Star Trek Franchise Actors You Rarely See Onscreen Anymore

"Star Trek" remains one of the most celebrated franchises in television history, but you wouldn't know it from a lot of its lead actors. If someone asked you to name an actor from "Star Trek," you'd probably gravitate to William Shatner or Patrick Stewart. Those two cultural icons grew in all directions beyond the "Star Trek" franchise, but they were exceptions that prove the rule. Massive TV shows have an unfortunate habit of trapping their performers in the roles that made them iconic. This can result in beloved actors trying and failing to move on from a show like "Star Trek" for the rest of their careers.

The first episode of "Star Trek" aired in 1966, placing the show's 60th anniversary in 2026. That unfortunately guarantees that a lot of original cast members are no longer with us, but many other performers disappeared into new professions. A surprising number of former "Star Trek" stars turned to writing, directing, producing, or off-screen work like voice acting after their time with the series came to an end. The cyclical nature of franchise media occasionally brings familiar faces back, sometimes giving fans a glimpse of someone they haven't seen onscreen in a decade or two. Some former "Star Trek" actors have become surprisingly poor. Between retirement, new career directions, and fading into obscurity, there are a lot of "Star Trek" actors who you rarely see onscreen anymore. 

Mirina Sirtis portrayed Counselor Deanna Troi in 176 episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Troi was a half-human, half-Betazoid member of the crew of the USS Enterprise-D. Her unique heritage granted her the psychic ability to read and interpret the emotions of other sentient beings, making her something of a therapist to the rest of the vessel. Troi was often a centerpiece of the series, regularly falling into romantic subplots with several potential love interests. Her story initially ended with "Star Trek: Nemesis," which saw her leave the Enterprise with her husband, William Riker, but the character has returned to the franchise several times. Unfortunately, fans will struggle to find Sirtis outside of that uniform. 

Sirtis popped up in seven episodes of "Star Trek: Picard" between 2020 and 2023, but she wasn't in much else during those years. She had mid-level roles in the action films "Debt Collectors" and "The Bezonians," neither of which had enough impact to earn more than a dozen professional reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Sirtis also provided voice-only performances in "Star Trek: Lower Decks" and a podcast series called "The Year of Martha Jones." In 2023, she enjoyed a central supporting role in "Love's Greek to Me" for the very old Hallmark company. Sirtis remains a skilled and widely respected performer, and her absence from the wider world of successful big-screen cinema is an unfortunate circumstance.

Jonathan Frakes was a prolific TV actor before he took on the role of William Riker in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," but Riker quickly became his legacy. He appeared in 176 episodes of "TNG," four movies, and many video games and other projects. Riker was a fan favorite character, a cocky young officer who loved the ladies and enjoyed hanging out with his fellow crew members. He repeatedly refused offers of his own command, staying aboard the Enterprise-D for years. In "Star Trek: Nemesis," he finally accepted the promotion and set out aboard a new vessel. That didn't keep him from returning to the franchise frequently, even as his portrayer accepted more work behind the camera. 

Frakes took to directing while he was working on "TNG," making it easy to answer what this "Star Trek: The Next Generation" star is doing now. He still pursues that occupation, directing several episodes of "Star Trek: Discovery," "Picard," and "The Orville." Outside of the "Star Trek" franchise, Frakes directed episodes of shows like "Leverage," "The Librarians," and "NCIS: Los Angeles." When he isn't in that command position, Frakes does a lot of voice acting for animated shows and video games. That often includes portraying Riker in shows like "Star Trek: Lower Decks" and games like "Star Trek: Resurgence." 

Roxann Dawson joined the "Star Trek" franchise when she portrayed B'Elanna Torres in "Voyager," appearing in 168 episodes of the late '90s series. Torres was a half-human, half-Klingon hybrid, placing Dawson in the familiar rubber forehead adornment for most of her onscreen appearances. She was the chief engineer on the USS Voyager, defying a lot of the early beliefs about her warlike species. In perhaps her most iconic episode, "Faces," Dawson took on the challenge of playing both the human and Klingon halves of her character, nailing one of the most impressive performances of the series. "Star Trek" is Dawson's biggest acting role, but the show also gave her a new career direction.

Dawson directed two episodes of "Voyager" while she was on the show, allowing her to branch out into directing full-time for the remainder of her career. Her last acting credit came in a 2011 episode of "The Closer." She's much better known for directing episodes of dozens of TV series, including "Star Trek: Enterprise," "Crossing Jordan," and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Dawson directed her first feature film in 2019, putting her stamp on a moving biographical drama called "Breakthrough." In the 2020s, she helmed four entries of "Foundation" and a couple of episodes of "Dark Matter," both for Apple TV+.

Robert Duncan McNeill actually first appeared on "Star Trek" as a one-off character called Nicholas Locarno on "The Next Generation," but he's far more famous as Tom Paris on "Voyager." The creators of "Voyager" took a lot from Locarno as they created Paris, going so far as to bring back McNeill to complete that connection. Paris had a fun connection to 20th-century Earth pop culture, making him something of a comedic character. His relationship with his father was one of the central elements of his narrative, gradually bridging the gap between the two characters over the years. Fans loved Paris, but McNeill has left on-camera life behind for the most part.

McNeill's last onscreen performance at the time of writing was a brief appearance in an episode of "Chuck" in 2012. He's left acting behind, turning to directing and executive producing to continue his work in the TV industry. Like many other "Star Trek" performers, McNeill directed a few episodes of his most popular series before moving on to helm four entries in "Enterprise." "Chuck" was one of his first directorial successes, crafting 21 episodes while executive producing 75. McNeill also executive-produced 33 episodes of "Resident Alien," 12 episodes of "Turner & Hooch," and 16 episodes of "The Gifted." 

Michael Dorn first portrayed the Klingon officer Worf on an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in 1987, and over the following decades, he racked up the most onscreen appearances of any main cast member. Worf became an integral part of the "Star Trek" universe, appearing in 175 episodes of "The Next Generation," 102 episodes of "Deep Space Nine," five movies in the franchise, and countless returns for future outings. For many years, Dorn tried to get Worf his own spinoff series, and though that never came to fruition, many fans supported his efforts. Since Dorn is one of those stars who are unrecognizable without makeup, his voice became his most iconic feature, leading to a career in voice acting.

Dorn began voice-acting shortly after he started his work on "Star Trek," but he spends most of his time in the booth these days. One of his most notable roles was I.M. Weasel from the classic Cartoon Network series "I Am Weasel." Dorn's voice appears in a variety of video games, including "Fallout: New Vegas," "Saints Row 2," and "Indivisible." In the 2020s, Dorn had roles on shows like "Invincible," "DOTA: Dragon's Blood," and "Dogs in Space." He's still all over TV, but you won't see him onscreen often.

Garrett Wang portrayed Ensign Harry Kim in 168 episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager" between 1995 and 2001. Kim was a critical part of the series, providing an optimistic view of the famously terrible situation the Voyager's crew wound up in. He was a naive and childlike presence who brought out parental instincts in his elders. Though Wang was in his late 20s when he portrayed Kim, the character seemed to gradually grow up over the course of the series and its follow-ups. Wang was never the lead during his years on "Voyager," and his career never really leapt far beyond that early success.

Wang didn't shift professions like some of his co-stars, but he rarely appears as an actor in the modern era. He has small roles in films like "Rock Jocks" and "Alongside Night," but his biggest recent gig was a six-episode part in a TV series called "Phoenix." Wang did briefly return to the "Star Trek" universe in 2024, when he provided his voice to an animated version of his own Harry Kim character in "Lower Decks." Wang also co-hosts a podcast called "The Delta Flyers" with his former co-star Robert Duncan McNeill. 

The great George Takei is one of the most iconic performers ever to grace the "Star Trek" franchise, but he simply can't grace the screen as often as he used to. Takei portrayed Hikaru Sulu in 52 episodes of "Star Trek: The Original Series," 22 episodes of the animated series, six movies, and several other bits of the franchise. Sulu was the helmsman aboard the Enterprise and one of the most charming characters in the original crew. Despite Takei's iconic feud with William Shatner, he stayed on the show for years. While Takei remains a notable performer, he doesn't appear in front of the camera nearly as often.

Takei has been a prolific voice actor for several decades, working on shows like "The New Adventures of Jonny Quest" and "The Smurfs" back in the 1980s. His current output keeps him in the booth most of the time, but he's arguably as ubiquitous as he's ever been. Aside from a few appearances as himself or Sulu in various properties, Takei lends only his voice to most of his projects, including "Blue Eye Samurai," "Hit-Monkey," and "Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai." Despite being well over 80 years old, Takei keeps working, even without the camera to capture him.

Jennifer Lien led a troubled life long before she took the role of Kes in "Star Trek: Voyager." Her performance stands out as the best of her career, but its unfortunate starts and stops kept it from reaching the upper echelon of the franchise. Kes was an alien who enjoyed powerful telepathic powers at the cost of a radically short lifespan, providing unique perspectives on several philosophical ideals. She spent most of her time with Robert Picardo's artificially intelligent Doctor, teaching the machine to feel. Unfortunately, Lien's personal issues forced the producers to fire her, and her departure was less than graceful. She continued acting for a short time, but that time has long since passed.

Lien's career mostly stopped after her stint on "Voyager" ended. She had one regular voice-acting role as Agent L, the character originated by Linda Fiorentino, in the "Men in Black" animated series, but that was her final consistent part. Aside from one small movie part and one tiny video game role, her acting career ended without a bang. Her last Hollywood credit of any kind was an executive producer nod on her husband's film "Greek Mythology" in 2008. Lien faced several criminal charges in 2015 but the charges were dropped a few years later. She's been mostly out of the public eye since then. 

Walter Koenig portrayed Pavel Chekov in "Star Trek: The Original Series" from 1967 to its surprising cancellation in 1969, appearing in 36 episodes. Chekov represented a slightly younger member of the Enterprise crew, giving young viewers someone their own age to identify with. While Chekov was technically the navigator aboard the Enterprise, he had a ton of flexibility, filling just about every role a vessel has to offer during his long tenure. He popped up in seven "Star Trek" movies, often at unique and different points in his career throughout those entries. While he wasn't in the first season and he didn't come back quite as often as his co-stars, Chekov is a critical element of the "Star Trek" universe. 

Koenig reached age 88 in 2024, but he hasn't fully retired. He makes very occasional appearances in a variety of off-kilter film and TV projects. His only regular TV role of the 2010s came in the animated series "Stretch Armstrong & the Flex Fighters." Koenig mostly appears in small roles in lesser-known movies and shorts, like "Unbelievable" and "Who Is Martin Danzig?." In 2023, Koenig returned to the "Star Trek" universe for a brief voice-only appearance as Chekov's son, Anton, in an episode of "Picard." He also has a few writing credits in his recent and distant past.

Retired actor Ken Marshall found the role that would define his career a little over a decade before his admittedly brief appearance on "Star Trek." He portrayed Colwyn in the legendary cult classic science-fantasy film "Krull," cementing his face in the minds of very specific nerds everywhere. That film tragically bombed, but he found a new iconic role in the 1994 Season 3 premiere of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." He portrayed Michael Eddington, a secondary character who popped up in nine total episodes of the series. His role on the show wasn't massive, but he was very impactful in his intermittent appearances.

Now well over 70, Marshall appears to have simply retired from the world of acting. After "Deep Space Nine," he had only a handful of performances in TV shows and movies, most of which didn't stand the test of time. He appeared in an episode of "JAG" and a TV movie about Shaka Zulu in 2001, but his final role came in two episodes of "The District" in 2003. The only other mention of Marshall in the news comes from the local Herald Palladium, which mentions his induction into his high school's performing arts hall of fame in 2019. 

John de Lancie portrays the most iconic iteration of Q in a long succession of "Star Trek" series, starting with the 1987 pilot episode of "The Next Generation." The character quickly became one of the most threatening antagonists in that beloved series, though Q evolved throughout his onscreen appearances. Q is a member of and the mouthpiece for a seemingly omnipotent and omniscient extra-dimensional race that judges humanity as a potential threat to all other life. The character and de Lancie's performance stretched long beyond "TNG," appearing in "Deep Space Nine," "Voyager," "Lower Decks," and "Picard." 

De Lancie still pops up as Q in recent shows like "Picard," but most of his non-"Star Trek" work sees him provide his voice to various projects. You won't see him in front of the camera often, but you can hear his dulcet tones in various games, movies, and animated shows. He portrayed Discord in the enduringly popular "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic" cartoon. His live-action roles have become less and less common, replaced with projects like "DOTA: Dragon's Blood" and "Masters of the Universe: Revolution." He also puts out occasional podcast appearances on shows like "NPRmageddon."

Armin Shimerman is one of many "Star Trek" stars who probably doesn't get recognized for his iconic role very often. He portrayed Quark, the beloved Ferengi bar owner who operated his shady tourist trap on the titular "Deep Space Nine" space station. Quark was one of the funniest and most entertaining characters in the cast, playing with his species' tendency toward ruthlessly pursuing profit above all other concerns. Shimerman portrayed the character in 172 episodes of "Deep Space Nine" and a handful of other one-off appearances. The tragedy of tying himself to that stellar role is that his future prospects became few and far between.

Shimerman's face was mostly hidden by the makeup in "Star Trek," and he continued that trend in many of his other most popular roles. As a voice actor in video games, Shimerman delivered one of the most celebrated performances in the history of the medium. In 2007, he portrayed the villainous Andrew Ryan in 2K's instant classic "BioShock," cementing him in the annals of video game history. He also plays the slightly less iconic Dr. Nefarious through most of the "Ratchet and Clank" series and several DC Comics characters in various projects. Shimerman is also one of a few "Star Trek" performers with a day job, namely teaching Shakespeare to actors while writing novels. 

Actor Dwight Schultz already had a legendary TV role under his belt before he started his brief time on "Star Trek." Schultz portrayed "Howling Mad" Murdock in all five seasons of the beloved 1980s series "The A-Team." Three years after that show wrapped, Schulz joined the cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as Lieutenant Reginald Barclay for just five episodes. He popped up in a couple of feature films before a six-episode stint on "Voyager." Barclay made a considerable impression in his limited time on the show, but Schultz's most recent appearance in the role was in a 2006 fan film. 

Schultz comfortably pivoted to voice acting over the 2000s and 2010s, locking in a respectable career with several recurring roles in massive franchises. In one of the most notable examples, Schultz has provided the voice for the Vulture in multiple "Spider-Man" titles as early as 2002 and as recently as 2018. He also played the villainous Dr. Animo in the long-running "Ben 10" franchise, racking up several notable performances over the years. In 2024, Schultz lent his voice to several roles in "Batman: Arkham Shadow" and the animated "Watchmen" film.