If you watch Star Trek shows a lot, like I do, you start to notice some familiar faces. With decades of television shows and movies under its belt, it's only natural that the franchise has approached actors to play multiple roles over the years. Sometimes, it was because it made sense for the character, but other times, it just seemed like the franchise loved working with that person.
Today, we acknowledge both of those roles. Some of these actors you'll know quite well, and others you might not even realize it was them beneath all of those prosthetics and makeup. Let's dive in, and talk about these special actors who took on multiple roles during their time in Star Trek.
Brent Spiner
This one is fairly obvious if you've watched Star Trek: The Next Generation, you've seen Brent Spiner play more roles than just Data. He's played his Synth twins Lore and B4, as well as various members of the Soong family across several shows. It's a fun recurring bit, and one fans are never upset to see.
Jason Alexander
Since leaving the Seinfeld cast, Jason Alexander has performed a couple of Star Trek roles. He played the merchant Kuros in Star Trek: Voyager and is also the voice of Dr. Noum in the animated series Prodigy. Both characters are wildly different, and show a side of Alexander that casual viewers may not have seen before.
Thomas Kopache
If Thomas Kopache's face looks familiar to Star Trek fans, it's because he's been in a good deal of shows. The actor has held minor roles in The Next Generation, Voyager, Enterprise, Deep Space Nine, and even the movie Star Trek Generations. From a Starfleet communications officer to a Vulcan, one might never know where he'll pop up!
Tony Todd
While he may be more well-known for his role in Candyman which required a lot of bee stings, Tony Todd is a beloved figure in the Star Trek universe. He played a recurring role as the Klingon Kurn in TNG and DS9, an Alpha Hirogen in Voyager, but many may most remember his role as the older Jake Sisko in "The Visitor."
Tim Russ
Tim Russ was a beloved part of Star Trek: Voyager's main cast as the Vulcan Tuvok, but that wasn't his only role in the franchise. He first popped up in The Next Generation as the mercenary Devor, and later in Deep Space Nine as a Klingon named T'Kar.
Diana Muldaur
Diana Muldaur had a few roles in the original Star Trek, but it was in The Next Generation she made her biggest contribution to the franchise. Dr. Katherine Pulaski served on the Enterprise while Beverly Crusher was away, and had a brief fling with Riker's father. Her tenure was short, though Bev fans would argue not short enough.
Todd Stashwick
Star Trek: Picard fans will sooner remember Todd Stashwick as the prickly Captain Shaw from Season 3, but that was not the actor's first role in the franchise. He had a smaller role as the Vulcan Talok in Star Trek: Enterprise. It's far less notable compared to the anti-hero he played in Picard, but still worth checking out.
Kurtwood Smith
While readers may know him better as the hot-headed Red Forman in That 70s Show, Kurtwood Smith also had a couple of high-profile roles in Star Trek. He was the Federation President in Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country, as well as the obsessive captain Annorax in the iconic Voyager episode "Year of Hell."
Jeffrey Combs
I don't think there's a more famous guest star among die-hard Star Trek fans. He's played many roles across all shows, even if you exclude the numerous clones of the Deep Space Nine character Weyoun. There are way too many to post for this entry, but personally, I would say his role as the Andorian Shran on Enterprise is among the best.
Ken Mitchell
Actor Ken Mitchell was known for various roles across Star Trek: Discovery and Lower Decks and didn't let his diagnosis of ALS get in the way of interacting with the fandom along the way. The actor was remembered by many Trek actors and fans when he passed in February of 2024.
Aron Eisenberg
In addition to his incredible journey as Nog in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, actor Aron Eisenberg also had a brief role in Voyager. He played the young Kazon named Kardon in "Initiations," and once readers know that, they won't have trouble spotting him in the episode.
Robert Duncan McNeill
Before he was the daring and sometimes troublesome Tom Paris on Star Trek: Voyager, Robert Duncan McNeill had played an almost identical character on The Next Generation by the name of Nicholas Locarno. Canonically, they're just two separate guys who look identical and have very similar personalities, as weird as that may be.
Susanna Thompson
Before she stepped in as the Borg Queen in Star Trek: Voyager, actress Susanna Thompson did some smaller guest roles for the franchise. She played roles like a Vulcan and an illusion in The Next Generation and was also a Trill scientist on Deep Space Nine.
J.G. Hertzler
J.G. Hertzler's Martok was a beloved character for Deep Space Nine fans, but the actor also played a litany of minor characters in the series as well. He also did the same for The Next Generation, and even did some voice work for Lower Decks.
Majel Barrett
An accomplished actress and the wife of creator Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett was in Star Trek from the very beginning. While her role as "Number One" wasn't resurrected until Star Trek: Discovery and later in Strange New Worlds, she was featured in TOS as Nurse Chapel and was beloved as Lwaxana Troi in TNG and DS9. She also did tons of voice work for the franchise, including the voice of most of the computers up until the modern era.
Robin Curtis
After Kirstie Alley was allegedly blocked from returning to play Saavik, actress Robin Curtis came in to fill the role in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock. Following her work on that, she was also welcomed onto the set of The Next Generation to play the Vulcan posing as a Romulan named Tallera.
George Murdock
George Murdock had two notable roles in Star Trek, but it's fair to say they're both substantial. He played "God" in Star Trek V: The Voyage Home, as well as Picard's friend and Starfleet Vice Admiral J.P. Hanson in The Next Generation. With roles like that, one has to wonder, "What would an actor want with a third role?"
John Fleck
John Fleck has been in a lot of Star Trek, but due to fact he was always wearing prosthetics, fans may not be aware. If they watched Enterprise, no doubt they remember his Suliban character, Silik, who was a bit of a rival to Archer throughout the run of the series.
Malachi Throne
Malachi Throne was there at the very beginning of Star Trek, playing The Keeper in the pilot episode "The Cage." Throne would be welcomed back in a couple of TOS roles, and wrap up his time in TNG as the Romulan senator Pardek. Malachi passed in 2013, but it's fair to say he was instrumental in the success of the franchise with his first role.
Elias Toufexis
Elias Toufexis played one of the main antagonists L'ak in Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, but that wasn't the first time he appeared in the series. Go all the way back to Season 1, and he played the criminal Cold, who tried to jump Michael Burnham in the mess hall with another prisoner named Psycho. Not the best thing to be proud of for a role, but at least Toufexis got to play the first unmasked Breen in Trek history, which he was understandably thrilled about.
Armin Shimerman
Armin Shimerman made us all laugh as Quark in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but it wasn't his only role in the franchise. Hilariously enough, he played a couple of other Ferengi in TNG, which might be why some fans think every Ferengi acts like him. He also played that weird Betazoid Gift Box in the "Haven" episode, though was not credited for the role.
Michael Dorn
Michael Dorn famously played the Klingon Worf across more episodes than any other Star Trek character, but he also has another role people tend to forget. Some might forget his role as Colonel Worf in Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country, where he's an attorney meant to be an ancestor of the future Starfleet character.
René Auberjonois
There are few characters in Star Trek as iconic as Odo, and if that were the only role René Auberjonois gave us before his untimely passing, many would be ok with that. It's not his only role, however, as we can see him without his prosthetics in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as Colonel West.
Barbara Babcock
Actress Barbara Babcock may have only had roles on the original Star Trek, but the show made the most of her. In addition to her two live-action roles, she did voice work for the cat Isis, Loskene, and the Zetarians just to name a few. Her prints are all over the original series, and she's definitely one of the more underrated guest stars of the bunch.
Fionnula Flanagan
Fionnula Flanagan might've made all of us shed a tear playing the unaware Android Juliana Tainer, but also popped up in places outside of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She played the Vulcan diplomat V'Lar in Enterprise, and the former lover of Curzon Dax Enina Tandro in Deep Space Nine.
Clint Howard
Few actors can say they started their career with a role in Star Trek, and later returned to play it in adulthood. I think perhaps the coolest thing about Howard's various roles is that he not only appeared in the original series, but was more recently in Season 2 of Strange New Worlds. Talk about sticking with a franchise across the decades!
Ethan Phillips
Ethan Phillips' Neelix brought a lot of personality to Star Trek: Voyager, so of course it makes sense it wasn't the only role the actor ever did. He had a small role as a waiter in First Contact and later showed up in TNG and Enterprise as a Ferengi. A pretty impressive run for someone who stood out as much on his original series, but well-deserved all the same.
Mark Lenard
Mark Lenard is a national treasure in Star Trek, especially considering the powerful roles he had outside of playing Spock's father Sarek. We also see him as one of the unnamed commanders in the iconic episode "Balance Of Terror," and he also played a Klingon Captain in Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Robert O'Reilly
While the wild-eyed Gowron will always be the most notable role Robert O'Reilly ever did, he also had some smaller roles aside from that. This included playing a mobster in The Next Generation. He also played an accountant in Deep Space Nine, as well as a very creepy-looking Klingon in Enterprise, though I'd rather not talk about the last one because the visual freaks me out.
James Cromwell
Beyond playing one of the most important characters in Star Trek, Zefram Cochrane, James Cromwell has had a couple of other random roles in the franchise. This includes the mole rat-looking Jaglom Shrek in The Next Generation, as well as the Karemma Hanok on Deep Space Nine.
Brian Cousins
The actor who terrified Star Trek: The Next Generation fans as the Borg "Crosis" ended up making a couple of appearances as other characters. He played a Romulan named Parem two seasons before his Borg role, and would later be cast in Enterprise to play a character by the name of Paltani in the episode "The Catwalk."
Patrick Kilpatrick
The Imhotep species of Voyager are some of the most unique aliens I've seen in the show, so it's a shame we only got a small bit of Patrick Kilpatrick's character. While the actor had the one-and-done appearance as that species, he also played a Kazon in the series, and later popped up in Deep Space Nine as a soldier in the Dominion War.
