star trek tng cast photo

‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Cast: See Stars Then & Now, As Many Return To ‘Picard’ Season 3

The beloved ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ cast is set to reunite in the next and final season of ‘Picard’. Check out then and now photos of the stars — a lot has changed!

Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard  

Space may be the final frontier, but final voyage of the USS Enterprise, it turns out, is about to start another chapter! After the incredible success of the first two seasons of Picard, the sequel to the show Star Trek: The Next Generation , Patrick Stewart will finally be reunited with the lion’s share of the original cast for the final season of his spin-off series for the first time in 20 years. 

The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard  features the famous Caption Jean-Luc Picard during the 25th century as he reunites with the former command crew of the USS Enterprise, who are being hunted by a mysterious new enemy, Vadic. This after he spent the last season being pursued by his greatest enemy, Q.

Patrick Stewart, who originated the role in the first series and leads the cast now in the spin-off, is 82-years-old and is still boldly going where no one has gone before. As the curtain closes on this chapter of Star Trek lore, meet the stars who made this crew the most beloved of all-time. 

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge 

LeVar Burton, famous for his role as Lt. Commander La Forge as well as the host of Reading Rainbow , returns to his Star Trek for the first time in 20 years. The last time LeVar played La Forge was in the 2002 movie, Star Trek: Nemesis .

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher   

The doctor is in! Gates McFadden is back as Dr. Beverly Crusher in the final season of Picard. She provided her voice as Doctor Crusher in the series, Star Trek: Prodigy in 2022, but has not been seen on-screen in the role since the crew’s last movie, Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002

Michael Dorn as Worf 

An accomplished voice actor, Michael Dorn is famous for plaing Worf, a Klingon commander. However, like many of his friends returning to Picard, Michael had not played his iconic character since the crew’s last movie, Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002

Jonathan Frakes as William Riker 

First LT and future Captain William Riker has been expertly played by Jonathan Frakes for over 30 years. Jonathan was one of the first New Generation cast members to make a cameo on Star Trek: Picard in the first season. He will return for the show’s final season and epic reunion of the original Enterprise Crew. 

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi 

Marina Sirtis was beloved as Counselor Deanna Troi in TNG, also appearing in four Star Trek films as the psychically powered space crusader. As a trusted advisor to Captain Picard, she returned for a cameo during season one. She also made an appearance on the first-season finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks .

Brent Spiner as Data

Brett Spiner knew the formula for comedic gold, playing an ace straight-man as Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation . The lovable android has been in recurring character in Picard over the show’s 3 seasons.

Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher 

Wil Wheaton was just a teen when he played Wesley Crusher on TNG , taking on the part of the space savant in 1987, not long after his role in the classic Stand By Me. While Wesley was no stranger to a bit of mischief while on the Enterprise, fans were happy to have him back with a surprise appearance at the end of Picard’s second season.

John de Lancie as Q

John de Lancie’s villainous Q terrorized Picard and the Enterprise for most of TNG . He put the robes back on as the all-powered, extra-dimensional being as the main nemesis during season two of Picard.

Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan

Bottom’s up! Whoopi Goldberg took on mysterious bartender/advisor Guinan during season two of The Next Generation . Her support was always valuable to the crew, so the EGOT’s season two guest appearance on Picard was a true treat for super-fans.

Majel Barrett as Lwaxana Troi

Majel Barrett was a real scene-stealer as Lwaxana Troi, Federation ambassador and Deanna Troi’s mother. also the voice of the ship’s computer. The wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was also the voice of for the ship’s computer systems, across several series from 1966 to 2009. Sadly, she passed in 2008.

Colm Meaney as Miles O’Brien

Colm Meaney played officer Miles O’Brien on both Star Trek: The Next Generation and in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999.) A prolific actor, the Irish talent since starred in the series Hell on Wheels (2011–2016), along with appearances in films like Layer Cake (2004), Roddy Doyle’s The Barrytown Trilogy (1991-96), Get Him to the Greek (2010), and The Journey  (2016.)

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 - Full Cast & Crew

• 51   Metascore
• Drama, Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction
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A new crew boards a revamped USS Enterprise in the first spin-off from the '60s cult classic.

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

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

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

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

Patrick Stewart - Jean-Luc Picard

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

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

Jonathan Frakes - William Riker

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

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

Brent Spiner - Data

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

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

Marina Sirtis - Deanna Troi

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

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

Gates McFadden - Beverly Crusher

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

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

Michael Dorn - Worf

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

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

Wil Wheaton - Wesley Crusher

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

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

LeVar Burton - Geordi La Forge

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

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

Colm Meaney - Miles O'Brien

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

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

Denise Crosby - Tasha Yar

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

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

Star Trek: The Next Generation 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

Media Chomp

Internet & Geek Culture

Star Trek: The Next Generation Behind The Scenes Photos

In the vast expanse of sci-fi, few franchises have left as indelible a mark as Star Trek . Within this storied universe, Star Trek: The Next Generation stands as a beacon of exploration, diplomacy, and adventure. Yet, beyond the scripted narratives and iconic characters lies a realm equally captivating – the backstage world of creation. We invite you to embark on a voyage beyond the final frontier. This collection of Star Trek: TNG behind the scenes photos offers a rare glimpse into the making of one of tv’s most beloved series. Amidst the sets and the flurry of creative energy, the magic of Star Trek: The Next Generation comes to life.

From the Enterprise’s bridge to the makeup department, these images capture the essence of collaboration, dedication, and boundless imagination. You’ll witness the meticulous craftsmanship that brought alien worlds to fruition, the camaraderie shared among cast and crew, and the passion that fueled every photon torpedo blast and warp jump. Behind every iconic moment on screen lies a tapestry of untold stories, which unfolds in these photographs. Join us as we venture beyond the scripted narratives and delve into the heart of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or a curious newcomer, this collection promises to inspire, delight, and ignite the spirit of exploration that lies at the core of Star Trek’s enduring legacy.

(via: Cheezburger )

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‘The Next Generation’ cast is back on the bridge of the Enterprise-D in new ‘Star Trek: Picard’ photo gallery

Ahead of this Thursday’s Star Trek: Picard series finale , Paramount+ has released a sepia-tone-themed collection of photos of the cast on the bridge of the USS Enterprise-D.

The new photos feature former Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , Marina Sirtis , LeVar Burton , Brent Spiner , Gates McFadden and Michael Dorn , along with Star Trek: Picard season three regulars Jeri Ryan , Michelle Hurd and Ed Speleers .

Check them out below.

Star Trek: Picard series finale publicity photos:

Patrick stewart as jean-luc picard.

Jonathan Frakes as William Riker

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge

Brent Spiner as Data

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher

Michael Dorn as Worf

Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine

Group photos

The Star Trek: Picard season three finale “The Last Generation” streams Thursday, April 20th on Paramount+.

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The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard reunites the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation and stars Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge, Michael Dorn as Worf, Jonathan Frakes as William Riker, Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher, Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi, Brent Spiner as Data/Lore, Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, Michelle Hurd as Raffi, along with Amanda Plummer as Vadic, Todd Stashwick as Captain Liam Shaw, and Ed Speleers as Jack Crusher.

Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news related to Star Trek: Picard , Star Trek: Discovery, S tar Trek: Strange New Worlds , Star Trek: Lower Decks , Star Trek: Prodigy , and more.

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Founded TrekNews.net in 2011. UX, visual designer, and published photographer based in the Boston area. Connoisseur of Star Trek, sci-fi, '80s horror, synthwave sounds, and tacos. You can follow Brian on Twitter @brianwilkins .

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Check Out Atmospheric Photo Gallery Of ‘Star Trek: TNG’ And ‘Picard’ Cast On New Enterprise-D Bridge

| April 17, 2023 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 78 comments so far

Paramount+ has released a nice set of publicity photos featuring members of the cast of season 3 of Star Trek: Picard on the rebuilt USS Enterprise-D set , which was first featured in the most recent episode “Vox.” The photos include the Next Generation cast along with Picard season 3 series regulars.

Next Gen cast returns to the bridge

Here are photos featuring the reunited Next Generation cast on their old bridge.

Jonathan Frakes as Riker, Sir Patrick Stewart as Picard, Brent Spiner as Data, LeVar Burton as Geordi, Michael Dorn as Worf and Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This new photoshoot seems to a bit of an an homage to the smoky bridge cast photos from 1987

Individual characters

Patrick Stewart as Picard in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jonathan Frakes as Riker in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Michael Dorn as Worf in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Brent Spiner as Data in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Picard cast on the TNG bridge

There are also some images featuring the Picard series regular Ed Speleers and and Jeri Ryan, but not Michelle Hurd, nor guest stars like Todd Stashwich or Ashlei Aharpe Chestnut and Mica Burton.

Jonathan Frakes as Riker, Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, Sir Patrick Stewart as Picard, Brent Spiner as Data, LeVar Burton as Geordi, Michelle Hurd as Raffi, Michael Dorn as Worf, Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher and Ed Speleers as Jack Crusher in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher and Ed Speleers as Jack Crusher in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher, Patrick Stewart as Picard and Ed Speleers as Jack Crusher in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard on Paramount+. Photo Cr: Sarah Coulter/Paramount+. © 2023 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Fan adds Shaw back in

Fan Bill Roper added a ghostly Captain Liam Shaw into the bridge photo, which Jeri Ryan retweeted, calling it “PERFECT.”

PERFECT. #StarTrekPicard #StartrekPicardSeason3 https://t.co/0mlnyMyyrp — Jeri Ryan (@JeriLRyan) April 15, 2023

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The one with the Crushers is nice – I wish we’d seen the two of them interact with each other more this season.

Maybe we’ll get some Short Treks. It would be cool to see a couple of their adventures well before Beverly had to call Picard for help.

Note that the smoky bridge from 87 didn’t actually look that way on the show – that was one righteous fight GR was on the proper and winning side over, basically saying there’d only be smoke on the bridge of a Starfleet vessel if the ship was on fire, not for the sake of trendy ‘atmosphere.’

And now Discovery has flamethrowers on the bridge that just shoot into the air at random intervals like it’s an Anthrax concert.

You’d think by the 32nd Century they’d figure out a way to keep flammable gas lines away from personnel. At least in the 22nd through 25th centuries they just had to contend with electrical sparking from EPS overloads.

Wow, you’ve given me something to youtube today! It’s beginning to sound like contempotrek has found visual footing in the emulation of ancient MTV vids, what with the smoke, the pyro, the lighting rigs and needless,frequently OTT cutting.

“Fire! Fire in the observation lounge!”

(Ensign Costanza runs away)

I never teared up so hard over a Star Trek episode until this one. I just love seeing Picard back in that chair again. Never thought we would see it again and yet here we are nearly 30 years later. Thank you Matalas! You gave millions of fans a great gift. Thank you very much!

This is exactly how I feel Tiger2. You so well represent what I believe is the majority viewpoint of the Star Trek fandom. What a gift this season has been for long time Trek fans. To see the Enterprise-D with the full TNG crew, including Data, back in action again… just wow. Thank you Terry Matalas indeed!

A little nostalgia is fine now and again, but this season is nothing but fanfic. The storyline is shockingly weak and plot hole ridden—if this had been DSC it would have been torn to shreds, mark my words. Alas, it really does seem many of the fans don’t want anything new. They just want callbacks to the old; characters, ships, villains, old obscure episode references and there are enough easter eggs to rot anybody’s teeth.

I’m not sure how that would sustain a franchise moving forward. Basically Terry Matalas is a middle-aged fanboy writing for middle-aged fanboys. I think that’s gonna be the safe route going forward, but I don’t find it all that satisfying. They needed a really brilliant storyline and some meaty Trek themes and I’m pretty sure we’ve had neither. Oh well.

If it was Discovery, it would’ve easily been ten times worse, so…

If you weren’t blinded by the nostalgia you’d see it suffers from many of the same problems as Discovery. But the tears in your eyes have blinded you because an ’80s set gets you misty eyed like a baby seeing its bottle.

I’m not blinded… Discovery would still suck if the Enterprise showed up there too.

Your comment proves my point lol.

LOL you’re hilarious man!

Amazing how Picard gets a pass for horrible writing, enormous plot holes, and just being a dark in brooding in everything it does. Its just Discovery with nostalgia.

So true, Tiger2. I have seen the last scene 3 times already. Can’t believe how accurate they have built the Fat One! The Bridge and the CGI, both are perfect.

Picard himself seemed to have de-aged decades. His voice lost all the old-man gravelliness when he said “Engage!” Also, the music!!!!!!!

I nearly choked on my emotions when the Bay 12 doors opened and I’m saying in my head “It can’t be…It can’t be…!!!” and then that glorious close up of old NCC-1701D!

But then the turbolift doors opened and the set progressively lit up! I was an instant mess! Never in my dreams did I think I’d see our beloved TNG crew back on that bridge again. Watched that last 10 mins over and over!

Terry Matalas and team nailed it! Thank you so much!.

Right there with you bro. 🥲

This might be the saddest thread of comments in TrekMovie history.

It’s like an episode of Discovery. 😥

So, like an episode of Picard, or your weekends.

If you’re talking about watching Picard,’s first two seasons AND Discovery on a weekend then, yeah, definitely.

And I’ve done it before. 😂🙄

ZING! You got me! You’ve successfully insulted a TV show!

I couldn’t agree more with you, Tiger. I just got a chance to watch the episode last night. Such a rollercoaster ride of emotions. A great gift indeed.

Fully agree Tiger2. You captured how I feel about this season and last weeks episode perfectly.

Wow I had no ideas the responses I would get over this. But yes nice to see so many of you feel the same way! It’s always great when fandom as a whole looks at something so positive and moving. If we’re all so moved by it, I can only imagine what it must’ve felt like for the cast themselves to step on that bridge for the first time in thirty years.

It’s a great time to be a fan! :)

Jeri Ryan still looking amazing as Seven of Nine!

Jeri Ryan would look amazing wearing a burlap bag…💓

I’ll be in my bunk.

I am hopeful the 1701D is going to be given the hero treatment in the finale – saves the day and returns to Earth and gets a fireworks welcome.

Nuhhh-nuh-nuh-nuh-no-stal-gia Nostalgia no-stal-gia-uh-uh-uh-uhhhh

I could hear the theme playing with that :)

They must have been rushing to take those pics and not waiting for the atmosphere to settle, cuz the smoke trails behind Riker and World are so heavy in some of them that it is like the Murasaki 312 effect from GALILEO 7 has invaded the bridge (story is that the effect was just cigarette smoke, which I think is likely.)

Since Kurtzman is saying they will be doing mini-series, I would love a 6 part episode story of Captain Worf on the Enterprise E….and how he wasn’t to blame for destroying it. ;)

I think there are a lot of what Matalas calls ‘hanging chads’ remaining after this season for legacy characters and new ones.

Worf’s story, Geordi’s own trauma after running the Mars Planitia synth construction project, Riker & Troi’s reintegration into regular service, Jack’s (presumed) recovery and path to redemption.

Even if Jack has the agency to save himself and turn on the Borg queen, he’s still going to need an arc before he’s ready for anything else. Best that be done in a limited series where Beverly, Picard and perhaps Troi can appear without taking away from the main cast of a new ship-based show.

Totally agreed. I think there will plenty left to explore for a lot of these characters. But then that’s probably on purpose since they set up a back door pilot for the spin off. I would love to see any of those characters back for even a mini-series if a full on show is out of the cards.

I know this is only legacy guest stars and main Picard cast, but I’m unhappy not to see Shaw.

Not actually liking having pictures of Jack on that bridge at present given the hundreds of thousands of officers he’s responsible for the deaths of. I understand the logic in releasing these photos now, but touching Crusher-Picard family photos are very much premature.

Yeah. It’s not real. These are actors on a set.

Also, when and where have “hundreds of thousands” of officers been killed so far?

It’s doubtful that most of the officers and enlisted on those ships were under 25, even after key infiltrations with Changelings.

From what we know, everyone not assimilated is being killed one way or another.

Not all of those ships were on skeleton crews. If 500 or 750 is a typical complement, it’s just arithmetic to get to 100k.

TrueL lots of deaths, anyway,

It doesn’t really make sense for the character that he just suddenly joined the Borg, no questions asked because, hey, he can hear them and always could. I feel like we’ve been told a lot about Jack but not actually shown much of his character or motivations.

The Jack/Borg stuff still feels shoehorned in, for me.

Absolutely. Feel this is Prime Philippa Georgiou all over again. Why killing a great character?

These all look soooo good. But the one with the force ghost of Shaw, hilarious. I spit out my earl gray tea! (Comedy)

Noticed that they positioned Jeri Ryan’s hair in each of the photos to cover up the amount of pips she has. Wonder if that’s possibly a tell that she might be Captain Seven of Nine when this is over.

I hope not.

She’s only been a commissioned officer for less than three months. More, for whatever reasons, the writers have chosen to keep reinforcing how much she isn’t ready for the centre seat.

Dude they made her Captain in season 2 when she wasn’t even in Starfleet yet lol. The very last words Shaw said is basically confirmed she’s now the Captain. They wouldn’t have him say that otherwise. I’m pretty sure the final episode will make it official.

Shaw said that she ‘had the con’ after saying Titan was already her ship.

The first was the formal and necessary transfer of command to his first officer in hearing of the ship’s computer. The second may have been an allusion to the Borg takeover that she is equipped to respond to in ways he cannot. Or, it may have referred to the steady erosion of his own captaincy as Picard took over the ship.

Her irregular brevet command with the Fenris rangers was just that. A temporary command of a former vessel with irregular crew under exceptional circumstances.

Even regular officers aren’t always confirmed in brevet or acting promotions. In fact, in real life they mostly are not in peacetime. It helps make the case for future advancements though. Someone who had an acting command on a large ship, might be offered a slightly smaller class of ship with a promotion. In wartime, it’s more likely to be confirmed.

That brevet command Seven had on the Stargazer was enough that she could join Starfleet with a commission at command rank, but doesn’t mean she’s ready for the responsibility of captain of a ship as large as Titan.

Her actions throughout the season have demonstrated she isn’t ready. They could have written it otherwise but they didn’t.

This is one of those things where fans are giving Picard a pass but Discovery is relentlessly criticized. Burnham was already recommended for promotion to captain after several years as a commissioned officer. Her mutiny was real, but she was unfairly scapegoated for the Klingon war.

Her journey to redemption and readiness for captaincy was unevenly written, but it took more than two seasons and repeated heroism to get back where she started. There were many who still said her captaincy was unearned, and they addressed this with the President’s skepticism of her readiness for a more modern ship in season four.

While Jeri Ryan as an actor is more than ready to helm a show, and there’s long fan attachment to Seven, I don’t see why they have left her character open to exactly the same kind of criticism that Sonequa’s faced.

Again, nostalgia shouldn’t wash away the need for them to do better on this stuff or critiques when they don’t.

They turned cadet Kirk into a Captain after being in space for four days and got one thing right… you’re overthinking it!

As I was saying, it was obvious where it was going. I don’t even disagree with your issues…but it’s still just a TV show at the end of the day. They know fans want a Captain Seven show, so now they may get it one day.

No one had an issue with Burnham being Captain, but once you’re classified as a muntineer, which she plead guilty to, then it’s harder to come back from that. So the two aren’t remotely equal. But they still made her one anyway lol. And guess what, no one even cares anymore, right? I actually like her better as Captain.

As it turns out, Mutiny gets scrubbed off your record after 900 years.

Even in the best case scenario where Picard and the Enterprise crew are able to stop this, there’s going to be a HUGE manpower shortage for Starfleet. There will be a need for senior officers given that a large number will have been murdered by their Borgified crew.

And even the junior positions will probably suffer, since some of those, even if freed from Borg assimilation, will not be able to function as Starfleet officers anymore after the trauma of being mentally raped and forced to kill.

This is a more realistic reason for Seven’s promotion.

Her readiness for a ship of Titan’s size is still a question.

Again, I would like to note that many of the fans who were critical of Burnham’s promotion in season three of Discovery are the same who now are giving a much less experienced Seven a pass.

Okay as someone who experienced what you keep comparing this to first hand, not all violating experiences are that. Yes, it’s absolutely violating, there’s no denying that, and it’s absolutely someone imposing their world view onto others in a way that the victims didn’t consent to and about control but again like I said already.

Was there dialogue on that three month thing? I know the character talked about her accelerated Academy/Starfleet training at the beginning of the season, but there is at least 1.5 years between the conclusion of S2 and the beginning of S3. I’m not saying you’re wrong – maybe she spent a year at the Academy and shot straight to XO.

Unfortunately, like far too many details, Matalas has confirmed this on Twitter.

It’s the only way to reconcile the stated timeline.

Setting season three in 2401, when season two was the same year, is the problem.

Over on TOR, they’ve speculated that the season’s arc was originally set to take place later, noting Jack being 23 or 24 would line up with that. In 2401, he should be 21 or just turned 22 at most.

Whatever the case, they wrote themselves into a situation where Seven, who has been dropped into a fairly high rank from outside is complaining bitterly after just a couple of months under a captain who’s a stickler.

Matalas has also said on Twitter that she’s in an accelerated development program. Those are designed and known to be very tough in any large organization. She’ll have been matched with a captain who will challenge her on her weak points.

Star Trek 09 logic still permeates through Trek

A dying Queen A fight for family A search for Shaw

Star Trek: The Search for Shaw

The one who has surprised me the most has been Geordi. He’s a character I never connected with, even though TNG is my favorite Trek show. Burton always brought way too much seriousness to the role, as if everything he was saying was the gravest, most important thing ever. Also, Geordi could be downright condescending to Data when Data tried to be more human, and he was creepy as heck around women. But this season Burton has made Geordi one of the best characters in the cast. Geordi has grown as a person and Burton has clearly grown as an actor. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Geordi is my favorite thing about PICARD.

Burton modulates so much of his performance with his eyes.

Looking at his facial movements around the orbits, I think it’s clear that this was always going on under the ‘visor’. I think the acting was always there, we just saw less of its nuance.

Geordi was written to be a younger, nerdly man. His friendship with Data always came across as that of a young male friend who was bemused that his friend wasn’t satisfied with the wonder of who he was.

Regarding women, I agree he was creepy. It was also a time when those kinds of social boundaries were first being articulated and explored in media. The idea of stalking was new, as were the laws related to it. It’s unfortunate that the character was the victim of stereotyping simply because he was the engineer.

Sexism was a huge issue with legacy Trek. Stuff like this and Reg Barclay and Julian Bashir, etc., should we hold that against the characters? In my opinion, no. It should be held against the writers though.

I definitely side with this take.

And I’d add that the seriousness which Burton deployed when it came to Geordi doing his job lent the role real gravitas that it needed. He consistently had some of the worst technobabble any actor has ever had to utter in Trek, and I believed it every time.

Agreed! Geordi and Rider here were both big revelations for me. I’d never liked either of them on TNG or in the movies.

Seven looks fantastic in the light! I wish we had more light on the cast throughout the season, but Seven of Nine! Slay!

But it doesn’t make sense. Why is the light source behind them at the door. And why would there be a distinct plume of smoke behind Riker?

And if you wanted to do a homage… do the blue pastel color tone. This is more like they are parked next to the Amargosa Star from Generations.

F-it. I’m happy they are all back on the bridge.

It’s surreal after all of these years to see Seven on the bridge of the Enterprise D. Jeri Ryan looks fantastic.

Yes, it’s so cool to see her there. I would love to actually see her on it in the finale, but it looks like she will probably stay on the Titan and assist Enterprise when they regain the ship.

Could they put everyone back in the transporters to remove Borg DNA? Could that also bring Shaw back somehow?

Careful, the one with Seven on the bright might be a spoiler.

I was going to post something on these pictures, but I forgot what I wanted to say. All I can remember is Jeri Ryan.

It is really neat seeing her on the old Enterprise, too. Funny to think that when she joined Trek it had been less than 3 years since that bridge had last been seen.

I just hope we can see her soon in a future iteration of Trek. Great actress and if I remember from Voyager she has one hell of a signing voice too.

I have no doubt in my mind that we will. ;)

I’m haven’t seen season 3 of Picard yet (or any of the show, I’m saving it on Blu-ray), but it is so amazing and cool to see those actors on that bridge again. That bridge set, to me, is now as iconic as the original bridge set from Star Trek.

I recall watching “Encounter at Farpoint” and seeing the new Enterprise for the first time. I’d seen a black and white picture of the ship in a newspaper and, from what I saw, I liked that the design was reminiscent of the original Enterprise and the movie version. It wasn’t until I saw more of it in the episode that I realized how drastically the saucer and nacelles differed from the original ship, but I grew to really like and appreciate those differences.

But what they did with the bridge was even more drastic! It was so big and looked so comfortable and user friendly with Mike Okuda’s LCARS interfaces. It was beautiful and really demonstrated, like the Ent-D model itself, that this was an evolved Enterprise. It was the furthest thing from the Nicholas Meyer aesthetic of Wrath of Khan and the original bridge, which were darker in tone and lighting.

I hope this set is preserved and not auctioned away and squandered like so many other ST props were at the end of the Berman era. That was sickening.

Brent’s photos crack me up. He’s either just told a naughty joke, or is about to :)

Fun, you write “There are also some images featuring the Picard series regular Ed Speleers and and Jeri Ryan, but not Michelle Hurd, …” and right below that you show a picture that has Michelle Hurd in it. :) Maybe you meant there is none that specifically features her alone, but she’s featured as one of the people in the group shot. That said, yes, would have been nice to have Shaw, the LaForge sisters, and others in one as well.

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20 star trek behind the scenes photos every fan needs to see.

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Why Robert Picardo’s Doctor Is More Important To Star Trek 23 Years After Voyager Ended

9 star trek characters who ran away to starfleet, star trek officially brands a surprising deep space nine hero as a war criminal.

Star Trek has created a fascinating universe of new worlds and civilizations throughout the franchise's many series and movies, but it also created an interesting world behind the scenes.

It has taken thousands of actors, writers, producers, directors, makeup artists, and set designers to bring these worlds to life, and it has not always been easy.

However, in all the hard work behind the scenes, the cast and crew still find time to have a little fun on the set.

Across the series and movies, the actors and production crew have had a good time playing various alien species, transforming into the Borg, working with their usual makeup and prosthetics, relaxing on set, and giving their castmates and coworkers a hard time.

Since the first series was created in the 1960s, the Star Trek crews have been breaking the tension on set and going through their normal days in unconventional ways, from playing jokes on the guest stars to taking over the bridge.

These photos are a glimpse behind the camera at the everyday life of bringing Star Trek to the screen for the past few decades.

Here are the 20 Star Trek Behind The Scenes Photos Every Fan Needs To See .

The Rock vs. producer Rick Berman

In Star Trek: Voyager 's sixth season, the cast welcomed an illustrious guest star: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The Rock was already well known as a WWE wrestler, and he was making his break into acting as the Pendari fighting champion in Voyager 's episode "Tsunkatse".

Johnson used many of his signature wrestling moves against Seven of Nine, and despite the use of stunt doubles and fight choreography, Jeri Ryan was reportedly still sore after the first day's shooting going up against Johnson.

The Voyager cast and production crew seemed to enjoy having The Rock on set, making a ton of promotional photos with the famous wrestler. Even producer Rick Berman, pictured here, joined in the fun.

In this picture, The Rock seems to be getting a little aggressive with Berman, which many Voyager fans may be happy about after claims he ruined the series.

Terry Farrell "helps" with Odo's mask

Even more arduous than Terry Farrell's hand drawn makeup for Dax was Odo's complicated Changeling makeup. Rene Auberjonois endured a makeup process of two and a half hours every day. Auberjonois hated the makeup and removed it as soon as he could, and he seemed to have some fun with that judging by these behind the scenes photos.

In this photo, Terry Farrell, who would have at least partly understood Auberjonois' pain, is "helping" Auberjonois with Odo's mask, creating a strangely disturbing and unsettling image.

In the process of removing the Odo mask, Auberjonois and Farrell may have created the creepiest Star Trek species to date. At least one entire episode could be devoted to the terrifying alien species in half-removed and distorted Changeling makeup.

Locutus assimilates the script

In Star Trek: The Next Generation 's episode "Best of Both Worlds," when Picard was captured by the Borg Collective, Patrick Stewart had to transform into Locutus of Borg.

Stewart seems to be enjoying his new character in this photo, as he went around the set attempting to assimilate a script for the upcoming fourth season.

The episode was a tragic turn of events for the crew of the Enterprise, but evidently a fun day on set for Patrick Stewart. At the time of the cliffhanger, most of cast thought Patrick Stewart was in a contract negotiation and might not return for the next season.

However, Picard made it out of the Borg Collective alive, which means he probably did have to quickly assimilate the next season's scripts.

The Ferengis and Leeta

Leeta, the Bajoran dabo girl who worked for Quark, was an adorable addition to the Deep Space Nine cast.

Leeta became involved in many of the Ferengi plotlines, as she worked for Quark and developed a relationship with and married his brother Rom. She later became an important character when she joined the anti-Dominion resistance cell alongside many of the main cast.

Chase Masterson, who played Leeta, originally auditioned for Jake Sisko's girlfriend, for which she was rejected. She was asked to return as Leeta.

Leeta was supposed to appear as a one-episode character, but producers liked her so much that she was written into further episodes and eventually joined the cast as a recurring character. In this photo, she also seems to be quite well-loved by the Ferengi actors she often shared her episode plotlines with.

Andorian Blues Brothers

The Andorians have played a part in several of the Star Trek series since they were introduced in the Original Series. It was Enterprise , though, that brought the Andorians to the forefront, particularly with the fan-favorite Andorian Commander Shran.

The actors who played the Andorians had to go through quite a makeup transformation, as Brannon Braga discussed when bringing the species back for Enterprise .

Braga said, "The Andorians were ludicrous! I never thought in a million years that I would get Rick to agree to have them on the show, because of the way they looked."

These actors, however, seemed to be quite happy in their ridiculous makeovers, turning themselves into the "Blues Brothers" with some sweet pairs of sunglasses that definitely should have been incorporated into their costumes.

The Doctor and his guitar

Robert Picardo's musicality worked its way into many episodes of Star Trek: Voyager  through the Doctor's love of music. He used his musical skills on several occasions, from the Doctor's opera performances to his attempts to get Seven of Nine singing You Are My Sunshine .

Star Trek has always tended to show off any special musical skills its cast possessed, and Voyager was certainly no exception when it came to Picardo's talents.

In this photo, Picardo seems to be showcasing some different musical skills with his fabulous space-themed instrument. It's a shame Voyager never showcased this talent of the Doctor's in all of his musical performances. He also seems to be taking over the Captain's chair, which Janeway probably would not be too happy about.

Kirk and Spock struggle through imprisonment

In the Original Series episode "Patterns of Force," Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise crew ended up on a planet that followed the path of Nazi Germany. During the episode, Kirk and Spock were captured, tortured, imprisoned, and (of course) forced to be shirtless the entire time.

Kirk and Spock then had to work together to escape their prison cell, taking along the member of the underground with whom they were imprisoned.

The escape plan involved an injured Kirk having to lift Spock so he could arrange a laser for their escape. It was a difficult struggle for Kirk and Spock, but evidently much more fun for William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy behind the scenes.

Shatner and Nimoy seem to be enjoying filming their prison escape scene.

Jonathan Frakes shares a laugh with the Borg Queen

After getting his start on the show by playing Riker on Star Trek: The Next Generation , Jonathan Frakes transitioned into directing many episodes of the series, several episodes of other series, a couple of the Next Generation movies, and a variety of other famous projects.

He became known for his efficient directing while he was at the helm of First Contact , getting the name "Two-Takes Frakes."

In this photo, he's cozying up to the Borg Queen, played by Alice Krige. Krige was uncomfortable throughout much of the filming, as the costume and silver contacts for the Borg Queen caused extreme discomfort and could not be kept on for long.

Krige would have appreciated Frakes' efficient filming under the circumstances, and they seem to be getting along well in the behind-the-scenes pictures.

Marina Sirtis excited about TNG comic books

Star Trek had many spinoff stories in a variety of forms, from novels to video games, but one of the most creative was the series of comic books based on the adventures of the Star Trek crews.

DC Comics produced several comic books based on Star Trek: The Next Generation , adding to their on-screen adventures in a new form.

It was not the first time Star Trek had been turned into comic books, formerly focusing on Kirk's crew, but in the 1980s it was new for the Next Generation cast.

The Next Generation crew was evidently very happy about being immortalized in comic book likeness, if Marina Sirtis is any indication. In this photo, Sirtis seems to be quite excited about the new comics, showing them off on set.

Archer and Mayweather threaten Dr. Phlox

The cast of Star Trek: Enterprise seems to be one big family behind on set, as the cast always seems to be on the best of terms, but perhaps not always.

In this behind the scenes photo, the cast acts out a scene where Captain Archer and Travis Mayweather threaten Dr. Phlox, goofing off between scenes on the set.

Their fake scene does not come with nearly enough backstory, however, and leaves too many question in our minds. Why is the captain threatening Dr. Phlox? What did the lovable Dr. Phlox do to make them angry, and why does he seem so happy about it?

This premise is begging for an episode of its own, which probably would have been better than several real episodes of Enterprise.

The women take over the Enterprise

The women of Star Trek have had a long voyage to stake their place in this bold, new universe.

Since the earliest days where a female second-in-command in "The Cage" was considered too progressive, the Star Trek women have finally made it to the point of commanding starships. Before Voyager , however, women did not have much of a place commanding the bridge.

In these behind-the-scenes photos, the Next Generation women have taken over the bridge in what is surely a small fantasy fulfillment for many Trek-loving female fans.

Troi and Dr. Crusher seem to be vying for their place in the Captain's chair, but Tasha Yar may be the one fans would prefer to see take command of the Enterprise. In any of those three alternate realities, it would be interesting adventure.

Leonard Nimoy and his son

The families of the Star Trek crewmembers have become, by extension, members of the Star Trek family.

Such was the case for Adam Nimoy, Leonard Nimoy's son, seen here visiting the set of the Original Series with his father. Leonard Nimoy is already in costume as Spock, and in this photo, Adam Nimoy has also gotten the Vulcan treatment. This photo gives us a look at the adorable Spock family we never got to see on the screen.

Adam Nimoy went on to become a member of the Star Trek family in more ways than one. He later directed episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and recently got engaged to Deep Space Nine 's Jadzia Dax, Terry Farrell. He has come a long way from the days of joining Leonard Nimoy on the Enterprise bridge.

Applying Dax's makeup by hand

Many Star Trek cast members had an arduous makeup process, such as Terry Farrell's makeup for Jadzia Dax. Dax's spots were hand drawn by the lead makeup designer and supervisor, Michael Westmore.

Westmore considered her spots a work of art and numbered them with Roman numerals every time he drew them, as shown here. By the time Terry Farrell left the show, Westmore had gotten up to number 479.

The makeup process took an hour every day, but Westmore eventually got this down to only 40 minutes.

Dax's Trill makeup was supposed to include the forehead appliance shown for the species, but the production crew considered Terry Farrell too beautiful to cover up with forehead prosthetics. Instead, all Trill following Dax showed her characteristic spots.

William Shatner misuses the equipment

In the episode "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" in the Original Series, Captain Kirk contended with a mad scientist and an android duplicate of himself.

During an attempt to investigate a distress call sent out by Nurse Chapel's missing fiancé, Kirk is captured and duplicated in the android duplicating machine, pictured here, with his android duplicate sent back to the Enterprise. The Kirk duplicate is eventually killed by the android Andrea, played by Sherry Jackson.

The android duplicating machine is likely a delicate piece of equipment, but William Shatner and Sherry Jackson were apparently not too concerned about that in this photo. This would definitely be a misuse of the android creation equipment, but Captain Kirk never seemed to care much about rules like that.

Dancing Khan

In Star Trek Into Darkness , Benedict Cumberbatch took over the famous and infamous role of Khan Noonien Singh. The creators of Into Darkness were not sure about including Khan in the storyline, but the writers made it work well with the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch.

Co-writer Damon Lindelof said, "When you can get [a] monologue to come out of [his] mouth, does the 'writing' even matter? I mean, seriously, I made that guy say 'Milk, milk lemonade, and this is where the fudge is made' and it scared the living s*** out of me."

The production was not taken too seriously, though. As always seems to be the case with Abrams Star Trek movies, there was a lot of levity behind the scenes, including an unexpected dance number from Benedict Cumberbatch and some of the Star Trek cast.

Discovery Klingons check their email

Star Trek: Discovery brought Star Trek back to the small screen for the first time in over a decade, bringing the exciting technological developments of the modern world into the production of the futuristic series.

The new series brought a lot of changes to the Star Trek universe, including the interesting and controversial new look of the Klingons. The new Klingons are shown here taking a break from filming.

Among the other changes the modern world brought to Star Trek , it revolutionized how the actors spend their downtime.

Discovery is the first Star Trek series produced since the popularization of smartphones, so now the Klingon actors can check their email and Twitter between takes, and hopefully that might make those extremely long makeup processes a little bit easier.

Robert Picardo directing gets out of hand

Star Trek has a long history of launching directing careers for many of the Star Trek alumni, such as Jonathan Frakes, Roxann Dawson, and Robert Duncan McNiell. Robert Picardo was one of many Star Trek stars to double as production crew.

While playing the Doctor on Star Trek: Voyager , Robert Picardo also directed two episodes ("Alter Ego" and "One Small Step") and wrote a third episode ("Life Line").

In this photo, while Robert Picardo is directing, fellow Voyager director and cast member Roxann Dawson appears to be giving Picardo a hard time in his production role, taking advantage of his Hawaiian wear for the episode "Alter Ego."

The attack on Robert Picardo is a little concerning, but still not quite as concerning as the Doctor's Hawaiian shirt.

Worf considers buying a boat

The Star Trek regulars have always needed something to kill the downtime required for the extensive production processes required to make a Star Trek series.

This day on set was evidently no exception, as Michael Dorn takes a moment during a set break to consider yachts. Unless, of course, that's actually a deleted scene of Worf considering buying a boat, in which case he definitely deserves that break.

One can hope Federation employment pays well enough for Worf to afford that boat, especially as he is a high-ranking officer who hopefully got some kind of hazard pay for all of the danger he has been through on The  Next Generation and Deep Space Nine . Evidently, employment as a Star Trek main cast member definitely pays well enough.

A Fantasy Island joke on Ricardo Montalban

Between Ricardo Montalban's first appearance as Khan on the original series and his reprisal for The Wrath of Khan , Montalban had developed a flourishing acting career.

At the time he came back for Wrath of Khan, he had also become famous for playing the seemingly omniscient and omnipresent wish-granter Mr. Rourke on Fantasy Island . Montalban had worked to make sure Khan would not sound like Mr. Rourke after his long stint as the Fantasy Island character.

This photo captures a Fantasy Island joke played on Ricardo Montalban, where he was surprised on set with a tiny balloon version of Mr. Rourke's sidekick Tattoo, a joke Montalban seemed to enjoy very much. Even when portraying Khan, it seems Montalban could not escape his other famous character.

Leonard Nimoy directs while still dressed as Spock

After making his mark playing Spock in the Original Series, Leonard Nimoy went on to be an accomplished director. He directed two of the Star Trek movies in which he also starred, Star Trek III:  The Search for Spock and  Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home .

In this photo, he is shown multitasking in his dual role as director and star, setting up the scene while still in his costume as Spock for The Voyage Home , a movie he also co-wrote.

Nimoy was approached to direct and cameo in Star Trek: Generations , as well, but he turned down the offer. He stated he did not want to appear in or direct any Star Trek movie where Spock was not an integral character in the story, so Spock was edited out of the movie entirely.

Do you know of any other amazing  Star Trek  behind the scenes photos that other fans need to see? Let us know in the comments!

32 Famous Guest Stars We Loved On Star Trek: The Next Generation

All of these stars were great.

On a list of the best sci-fi shows , Star Trek: The Next Generation remains the gold standard. With 180 episodes, it was inevitable the series would bring in an outside famous face or two, especially with Patrick Stewart leading the ship. 

Before we dive in, I think readers will note the omission of one famous star everyone knows is in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Whoopi Goldberg . Her Guinan was a recurring character for several seasons, so she's been left off the list. With that out of the way, let's run down the list of the famous guest stars we loved in TNG . 

Stephen Hawking

When you have a holodeck, you can do a lot of things. For example, Data used it in "Descent" to see what would happen if Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking played poker together. The synth found it "most illuminating," though I still question what he learned from doing it. 

Penny Johnson Jerald

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and The Orville fans know Penny Johnson Jerald well through her roles on those shows, but less may know she was also on The Next Generation . Those who watch "Homeward" will spot her if they look at the wife of Worf's human brother, Nikolai. 

Kirsten Dunst

Before she was a well-known actress starring as Mary Jane in Spider-Man , Kirsten Dunst was in Star Trek: The Next Generation when she was still a child. Her Hedril helped Deanna understand the pain her mother felt over the death of her sister Kestra, who died tragically as a kid in "Dark Page." 

Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy actually rejected a chance to become a producer on Star Trek: The Next Generation , instead opting to appear as Spock in a handful of episodes. This was possible, partially, because Vulcans have long lifespans, but I can't also help but credit Nimoy's love for the character as a factor for reprising him as well. 

James Worthy

Athletes in Star Trek ? It happens from time to time, and three-time NBA Champion James Worthy actually played a Klingon in "Gambit, Part II," and at six foot nine inches, he made for a particularly imposing figure. Those who go back to see his performance will note he's not hard to spot. 

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Teri Hatcher

Well-loved actress Teri Hatcher has a role as B.G. Robinson in "The Outrageous Okona," but only barely. So many of her scenes were cut from the episode that she requested her name be removed from the credits. Fortunately, she went on to be so famous people know who she is just by the brief scene alone. 

James Cromwell

Star Trek fans love James Cromwell for his iconic role as Zefram Cochrane in First Contact , but he also played a couple of roles throughout The Next Generation . He was in heavy prosthetics playing Jaglom Shrek in "Birthright Part I and II," and was Nayrock in "The Hunted." Hey, when a great actor wants to work on your series, let him play whoever he wants. 

Ken Jenkins

Actor Ken Jenkins was around Hollywood before he appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Evolution" as Paul Stubbs, though more people might recognize him now rewatching. That's thanks in part to his character Dr. Bob Kelso on the comedy Scrubs , which was in network primetime for nearly a decade in the 2000s. 

Joe Piscopo

One of the most influential Saturday Night Live stars of all time , comedian Joe Piscopo, made an appearance in Season 2 during "The Outrageous Okona." This might not be a surprise to anyone who hasn't seen the episode, but he plays a stand-up comedian. Who would've guessed? 

Ashley Judd

I think out of every famous guest star from Star Trek: The Next Generation , Ashley Judd might be the easiest to spot. As Robin Lefler, she appeared in "Darmok" and "The Game," and even shared a kiss with Wil Wheaton's Wesley Crusher. There was a solid romance angle there, but sadly, she only had two episodes. 

Jonathan Del Arco

Jonathan Del Arco has been around Hollywood a lot in his career, but Star Trek fans may know him a little better than general audiences thanks to his playing Hugh the Borg. Hugh was the first Borg character to humanize the species in the franchise, and the character went on to play a notable role in the Picard spinoff decades later. 

Stephen Root

Iconic actor Stephen Root made for a great Klingon in the two-parter "Unification." As K'Vada, he made sure he made Picard and Data's time on his ship as uncomfortable as possible. He only honored his deal to help them infiltrate Romulus, which is totally on brand for the Klingon species. 

Michelle Phillips

Michelle Phillips initially rose to fame from her singing in The Mamas And The Papas but eventually transitioned into a successful acting career. As such, she ended up being one of the first major stars on Star Trek: The Next Generation , appearing in the Season 1 episode "We'll Always Have Paris" as Jenice Manheim. 

DeForest Kelley

Leonard Nimoy wasn't the only actor from the original Star Trek to appear in TNG , as DeForest Kelley also reprised his role as McCoy, though, he was an admiral at this point. Catch him in "Encounter At Farpoint," giving Data a hard time. 

Pamela Adlon

You may know Pamela Adlon from a lot of things. I, personally, like to note her voice work as Bobby Hill in the animated series King of the Hill , but she was on The Next Generation long before that. Find her in "Who Watches The Watchers" in which she's part of an alien species convinced that Picard is some immortal being with mystical powers. 

Paul Sorvino

Rest in peace to the late Paul Sorvino , known for Goodfellas , Law & Order , and of course, Star Trek: The Next Generation . Sorvino played Nikolai Rozhenko, the foster brother of Worf. Though he and his brother had their disagreements, Worf always made time for his brother, and there was a great respect between the two in their strengths. 

Matt Frewer

Actor Matt Frewer might not be a face readers immediately recognize, and they may not remember his role as Berlinghoff Rasmussen in "A Matter Of Time" immediately either. That said, if I were to talk about the bizarre character and series Max Headroom , would that ring any bells? That's Frewer's claim to fame, playing the eerie character who even was mentioned as an easter egg in the TNG episode "Conspiracy." 

Patti Yasutake

It wouldn't feel right not to highlight Patti Yasutake following her recent passing. Many  Star Trek  fans loved her recurring character, Nurse Ogawa, and her more recent work on  Beef. While she was only in a handful of episodes, most Trekkies can remember her backing up Beverly Crusher, no matter the emergency. 

Thomas Kopache

Thomas Kopache holds the distinct honor of holding a role across all Rick Berman-era Star Trek shows and played not one, but two roles on The Next Generation . Check him out as a train engineer in "Emergence," and a Romulan scientist in "The Next Phase." 

Musician John Tesh, who NBA fans can thank for his famous song "Roundball Rock ," was also in Star Trek . He played one of the Klingons created by the holodeck in "The Icarus Factor." Not a huge role by any means, but such a random appearance that I can't help but be tickled by. 

Kevin Peter Hall

Kevin Peter Hall, who had done character acting as the predator in Predator , was actually in contention for two of the starring roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation . While he ultimately lost out on the roles of Data and Geordi, he did end up appearing in the series via the episode "The Price" as the Caledonian Leyor. 

Twin Peaks actor Ray Wise plays a key role in "Who Watches The Watchers," as Arturis. Arturis accidentally stumbles upon a Starfleet duck blind observing a planet, and when he is injured in the process, the crew does what it can to treat him. Arturis then returns to his people, claiming he was rescued by their gods. 

Famke Janssen

Famke Janssen had a big role as Kamala in the episode "The Perfect Mate," and it ultimately led to a larger one alongside series star Patrick Stewart. The former Star Trek co-stars would reunite on the cast of X-Men , as Janssen would pay Jean Grey alongside his Professor X. Wild to see them work together years later at much different points in their careers!

Majel Barrett

The wife of Gene Roddenberry, and the Nurse Chapel in the original Star Trek , Majel Barrett was also in TNG . While she missed out on being a part of TOS when her character was cut from the pilot, she was given the fairly meaty role of Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Deanna Troi. Anytime she popped up in this series it was a good time, and a lot of that is a credit to Barrett's skills as an actress. 

Mick Fleetwood

You would think if Star Trek landed the founding member of the iconic rock band Fleetwood Mac, it would want to broadcast his face in full view for the world to see. That wasn't the case, and if you didn't know, Mick Fleetwood was playing a fish man in the episode "Manhunt." Hilarious in hindsight, though given how cool the fish mask was, I don't blame him for being ok with wearing it. 

Christopher McDonald

Christopher McDonald is on our short list of requests for Happy Gilmore 2 , and he's on this list because he appeared as a Starfleet Officer in the iconic episode "Yesterday's Enterprise." He served under Rachel Garrett, a character who has gained more relevance as of late thanks to her presence in Star Trek: Section 31 .

Mark Lenard

Bringing Leonard Nimoy to Star Trek: The Next Generation was an amazing coup for the show, but to bring Mark Lenard to reprise his role as Sarek, Spock's father, was an underrated win. I don't think there's two men who did a better service for laying the framework for playing a Vulcan than those two, and the complicated father/son dynamic made for compelling television all throughout TNG . 

Terry O’Quinn

By the time he played a Rear Admiral in "The Pegasus," Terry O'Quinn was a well-established actor in Hollywood. That said, readers may most know him for the role he played of John Locke in Lost . His character, Erik Pressman in  TNG,  was far less sympathetic than John, but O'Quinn was fantastic in both roles. 

Kelsey Grammer

Dr. Frasier Crane himself, Kelsey Grammer, was a part of the Star Trek family for a short while. He was Morgan Bateson in "Cause and Effect." I'm always a little sad we didn't see more with the Captain of the USS Bozeman , and hope that if we get another TNG -era series, Grammer might reprise his role for a small adventure with other characters from the show. 

Bebe Neuwirth

If Star Trek manages to find out you're a Trekkie, chances are you'll be invited to be on a show. That exact thing happened to Bebe Neuwirth, who took time out of her schedule ahead of a Cheers rehearsal to be in "First Contact." It's a brief scene but memorable as she propositions Riker for sex, with the logic that it was always a dream to sleep with an alien. 

Diedrich Bader

Diedrich Bader had a background role in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Emissary," but his face is hard to miss. This is especially true if you're a fan of The Drew Carey Show , which admittedly has fewer fans now since the series hasn't found a home on streaming. I'll continue to cross my fingers that will happen, though, and enjoy this episode all the same. 

James Doohan

Star Trek actor James Doohan appeared in the episode "Relics," when Captain Montgomery Scott was found trapped in suspension in a ship's pattern buffer for 75 years. Fortunately, we've learned that being stuck in a transporter buffer is a relatively painless process, if not disorienting, to be gone for a period of time and not know it. This is, perhaps, one of my favorite TNG episodes of all time, and totally worth watching again for those who haven't seen it in a while.

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

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One Of Dr. Crusher's Best TNG Episodes Is A Breakthrough For Women In Star Trek

• Dr. Beverly Crusher shines in "The High Ground," showing empathy and compassion.

"The High Ground" was written by Melinda M. Snodgrass and directed by Gabrielle Beaumont.

• The episode had a great story and strong performances.

One of the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation centered on Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) celebrates strong women in front of and behind the camera. Following the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D, TNG featured more female main characters than Star Trek: The Original Series had , but the writers didn't always know what to do with them. As Chief Medical Officer on the Enterprise-D, Dr. Crusher not only tended to any wounded officers but also researched medical treatments for any strange alien illnesses.

Dr. Crusher's profound sense of compassion made her one of Star Trek's best doctors , even if she didn't take center stage in as many storylines as her male counterparts. Although several Star Trek: The Original Series episodes were written by women (including 10 by writer D.C. Fontana), a woman did not direct an episode until TNG season 3. While TNG season 3, episode 6, "Booby Trap" was the first Trek episode to be directed by a woman, TNG season 3, episode 12, "The High Ground" holds the distinction of being the first episode written and directed by women.

All 8 Star Trek: TNG Episodes Directed By Women (Including Gates McFadden)

In 178 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, only 8 hours were directed by women.

TNG's "The High Ground" Was Star Trek's First Episode Written & Directed By Women

Written by Melinda M. Snodgrass and directed by Gabrielle Beaumont, "The High Ground" spotlights Dr. Beverly Crusher, as she is taken hostage by a group of terrorists. In the opening scene of the episode, a bomb goes off in a public plaza on the planet Rutia IV, and Crusher rushes to aid the wounded without hesitation. Although Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) urge Crusher to return to the Enterprise for her own safety, she insists on remaining to help those who are hurt. As she works, one of the terrorists appears and kidnaps her using an experimental transporter device.

There are several elements of "The High Ground" that point to women being involved in the production process. The terrorist leader, a man named Kyril Finn (Richard Cox), develops a fascination with Dr. Crusher, drawing numerous images of her in his sketchbook. The Rutian security forces are led by a woman named Alexana Devos (Kerrie Keane), and although she spends much of the episode with Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), he never makes any romantic advances toward her. In other writers' hands, either one of these storylines might have become romantic subplots, but "The High Ground" thankfully doesn't go that route.

Dr. Beverly Crusher Shines In Star Trek: TNG's "The High Ground" (& So Does The Guest Star)

Gates mcfadden and guest star kerrie keane deliver stellar performances..

One of Dr. Crusher's best episodes , "The High Ground" shows Beverly at her most empathetic. While she does not support the methods the terrorists use, she can sympathize with their motivations. Despite her situation, Dr. Crusher does her best to help the sick and injured among the terrorists, remaining firm in her beliefs but sympathetic to her fellow humans. Throughout the episode, Beverly displays her intelligence, compassion, and skills as a medical professional. As Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher work to end the terrorist dispute peacefully, Riker and Devos find a way to infiltrate the caverns where the terrorists have been hiding.

Kerrie Keane and Dr. Beverly Crusher both deliver strong performances, elevating an already solid script.

"The High Ground" offers a nuanced look at its conflict and tells a story with no true heroes or villains. As the leader of Rutian security, Devos is smart and calculated. Although Devos has instituted strict laws to combat terrorism, she is motivated by all of the deaths she has seen rather than her own prejudices. Kerrie Keane and Dr. Beverly Crusher both deliver strong performances, elevating an already solid script. With its celebration of strong women on screen and behind the scenes, "The High Ground" remains a great underrated episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Release Date September 28, 1987

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman