The 7 Star Trek Actors Who’ve Appeared In The Most Episodes

Venturing into space in the Star Trek franchise is no small feat. For starters, becoming a member of Starfleet takes years of training, and many more recruits wash out than graduate. And even those who make it through the first step in their long journey don’t always get the glamorous positions. After all, there’s a lot more that goes into maintaining a starship than standing on the bridge and arguing. The same can be said of a TV set, as everyone, not just the actors, has to be on the same page if a good episode is to reach the finish line.

While it’s probably true that actors get too much credit for a show’s success, the performers who call the final frontier home put in the work. There are so many different series, and they overlap enough that some people have to keep coming back to keep the story on track. Here are the seven Star Trek actors who’ve appeared in the most episodes.

T.6) Marina Sirtis

The first name to crack this list is Marina Sirtis, who plays Deanna Troi, the counselor on the Enterprise and a powerful empath, in 178 episodes. Most of her time with her patients comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, where she appears in all but a handful of episodes. After that, she returns in Star Trek: Voyager and a good chunk of Star Trek: Picard, a show that allows her to reunite with many of her original castmates.

T.6) LeVar Burton

As should come as no surprise, another member of the TNG cast grabs the number six spot. Like Sirtis, LeVar Burton gets to play Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge, whose calling card is the iconic VISOR, in most of the episodes of TNG. The actor reprises his role in a single episode of Voyager and a few of Picard, giving him a total of 178.

5) Jonathan Frakes

A Starfleet captain is only as good as their right-hand, and Jonathan Frakes’ Commander Riker is so great that he appears in all 178 episodes of TNG. Once that show is over and done, Rikes brings his suave attitude and battlefield prowess to Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Also counting his numerous appearances in Picard, Frakes’ final tally is an impressive 194 episodes.

4) Brent Spiner

Robots have to fight an uphill battle in Star Trek because people overlook their contributions. Well, no one can claim that Brent Spiner’s Data doesn’t do his part, as he appears in all but one episode of TNG. He also shows up his fair share in both Enterprise and Picard, dishing out knowledge and the occasional butt whooping. Spiner can look back on his Star Trek career fondly after appearing in 195 episodes.

3) Patrick Stewart

The man at the helm of the Enterprise in TNG, Jean-Luc Picard, played by the incomparable Sir Patrick Stewart, appears in every episode of the hit show, just like Riker. However, how he leaps past his crewmate in the rankings is by being the star of another show, aptly named after himself. But Stewart doesn’t always have to be in the spotlight, as he appears in a single episode of Deep Space Nine, raising his total to 209 episodes.

2) Colm Meaney

Not every TNG actor uses Deep Space Nine as a sort of farewell tour. After having a relatively minor role in TNG, Colm Meaney’s Miles O’Brien becomes one of the most important characters in Deep Space Nine, overseeing the operations of the titular space station. O’Brien’s 173 appearances in the sequel series, combined with his 52 in its predecessor, bring his total to a whopping 225 episodes.

1) Michael Dorn

Hitting the 200 mark is impressive, and Meaney deserves a lot of credit for giving his character staying power. However, Michael Dorn runs laps around every other actor in the franchise. Not only does his character, Worf, the Enterprise‘s Chief Security Officer, appear in most of TNG, but he also has a lead role in Deep Space Nine. And there’s more where that came from because he also shows up in a few episodes of Picard, allowing him to finish his run at 272 episodes.

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