Summary

  • Several actors from the original Star Trek series appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation, including the iconic trio of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.
  • Captain Kirk's appearance in Star Trek Generations helped transition the franchise from the TOS era to the TNG era, but his death felt lackluster.
  • Scotty's appearance in TNG's "Relics" explored the idea of growing old in a world of advancing technology and served as a nice conclusion to his story.

With its premiere in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation ushered in a new era for the Star Trek franchise, and several actors from Star Trek: The Original Series appeared over the course of the series. Before it even began, TNG faced backlash from fans of TOS who feared nothing could live up to the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley). But despite its rocky first season, TNG quickly became popular among both old and new Star Trek fans.

All three of that iconic TOS trio appeared alongside Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his Enterprise crew at some point. Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) also made an appearance, as did Spock's father, Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard). While all of these appearances were noteworthy in their own right, some proved to be more consequential than others. Captain Picard and his crew obviously had big shoes to fill, but Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry also wanted TNG to stand on its own. Only five characters from TOS appeared on TNG, and here they are ranked from worst to best.

5 iral Leonard "Bones" McCoy in TNG's "Encounter at Farpoint"

Star Trek TNG Encounter at Farpoint Dr. Mccoy Data

Dr. Leonard McCoy, now a retired Starfleet iral, was the first legacy character to appear in Star Trek: The Next Generation. In TNG's pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint," Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) escorts iral McCoy by shuttlecraft from the USS Enterprise to the USS Hood. McCoy only appears in one brief scene, but it's truly a wonderful scene that puts McCoy's lovable crabbiness on full display.

However, TNG's Bones cameo has no bearing on the plot of the episode and the only character McCoy talks to is Data. It would have been fun to see McCoy interact with more of the crew of the Enterprise-D, and more interesting if he had played a larger role in the episode's story. Still, McCoy's appearance in "Encounter at Farpoint" served as a nice nod to TOS and a way to the torch to Captain Picard and his crew.

4 Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek Generations

Star Trek Generations Captain Kirk

The first of four TNG films, Star Trek Generations sees Captain Picard meet the iconic Captain Kirk in a film that proved to be divisive for Star Trek fans. Certain plot elements don't make sense and Kirk's death feels somewhat lackluster, but Generations does serve to transition the Star Trek films from the TOS era to the TNG era. Generations begins in the TOS era, on the bridge of the recently commissioned USS Enterprise-B. After the Enterprise becomes trapped by an energy ribbon, Captain Kirk helps the ship escape but is presumed dead when the ship's hull is breached.

Many years later, an El-Aurian named Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell) searches for the rumored Nexus, a heaven-like realm outside of normal spacetime. Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D fight to stop Soren, but Soren eventually finds his way into the Nexus, accompanied by Picard. Picard finds Captain Kirk within the Nexus and convinces him to return to the real world and stop Soren. Although Picard and Kirk do manage to stop Soren from launching a probe that would have killed millions, Kirk is fatally injured in the process. Kirk spends his last moments with Picard, and Jean-Luc buries him on Veridian III.

3 Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in TNG's "Relics"

Star Trek TNG Relics Scotty La Forge

When the Enterprise responds to a distress call, they find the transport ship USS Jenolan that has been missing for 75 years. When Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) discovers a pattern still in the transporter buffer, he restores the pattern, revealing former Enterprise Chief Engineer Scotty. As Scotty explores the new Enterprise-D, he realizes that engineering technology has progressed a lot since his time as an engineer.

In the end, Scotty helps Geordi on the Jenolan where his knowledge of outdated technology comes in handy, as they rescue the Enterprise from a Dyson Sphere. The episode ends with Scotty borrowing a shuttlecraft to continue his adventures. Not only does "Relics" speak on the idea of growing old in a world that's constantly advancing, but it also serves as a nice coda to Scotty's story and a bridge between two great Enterprise engineers.

2 Ambassador Sarek in TNG's "Sarek" & "Unification"

Star Trek TNG Sarek Picard

In TNG's "Sarek," Ambassador Sarek arrives on the Enterprise to negotiate a peace treaty with the Legarans as his final mission before retirement. Soon after his arrival, the crew of the Enterprise begin experiencing heightened emotions, leading to a brawl in Ten Forward. Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) come to the conclusion that Sarek is suffering from Bendii syndrome, a degenerative disease that can affect elder Vulcans. In order to preserve the negotiations, Captain Picard offers to mind-meld with Sarek, allowing Sarek to temporarily transfer his overwhelming emotions to Picard.

Sarek only appeared in one episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, so his return on TNG offers more insight into this fascinating character. Introduced in the classic TOS episode "Journey to Babel," Sarek had a rather tumultuous relationship with his son, Spock. Sarek's emotional outbursts in "Sarek," expressed by both Sarek and Picard, show how much Sarek cares for Spock. Patrick Stewart and Mark Lenard both deliver incredible performances in this episode, and it serves as a great character study of Sarek.

1 Ambassador Spock in TNG's "Unification"

Star Trek TNG Unification Spock Data Picard

The triumphant return of Ambassador Spock in the Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter "Unification" is an excellent merging of the worlds of TOS and TNG. The entire first episode builds to the final reveal of Spock stepping into view, and the conclusion offers insight into Spock's mission to achieve peace between Romulans and Vulcans. The episode wisely pairs Spock and Data, as the two discuss their respective views about humanity and emotions. "Unification" provides a fascinating insight into Spock as a character and the ways he has grown and changed since his time on TOS.

The first part of "Unification" begins when Captain Picard and the Enterprise-D go to investigate reports that Ambassador Spock may be missing on Romulus. Picard and Data find Spock working with a peaceful contingent of Romulans who seek to reunify the Romulans with the Vulcans. Picard mind-melds with Spock to share the emotions and memories that Spock's father Sarek had shared with Picard. Although Spock reacts stoically to his father's death, the emotion is plain on his face when he mind melds with Picard and understands how much Sarek cared for him. As the most popular character to come out of TOS, it's not surprising that the creators of Star Trek: The Next Generation chose to bring Spock back, and his appearance made the "Unification" two-parter some of the most watched episodes of the series.