Star Trek is something of a cult classic now, with so many fans the world over, and Trekkie conventions that pull in the masses. Have you ever wondered what some of your favorite Star Trek characters and cast members were up to these days though?
Deanna Troi – Marina Sirtis
This British-American actress was born in London, and is very well known for her part in Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which she plays Deanna Troi, a half-human, half-Betazoid who was also the counsellor on the ship, the USS Enterprise-D.
Not just appearing in the TV show, Marina also starred in all four of the films that followed on, and has also appeared in Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and also Star Trek continues.
She’s been in a few films over the years – The Grudge 3 in 2009, and also 2004’s Crash.
Hoshi Sato – Linda Park
Hoshi Sato was a communications officer in Star Trek: Enterprise, first appearing in 2001 and hanging around until 2005, and she was played by Linda Park, a Korean-American actress. Not just famous for her role in the sci-fi classic, you may also have spotted Linda in a number of other roles over the years. She appeared in Jurassic Park III in 2001, before her ‘Trekkie’ days, and she went on to star in Crash since, as well as appearing in NCIS, House, The Mentalist, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Commander T’Pol – Jolene Blalock
When she was aged just 17, Jolene Blalock left home to become a model for the Asia and European market. After finding the modeling world difficult despite becoming a huge hit for guy’s mags, she made the leap into an acting career, with small roles in TV shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Veronica’s Closet, and Love Boat: The Next Wave. It wasn’t until 2001 that she was offered the part of Commander T’Pol, a revolution she still says “delighted her” to this day.
Jadzia Dax – Terry Farrell
Before Terry Farrell got the part of Jadzia Dax in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, she almost lost out to Martha Hackett, who also auditioned for the role. At just 16 years old, a young Terry Farrell headed to New York to become a model, and within just a couple of days of getting there, had been signed by the women’s mag, Mademoiselle. It was during her almost two years of modelling that she studied acting, and in 1993, she was offered the part of Jadzia. She since went on to star in Becker.
Ensign Ro Laren – Michelle Forbes
She’s well known in the US and the UK for her parts in hit TV shows, but Michelle Forbes, real name Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo, is most remembered her playing the part of Ensign Ro Laren in Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has had various TV roles over the years, including in Prison Break, 24, Durham County, and more recently, True Blood, and you’ll also spot her in another sci-fi hit – Battlestar Galatica. Not bad for the little girl who actually wanted to become a ballet dancer.
William T. Riker – Jonathan Frakes
He will be best remembered for his role as William T. Riker, but it wasn’t a role that he found easy to come by. He went to auditions over six weeks to bag himself the part, and in total it took seven auditions for the producers to be won over by him. According to reports, he pipped Jeffrey Combs, Erich Anderson, and William O. Armstrong to the post. Since then, Jonathan has gone on to host 45 episodes of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction?, and has also popped up on Roswell, Futurama, and CriminalMinds.
Jonathan Archer – Scott Bakula
He’s well known for his sci-fi roles, particularly Captain Jonathan Archer on Star Trek: Enterprise, and also for Quantum Leap, in which he plays Sam Beckett. He actually won a Golden Globe for his performance in the latter. Since his sci-fi days, Scott seems to have found great success in the world of TV, currently starring in NCIS: New Orleans as Dwayne Pride, a role he’s been in since 2014. You may also remember that he popped up in Desperate Housewives for a spell too? He played Trip Weston.
Hikaru Sulu – George Takei
In the original series of Star Trek, Hikaru Sulu was the helmsmen of the USS Enterprise, and he was played by the American actor, author, activist and director, George Takei. He’s clearly a big fan of the sci-fi stuff, popping up in Star Trek: Voyager too, and appearing in all six of the feature films as Hikaru. TV has been good to him over the years, and as well as appearing in Futurama (as himself), he was also in Hawaii Five-0, The Big Bang Theory, Will & Grace, and many more.
Captain James T. Kirk – William Shatner
William Shatner has done a lot in his life. The 85-year-old actor (correct at the time of writing), has managed to fit in over seventy years of film and TV work, and one of his most famous roles was as Captain James T. Kirk, first appearing in the pilot episode of the original Star Trek TV series in 1966. TV has definitely been a good career choice for this actor and author, and he’s since gone on to star and appear in a number of shows, including winning Emmy Awards for his part in Boston Legal and The Practice.
Dr. Leonard ‘Bones’ McCoy – DeForest Kelley
You’ll probably remember DeForest Kelley from the Star Trek original TV series, and then the movies that followed on from that. He was Dr. Leonard McCoy, or just “Bones”, on the USS Enterprise, a typecast he found very difficult to shake once his stint on the show ended. He ended up receiving so much money from appearing at Trekkie conventions that he eventually gave up the acting life, and stomach cancer caused his death in 1999. His final appearance was in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 1991.
Vulcan Valeris – Kim Cattrall
Do you remember this famous face? Yes, that’s no other than Sex and the City actress, Kim Cattrall – the famous Samantha Jones, a friend you probably wouldn’t introduce to your mom. She played the part of Vulcan Valeris. Speaking of Vulcans, did you know that there was a place in Alberta, Canada called Vulcan, and it’s in Vulcan County? The place has now taken on a definitively Trekkie feels these days, with various statues and monuments erected in the namesake’s honor.
Lt. Commander Data – Brent Spiner
He’s tried his hand at a few things before Brent Spiner’s 15 year stint with the Star Trek franchise started, first playing Lieutenant Commander Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was a stage actor for a while, and took part in a few TV movies and pilots, but it was the Trekkie scene that really kick-started his career. His most recent appearance was in the 2016 movie, Independence Day: Resurgence, but you may also remember spotting him in quite a few other movies – Dude, Where’s My Car?, The Aviator, and also Independence Day.
Tasha Yar – Denise Crosby
It started with Star Trek: The Next Generation, when Denise Crosby got the part for Lieutenant Tasha Yar, a position she held for 31 episodes. She then went on to play Dr. Jenna Yar in Star Trek: New Voyages, although more recently, you may have spotted her in another cult classic. It was 2014, the TV show was The Walking Dead, and she played Mary for three episodes. You may also remember seeing her in a recent episode of Scandal.
Wesley Crusher – Wil Wheaton
He plays a fictional version of himself in The Big Bang Theory, which is actually a little creepy when you think about it, but that’s not the biggest thing that Will Wheaton is known for. In fact, it’s playing Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Since his Trekkie days, you’ll have seen him in a whole bunch of stuff, including The Wil Wheaton Project, Family Guy, Criminal Minds, Numb3rs, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and that’s before you look at movies like Sharknado 2: The Second One. (Yes, that’s actually what it’s called!)
Dr. Beverly Crusher – Gates McFadden
She played Wesley Crusher’s mother in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Gates McFadden also had appearances in four of the movies that followed on from the hit show. Have you heard of Cheryl McFadden though? That’s her alter ego – the choreographer version of herself. She’s not just an actor, but a choreographer too, and she uses the name change to differentiate between the two. As well as sparse TV and movie appearances, Gates can also be seen in a number of commercials for computer company, Microsoft.
Lieutenant Worf – Michael Dorn
There are two “starships” in Michael Dorn’s life. Well, actually there were a few, but aside from the ones in the Star Trek franchise, there is also his Lockhead T-33 trainer jet, which he’s fully trained to fly. Lieutenant Worf, Michael’s character in the show, was the first main Klingon character, and the actor can also boast to being in more episodes within the Star Trek franchise than other actor on the cast list. He’s been in five of the films (count them!), and over 270 TV episodes.
Guinan – Whoopi Goldberg
Ghost actor, Whoopi Goldberg, had a regular part on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and then went on to start in two of the movies also, but that’s probably not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of this award-winning Hollywood great. Sister Act, for example, grossed over $200 million, and then she lent her voice to Walt Disney’s The Lion King. In fact, when you take a look back through her filmography, you may be surprised by what you see on it.
B’Elanna Torres – Roxann Dawson
During the eighties and nineties, Roxann Dawson was a small-time actress, taking on minor roles, usually in lesser-known TV shows, and working on the stage. Her big break came in 1994 when she was offered the part of B’Elanna Torres on Star Trek: Voyager, a half-Klingon and half-human engineer. She actually branched into directing whilst working on the show, and it wasn’t long before we saw her debut. She even lent her voice to one character in the show she was directing, which means she’s had more than her fair share of roles within the Trekkie franchise.
Geordi La Forge – LeVar Burton
He’s a well respected TV director as well as an actor, but it’s Star Trek: The Next Generation you’ll probably remember him from, playing the part of Geordi La Forge. From a directing perspective, LeVar has directed more of Star Trek TV shows than any of the other “regular” members of the cast, and that’s saying something because quite a few of them branched into directing and/or producing. These days, as well as a very successful acting career, LeVar can be seen fundraising for AIDS Research Alliance, an organization he’s on the board of.
Naomi Widlman – Scarlett Pomers
This actress has been pretty quiet since the early 2000’s, although she did have a few battles of her own to deal with after playing the part of Naomi Wildman on Star Trek: Voyager from 1998 to 2001. She actually made her acting debut in one of Michael Jackson’s music videos – the 1992 hit, “Heal the World”. There was a few TV shows and some commercials in her child-acting years, but her first major role was a Trekkie, and it was the one that saw her catapulted to fame.
Kira Nerys – Nana Visitor
It wasn’t until the 80’s that Nana Visitor started to call herself that. Before then, she’d had a number of minor roles, but had chosen to work under her real name – Nana Tucker. She’d had her fair share of minor TV roles following on from the name change, but it wasn’t until 1993 that she first appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She started out as a Major, and got promoted to Colonel, and once the TV show was over, she moved on to Dark Angel, a slightly different kind of show.
Miles O’Brien – Colm Meaney
There have been a number of recent movie hits starting Miles O’Brien actor, Colm Meaney. Law Abiding Citizen, for example, with Gerard Butler, and Get him to the Greek, also starring Russell Brand, which was utterly hilarious. It’s funny to see how far he’s come since his Star Trek: The Next Generation days, but we can’t forget that he also popped up in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He’s the only “ethnically Irish” Star Trek character, and he was actually born in Ireland in the TV show.
Q – John de Lancie
Another Star Trek character that has share it’s fair share of series and movies, John de Lancie played Q, not just in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but also in Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. He’s had fame in movies as well as in TV, Crank and Crank 2 being two great films we recommend you watch. He was also in The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Bad Influence, and Evolver. He’s also branched into writing, co-authoring the Star Trek novel, I. Q.
Pavel Chekov – Walter Koenig
He’s mainly classed as an actor, but Walter Koenig has had a career that has spanned over fifty years, and even branched into screenwriting too, penning the InAlienable script in 2008. Most people would better remember him as Pavel Chekov from the original Star Trek series, or maybe even his role in Babylon 5 – Alfred Bester. It was actually a professor who encouraged Walter to take up acting during his time at UCLA, where he was actually studying psychology.
Molly O’Brien – Hana Hatae
She’s 28 years old now, but Hana Hatae was a child actress when we first saw her appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and also Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Before her reported return to Star Trek: Renegades, the fan series, she took time out from being an actress and Trek-star to not only teach herself the violin, but also become a photography assistant. Some people just prefer life on the other side the camera sometimes.
Opaka Sulan – Camille Saviola
Did you ever see that episode of Friends where Rachel has to argue with the woman in the laundromat so that she didn’t steal her machine. No suds, no save, and all that? Well, the woman who played that beast in the laundromat was Camille Saviola, also made popular among the Trekkie community by playing Kai Opaka in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. You might have spotted her in Nip/Tuck a few years ago, as well as Entourage, and there was also ER and Judging Amy too. She’s been busy!
Chakotay – Robert Beltran
Robert Beltran played First Officer, Chakotay, onboard the USS Voyager in Star Trek: Voyager, and stayed around for seven series too. The first Native American in all of the TV shows and movies, he was brought into the cast to bring a touch of diversity into the mix. Since then, he’s had a number of roles, including in the following – Big Love, CSI: Miami, Murder, She Wrote, Eating Raoul, and more. In fact, it was the latter that shot him to fame in the first place.
Tom Paris – Robert Duncan McNeill
Seven years after breaking into the TV scene, Robert Duncan McNeill appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation as Tom Paris in 1992, after starring in over 170 episodes of Star Trek: Voyager beginning in 1995. He’s been in his fair share of TV shows over the years, definitely a more successful career choice than his film one, and he even popped up in Quantum Leap, Murder, She Wrote, All My Children, and more.
