A, and Voyager , the medley of "Legacies" eventually concludes with Leonard Rosenman's 1986 themes from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . And that's because Jack realizes that the captured Klingon Bird-of-Prey, which Bones christened the H.M.S. Bounty all those years ago, has a cloaking device that the crew of the Titan can use. And so, this wonderful nod to Rosenman's music not only references The Voyage Home , but also moves the present tense of the story forward.

That Cinematic Feeling

A Musical Legacy: Scoring the Final Season of Star Trek: Picard

On the liner notes to Picard Season 3, Terry Matalas specifies that the score for this season was designed to remind fans of the big, epic music from the films. Even though this was a season of a TV series, the sound of Picard Season 3 is cinematic. "I knew early on that Picard Season 3 needed to sound like the great Trek film scores that came before it," Matalas writes in the liner notes. "[When] I was five…the track 'The Enterprise ' was imprinted onto my brain."

And so, in collaboration with composers Barton and Wiedemann, Matalas steered the music of Picard Season 3 into a massive tribute to the entirety of previous Star Trek film scores. This was accomplished by the sonic Easter eggs we've just pointed out, but this feeling also exists more broadly throughout the entire soundtrack. The dark track "Dominion" isn't one that contains any sonic Easter eggs, but is unique to this soundtrack, as is the heroic hero theme for the Titan , heard in "Leaving Spacedock" and throughout the all ten episodes of the season.

But, the brilliance of the Picard Season 3 soundtrack isn't that it simply checks-off various Star Trek musical boxes. Instead, it seamlessly blends the old with the new. In "Legacy and the Future," longtime fans will be reminded of Denis McCarthy's tender music from 1994's Star Trek Generations , but as the track builds, we move from the immortal Alexander Courage fanfare, and into the new , future-facing music created for the Titan , which is destined to become Captain Seven's ship, the Enterprise-G , boldly headed into the future.

And so, the Picard Season 3 soundtrack isn't just a series of nostalgia hits. Its music allows us to revisit stories from across the whole timeline of Star Trek , but, also, imagine an unfolding new future, full of wonder, hope, and adventure.

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Ryan Britt is the author of the nonfiction books Phasers on Stun! How the Making and Remaking of Star Trek Changed the World (2022), The Spice Must Flow: The Journey of Dune from Cult Novels to Visionary Sci-Fi Movies (2023), and the essay collection Luke Skywalker Can’t Read (2015). He is a longtime contributor to Star Trek.com and his writing regularly appears with Inverse, Den of Geek!, Esquire and elsewhere. He lives in Portland, Maine with his family.

In addition to streaming on Paramount+ , Star Trek: Picard also streams on Prime Video outside of the U.S. and Canada, and in Canada can be seen on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave. Star Trek: Picard is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.