Summary

• Some of the best characters in Star Trek are recurring characters, which add depth and variety to shows.
• Characters like Nurse Chapel, Q, Garak, and Naomi Wildman bring unique perspectives and enhance the storytelling.
• Recurring characters like Data, Emperor Georgiou, and Chakotay continue to have a lasting impact on the franchise.

Every Star Trek series has great guest stars, but some recurring characters stand above the rest. Although Star Trek TV shows have always relied heavily on a series' main cast to tell their stories, no show would be complete without other characters to round out various episodes. Often, an episode's guest characters only appear once in the series, but the best kinds of Star Trek recurring characters are the ones who stick around and appear in multiple episodes despite not being a series regular.

These recurring characters sometimes become more popular than the main characters and can add a lot to the show by being fresh faces that audiences are excited to see. Sometimes, previous main characters from older series have even become recurring characters on later shows, adding an exciting element as a callback to viewers' favorite series. Whether it's a classic Star Trek: TOS cast addition like Christine Chapel (Majel Barret) or a beloved former main character like Data (Brent Spiner), Star Trek's recurring characters hold a special place in franchise canon.

10 Nurse Christine Chapel

Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Original Series is famous for having a singular focus on the show's core characters, namely Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy). However, the show certainly had recurring characters, and there is perhaps none more famous than Nurse Christine Chapel. Played by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's wife, Majel Barret, Nurse Chapel made the biggest impression on TOS outside of the show's main cast. As one of the few female characters in the series, Chapel added a more well-rounded element to the show in her work with Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) in Sickbay.

More recently, Jess Bush has taken on the role of Chapel in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, fleshing out the character's backstory and adding new layers to her life and relationship with Spock that change and improve how she can be viewed in TOS upon rewatch.

Barret played Chapel with grace and charm, and the role cemented her as an icon of the early Trek era. Chapel's unrequited romance with Spock added a much-needed stable romantic element to TOS, contrasting with Kirk's briefer flings. More recently, Jess Bush has taken on the role of Chapel in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, fleshing out the character's backstory and adding new layers to her life and relationship with Spock that change and improve how she can be viewed in TOS upon rewatch.

9 Q

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Few recurring characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation have gone on to become as iconic as Q (John de Lancie). Introduced in TNG's pilot episode, "Encounter at Farpoint," Q became a staple villain (and sometimes ally) throughout TNG's seven seasons. In fact, it's hard to believe that Q only appeared in eight episodes of TNG, given how strongly he is associated with the series and how much of an impact his storylines had on the larger Star Trek canon.

De Lancie's brash and hilarious portrayal of Q was a large part of what made him so popular, but Q's powers and his ability to involve the Star Trek: TNG cast in a wide variety of ridiculous situations created some of the show's best episodes. Outside of TNG, Q has gone on to occupy a special place in the franchise, making appearances in Star Trek: Voyager and most recently in Star Trek: Picard. The fact that Q is still an active part of Star Trek nearly 40 years after his introduction illustrates perfectly why he's TNG's best recurring character.

8 Elim Garak

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Although he started on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in a minimal role, Garak (Andrew Robinson) became an important part of later seasons. As the first Cardassian character to occupy a more sympathetic role, Garak provided an interesting counterpart to DS9's Cardassian villain Gul Dukat (Mark Alaimo), acting as a more morally ambiguous figure in his role as the space station's resident tailor and former Cardassian spy. It's interesting that Garak was so popular despite his gray morality, but he fit right in with DS9's complexly characterized cast.

In addition, Garak's fascinating relationship with Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) helped elevate his character to a much higher status than other recurring characters. The chemistry between Robinson and Siddig was apparent from the first scene they acted opposite in, and DS9 seemed to realize that both characters were better when they played against each other. Garak was also an integral part of some of the show's most iconic episodes, like season 6's "In the Pale Moonlight." DS9 would have been a completely different show without Garak's presence.

7 Naomi Wildman

Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: Voyager didn't include a lot of recurring characters, so Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers) was certainly the best of the bunch. As the first child born on the USS Voyager and the only one to grow up during the ship's journey through the Delta Quadrant, Naomi provided something that most Star Trek shows didn't have: a young character who could provide perspective on what life was like for a kid on a starship. Some of the most interesting episodes of Voyager's later seasons were episodes from Naomi's point of view.

Naomi also brought out the best in multiple main characters, most notably Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). For Neelix, acting as Naomi's godfather showed the more human side of a character that tended to be over-the-top. For Seven, Naomi provided a fascinating youthful parallel as the former Borg drone rediscovered her humanity, and opportunities for Seven to show her softer side as well. Voyager would have lost a wonderful perspective without Naomi, and despite being young, Scarlett Pomers played her perfectly.

6 iral Maxwell Forrest

Star Trek: Enterprise

Like Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise focused mainly on its core cast and didn't boast a great complement of recurring characters, making iral Forrest (Vaughn Armstrong) the easy choice. Forrest provided a grounding element to the Enterprise episodes he appeared in, giving the show a connection to Earth that was needed as the characters embarked on the very first missions of the nascent Starfleet. Likewise, Forrest's death in Enterprise season 4 made for a shocking twist for the show's last season without killing off a main character.

Enterprise season 4 did end up killing a main character with Trip Tucker's (Connor Trinneer) death in the show's series finale "These Are the Voyages..."

More important than Forrest's character, however, was the man who played him. As a veteran of the Star Trek franchise with a dozen characters across various series under his belt, Vaughn Armstrong getting the opportunity to play a recurring role on Enterprise was well deserved. Armstrong himself was particularly proud of Forrest, even going so far as to say that the character was his best contribution to the franchise. This is high praise for someone who has played such a variety of Star Trek characters and already cemented their place as a franchise legend.

5 Emperor Philippa Georgiou

Star Trek: Discovery

Although Star Trek: Discovery has had many recurring characters over its five seasons, Emperor Georgiou (Michell Yeoh) stands above the rest. Discovery first introduced Georgiou as her Prime Universe counterpart, who was unfortunately killed in the show's second episode. However, Discovery luckily realized that wasting Yeoh's talent on only a brief cameo was ill-advised, and managed to find a way to bring back the character with a twist.

Through her, Discovery greatly expanded the lore of the Mirror Universe, and her complicated journey from ruthless Terran Emperor to reformed villain was well-paced and completely believable, even given where she started.

Since her debut in season 1, Emperor Georgiou has become one of the more important characters in the Star Trek universe. Through her, Discovery greatly expanded the lore of the Mirror Universe, and her complicated journey from ruthless Terran Emperor to reformed villain was well-paced and completely believable, even given where she started. Georgiou became so popular during her time on Discovery that the franchise is giving her her own movie. Star Trek: Section 31 will explore Star Trek's "lost era" and other previously under-represented parts of the franchise.

4 Data

Star Trek: Picard

Few characters made a bigger impact on Star Trek: Picard than Data (Brent Spiner), despite the show only having three seasons. As a previous main character from Star Trek: TNG, season 1 of Picard's choice to explore the fallout of Data's death in Star Trek: Nemesis was an extremely smart choice. Although not technically physically present for most of season 1, Data was integral to the heart of the season's narrative and provided the emotional crux for much of the plot.

Additionally, after supposedly dying permanently in season 1, Picard season 3 not only found a way to bring Data back to life but also gave him what he had always wanted: to be human. Thanks to a new more human body and the integration of several personalities, Data finally gained the full range of emotion and was able to reunite with his friends from the Enterprise-D. Data's return to life in Picard season 3 was incredibly emotional for long-time viewers, and one of the more impactful storylines in the show's final season.

3 Lieutenant James T. Kirk

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

No character is more emblematic of the Star Trek franchise than James T. Kirk, which is why Paul Wesley's version of the character is undoubtedly the best recurring member of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' cast. Although Strange New Worlds is about Captain Pike's (Anson Mount) time as Captain of the USS Enterprise, the show has already greatly expanded the backstories of several TOS characters, including Spock (Ethan Peck) and Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding). Given this focus, it would have felt wrong not to include Kirk somewhere in the mix.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has provided the earliest depiction of Kirk in the franchise to date, showing his time in Starfleet before he became a Captain.

Although he has only appeared in a handful of episodes throughout the show's two seasons, Wesley has brought wonderful new life to his version of such an iconic character, putting his own spin on Kirk while still feeling true to his origins. Likewise, Strange New Worlds has provided some incredible franchise firsts, such as depicting Kirk and Spock's first meeting. The show has managed to use Kirk perfectly while also staying focused on its main cast, and the possibilities for seeing him in future seasons are endless in of what new storylines Strange New Worlds can explore.

2 Dr. Migleemo

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Lower Decks' humor is primarily what sets it apart from other shows in the franchise. Lower Decks' firm grounding in comedy means that any recurring characters must stand out as truly funny, to match the energy of the main characters. While most of Lower Decks' recurring characters, like Billups (Paul Scheer) and Kayshon (Carl Tart), have their moments, none of them are quite as consistently amusing as Dr. Migleemo (Paul F. Tompkins).

Migleemo adds a wonderfully bumbling element to Lower Decks while turning the role of ship's counselor originated by Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) on its head. Migleemo has acted as a great foil for the show's main characters, particularly Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), and consistently helps elevate storylines with his often ridiculous appearances. While characters like Billups may have been given more screen time, Migleemo embodies the spirit of Lower Decks better and is consistently more interestingly characterized.

1 Chakotay

Star Trek: Prodigy

Given that its only season was heavily focused on the main cast, Star Trek: Prodigy has basically no recurring characters. This leaves no doubt that Chakotay (Robert Beltran) is the best and hopefully set to have a bigger role in season 2. Like Data, Chakotay was a previous main character on Star Trek: Voyager, which means his inclusion on Prodigy only makes sense given the show's strong connection to Voyager in the form of iral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).

The main appeal of Chakotay in Prodigy is his potential; the show has the opportunity to improve Chakotay's character exponentially, providing him with a better depiction and ideally expanding the exploration of his complicated history with Janeway.

Prodigy season 1 already revealed what happened to Chakotay after Voyager ended, but season 2 is rife with possibilities for his character given that his rescue will be the main focus. The main appeal of Chakotay in Prodigy is his potential; the show has the opportunity to improve Chakotay's character exponentially, providing him with a better depiction and ideally expanding the exploration of his complicated history with Janeway. Given that Chakotay was often underused or mishandled on Voyager, his future in the Star Trek franchise thanks to Prodigy looks much brighter now than ever.

Every Star Trek series besides Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Prodigy is available to stream on Netflix.