When it comes to memorable characters, the Star Trek universe is of course, a veritable treasure trove of riches. From sardonic holographic doctors to logic-loving pointy-eared Vulcans to androids, Trek fans have long been spoiled with quite frankly some of the most iconic personalities in science fiction history! For a franchise that spans 13 films, nearly a dozen spin-offs and masses of extended media, Star Trek somehow manages to nail it with every new crew. Of course, fans will always have their favorites but given the attachment we tend to feel to the last lot, you’ve got to hand it to the writers for creating some brilliant and fresh dynamics with the new cast almost every single time.
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But with so many great characters to choose from, both amongst the regular cast and returning guest stars, someone is bound to get overlooked. Even among the main crew, certain names just never seem to get their fair share in the spotlight. Sometimes it’s because of inconsistent writing, sometimes because they just weren’t fan favorites at the time, and sometimes it’s simply because they had the bad luck of existing alongside more popular co-stars who storylines tended to favor. That’s not to say that these characters didn’t matter. In fact, many brought unique dynamics to their respective shows, and we think their contributions deserve a little more credit than they usually get. From fiery engineers to eccentric diplomats, these characters may not get the same love as Picard or Spock, but they added depth, humanity, and humor to their series. Star Trek has always been about diversity of perspective—and these underrated figures prove that sometimes the most effective characters can be the ones quietly doing their job in the background to make the universe feel more rounded.
Here’s our picks for the 7 most underrated Star Trek characters no one talks about — but definitely should.
7. Doctor Katherine Pulaski (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Let’s be real, replacing Beverly Crusher in Season 2 of TNG was always going to be a tough gig. It’s not necessarily that fans felt any particular loyalty to Gates McFadden’s Crusher at this relatively early point in the show, but her chemistry with Picard was just starting to get interesting and switching out a major cast member after just a series felt like an odd move. Diana Muldaur’s Dr. Katherine Pulaski didn’t help her case by coming on to the scene with a completely different energy, more brisk and efficient, that felt jarring against Crusher’s more measured presence. Dr. Pulaski certainly didn’t immediately endear herself to fans, seeming brusque and a little unfeeling at times, especially when mispronouncing Data’s name or calling him “it.” But beneath the brash exterior, it soon became apparent there was a physician with a backbone.
Pulaski is underrated in our opinion when you consider her arguably underappreciated skills (she did save Picard’s life with impromptu heart surgery guys!), but also when you begin to respect her willingness to challenge those around her. She was a refreshing change from the sickly-sweet politeness and air of self-righteousness that seemed to hang around many of the TNG characters. Like McCoy before her, she was the voice of reason when the situation demanded it, willing to poke holes in the Federation’s arguments, despite sharing their values for the most part. It’s also interesting to ponder whether her personality and prickliness might have been better tolerated if she was a man. Some might critique her as being something of a McCoy replacement or wannabe, but we think she earned her place on the Enterprise in her own right. She may not have been around long, and many fans dismiss her in favor of Crusher, but we think Pulaski added a necessary edge to TNG’s second season.
6. B’Elanna Torres (Star Trek: Voyager)
While B’Elanna is probably talked about by fans more than others on our list, being part of the main cast of Voyager, it’s often within the context of her oft-debated relationship with the ship’s enigmatic Helmsman Tom Paris, which we think does her a massive disservice. Voyager’s fiery half-Klingon, half-human engineer often gets overshadowed by admittedly arguably more interesting and better-developed characters like everyone’s favorite Emergency Medical Hologram Doctor and Seven of Nine, to whom the writers tended to give the bulk of the interesting character-focused storylines. But actress Roxann Dawson brought something to Voyager as B’Elanna Torres no one else on the show did: a raw, and heartfelt struggle with identity. B’Elanna was brilliant and fierce, but occasionally deeply insecure, wrestling with her Klingon side while trying to fit into Starfleet after her time with the Maquis—a more volatile and visceral identity crisis compared to the more internal struggles we saw with Spock.
Without needing to shout about it from the rooftops every damn episode, *cough* Seven of Nine *cough*, B’Elanna actually has one of the most interesting backstories of any Star Trek character. Her childhood trauma of being rejected by her human father and her struggles with anger-management and acceptance, both of herself and by others, made her one of Voyager’s most relatable characters—especially for viewers who saw themselves reflected in her dual heritage or difficult upbringing. On top of this, she was also a damned good engineer, being promoted to chief and proving herself more than capable. Under Chakotay and Janeway’s nurturing guidance, she did grow massively as a character, despite not always getting the airtime to do it on-screen. Her love story with Tom Paris, though divisive amongst fans, was admittedly sweet, and felt like a deserved happy ending for a character who’d gone through a lot. She may not have gotten the spotlight as often as she deserved, but B’Elanna was the heart and muscle of Voyager’s engine room.
5. Miles O’Brien (The Next Generation / Deep Space Nine)
The “everyman” of the 24th century, Chief Miles O’Brien never wanted glory—he just wanted to do his job, grab a pint, and go kayaking in the holodeck. Turning up for his shift in over 200 episodes throughout The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, he was a solid presence often overlooked by viewers at the time—a hard-working, salt of the earth family man you could depend on. And yet, few characters suffered as much as poor O’Brien at the hands of some quite frankly sadistic writers!
Across his stint in the franchise, he endured brain prisons, possessed spouses, not to mention the constant chaos of running ops on a space station in the middle of a war! Please, no more, hasn’t the poor man suffered enough?! But that was exactly what made him underrated: O’Brien wasn’t a captain or a chosen one. He was the working-class backbone of Starfleet, the guy who kept the ship (or station) running while the heroes made the speeches. He was far more relatable to many viewers than the guys at the top. Lower Decks finally gave him his due, calling him “perhaps the most important person in Starfleet history.” Here here! We hope he finally got some of the peace he deserved when he went off to teach at the Academy!
4. Lwaxana Troi (The Next Generation / Deep Space Nine)
For years, Lwaxana Troi (Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed—to use her full title…) was treated as little more than comic relief for The Next Generation. Played my Majel Barrett, the late Gene Roddenbury’s wife, (who also played Nurse Chapel and provided the voice of the computer across multiple Star Trek series), Lwaxana is the classic flamboyant, eccentric mother figure who embarrassed her daughter Deanna by flirting with her boss, (and, rather delightfully, made Picard squirm in the process!) But peel back the layers, and you’ll see Lwaxana was actually one of the franchise’s most quietly poignant characters.
Her relationship with Deanna was genuinely one of the most heartfelt and ‘real’ mother-daughter relationships we could hope to see on screen. Yes, she was over-the-top and no doubt exasperating to her long-suffering daughter at times, but she clearly cared and wanted nothing but happiness for her child. Lwaxana was actually an incredibly skilled diplomat, her telepathy gave her insight others lacked, and her way with people (when she wanted to charm) made her indispensable. Her vulnerability shone brightest in DS9, where her unexpected friendship with Odo revealed a deeply caring, deeply lonely soul. “The Forsaken,” where she comforts Odo as he reverts to his liquid form, remains one of Trek’s most tender episodes. Lwaxana was a reminder that love, and honesty could be strengths in a universe that often prized stoicism.
3) Tuvok (Star Trek: Voyager)
Arguably Voyager’s Vulcan security chief Tuvok’s only crime was featuring on a show where the writers fell head-over-heels for Seven of Nine. That meant that, especially in later series, Tuvok often got sidelined—which is a huge shame, because, on reflection, Tim Russ gave one of the most nuanced Vulcan performances in Trek history. Unlike Spock, Tuvok wasn’t torn between two worlds and duel sides to his identity. He was fully Vulcan, yet his unique friendships with Janeway and even Neelix of all people, revealed how rich and complex that Vulcan identity could be.
Perhaps Spock didn’t get every human facet of his personality from his mother after all. Episodes like “Flashback,” (where Tuvok is established to have been around in The Original Series Era and featuring a fantastic cameo from George Takei as Sulu) “Riddles,” and “Endgame” showed Tuvok’s loyalty, dry wit, and vulnerability in ways that were never flashy but always profound. Tuvok wasn’t a Spock clone and didn’t copy other Vulcan’s that had come before him either. He was stoic without being snippy, and reserved without being aloof, a steady, thoughtful presence who anchored Voyager, even when the stories didn’t.
2) Wesley Crusher (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Ok, so Wesley is definitely talked about, but not usually for the right reasons! Come on guys, he wasn’t that bad! For a generation of fans, Wesley Crusher was the character they loved to hate. Accused of being something of a Mary Sue with his unnatural talent at such a tender age, and often mocked online, Wesley certainly bore the brunt of TNG’s early writing struggles, but we reckon much of the criticism was a little harsh (even if the ‘shut up Wesley’ meme is hilarious…)
Take a closer look, and Wesley was exactly what the show needed: a curious, brilliant kid serving as the audience’s anchor into the universe by letting us share his sense of wonder and excitement and being out amongst the stars on the Federation’s flagship. He was admittedly annoying, but come on, if you got to join the Enterprise and explore the Universe, you’d be like a kid in a candy shop too! By the time he left the show, Wesley had matured into a thoughtful young man, and became a fine officer in his own right. Yes, he screwed up (sometimes catastrophically), but that only made him feel more human and likable as a character than when he was a nagging kid. Children do grow up people!
1) Ezri Dax (Deep Space Nine)
It couldn’t have been easy to replace a beloved character like Jadzia Dax in a show’s final season, but Nicole de Boer managed to carve out a distinct identity in record time, giving a fine performance as Ezri Dax. However, it was always going to be difficult for her to make the same impact in one season that Terry Farrell made as Jadzia made across 6. Ezri quickly proved to be a compelling addition to Deep Space Nine. Nicole de Boer and the writers gave her a voice different from Jadzia’s, while still showing through subtle distinct mannerisms that the Dax symbiont lived on within her. That made Ezri’s arrival a unique opportunity for audiences to truly see what it meant to grieve the loss of a loved one, only to have at least some of their essence return in a new host.
Because she only had one season, Ezri often gets overlooked and dismissed as simply ‘Jadzia’s replacement.’ But her arcs with Worf, Garak, and Bashir revealed a layered, empathetic character who deserved more time. Ezri offered a fresh lens on what it meant to be joined. She wasn’t just Jadzia-mark two; she was something new—a Trill struggling with sudden responsibility, grief, and a new identity.
Let us know your picks for the most underrated Star Trek Characters in the comments!
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Image Courtesy of Paramount
