Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced a new cohort of fans to the Final Frontier in 1987, and proved that the franchise had legs beyond William Shatner’s Captain Kirk. This post–TOS era was led by Patrick Stewart’s commanding Jean-Luc Picard aboard the USS Enterprise-D, whose entire crew became icons throughout seven unforgettable seasons.
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In the last decade, Star Trek has experienced a modern revival through Paramount+ series like Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds. Almost all of The Next Generation main cast have returned in some fashion during this era, with Star Trek: Picard bringing back the TNG gang for a final sendoff. Beyond Picard, many of the stars have had cameos and appearances in two or more of the recent Trek entries, and we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the TNG main cast faces we’ve seen (or voices we’ve heard) within the last decade.
9) Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher (Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy)
Wil Wheaton returned to Trek in Picard Season 2, appearing in the finale “Farewell” as an evolved Traveler who recruits Kore Soong. He went on to play a major role in Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, helping the Protostar crew battle the Loom and repair the timeline. The season ended with Wesley reuniting with Beverly Crusher and meeting his half-brother, Jack. Wheaton also voiced an animated Wesley in Lower Decks Season 4’s “The Inner Fight,” depicting his Academy days with Nick Locarno and Sito Jaxa. Originally a TNG regular from Seasons 1–4, Wesley was one of Trek’s most contentious characters. However, his notable absence from Picard Season 3 was still a disappointment for many viewers.
8) Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi (Picard, Lower Decks)
Marina Sirtis returned in Picard Season 1’s fan-favorite episode “Nepenthe,” where Troi and Riker live a quiet family life. She then appeared throughout Picard Season 3 and voiced Troi in Lower Decks Season 1’s finale “No Small Parts.” Sirtis appeared in all seven seasons of TNG; however, the character was often underdeveloped, and the scripts relied heavily on her empathic abilities. Picard gave Troi a bit more maturity, particularly in her grief.
7) Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher (Picard, Prodigy)
Gates McFadden’s big return came in Picard Season 3, where Beverly revealed she had secretly raised Picard’s son, Jack Crusher. In fact, this storyline became the season’s main emotional pull. She also appeared as a hologram in Prodigy Season 1 and returned in Season 2’s finale. After being absent in TNG Season 2, McFadden returned and remained until the series ended. Beverly’s romantic tension with Picard, unresolved for decades, finally got its long-awaited closure in Picard.
6) LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge (Picard)
Returning in Picard Season 3 as curator of the Fleet Museum, LeVar Burton’s Commodore Geordi La Forge played a key role in restoring the Enterprise-D and protecting his daughters, Sidney and Alandra, who now serve in Starfleet. Burton starred in all seven seasons of TNG and became one of Trek’s most important directors, helming 29 episodes across multiple series. His friendship with Data was and remains a fan-favorite. Combined with his iconic Reading Rainbow legacy, Burton’s return reinforced his status as one of Trek’s most beloved ambassadors.
5) Michael Dorn as Worf (Picard)
Michael Dorn returned triumphantly in Picard Season 3 as a reimagined Worf, now a peaceful, philosophical warrior serving as a subspace ranger, and instantly became one of the season’s highlights. Dorn holds the record for most Trek appearances, thanks to his years as a main cast member on both The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. Worf’s journey from insecure outsider to violent fighter to peaceful leader is easily one of Trek’s best character arcs to date, and his Season 3 return was praised as one of the franchise’s best-ever character revivals.
4) John de Lancie as Q (Lower Decks, Picard, Strange New Worlds)
John de Lancie returned as Q in Lower Decks Season 1 in the episode “Veritas,” where Q appears briefly during the crew’s interrogation, up to his usual antics. His next major return came in Picard Season 2, where the now-desperate menace served as the season’s antagonist. After altering the timeline to create the Confederation of Earth, Q sent Picard and his crew back to 2024 Los Angeles to repair history, revealing that his powers were failing and that he was becoming mortal. In the finale “Farewell,” Q restored the timeline and shared a final scene with Picard before apparently dying. De Lancie later appeared in Picard Season 3’s post-credits scene, interacting with Jack Crusher and suggesting Q’s continued interest in Picard’s family. Most recently, he voiced Q in Strange New Worlds Season 3, where the series confirmed that Trelane from “The Squire of Gothos” is connected to the Q Continuum.
3) Jonathan Frakes as William Riker (Picard, Lower Decks)
Making a return in Picard, Jonathan Frakes’ Riker appears in Season 1’s “Nepenthe,” which reveals Riker and Troi living on the planet Nepenthe after leaving active service. In the episode, Riker temporarily commands a Starfleet squadron to defend Picard and Soji from Romulan forces. He returned again in Season 3 as captain of the USS Titan-A, playing a pretty major role in the conflicts with the Changelings and the Borg. Additionally, Frakes voiced Riker in multiple Lower Decks episodes from 2020 to 2024, including “No Small Parts” and “First First Contact.” In addition to acting, he directed episodes of Discovery, Picard, and Strange New Worlds, including the crossover episode “Those Old Scientists.”
2) Brent Spiner as Data, Soong Variants, etc. (Picard, Lower Decks)
Brent Spiner also returned in Star Trek in Picard Season 1 as a simulated version of Data stored in Dr. Bruce Maddox’s quantum archive. Picard interacts with Data in a digital environment resembling his study, and in the finale, Picard shuts down the simulation at Data’s request, allowing him to experience death. In Season 2, Spiner portrayed Dr. Adam Soong’s descendant, Dr. Alton Inigo Soong, and his daughter Kore. He was back once again in Season 3 as Lore, B-4, and the merged version of Data, whose personality ultimately stabilized and emerged as the dominant consciousness. Spiner also voiced alternate versions of Data in Lower Decks.
1) Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard (Picard)
Naturally, Patrick Stewart returned as Jean-Luc Picard in Picard Season 1, playing the former captain as a retired admiral living at his vineyard in France. The season followed his involvement in a conspiracy connected to synthetic life and the Romulans, ending with Picard’s death and transfer into a synthetic body. In Season 2’s 2024 time-travel storyline, Picard confronted unresolved issues connected to his mother’s death. In Season 3, Picard reunited with his former crew to confront the joint Changeling/Borg threat to Starfleet. The season revealed that Picard’s son, Jack, had been biologically altered through Picard’s past assimilation. While he hasn’t returned to any other Trek in the last 10 years, Stewart appeared in all 30 episodes of Picard and served as an executive producer on all three seasons, overseeing the character’s final chapters.
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