7 Actors You Probably Didn’t Know Were On Star Trek

October 8, 2025, 2:30pm

Big franchises are great places for up-and-coming actors to get their feet wet because there are so many roles to fill. Star Wars’ prequel trilogy features its fair share of notable names, including Samuel L. Jackson and Ewan McGregor. They don’t have to do all the heavy lifting, though, as they get help from background players, with Keira Knightley, Dominic West, Rose Byrne, and Richard Armitage all having very minor roles in the series. But Star Wars doesn’t get to have all the fun, as its biggest competitor, Star Trek, also likes to take chances when it comes to casting.

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There are plenty of famous actors who stop by one of the Federation’s ships for a cup of coffee. It’s hard to forget The Rock’s appearance in Star Trek: Voyager or Stephen Hawking’s cameo in Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, there is a group full of notable names that doesn’t get any credit for their time working with Starfleet. Here are seven actors you probably didn’t know were on Star Trek.

7) Gabrielle Union

The late 1990s and the early 2000s were all about teen movies, and Gabrielle Union starred in some of the biggest, including She’s All That, Bring It On, and 10 Things I Hate About You. Before she got her break on the big screen, though, she had to take what she could on TV. One of her earliest roles was playing the Klingon officer N’Garen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a character who enjoyed giving Worf’s son a hard time.

6) Kirsten Dunst

Spider-Man star Kirsten Dunst began working at a young age, appearing in commercials and landing a small part on Saturday Night Live. The casting team at Star Trek: The Next Generation took notice of her talents and gave her a chance, casting her as Hedril, a young girl who could only communicate using telepathy. Her presence on the USS Enterprise-D caused all sorts of problems for Lwaxana Troi.

5) Jonathan Banks

When looking at Jonathan Banks, it’s hard to think about anything but Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. The actor overstayed his welcome in Vince Gilligan’s franchise and delivered a performance of a lifetime. Banks wasn’t always at the center of action, though, as he appeared for a short time on Deep Space Nine as Golin Shel-la, the leader of a faction who couldn’t remember what he was fighting for.

4) Mark Shepard

There are very few TV villains as good as Supernatural‘s Crowley. The demon constantly failed upward, eventually landing the highly coveted position as the King of Hell. While Mark Shepard’s character in Voyager wasn’t as evil as Crowley, he wasn’t a great guy, either. Leucon turned his son into a bioweapon that could destroy the Borg, and the crew of the titular ship had to save the young boy from a tragic fate.

3) Rainn Wilson

The Office produced its fair share of Hollywood greats, including John Krasinski and Steve Carell. Rainn Wilson might not have the movie career that his former colleagues do, but he’s doing alright for himself on TV. In Star Trek: Discovery, Wilson took over the role of Harry Mudd, a con man who made a couple of notable appearances in Star Trek: The Original Series. After leaving Discovery behind, the actor reprised his role in Star Trek: Short Treks.

2) Jim O’Heir

Jim O’Heir is familiar with being the butt of all the jokes because of his time on Parks and Recreation. His character, Garry Gergich, never caught a break, constantly falling over and screwthing things up, but he never lost his positive attitude. The same can’t be said of O’Heir’s Voyager character, who stood by and watched his wife leave him for the con man Gar.

1) Famke Janssen

Other than being a Bond Girl, Famke Janssen’s biggest claim to fame is playing Jean Grey in the X-Men movies. Her mutant was at the center of a love triangle involving Cyclops and Wolverine. Well, Janssen’s time on The Next Generation wasn’t all that different, as her character, Kamala, fell in love with Captain Jean-Luc Picard despite being engaged to another man.

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